The European Startup Show

[00:01:00] Jared's Journey from sales to building a thriving community of 45,000 revenue professionals and how community saved his life.[00:10:00] What makes for a successful B2B community and when companies should think of creating one[00:14:00] The Collab: Jared’s New Initiative - a newsletter and community for collaborative growth. How Collab connects creatives, founders and fractionals with founders.[00:22:00] Challenges and Misconceptions in Community Building[00:32:00] Audience building as the new go-to-marketLinksBook recommendation: Presence process By Michael BrownJoin the RevGenius community to connect with like-minded professionals.Subscribe to the Collab newsletter for insights on collaborative growth.Follow Jared Robin on LinkedIn for more updates and advice on community building.

[2:15] From Classical Music to Tech StartupAnnu discusses her transition from a classical musician to founding a technology company, highlighting the unexpected path from arts to entrepreneurship.[12:25] Understanding the Upright Project's Impact ModelA deeper dive into how the Upright Project measures the net impact of companies, using tangible examples to illustrate their methodology.[23:05] Brand Building in the Sustainability SpaceAnnu shares her thoughts on the intricacies of brand building within the sustainability industry and how it differs from other sectors.[29:52] The Decision to Operate as a For-Profit InitiativeAnnu explains the rationale behind choosing a for-profit model for the Upright Project, emphasizing the need for practical impact over academic pursuits..[35:49] Personal Insights: Books, Cities, and Productivity TipsRapid-fire round with Annu, uncovering personal preferences and sources of inspiration.LinksThe Upright ProjectBook recommendation: The Non-violent communication

2:16 - Path from operator to angel investor to Atomico scout19:09 - Advice on early stage marketingMarketing focus by stage of growthHow do you balance performance marketing and brand/organic marketing?How do you balance the marketing for end-users vs decision makers?Common mistakes 80% of founders make - working as siloed teamsResource for angel investingVentures TogetherAlma AngelsSeae VenturesBook recommendation: On Identity by Amin Maalouf

Guerson Meyer, Co-Founder & Technology Officer of Sophiq Properties, a PropTech company talks about how he uses no-code solutions at Sophiq Properties to locate, evaluate and validate properties in real-time, adapting to the needs of each investment.  In 2023 alone,  they will complete 16 operations totalling 30 million euros. Hear in detail what no-code tools he used to build his core business.

Why all SaaS companies should implement usage-based pricing andHow to run a successful design partner program with your customers to build your early MVP

[1:49] - Why not having domain expertise can sometimes help entrepreneurs[5:45] - Defining your ICP[8:31] - Determining your MVP[13:06] - Funding your seed and lessons learnt from raising too early.[22:48] - GTM[30:11] - Building a team and culture; it starts first with language.[40:20] - Culture first hiring tipsLinksCompany: Digitail.ioGuest: Sebastian GaborBook link: Never Split the difference, Chris Voss

[2:16] - 20 years and starting a company in Estonia[5:08] - Angel investing and what to look for?[10:01] - First CIO of Estonia[16:59] - Koos - what is it and why is it important[29:04] - Advice for other entrepreneurs[31:35] - ChatGPT and the future[33:09] - HK Unicorn squad and LinksKoosSponsors:ChargebeeE-residency

[2:00] - How the SVB crisis unfolded at Payhawk[6:23] - The 3 most important ingredients for building a successful unicorn[16:19] - Validating your company idea[18:19] - 60 rejections. How Payhawk overcame the biggest objection from VCs[28:35] - Leading through crisis[31:54] - Competition - Use data not marketing to assess competition[36:18] - Trends in Fintech: the payment gapCompany link:PayhawkBook recommendation:Proving Ground: The Inside Story of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Boat Race

[2:24] - Journey to starting Seedstars[5:31] - Investing and not being local[10:27] - Seedstars programs[13:28] - Investor returns from emerging markets[19:06] - Challenges[25:12] - Advice for entrepreneurs [27:16] - Advice for investorsLinksSeedstarsBook: Where the crawdads sing

[3:16] - Hedgeflows: Managing risk and automating payment runs for SMEs [9:51] - Advice for finding early product market fit[16:39] - How to attract talent in early stages without brand or VC backing[19:07] - Knowing your investor’s incentivesLinks:HedgeFlowsBooks:Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 steps to successful startup by Bill Aulet

[2:08] - The economics of solar[7:39] - Challenges and barriers to solar adoption[11:11] - Where are the different countries when it comes to adopting solar[14:50] - Erik’s Journey to starting Svea Solar[19:06] - advice on doing layoffs[23:13] - Challenges of scaling - its all about recruiting, developing and retaining talent[29:48] - Continuous people evaluation[37:40] - 3 things Erik looks for when he interviews peopleLinks:Svea SolarBooks:How to avoid a climate disaster by Bill Gates

[2:07] - Advice on navigating current economic conditions[6:00] - FTX bankruptcy [8:48] - Early-stage due diligence [10:59] - Identifying outliers to find the next Uber or Airbnb[14:13] - Decision-making at Creandum[16:20] - Funding process LinksCreandumThe Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

[1:44] - About Remofirst and Nurasyl’s journey to starting Remofirst.[6:49] - The three ingredients for not failing at a startup [9:04] - Finding your ideal customer profile[12:00] - Trends in remote hiring[14:09] - Funding journey and tips[21:50] - Making remote working workLinksRemofirstDelivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos

[1:53] - Journey to becoming a venture partner at 29 years[7:40] - Increasing the number of women in VC[10:53] - Ideal startups for Sapphire and how they source deals[21:29] - Common challenges, mistakes and advice for Series B companies[30:14] - Series B valuation and trends in valuation[33:51] - Work life balance as a VCLinks:Sapphire VenturesThe Fearless Organization

[2:15] - Online dating market - is there space for one more?[4:47] - Lessons learned from previous startups - retention, defensibility, product complexity, and proving pmf outside of your home market.[16:39] - Never giving up[20:52] - With 8 rounds of fundraising under his belt, David shares his secret for fundraising.[29:00] - Seed stage valuation[29:54] - Iceland as a growing entrepreneurial hubLinksSmittenBook RecommendationNever Split the DifferenceRich dad, poor dad

1:55] - Journey to founding TERN[4:49] - Refugee problem is a global problem. By the numbers.[7:08] - Are refugees are burden to the host country?[9:85] - The Rwanda Refugee plan - will it work?[21:39] - UK’s support for refugees - asylum seekers vs resettlement[28:28] - TERN support for refugees[31:45] - Top three businesses started by refugee entrepreneurs and their main challengesLinksTernRefugee market place, AnkaBen and Jerry’s support page

[1:53] - Safety in upbringing and why being outside can be a boon to an entrepreneur[8:29] - “Never look at the competition, know your customer instead”[10:58] - Focus on the product and avoid distractions[14:25] - On B2C marketing[19:20] - Building the company culture at Vivino[23:34] - When should a founder step down and bring in a new CEO[27:08] - Fundraising tips[30:35] - what Heini looks for in founders for angel investingLinks:www.vivino.comRaw Startup youtube channel - how to grow your app distribution

[1:51] - Irish startup scene[7:41] - How to attract and incentivize talent at a macro level[11:13] - The best startup ecosystems in Europe[19:15] - Dogpatch[24:12] - Norther Ireland/Southern Ireland collaboration[27:21] - Funding for startups in IrelandLinksDogpatchChanging World Order by Ray DalioMidnight’s children by Salman Rushdie

[2:30]  Idea development when you are not from the industry[14:52] - From idea to MVP - DIY or outsource?[21:16] - Funding journey pre-seed to seed[25:26] - Building your team[29:34] - Getting your first customers[31:58] - Niche down on a vertical or not[37:25] - Fundraising dos and don’tsLinksArx Alliance

1:45 - Your journey from operational role to VC6:16 - Advice for others thinking of moving from operational to VC role.12:33 - What makes Creandum different to other VC firms?16:25 - Creandum’s process of finding and investing in companies25:00 - Timing for approaching Creandum 27:48 - Metrics for investing32:59 - Trends in EuropeLinksCreandum