Guest: Stuart Widdowson – Co-Founder & Fund Manager, Odyssean Capital
🔍 Episode Overview
In this episode, Mike Allen welcomes Stuart Widdowson, one of the UK’s most respected small and mid-cap fund managers and co-founder of Odyssean Capital. With over two decades investing across public and private markets, Stuart shares deep insights on valuations, market inefficiencies, and why applying a private equity mindset to listed companies is one of the most compelling strategies in today’s market.

Mike reflects on a 20-year professional relationship with Stuart, from sell-side meetings to deep strategic discussions — and now, the evolution of Odyssean Capital’s highly engaged approach to unlocking value in underappreciated UK businesses.

💡 Key Insights & Takeaways
• Private Equity Discipline in Public Markets
Odyssean applies a focused, hands-on, long-term approach – more akin to buyout investing than conventional portfolio management.
• The UK Small-Cap Discount
Stuart believes many UK smaller companies trade at 30%+ below intrinsic value, with potential for significant re-rating as capital returns to the market.
• Static vs Dynamic Valuation
It’s not enough to buy cheap – the true opportunity lies in owning businesses capable of compounding value over five to ten years.
• Public vs Private – Valuation Inversion
Unusually, private markets now pay premiums over public equities. Stuart views this as a temporary anomaly and a major opportunity for quoted investors.
• Looking Ahead – The Next Decade of Opportunity
Engaged ownership, operational improvement, and overlooked UK quoted niche global leaders that could define the next cycle for UK equities.

🗣 Memorable Quote

“The irony today is that private equity managers are paying premiums for businesses that listed investors are ignoring in plain sight.” — Stuart Widdowson

📚 Resources Mentioned

• Odyssean Investment Trust (OIT)
• UK Small & Mid-Cap research on valuation gaps
• Public vs Private return dispersion studies

🔁 Connect & Subscribe

• Follow Ignite & Scale on Spotify / Apple
• Discover more at cambriaprivatecapital.com
• Follow Mike Allen for future episodes & insights

Host: Mike Allen – Cambria Private Capital

🔍 About This Episode

In today’s episode, Mike Allen sits down with Anthony Brennan, Board & Business Development Director at Autonomy, part of the MTC Group. Autonomy is redefining how dealerships and OEMs deliver digital experiences by designing platforms that combine freedom, flexibility and scale.
This conversation dives into how Autonomy was built — not just as a product, but as a philosophy. It’s about giving power back to teams, dealers, and customers through smart systems that enable rather than restrict.

🧭 Key Themes & Talking Points

1️⃣ Origins & Vision

What sparked the creation of Autonomy — and what ‘autonomy’ truly means in an industry rooted in legacy systems.

2️⃣ Scaling Gracefully

The balance between customisation for dealers and the discipline of keeping a robust, scalable core.

3️⃣ Team Autonomy & Culture

How Autonomy empowers internal teams to make decisions, innovate fast and remain aligned.

4️⃣ Customer Success Stories

Real-world impact: dealers and OEMs who have transformed performance through Autonomy’s platform.

5️⃣ Lessons for Leaders

Anthony’s top lessons on building autonomy into products, organisations, and leadership structures.

🎯 Who Should Listen

Dealer principals & OEM leaders
Founders in platform or SaaS businesses
Anyone scaling teams, tech or culture

🔗 Learn More
Explore Autonomy at: getautonomy.co.uk
More Ignite & Scale episodes: Cambria Private Capital

Show Notes – Strong on AI, Automotive 🚘🤖

In this episode of Ignite & Scale, we sit down with Devin Daly, founder and CEO of Impel, the first unicorn on our podcast. Devin takes us inside the incredible journey from investment banking to building a global AI powerhouse transforming automotive retail.

Impel now powers 36bn shopper interactions, driving over $9 billion in sales across 51 countries. From humble beginnings creating 360° product visualizations for fashion brands to becoming the leading AI platform in automotive, Devin shares how bold vision, smart pivots, and relentless focus on people and culture fuelled their success.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How Impel scaled from fashion e-commerce to revolutionizing automotive AI
• Why car dealerships’ razor-thin margins made them ripe for disruption
• How AI is unifying the fragmented consumer journey across sales, service, and aftersales
• The role of culture, agility, and world-class talent in scaling to unicorn status
• Lessons from building an AI Center of Excellence in Georgia
• What the next 5–10 years look like for AI in automotive retail – from digital concierges to predictive vehicle acquisition

Key Takeaways:

• AI isn’t replacing people – it’s augmenting dealerships, boosting profitability, and elevating customer experience.
• Scaling globally means balancing speed, agility, and culture.
• The future of automotive retail will be driven by always-on AI brains guiding the entire consumer lifecycle.

📌 Learn more about Impel: impel.ai
📧 Contact: info@impel.ai