Neil Tanna

Current Employer/Organisation Name

Howbout

What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?

After graduating, I completed the Accelerated LPC before starting a training contract with Hogan Lovells. I qualified as a corporate lawyer and focused as much as possible on deals in the technology sector or with startups. A few years in, I decided to take a major risk: I left law to go all-in on a startup idea with two of my close friends from Exeter – Jake Jenner and Duncan Cowan. We each left our jobs in 2019 to launch the business together: a consumer social calendar app called Howbout.

Thankfully, the risk paid off. I now lead the company as CEO, and since launching, we’ve raised over £10 million in venture capital, scaled our team to 17 people, and grown to more than 5 million users around the world.

Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?

Part of me always thought I’d be a lawyer, and another part of me always knew I’d end up building something of my own. What I was certain of was that I wanted to work in tech in some shape or form.

Running a startup is completely different to working in law. I’ve had to unlearn a few things (like every lawyer’s instinct to eliminate as much risk as possible!), but I’m also certain that the foundation my law degree, the LPC, and those first few years of practice gave me has helped me massively.

The best part of startup life is that no two days are the same. I work across product, growth, strategy, hiring, fundraising — and just generally keeping the wheels turning!

What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?

Starting out as a lawyer taught me a huge amount: attention to detail, a relentless work ethic, how to set up a company, and the essentials of IP, data protection, commercial contracts, and negotiation.

That foundation has been invaluable as a founder — especially in the early days when we were doing everything ourselves. My legal background also helps me stay calm under pressure, structure complex problems, and communicate ideas clearly — whether I’m pitching investors or leading the team.

Outside of law, diving head-first into building a startup has taught me more than anything else. You learn product thinking, marketing, growth strategy — and a whole lot of resilience — very quickly.

What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?

Don’t make the mistake I — and so many others — made: overstressing about the decisions you make now defining your entire career.

Your first job isn’t your last job. Most of the skills that matter — communication, problem-solving, people skills — are totally transferable. A law degree gives you a strong foundation, but there’s no single “right” path to follow.

If you’ve got a side project, a start-up idea, or just a curiosity about trying something different — go for it. Worst case, you learn something. Best case, you build something brilliant.

What are your plans for the future?

To keep scaling Howbout. We’re just getting started — there’s so much more we want to build. Our goal is to become the go-to calendar app for friends around the world, and to make it easier for people to actually spend time together in real life.

We’ve got exciting plans for international growth, new product launches, and continuing to make Howbout more social and more fun. Personally, I just want to keep building things that matter — with people I genuinely enjoy working with.