EU-Startups Podcast

In this episode, we catch up with Kelly Kinnard, Operating Partner and Head of Talent at Khosla Ventures, one of the absolute top venture capital firms in the world. Headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., Khosla Ventures was founded by Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and twenty-year veteran of Kleiner Perkins. They have $19B in AUM, 100+ M&A exits, 25 IPOs, and 35+ unicorns over Khosla...

In this episode, we catch up with Robert Jackle, Partner at Visionaries Club, a leading European early stage VC fund with offices in London and Berlin backed by Europe's most successful digital founders and family business entrepreneurs. Visionaries Club's founders and operators are behind companies such as UiPath, Miro, Flixbus, Mollie, Spotify, Personio, Adyen, HelloFresh or Pitch, and have only...

In this episode we catch up with Andreas Loy, Co-Founder and CEO of KONUX. Before Andreas turned 30 Andreas created more than €500m in shareholder value, more than hundred jobs, and built an outstanding team to create a transformative digital leader for sustainable impact - KONUX. KONUX is a leading German AI scale-up, transforming railway operations for a sustainable future. The company combines...

In this episode, we catch up with Sabina Wizander, Partner at Creandum, one of the most successful venture capital funds in Europe, backing some of Europe’s greatest tech companies including Spotify, iZettle, Depop, Klarna, Bolt, KRY, Epidemic Sound and Small Giant Games. Creandum recently rolled out an oversubscribed €500 million fund, the Creandum Fund VII, with the world’s leading investors as...

In this episode, we catch up with Hugo Amsellem, Co-Founder and General Partner of Intuition. Intuition is a new €15M early-stage fund backing founders focused on Consumer & Culture across the US and Europe with one of the coolest Manifestos and approach to investing in the Venture Capital space. Hugo discusses his journey from helping artists become independent to empowering founders in the consu...

In this episode we're catching up with Dirk Hoerig, the Co-Founder and CEO of commercetools. commercetools is empowering some of the world's biggest brands like Audi, Sephora, and NBCUniversal to revolutionize their digital commerce experiences. They have raised $140 million in funding at a $1.9 billion valuation at the end of 2021 led by Accel and more than $283 million overall! Join the conversa...

In this episode, Renaud Visage, Co-founder and ex-CTO of Eventbrite and Founding Partner at Slate Venture Capital, shares his experiences in scaling the platform and navigating challenges. He discusses the transition to climate tech investing and the promising developments in the field. Renaud also shares lessons learned from angel investing and highlights the importance of storytelling, managing...

In this episode, Shirley Romig, Chief Accelerator Investment Officer at Techstars, discusses the future of accelerator programs and the importance of ecosystem development. She highlights the need to tap into talent globally and create partnerships that fuel growth for Techstars' portfolio companies. Shirley also shares valuable lessons she has learned from scaling companies like Lyft and Equinox,...

In this episode, Alex Berriche, Sequoia Capital Scout and the Co-founder and CEO of Fleet, a French B2B startup focused on simplifying equipment management for startups and SMBs, shares lessons learned from over 100 angel investments. He also discusses the idea behind Fleet and the challenges of IT equipment management. Alex shares his transition from being an entrepreneur to an angel investor and...

In this episode, Johannes Siebers, Co-Founder and CEO of Holidu, shares the founding story and growth of the travel tech company. He discusses the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of building a strong team and culture. Johannes also highlights the company's focus on sustainability and supporting local communities. He emphasizes the value of learning and adapting in...

In this episode, Tim Schumacher, General Partner at World Fund, an impact investor and entrepreneur, discusses his journey as an entrepreneur and the challenges of being a founder. He shares the remarkable story of Ecosia, the largest independent European search engine that uses its profits to plant trees. Tim also introduces the World Fund, a venture capital company focused on investing in startu...

In this episode, Janneke Niessen, a serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder of CapitalT, discusses her journey as an entrepreneur and the transition to becoming an investor. She shares crazy moments from her entrepreneurial career and highlights the importance of team evaluation using proprietary technology. Janneke also talks about her involvement in InspiringFifty, an initiative to increase diversity...

In this episode, Helene Huby, co-founder and CEO of The Exploration Company, shares her journey in space exploration and entrepreneurship. She discusses the vision for space exploration, the transition from Airbus to entrepreneurship, nurturing innovation in large corporations vs startups, her involvement in Urania Ventures and the Microbiome Foundation, and the importance of social impact in busi...

In this episode, Joaquim Lecha, CEO of Typeform, talks about the company's mission to make online interactions more human and shares insights into their innovative approach to collecting zero party data. He also highlights the launch of Formless, an AI-powered form builder, and the future of digital interaction. Kim emphasizes the importance of thoughtful design and balancing technology with human...

In this episode, Marcin interviews Guy Kawasaki, the Chief Evangelist of Canva, former Chief Evangelist of Apple, Podcaster at Remarkable People Podcast and Author of the book Think Remarkable. They discuss Guy's upbringing in Hawaii and how it shaped his approach to life and business. They also delve into the evolution of technology and marketing, the qualities that make a product remarkable, and...

In this episode, Carmen Alfonso Rico, Founder and Angel Investor at Cocoa, talks about her background and cultural influences, the story behind Cocoa and the chocolate making process, and the concept of in-house VC. Carmen also explains investment terms that she coined at Cocoa and shares her insights on fundraising. The episode concludes with a discussion on Carmen's upcoming projects and initiat...

In this episode, Jessica Holzbach, CEO of Pile Capital, shares her journey as a serial FinTech entrepreneur and the challenges and successes she has experienced. She discusses her early signs of entrepreneurship, her transition to the FinTech industry, and her previous ventures. Jessica also talks about building Penta, a successful Neo bank, and the transition to Pile Capital, a treasury solution...

In this episode, Kurt Farrugia, the CEO of Malta Enterprise, talks about the role of Malta Enterprise in driving economic development and supporting startups. He discusses the unique advantages and opportunities that Malta offers for entrepreneurs, as well as the efforts of Malta Enterprise to foster a culture of innovation. Kurt shares his vision for Malta's economic landscape in the next decade,...

In this episode, Holger Seim, Co-founder and CEO of Blinkist, discusses the origin story of Blinkist and the fulfillment he finds in meeting customers who have benefited from the app. He explains the power of short-form content in a world of information overload and how it caters to the needs of modern readers and listeners. Holger shares a transformative lesson from the book 'Mindset' and discuss...

In this episode, Nicolas Benady, co-founder and CEO of Swan, shares the origin story of the company and its mission. He discusses the lessons he learned from his previous ventures and how Swan is reshaping the traditional boundaries of banking by enabling businesses to embed banking features into their products. Nicolas also talks about the challenges of expanding across Europe and navigating dive...

In this episode, Gesa Miczaika, co-founder and general partner at Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund, discusses the challenges and initiatives for achieving gender equality in the venture capital industry. She shares the story of creating the fund and the gradual realization of the need for change. Gesa emphasizes the importance of addressing the similarity bias and increasing diversity in investment team...

In this episode, Thomas Ohr, the founder and CEO of EU-Startups, talks about the upcoming 10th anniversary of the EU-Startups Summit. He discusses the early days of the summit, its evolution and challenges, memorable moments, and the unique selling points that set it apart from other startup events. Thomas shares his vision for the future of EU-Startups and the impact he hopes to make on the Europ...

In this episode, Cris Grossmann, the co-founder and CEO of Beekeeper, talks about the challenges faced by frontline workers and how Beekeeper aims to empower them. Cris shares his story from chemical engineering and experience in the pharmaceutical industry to starting Beekeeper. He also talks about the lessons he learned and the challenges he faced while building Beekeeper. Cris emphasizes the im...

Lena Hackeloer, founder and CEO of Brite Payments, discusses the journey of building a fintech startup and raising $60 million in funding. She shares insights on the importance of strong investor-founder relationships and building a great team. Lena also highlights the need for adaptability and resilience in the startup world. She discusses the future of fintech, emphasizing the shift towards inst...

In this episode, Jacqueline van den Ende, co-founder & CEO of Carbon Equity, shares her journey as an entrepreneur and investor in the climate tech space. She emphasizes the importance of finding inspiration and taking action, driven by a deep concern for climate change. Jacqueline envisions a world where democratizing climate investments helps solve global challenges, and she uses storytelling as...