London, UK – Wednesday 21 January 2026: The Modems founder and tech journalist Natalie Salmon was invited to speak at Apple’s UK headquarters at Battersea Power Station as part of Passionate About Business – Female Founders Edition, an afternoon dedicated to supporting women-led independent businesses through technology, privacy and productivity.
Founder mode, activated – where technology meets intention.
Credit: Apple
Held in One Boiler House, Apple’s top-floor event space overlooking the Thames, the event brought together influential female founders, creatives and entrepreneurs from across London for an immersive programme exploring how Apple technology – including Mac, iPhone and Apple Intelligence – supports modern business-building.
An afternoon designed for founders:
The event opened with a conversation between a senior female Apple executive and guest curator Meredith O’Shaughnessy, London-based entrepreneur, examining Apple’s commitment to independent businesses through a hardware, software, privacy and security lens.
A room full of women building what’s next – supported by technology that actually understands them.
Credit: Apple
Guests then rotated through a series of small-group discussions led by female founders and Apple specialists, encouraging open, practical conversation rather than traditional panel presentations. The format allowed attendees to engage directly with speakers, see live demos on devices, and ask detailed questions around real workflows.
Apple’s Amanda Farr in conversation with London-based entrepreneur Meredith O’Shaughnessy.
Credit: Apple
Confirmed guest speakers included:
- Kowiyat ‘Mayo’ Ajimobi, founder of The Lady Powerhouse, on the role of technology in building and scaling a business
- Jojo Barr (House Nine Design) and Polly Wilkinson (Studio Pollyanna Landscape Design), on using Mac, iPhone and iPad collaboratively across design workflows and podcast production
- Natalie Salmon, founder of The Modems, on approaching AI as a productivity tool rather than a threat
- Shivani Pau, founder of A Millennial Mind, on using Apple technology to run her business and podcast with smart productivity at its core
The afternoon concluded with an open networking and cocktail hour, allowing guests to continue conversations, explore Apple products in more detail and connect with the Apple team.
Natalie Salmon on speaking at Apple HQ:
Natalie Salmon’s session focused on how founders can think about AI in practical, human terms – not as a replacement for creativity or judgement, but as a support system that removes friction from everyday work.
Small groups. Open conversations. Technology designed around how women actually work.
Credit: Apple
“On Wednesday 21 January, I was one of five founders invited to speak at Apple’s HQ. The conversation wasn’t about future hype or theoretical use cases – it was about how this technology actually shows up in real working lives, and why that matters for women building businesses today.”
– Natalie Salmon, Founder, The Modems
Speaking alongside Amanda Farr, Director of Product Marketing for Apple Europe, Natalie demonstrated how she uses Apple Intelligence’s writing tools, transcription features and visual intelligence in her own workflow – from journalism and content creation to running a fast-growing media business.
Less theory, more hands-on. Seeing Apple Intelligence in action – built for real workflows.
Credit: Apple
“It was such an incredible day – I got the opportunity to explain how I use the latest Apple AI writing tools and show women and other founders how they can optimise their lives with this technology through live demos. This is exactly why The Modems exists, so I’m hugely grateful to Apple for giving me such an important platform.”
– Natalie Salmon
Championing privacy-led AI
A key theme throughout the afternoon was privacy – particularly as AI becomes more conversational and more deeply embedded in daily life. Natalie addressed the importance of trust when women share personal, professional and emotional data with technology.
She highlighted Apple Intelligence’s privacy-first approach, combining on-device processing with Private Cloud Compute, ensuring user data is never stored and is deleted immediately after fulfilling a request.
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- An intimate founder conversation on AI, productivity and privacy. Credit: Apple
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- When the best tech conversations happen around the table – with a live demo. Credit: Apple
“As women, we often share vulnerability through technology – about our health, our work and our relationships,” Salmon noted during the session. “Privacy isn’t just a feature. It’s a responsibility.”
About The Modems:
The Modems is a female-focused tech and culture platform designed to make technology more accessible, relevant and human for women. With over 94% female readership across its platforms, The Modems covers technology through the lens of work, wellness, culture and everyday life – bridging the gap between innovation and lived experience
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