Olly Headey

Or heedy, actually. Heedy.

Or heedy, actually. Heedy.

I think you've done it really well. For a start, am I famous? I don't think so. But they're the two main things, really. I mean, free agent. you know, consumed 15 years of my life. So, you know, that's pretty much most things. Before that, I was a software developer, you know, nothing out of the ordinary. You know, it started in the 90s.

I think you've done it really well. For a start, am I famous? I don't think so. But they're the two main things, really. I mean, free agent. you know, consumed 15 years of my life. So, you know, that's pretty much most things. Before that, I was a software developer, you know, nothing out of the ordinary. You know, it started in the 90s.

I used to do computer games originally when they came on CDs and had sprites, that kind of game. You built them? Yeah, that was my first job. I was just a programmer writing C, C++, and making characters move on the screen. So that was kind of interesting, although quite hard work, I have to say. If you just want a 9 to 5, I wouldn't recommend video games.

I used to do computer games originally when they came on CDs and had sprites, that kind of game. You built them? Yeah, that was my first job. I was just a programmer writing C, C++, and making characters move on the screen. So that was kind of interesting, although quite hard work, I have to say. If you just want a 9 to 5, I wouldn't recommend video games.

yeah i mean great fun i mean to be honest probably quite different in the 90s i have no idea what it's like today i'm not really yeah in there um but but yeah and then you know doing a variety of different jobs uh and ended up being a being a kind of consultant you know going into banks kind of soul destroying that kind of thing and then yeah and then

yeah i mean great fun i mean to be honest probably quite different in the 90s i have no idea what it's like today i'm not really yeah in there um but but yeah and then you know doing a variety of different jobs uh and ended up being a being a kind of consultant you know going into banks kind of soul destroying that kind of thing and then yeah and then

we had it's funny because we had i had this accountant um to do my you know to do my books had a limited company um and he used to send a spreadsheet every month and say fill this in you know so okay and so i had to fill in all the bank transactions manually and then all the expenses

we had it's funny because we had i had this accountant um to do my you know to do my books had a limited company um and he used to send a spreadsheet every month and say fill this in you know so okay and so i had to fill in all the bank transactions manually and then all the expenses

And then send it back over and then and then he would do whatever he did and then said, what you owe this much tax, pay it here. So I had no idea about how finance about the finances, how it all worked or anything. And it just felt like a bit of a waste of time. And, you know, so as it turned out, Ed, who is another co-founder of the agent he had,

And then send it back over and then and then he would do whatever he did and then said, what you owe this much tax, pay it here. So I had no idea about how finance about the finances, how it all worked or anything. And it just felt like a bit of a waste of time. And, you know, so as it turned out, Ed, who is another co-founder of the agent he had,

He had the same accountant and he'd been, you know, he'd started work on this prototype of free agent using Ruby because that was super cool, right? In 2006, that was the real hot tech. And I met Ed and, you know, we kind of got talking, found this connection with our accountant and he was a bit like, well, do you want to kind of help me build it? And I thought, okay. And then quit my job.

He had the same accountant and he'd been, you know, he'd started work on this prototype of free agent using Ruby because that was super cool, right? In 2006, that was the real hot tech. And I met Ed and, you know, we kind of got talking, found this connection with our accountant and he was a bit like, well, do you want to kind of help me build it? And I thought, okay. And then quit my job.

And that was that. So that's kind of how it came about. And yeah, 15 years later, kind of. I left because we did an IPO in 2016 on the London Stock Exchange and then and then we actually got acquired by a bank.

And that was that. So that's kind of how it came about. And yeah, 15 years later, kind of. I left because we did an IPO in 2016 on the London Stock Exchange and then and then we actually got acquired by a bank.

um in 2018 and so i kind of stayed there for a little while after that but then yeah left in 2022 so that was the kind of the big startup journey of free agent and rails all the way ruby and rails that was pretty much everything the whole app pretty much not quite but pretty much was it hard to let it go Let it go. Well, I mean, yeah, yes and no. I think yes and no.

um in 2018 and so i kind of stayed there for a little while after that but then yeah left in 2022 so that was the kind of the big startup journey of free agent and rails all the way ruby and rails that was pretty much everything the whole app pretty much not quite but pretty much was it hard to let it go Let it go. Well, I mean, yeah, yes and no. I think yes and no.

It gives you that sense of identity, you know, and so you sort of lose this whole thing. It's like, yeah, I'm the co-founder. Well, you can always say co-founder, can't you? But, you know, you can't really you detach from it then.

It gives you that sense of identity, you know, and so you sort of lose this whole thing. It's like, yeah, I'm the co-founder. Well, you can always say co-founder, can't you? But, you know, you can't really you detach from it then.