Momentum

Dating apps are weird again — and honestly? We're here for it. From Netflix's Swiped to AI-powered matchmaking apps for dog lovers, founders are reinventing love with algorithms. In this episode: - The real reason Gen Z is done with swiping - AI that flirts and schedules your date - Why the dating app market is still worth $10B+ - The loneliness economy (and why startups love it) Whether y...

Everyone loves the “We just raised $3M!” LinkedIn post. No one talks about the burnout, breakdowns, and bullshit behind it. In this episode: - The emotional tax of chasing your next round - What actually gets VCs to say yes - The moment we realized fundraising is often the worst part of the job

From AI-powered pizza ovens in Naples to robotic bartenders and airport arms serving poke bowls — theautomation wave is coming for your food. In this episode, we talk about how tech is transforming the hospitality game (and if that’s actually what we want). Robots are fast, efficient, scalable. But can they replace the romance of a Neapolitan pizza chef? We debate. We laugh. We fear for our free d...

In this short & spicy edition, Erika and Vlada debate one of the biggest shifts in the startup world: Is profitability finally sexier than growth? Fundraising is down. Burn multiples are under the microscope. Founders are rethinking everything — and we’re here for the hot takes. 🔥

Giacomo Bertoldi didn’t follow the Silicon Valley playbook. Instead, he turned a legacy family business into Walliance — one of Europe’s biggest real estate crowdfunding platforms. Fast-forward: €10M+ raised, campaigns across Italy, Spain, and the US, and a story full of hustle, pivots, and pressure. In this episode: - How he built Walliance from the ground up - That €6.5M raise that nearly crashe...

The EU just announced a massive €10 billion fund to stop European startups from fleeing to the US — but is this really the magic fix we’ve all been waiting for? In this episode:- The real opportunity behind the Scale-Up Europe fund (and who wins)- The risks: slow bureaucracy, tricky terms, regional favoritism- How you should think about public funding if you’re building in Europe- And why this cou...

No Stanford. No pitchdeck army. No working product. Just an idea, a cold email, and a team of scientists crazy enough to go all in. In this episode, we sit down with Pavel Hrmo — physicist, founder, and the brain behind ZuriQ — a startup building quantum tech from scratch. We talk: - How they raised €4.2M pre-product (and what convinced investors) - The leap from academia to entrepreneurship - Col...

Starting a podcast sounds fun. Doing it with your best friend? Even better. Until… it isn’t. In this no-guestepisode, we get real about building Momentum while juggling jobs, babies, bad Wi-Fi, and a hundred Google Docs. We talk late-night edits, friendship dynamics, near meltdowns — and why we’re doing it.   In this episode: - The real reason we started Momentum - How we stalk guests without sham...

Felice Biancardi runs 4 companies — across sports, real estate, cyber and hospitality — all while living and working fully remote. And he’s not chasing unicorns. He’s building freedom. In this episode: - Why his first startup failed (and why that was the best thing that happened) - How he scaled in one of Italy’s slowest-moving markets - How a “side hustle” made €1.5M+ in 18 months - Why not every...

Two Stanford physicists left the lab to fix a broken system: computer chips that waste too much energy and can’t keep up with AI. Their startup, Lightium , is using light (yep, actual light) to make chips faster, cooler, and ready for the next tech wave — from AI to quantum. In this episode, we get into: - Why traditional chips are hitting a ceiling - How they explained photonic tech without losin...

Meet Sofia Radley — pharmacist-turned-cofounder of AXMED — a company on a mission to fix how low-income countries access medicines. In this episode, we talk: - Why building a global marketplace for medicines is 100x harder than it sounds- How fundraising and team building happened while giving birth to her second kid- What it really takes to co-found a mission-driven company (hint: brutal honesty)...

What happens when a 24-year-old ex-BCG consultant takes on Europe’s slow, dusty real estate market? You get Casavo — a platform that once bought $30M in homes a month... then pivoted hard. In this episode, Giorgio Tinacci shares: How he raised $800M+ (with zero VC experience) The real story behind their near-death moment (hint: interest rates) Lessons from running a real estate rocket ship in 4 co...

What do Formula 1 and nanotechnology have in common? Andrea Giovannelli. At 23, while Italy’s startup scene was barely on the map, Andrea launched Nanotech — betting on the smallest materials to solve the biggest engineering challenges. Fast forward: today, his company is powering faster F1 cars, safer airplanes, and the future of advanced materials. We dive into the early days of building from sc...

In this episode, we dive into how he built Vianova, a mobility data platform used by cities to make better decisionsaround transport and infrastructure. He shares what it’s really like to sell to governments, validate a product in public, and pitch an idea before the market is ready. Chapters:   00:00:00 - Introduction to Vianova and Its Mission 04:26:00 - The Journey of Thibault Castagne: From Fi...

Chandralika Hazarika is a walking power surge. No tech background, no co-founder, no safety net—and yet, she’s partnering with global fashion giants to bring AI to your online shopping cart. As co-founder of Bigthinx 3D AI, she’s building cutting-edge tech that powers 3D body scans, virtual try-ons, and digital twins for the world’s biggest fashion and luxury brands. (You know that moment when you...

Cristina Jäger spent years advising millionaires at UBS—then left it all to fix what the industry ignores: the gender wealth gap.   In this episode, she shares how Her Financial Freedom was born from a few conversations over Prosecco and turned into a fast-growing platform that’s helping thousands ofwomen invest with confidence.   We cover: 💸 Real estate vs. market investing 👶 The ETF plan she s...

In this episode, we sit down with Yury Vasilkov , CEO of Gamaya , to talk about what it really takes to build momentum in deep tech. From overcoming a failed product launch to finding the right market (hello, sugarcane farmers 🧃), Yury shares the behind-the-scenes of navigating pivots, raising funding, and introducing AI into one of the most traditional industries on earth. 00:00:00 - Introductio...

"Sell first. Build later." That’s the mindset that helped Tanguy Frecon, co-founder and CEO of Prolong, raise €1.5M before even launching his company.   Prolong is reshaping the fashion industry by making after-sales a brand asset—helping companies integrate care, repair, and maintenance services seamlessly. But building astartup from scratch is never smooth sailing.   How do you convince investor...

Quitting Corporate to Launch a Lingerie Empire – Tiffany’s Wild Ride Ever thought about ditching your 9-to-5 to start your own thing? That’s exactly what Tiffany did. In this episode, Erika, Tiffany, and Vlada catch up on her leap from podcast host to full-time entrepreneur—building a lingerie brand with a bold twist: adaptive fashion . The crew dives into the chaos of launching a business in Fran...

You’ve seen the cute baby announcements and the glowing pregnancy pics, but let’s get real—motherhood is a rollercoaster, and maternity leave? A whole other beast. In this episode, Erika and Tiffany sit down with Katie to unpack the messy, exhausting, and surprisingly hilarious parts of pregnancy, birth, and navigating work after baby. From breaking your water and not knowing it (yes, that happene...

Join Tiffany Monahan as she chats with fashion and tech expert Robin Barrett Wilson about the latest shifts in the fashion industry. They discuss the untapped potential of the 'Silver Generation,' how Gen Z is driving nostalgia trends, and the dual-edged impact and ethics of AI on creativity and quality in fashion.  Warning: This episode includes a mention of suicide, which may be sensitive for so...

From creating content to leading a tech startup, this episode explores how Marta Bosso, serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder / CEO of Brandplane is using AI to tackle some of marketing’s biggest challenges. We also talk about what platforms like TikTok and LinkedIn mean for brands today and how to make your business stand out. 00:00 –  Introduction : Meet our guest and hear about the unique journey...

In this episode, Andreas Cleave, CEO and co-founder of Corti, shares how his personal experiences with his mother’s healthcare journey inspired him to build an AI platform that supports providers and improves patient care. We discuss how Corti’s technology addresses administrative burdens in healthcare, allowing professionals to focus on what matters most—helping patients. Andreas reveals the chal...

This week, we talk with Stefano Bellasio, founder of Anthropos, an AI skill development platform helping companies tackle recruitment, retention, and skill-building challenges. Stefano discusses how Anthropos’ unique AI simulations and skill taxonomy are reshaping workforce training, and shares insights on hiring right, scaling fast, and creating company culture. Discover what keeps Stefano motiva...

What’s the right time to hire your first sales rep? How do you approach market entry when your product is still in beta? In this episode, Eric Shaver provides expert guidance on these questions and more. We delve into the practicalities of hiring, scaling, and surviving in the competitive B2B landscape, with a focus on navigating vendor risk and defining a clear go-to-market strategy that drives r...