Perception Paradox with Zivile (Zivi) Ein

But what if uncertainty isn't the problem? In this Paradox Byte, innovation strategist and technology leader Bas Wouterse shares why embracing uncertainty has shaped both his career and his life - and why the things we fear often become less intimidating once we understand them. Would you rather have certainty - or possibility? Full conversation with Bas is available on Perception Paradox podc...

What if success isn't about becoming a unicorn - but simply making the world a little better? In this episode of Perception Paradox , Zivile sit down with Bas Wouterse - technology leader, innovation strategist, magician, and one of the most thoughtful people she met through the startup ecosystem. Over the past two decades, Bas has built technologies that save lives - from augmented reality sy...

Can you ever truly observe a culture without changing it? In this Paradox Byte, anthropologist, entrepreneur, and author Valerie Won Lee shares the story of spending a month living with a remote Pacific Island community - and the unexpected lesson that completely changed the way she thinks about people, leadership, and human behavior. What began as a journey to understand another culture became a...

Most of us think we're observing reality. In reality, we're observing our own assumptions. In this episode of Perception Paradox , Zivile sit down with Valerie Won Lee to explore why observation may be one of the most valuable skills for founders, leaders, and anyone trying to navigate an increasingly complex world. Growing up across cultures and studying human behavior, Valerie shares how...

Is the food industry underestimating the GLP-1 shift? In this Paradox Byte from The GLP-1 Food Shock , recorded live at TUTTOFOOD 2026 in Milan, Johan Jorgensen, Giancarlo Addario, and Matteo Wagner explore how GLP-1 drugs could affect much more than weight loss. From appetite and cravings to restaurant portions, food startups, wellness products, supplements, supply chains, and investment decision...

What happens to the food industry when millions of people start eating less? In this live episode of Perception Paradox , Zivile Einikyte moderates The GLP-1 Food Shock , a Sesamers session recorded at the TUTTOFOOD 2026 International Startup Area in Milan. GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are changing appetite, cravings, portion sizes, and consumer behaviour. But what does this mean for restau...

A short bite from our conversation with MIT engineer and author Ted Yang: why neural networks aren't new, the one thing AI still can't optimize (hint: humans are in the loop), and how over-optimizing can strip out the human touch. Full episode out now.

The smarter AI gets, the more your humanity matters. MIT engineer, 13-time founder, and self-described "recovering hedge fund guy" Ted Yang joins Zivile to flip the AI conversation on its head - away from fear and job loss, toward using it as a tool to perform, think, and live better. We talk about what's truly worth optimizing (and what isn't), how Ted used AI to write his book...

No intro. No script. No agenda. Recorded during the 15th edition of South Summit in Madrid, this is a spontaneous behind-the-scenes conversation with fellow MCs, moderators, investors, authors, and entrepreneurs navigating one of Europe's leading startup conferences. We talk about what audiences don't usually see: the preparation behind great stage hosting, improvising when things go wrong, networ...

What actually makes a community stick? And what does Portugal have that other Southern European countries don't? Ricardo Mesquita has lived and built across six countries. He came back to Portugal - and what he's seeing right now is extraordinary. Full episode (E138) now available on Perception Paradox. 🎙️

Portugal has the talent. The capital. The founders. The attention. But the best companies haven't been built here yet - and Ricardo Mesquita knows exactly why. As founding MD of Endeavor Portugal, and having lived and built across China, Brazil, Chile, France, Spain and the USA, Ricardo has seen what makes ecosystems truly compound.  In this episode: what separates a real ecosystem from the pe...

At 29, Samuel Barreto had a stroke in the middle of an ordinary lunch. No warning. No family history. No reason. He woke up in hospital facing a 50/50 brain surgery decision he had one night to make alone. In this Perception Byte, Samuel shares the raw truth of what came next. The seizures every 10 days. The depression he didn't know he had. Losing the ability to play music. Giving up surfing...

Samuel Barreto was living the dream - 13 years at Red Bull, a global career, a move to Salzburg, and then Puma. Then, at 29, in the middle of an ordinary lunch, he had a stroke. No warning. No family history. No reason. He woke up in the hospital, facing a 50/50 brain surgery decision he had to make one night. In this episode, Samuel opens up about what happened next. The seizures occur every 10 d...

What happens when you stop chasing credentials and start chasing problems? Duncan Casey has been a chemist, a founder, an academic, and a science communicator. Now he builds laser communication systems for satellites — from the west coast of Ireland. In this episode: generalist superpowers, why academics make terrible CEOs, Europe's deep tech gap, and why the internet is going to space. "...

Duncan Casey, Photonics & Business Development Lead at Mbryonics, calls himself "basically quite bad at quite a lot of things." He's been a chemist, a medical devices founder, an academic, a science festival builder — and is now building laser communication systems for satellites from the west coast of Ireland. In this episode, we talk about what it actually means to follow curio...

He started with no VC, no industry experience, and no clear roadmap. Nine years later, Glebs Kiselovs had built a company of 75 people and sold it to one of the world’s largest building automation groups. But the story wasn’t only about the exit. It was about learning how to navigate a traditional industry, building relationships before selling products, and realising that acquisition is not the e...

Glebs Kiselovs left JPMorgan at 22, moved back to Latvia, and started a company in an industry he barely knew. No VC. No playbook. Just conviction. Nine years later: 75 employees, an acquisition, and a full exit to one of the world’s largest building automation companies. We talk about what no one tells you about getting acquired, building while constantly short on cash, scaling from 7 to 40 peopl...

Everybody can create content now. But ideas, personality, taste, and lived experience still matter. In this episode, Dani Markovits (CCO at Shake Content and former LinkedIn Community Lead) breaks down why founder-led content is becoming even more important in the AI era, why likes don’t tell the full story, and how “invisible engagement” quietly drives opportunities behind the scenes. We also tal...

What if low engagement doesn’t mean nobody is listening? In this episode, Zivile sits down with Dani Markovits, CCO at Shake Content and former LinkedIn community lead, to explore how LinkedIn has evolved from a job platform into a space where trust, reputation, and opportunities are built. We talk about invisible engagement, why likes are not the full story, how founder-led content creates commer...

There’s a pattern many people have seen before: men apply when they meet around 60% of the requirements, while women often wait until they reach 100%. It doesn’t just show up in job applications. It shows up in who decides to build - and who feels ready to raise. This episode takes a closer look at the Funded 2025 report, covering 219 women-founded companies across the Nordics. On the surface, thi...

Sometimes the problem isn’t you. It’s the room you’re in. In this episode of Perception Paradox , I sit down with Marcus McDowell to explore identity, access, self-expression, and what it really means to build across borders. From code-switching and belonging to personal brand and intuition — this is a conversation about unlearning, choosing the right environments, and finding where you’re truly s...

Not everyone starts from the same place. In this episode of Perception Paradox , Zivile sits down with Marcus McDowell - brand strategist, innovation consultant, and community builder - to explore identity, belonging, access, and self-expression. We talk about building across borders, navigating spaces that don’t always reflect who you are, and why authenticity can become one of your greatest adva...

Chronic stress doesn’t just “feel bad” — it rewires how you think. When pressure builds, the part of your brain responsible for strategy and decision-making goes offline… and your survival system takes over. In this Paradox Byte, Ale Wiecek Rojo explains: – why founders keep pushing even when they’re burning out– what’s happening neurologically– and why burnout often goes unnoticed until it’s too...

What if the way we work was never designed for the female body in the first place? In this episode of Perception Paradox , Zivile Einikyte sits down with Ale Wiecek Rojo - founder, author, and hormone health educator - to unpack the hidden cost of building, leading, and performing inside systems calibrated around male biology. They explore: what chronic stress does to the founder brain how hormona...

How does an early-stage investor actually decide? In this excerpt from Perception Paradox, Jakob Storå of Superhero Capital breaks down what he looks for in founders: conviction, ambition, execution, and the ability to make others believe. A sharp conversation on why strong teams change everything. Full episode on Perception Paradox podcast - E130 with Jakob Stora.