Why VCs shouldn't try to tick boxes & focus too much on pattern recognition | Seedcamp's Investment Process after receiving a Pitchdeck - Reshma Sohoni & Kate McGinn, Seedcamp

Unicorn Bakery - For the World's Most Ambitious Founders & Teams

https://zez.am/unicornbakery

46:39

“If we march into that village and we start trying to persecute people for using poison, something that's very illegal, nobody's going to talk to us. We're not going to find out where the poison came from. We're not going to be able to shut anything down. We should take the approach that people are using poison because they're desperate, because they see no other alternative.” – Andrew Stein Andrew Stein is a wildlife ecologist who spent the past 25 years studying human carnivore conflict from African wild dogs and lions in Kenya and Botswana to leopards and hyenas in Namibia. His work has long focused on finding ways for people and predators to coexist. He is the founder of CLAWS , an organization based in Botswana that's working at the intersection of cutting-edge wildlife research and community driven conservation. Since its start in 2014 and official launch as an NGO in 2020, CLAWS has been pioneering science-based, tech-forward strategies to reduce conflict between people and carnivores. By collaborating closely with local communities, especially traditional cattle herders, CLAWS supports both species conservation and rural livelihoods—making coexistence not just possible, but sustainable.…

for 2 år siden 50:44

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Why VCs shouldn't try to tick boxes & focus too much on pattern recognition | How to choose your Fund-Strategy | Importance of the German Market | Seedcamp's Investment Process after receiving a Pitchdeck - Reshma Sohoni & Kate McGinn, Seedcamp

Seedcamp has been investing in startups for more than 15 years. A few of the investments include companies like Wise, UiPath, Revolut, Ramp and many more.

Recently, Seedcamp announced their 6th fund and will increase their presence in Germany with this fund. Together with Founding Partner Reshma Sohoni and Associate Kate McGinn, Fabian talks about Seedcamp’s Investment strategy, opening a new market and their investment process from a founder perspective.

ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY:

What you'll learn:

How did Seedcamp become one of the most renowned European (Pre-)Seed Funds?

Why did Seedcamp never change strategy and raise significantly larger funds?

Why shouldn't VCs rely too much on pattern recognition?

Reshma Sohoni

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshmasohoni/

Seedcamp: https://seedcamp.com/

Kate McGinn

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katemcginn/

Seedcamp: https://seedcamp.com/

WHATSAPP NEWSLETTER:

1-2x a week get a personal voice note or content from me that will make you a better founder, sign up now with one click: https://bit.ly/ub-whatsapp-newsletter

(00:00:00) Why did Seedcamp switch their fund vehicle from accelerator to solely venture capital?

(00:07:53) Seedcamp's new 160 million fund.

(00:12:14) What does the collaboration between Seedcamp and Angel investors look like?

(00:17:43) How do you think about fund strategy and why did you choose your strategy?

(00:24:50) What dynamics does it take for the fund to perform well despite the many small tickets?

(00:28:54) Who is Seedcamp talking to in order to arrive and establish itself in the German market?

(00:31:17 As an investor, is it dangerous to only look at pattern recognition?

(00:42:32) What is your typical process after getting a deck?

72 episoder

#Business #Fabian Tausch #Entrepreneur #Trading #Billion Dollar

Why VCs shouldn't try to tick boxes & focus too much on pattern recognition | Seedcamp's Investment Process after receiving a Pitchdeck - Reshma Sohoni & Kate McGinn, Seedcamp

Unicorn Bakery - For the World's Most Ambitious Founders & Teams

published for 2 år siden

Del

MP3•Episode hjem

Seedcamp has been investing in startups for more than 15 years. A few of the investments include companies like Wise, UiPath, Revolut, Ramp and many more.

ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY:

https://zez.am/unicornbakery

What you'll learn:

How did Seedcamp become one of the most renowned European (Pre-)Seed Funds?

Why did Seedcamp never change strategy and raise significantly larger funds?

Why shouldn't VCs rely too much on pattern recognition?

Reshma Sohoni

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshmasohoni/

Seedcamp: https://seedcamp.com/

Kate McGinn

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katemcginn/

Seedcamp: https://seedcamp.com/

WHATSAPP NEWSLETTER:

1-2x a week get a personal voice note or content from me that will make you a better founder, sign up now with one click: https://bit.ly/ub-whatsapp-newsletter

(00:00:00) Why did Seedcamp switch their fund vehicle from accelerator to solely venture capital?

(00:07:53) Seedcamp's new 160 million fund.

(00:12:14) What does the collaboration between Seedcamp and Angel investors look like?

(00:17:43) How do you think about fund strategy and why did you choose your strategy?

(00:24:50) What dynamics does it take for the fund to perform well despite the many small tickets?

(00:28:54) Who is Seedcamp talking to in order to arrive and establish itself in the German market?

(00:31:17 As an investor, is it dangerous to only look at pattern recognition?

(00:42:32) What is your typical process after getting a deck?

72 episoder

#Business #Fabian Tausch #Entrepreneur #Trading #Billion Dollar

Alle episoder

1
Cloudflare Growth Playbook Revealed: How Cloudflare scaled to $1 Billion AR | Growth & Go-to-market-strategies | Chris Merritt, Former Cloudflare Chief Revenue Officer 1:30:53

for 6 dage siden1:30:53

1:30:53

Chris Merritt, former CRO of Cloudflare, shares how the company scaled from single-digit millions to $1 billion in ARR and built a foundation for long-term, sustainable growth. Chris unpacks the strategies behind scaling go-to-market teams, aligning product and sales for maximum impact, and creating strong customer relationships based on trust and value delivery. He also discusses the challenges of building a world-class organization, maintaining momentum through different growth phases, and navigating the shifting dynamics of the SaaS landscape, especially with the emergence of AI and its impact on go-to-market strategies. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Scaling to $1 Billion ARR: Why scaling requires a balance between small, fast-growing customers and large enterprise deals How to build repeatable processes for growth while maintaining flexibility for experimentation Building Trust with Customers: Why trust is the foundation of successful customer relationships and large contracts How to align product capabilities with customer needs while being transparent about limitations Aligning Product and Go-To-Market Teams: The importance of creating a tight feedback loop between product and sales teams How joint customer engagements help ensure consistent messaging and better product development Leadership Through Growth Phases: How to move from founder-led sales to a scalable go-to-market organization The challenges of hiring and maintaining company culture during rapid growth Adapting to Changing Markets: The role of AI in reshaping go-to-market strategies and customer expectations Why the current business landscape is moving faster than ever and what that means for startups ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Where to find Chris: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmerritt99/ Website: https://www.cloudflare.com/de-de/ Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter: 2x die Woche bekommst du die Taktiken der besten Gründer der Welt direkt ins Postfach: https://www.tactics.unicornbakery.de/ Chapters: (00:00:00) How to scale beyond 1 Billion ARR (00:04:39) Value & reasons to buy Cloudflare (00:08:23) The balance between building the best product vs. building a worldclass sales organization (00:15:18) Stages and phases in startups that help navigating through challenges (00:24:55) Chris' tipps for founder-led-sales (00:32:48) Advices to find support for go-to-market (00:43:12) How to ensure that product and go-to-market are not drifting apart while growing (00:52:34) How to bring the team together (00:57:23) Quality expectations at Cloudflare (01:02:55) Building a sustainable company (01:09:03) Chris' best learnings on pricing (01:15:47) How to evaluate whether it is worth undercutting the competitor just to win the customer (01:22:06) Chris' thoughts on the momentum of the AI space…

1
How Clay Scaled from 0 to $30M ARR in 2 years with Product-Led Growth with Co-Founder & CEO Kareem Amin 1:14:22

for 16 dage siden1:14:22

1:14:22

Clay is one of THE success stories of the last years. But in early 2022, after 5 years of building, Clay did close to 0 in revenue. Two years later, Clay did approximately 30 million in ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue). Kareem Amin, co-founder and CEO of Clay, shares the journey of building one of the most innovative AI-powered tools for go-to-market teams. From the early days of experimentation in 2017 to achieving hypergrowth and scaling to over $30 million ARR, Kareem dives deep into the challenges and lessons of building a product-led growth (PLG) company. He explains how Clay helps teams turn ideas into reality by leveraging AI for data enrichment and personalized outreach, and why focusing on customer feedback, community building, and iterative improvements were key to their success. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: The Journey to Product-Market Fit: How Clay evolved from a no-code builder to a go-to-market tool for sales and marketing teams Why narrowing down the product’s focus was critical to finding the right customers Building a Product-Led Growth Engine: The importance of removing friction in the user journey to drive adoption How Clay used community-driven growth and partnerships with agencies to scale Iterating Based on Customer Feedback: Why Kareem believes in focusing on the few customers who love your product to build momentum How Clay’s Slack community became a key driver for product improvements and user engagement Lessons in Leadership and Team Building: How to balance flexibility and structure when scaling a team during hypergrowth The importance of hiring people who bring unique perspectives and foster a culture of learning The Future of Go-To-Market Teams: How AI and tools like Clay are reshaping sales and marketing roles Why the rise of GTM engineers is changing how companies approach growth ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Where to find Kareem: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareemamin/ Clay (3.000 free credits): https://clay.com?via=73e581 Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter: 2x die Woche bekommst du die Taktiken der besten Gründer der Welt direkt ins Postfach: https://www.tactics.unicornbakery.de/ Chapters: (00:00:00) The early beginnings of Clay (00:08:08) Moving from developers to sales people (00:16:20) Kareem's advice for teams currently building (00:21:36) How Kareem approaches the launch of new features (00:25:39) How close was the team to ending Clay? (00:33:45) How to make momentum stay (00:45:17) Current mayor shift in go to market (00:52:06) The hardest part about hyper growth (00:57:16) How Kareem manages his schedule (01:01:52) The best early-stage team members (01:06:17) The hardest part about building a product-led-growth motion…

1
Vanta CRO on building a $100M+ ARR Revenue Engine – and how you can do, too | Predictable Sales Engine | Hiring Sales Talent | Selling to SMBs with Vanta CRO Stevie Case 1:23:03

for 5 weeks siden1:23:03

1:23:03

Stevie Case, CRO at Vanta, explains how the company surpassed $100 million in ARR in just five years by building a predictable and scalable revenue engine. From founder-led sales to structuring a global sales organization, Stevie shares actionable insights for designing a repeatable go-to-market strategy and scaling effectively. She breaks down the importance of discovery, identifying customer pain points, and building trust, along with tips on hiring and incentivizing your first sales team. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Key Elements of a Predictable Revenue Engine Why discovery is the most critical skill for founders and sales teams How to define and scale repeatable metrics for predictable revenue Scaling a Sales Organization When and how to hire your first sales reps The importance of proper incentives and avoiding common hiring mistakes Building Repeatable Sales Processes How Vanta scaled from a single lead source to multiple diversified revenue streams Using frameworks like MedPIC to identify and quantify customer pain points Managing Revenue Growth How to balance short-term wins with long-term scalability The importance of focusing on a single channel or ICP before diversifying ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Where to find Stevie: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steviecase/ Website: https://www.vanta.com/ Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter: 2x die Woche bekommst du die Taktiken der besten Gründer der Welt direkt ins Postfach: https://www.tactics.unicornbakery.de/ Chapter: (00:00:00) Similarities between Building a revenue engine & gaming (00:05:38) How to: Scaling after product market fit (00:15:29) First signals of a buyer-to-be (00:21:17) Mutual Sales Plan at Vanta (00:27:34) How to handle too small budgets & approach the follow-up (00:38:22) Setting boundaries vs. making everything happen (00:42:46) What makes a great case study? (00:44:45) What is a predictable revenue engine? (00:48:17) Never change a winning team? How long do I pursue my first lead-channel? (00:52:07) From what time is a revenue engine relevant? (00:55:04) How to avoid the overkill (00:58:06) The first metrics to start with (01:02:50) How to define a ramp-up-period (01:09:53) Behind the scenes of Vanta (01:18:49) The final advice for your revenue-engine…

1
How Strava built a Global Fitness Community with 100M+ users | Expanding a consumer app to 196 Countries | Why Strava never intended to be a Venture Case | Hiring Young Potentials instead of Senior… 1:34:46

for 6 weeks siden1:34:46

1:34:46

w Strava started as a "virtual locker room" in 1995 and why it didn’t work The role of timing, technology, and social media in Strava’s eventual success Building a Community-Driven Platform: Why Strava focused on engagement over growth and how this approach led to organic scaling Creating joy and reducing friction for users is important to keep them active and engaged Key Lessons in Scaling: How Strava expanded from cyclists to runners and other sports while staying authentic to each audience The challenges of internationalization and adapting to cultural nuances in markets like Brazil and the UK Navigating Challenges with Investors: How Mark balanced user-first decisions with investor expectations for growth The importance of patience, persistence, and perspective in building a long-term business Advice for Founders: Why does exponential growth start slow, and how do you stay motivated during the early stages? The value of maintaining a life outside of work is to avoid burnout and gain fresh perspectives. ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Where to find Mark: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-gainey-b6536/ Website: https://www.strava.com/ Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter: 2x die Woche bekommst du die Taktiken der besten Gründer der Welt direkt ins Postfach: https://www.tactics.unicornbakery.de/ Chapters: (00:00:00) The 1995 Origin Story of Strava (00:09:31) Most crucial denominator for the success of Strava (00:16:09) The journey of growth & global ambitions (00:20:51) Defining the critical engagement-metrics (00:29:08) A risky dependency on Garmin (00:44:04) Internationalization: must-have or coincidence? (00:50:06) The layers of product market fit (00:53:45) How to: Build a global community app (00:57:57) Teambuilding & culture at Strava (01:05:38) How to manage growth expectations (01:13:42) Mark's opinion on what makes a great investor (01:17:00) How to: Grow junior staff into new roles and responsibilities (01:21:47) Mark's advice for struggling founders…

1
From Building Products that Create Billions in Revenue to Running a Selffunded Venture Firm - Hunter Walk, Homebrew 51:16

for 6 weeks siden51:16

51:16

In this episode of Unicorn Bakery, Hunter Walk, co-founder of Homebrew, joins Fabian Tausch for an in-depth conversation about his journey from product management at Google and YouTube to building one of the most respected early-stage venture capital firms in Silicon Valley. Hunter shares the story behind Homebrew’s evolution, why he and his co-founder Satya Patel decided to rethink the traditional VC model after nearly a decade, and how they now operate as a self-funded evergreen fund. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: The Transition from Builder to Investor: Why Hunter left YouTube and Google after a decade to explore what truly mattered to him in his career. How Hunter and Satya Patel created Homebrew out of a shared desire to work together and support founders authentically. The Philosophy Behind Homebrew: Why Homebrew recently transitioned into a self-funded evergreen model after a decade of operating traditional VC funds. How this shift allows Hunter and Satya to focus on what they love: helping founders succeed without the constraints of managing external LP capital. How to Evaluate Investors as a Founder: The importance of speaking to other portfolio founders to understand how investors behave in both good and tough times. Why do the best investors focus on backing founders, not just companies, and how do you identify those who align with your needs? Key Traits for Long-Term Success: Why joy and purpose are critical for sustainable professional success. How to avoid being trapped in "good enough" situations and make bold career decisions that align with your values and ambitions. ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Where to find Hunter: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunterwalk/ Website: https://homebrew.co/ Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter: 2x die Woche bekommst du die Taktiken der besten Gründer der Welt direkt ins Postfach: https://www.tactics.unicornbakery.de/ Chapter: (00:00:00) Why did Hunter decide on the identity-change? (00:08:50) How to make bigger decisions (00:14:24) Hunter's advice for potential founders (00:20:15) The hardest part about building a venture firm (00:24:14) Hunter's advice on finding an excellent investor (00:27:51) Longterm-Building vs. Short-term-Building: Not to be the loudest (00:32:47) "The Homebrew 2.0" (00:37:07) The journey to more self-fulfillment (00:40:50) What would set me apart from the mediocre when building a venture? (00:46:50) On top of the world and NOT crazy: What are the characteristics of these people?…

1
Master Educational Short Form Content: How HarperCarrollAI won 400k Instagram Followers in 13 Months without losing content depth 59:48

for 6 weeks siden59:48

59:48

In this episode, Harper Carroll, one of the most prominent voices in AI education, joins for a deep dive into the art of creating educational content, and how she built an impressive following of over 400,000 people in just one year. She reveals the behind-the-scenes strategies that helped her viral content stand out in a world dominated by flashy, fast-paced trends and why staying true to her calm, research-based teaching style has resonated with so many. What you’ll learn: The Art of Educational Content Creation: How Harper transitioned from technical guides to short-form Instagram content while maintaining depth and clarity. Why creating for yourself—not the audience—leads to the most authentic and impactful content. The strategies behind her viral “10 Days of AI Basics” series and why it brought her 250,000 followers from a single video. AI in Everyday Life: Harper’s favorite AI tools, including Claude, Perplexity, Gamma, and Descript, and how they simplify her workflows. Surprising ways AI can enhance productivity, from crafting emails to creating slide decks and streamlining content production. How AI tools can revolutionize learning for children and adults alike by fostering curiosity and enabling personalized education. Building a Unique Content Style: Why Harper avoids flashy editing and relies on calm, ASMR-like presentation to stand out. The importance of hooks, intros, and storytelling in short-form videos - and how a single intro can transform growth. The balance between producing content for audience growth and retaining existing followers. The Rise of AI Education: How Harper’s fine-tuning guides became the number one resource for developers, helping thousands of people train AI models for personal and professional use. Her thoughts on AI’s potential to empower entrepreneurs and enable people to follow their passions. Why Harper believes AI will create a new generation of gifted children who can pursue their interests with expert-level guidance. ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Where to find Harper: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harpercarroll/ Website: https://www.harpercarroll.com/ Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter: 2x die Woche bekommst du die Taktiken der besten Gründer der Welt direkt ins Postfach: https://www.tactics.unicornbakery.de/ Chapters: (00:00:00) How is Harper thinking about content? (00:08:58) Is a viral post recreatable? (00:18:39) How important is the hook for video success? (00:28:20) How to create the perfect video (00:32:48) All about the script (00:41:55) Reasons not to publish a video (00:45:00) Content to grow the audience vs. content to retain them (00:49:56) Harper's AI-Tool-Stack (01:01:48) What's the best start to learn about AI?…

1
Investor in 1000+ Marketplaces: Fabrice Grinda (FJ Labs) on 2025 Trends for B2B and B2C Marketplaces 37:51

for 12 weeks siden37:51

37:51

Fabrice Grinda, co-founder of FJ Labs and one of the world’s most prolific marketplace investors, joins the Unicorn Bakery podcast again to share his marketplace outlook for 2025. With more than 1,100 investments and 355 exits, Fabrice is uniquely positioned to discuss the trends shaping the future of startups, marketplaces, and venture capital. In this episode, he dives into the state of venture markets, the rise of B2B marketplaces, the impact of AI on startups, and why IPOs remain elusive for many companies. Fabrice provides detailed insights into the hottest marketplace trends, which include B2B and B2C marketplaces with different verticals and USPs. What you’ll learn: Why the venture market is starting to recover in 2025 after years of stagnation. How B2B marketplaces transform industries and why they’re still in their early stages. The role of AI in improving marketplace efficiency and redefining business models. Why IPOs remain challenging and what needs to change for companies to go public. How founders can build defensibility and create network effects in their marketplaces. Key 2025 trends include live commerce, cross-border marketplaces, and SMB digitization. ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Where to find Fabrice: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabricegrinda/ FJ Labs: https://www.fjlabs.com/ Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter: Twice a week you get the tactics of the world's best founders straight to your inbox: https://www.tactics.unicornbakery.de/ Chapters: (00:00:00) Which timeframes does Fabrice look at while building thesis? (00:02:20) The "Look-Back-Sentiment" of 2024 & the "Look-Out" for 2025 (00:07:11) What has to change to make IPO markets attractive again? (00:10:38) How does the market dynamic change the venture industry? (00:16:23) Current trends in new businesses (00:29:52) The AI-impact on defensibility (00:35:06) Hurdles to encounter when starting a marketplace today…

1
From University Project to Billion-Dollar Exit: SIGNAVIO - Together As One – with Signavio Co-Founder & CEO Gero Decker 1:33:03

for 17 weeks siden1:33:03

1:33:03

On March 5th, 2021, SAP acquired Signavio for a billion dollars – this marks one of the largest Tech Exits in the German market to date. How does a university side project become a billion-dollar acquisition? In this episode, Gero Decker, co-founder of Signavio, shares the incredible journey of building the company – from its roots as an open-source project to bootstrapping, scaling, and eventually being acquired by SAP for over a billion dollars. Learn about the pivotal moments, the role of timing, and how a strong team culture propelled Signavio to success, even when the odds were against them. What you’ll learn: How a university project turned into a profitable company Why customer feedback and bootstrapping were critical in the early days How creative lead generation methods (like the "Hare Krishna Method") made a difference Why team culture and timing played a vital role in success How the billion-dollar SAP acquisition unfolded and the dynamics of negotiation MORE UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery More about Gero Decker: LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/gerodecker Website: https://www.signavio.com/de/ Where to get the Book: Amazon: https://links.unicornbakery.de/signavio Spotify Audio Book: https://links.unicornbakery.de/signavio-audio-book Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter: Twice a week, you’ll get the tactics of the world’s best founders delivered straight to your inbox. https://www.tactics.unicornbakery.de/ Marker: (00:00:00) Why were so many coincidences necessary for Signavio to even be founded? (00:05:00) How did the Signavio story unfold? (00:12:10) From open source to profitable company: The milestones (00:21:22) Equity & founding team: The starting point for Signavio (00:27:54) Prioritization & team spirit in a small team (00:31:11) Product & growth in 2010 (00:34:46) Lead generation & the failure of conversion (00:42:02) First Go-to-market motion at Signavio (00:46:52) First customers: The challenges with Customer Success (00:52:42) From bootstrapped to VC case – why now & what changed? (00:59:13) Fast-growing company: How do you maintain focus? (01:07:54) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Signavio (01:13:04) The Path & Negotiation to the SAP Acquisition (01:17:14) The Future of SAP Signavio (01:21:37) The Lesson: Lifting Up Each Other…

1
Investing in 10+ Unicorns: Kevin Hartz on Finding and Crafting Winning Founding Teams 1:12:06

for 41 weeks siden1:12:06

1:12:06

Kevin Hartz is not only one of the most influential seed investors in Silicon Valley, but also a successful founder. In addition to early-stage investments in PayPal, Uber, AirBnB and SpaceX, he founded Xoom (exit to PayPal for approx. 1 billion dollars) and Eventbrite (IPO). With his current startup Sauron, Kevin is in the process of developing new technologies for the home security market. Kevin talks about how he identifies outstanding founders and thinks about team building in young startups. Kevin also elaborates on how he adapts to new technologies, evaluates them and draws conclusions for new companies and investments. Finally, he discusses his hypotheses on the future of value creation in AI startups and provides insights into the future of Sauron. What you learn: How does Kevin identify successful founders? What is the importance of flexibility and adaptability in building a company? What makes a good early-stage investor? Where will the value creation in AI startups take place? Building a founding team Further links: ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Kevin Hartz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hartz/ A*: https://www.a-star.co/ Unicorn Bakery WhatsApp Broadcast: Find out everything you need to know as a founder: https://drp.li/jrq5S Our WhatsApp Broadcast keeps you up to date with insights into the scene, news and top content. Marker: (00:00:00) Importance of having a flexible mindset (00:02:31) Did the characteristics of great founding teams change over the last 20 years? (00:04:57) Great team & market opportunity: is it always working hand in hand? (00:07:14) Assessing potential in founder (00:20:25) First hires in Kevin’s new venture Sauron (00:23:10) Why incubations are often bad ventures? (00:28:22) Kevin Hartz thoughts on Fundraising (00:34:22) Inhouse creation vs. outsourcing?(00:37:19) Is the Go To Market Motion creating enough defensibility ? (00:39:50) Evaluating new trends and opportunities (00:43:38) Where will value creation happen in the future of AI? (00:51:34) What do you think about the lifecycle of companies? (00:56:51) The impact of AI on Startup Complexity: Will people focus on more complex problems or focus on building “easier” companies faster? (00:59:32) What are your takes on other ecosystems compared to Silicon Valley?…

1
The AI Playbook: Former Salesforce Chief Scientist Richard Socher’s Guide to Building a Successful AI Company (Founder of you.com) 1:10:23

for 42 weeks siden1:10:23

1:10:23

Richard Socher, most recently Chief Scientist at Salesforce under Marc Benioff and one of the most renowned AI researchers in the world, has now founded you.com instead of joining one of the big AI companies. Richard believes that he can have a more positive impact on humanity. you.com now reaches millions of users and gives you as a user the opportunity to work based on the latest models. Richard talks about building an AI company that always has to work on the edge of innovation, how he would manage research teams today, how you as a founder find out which AI tools really help you and how he himself thinks about prioritization privately and in the product. The conversation was particularly impressive for me, as Richard grew up in Dresden and moved to Silicon Valley at an early age and (not only) became an absolute luminary for artificial intelligence from there. What you learn: How do you evaluate which AI tools will really help you and your company? When does it make sense to develop your own services in-house vs. outsourcing or buying in services? As a founder, how can I find out how much money I really want/should raise? How can I optimize my energy management as a founder? What qualities should a good mentor have? Further links: ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Richard Socher: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardsocher/ Website: https://www.socher.org/ you.com: https://you.com/ Unicorn Bakery WhatsApp Broadcast: Here you can find out everything you need to know as a founder: https://drp.li/jrq5S Our WhatsApp Broadcast keeps you up to date with insights into the scene, news and top content. Marker: (00:00:00) How to evaluate AI tools (00:22:01) Will AI and LLM wrappers be valid businesses? (00:25:48) Product decisions: Building things inhouse vs. implementing things (00:29:23) How to size funding rounds (00:34:24) you.com team setup & how to run high performing AI research teams (00:38:59) Why is it more impactful to build you.com than joining OpenAI? (00:43:44) Energy management as a founder (00:52:58) Prioritization for founders (00:56:19) What makes a great mentor? (01:00:57) What is the easiest way to try you.com?…

1
Misconceptions of first-time founders: How to avoid Hiring-Red Flags & the Biggest Fallacies about Finding Product Market Fit - Dan Siroker, Limitless 1:11:43

for 42 weeks siden1:11:43

1:11:43

Dan Siroker built Optimizely to more than 120 million ARR before leaving the company. The company was sold and merged, and then launched, rewind.ai-now limitless.ai, a consumer product that, unlike Dan's previous company, has a software and hardware component. Dan gives deep insights into the transition from software to hardware development and the use of AI in modern startups. He explains how empathy and user research can improve the product development process and the strategies he uses to build an efficient team. He also shares his experience in fundraising and gives tips on how to choose the right investors. You'll also learn how to identify the biggest red flags in the hiring process and save yourself hassle and money. Basically, Dan shares many things that he now looks at differently as a serial founder: How do you find the right investor? What mistakes lurk in fundraising? & Which founder misconceptions are simply based on bullshit? What you will learn: The challenges and opportunities of transitioning from software to hardware How AI can be used as a superpower to increase productivity The importance of empathy and user research in product development Strategies to avoid classic hiring mistakes How to attract investors and choose the right partners What you can learn for your energy management from a father of three and founder of two ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Dan Siroker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsiroker/ Limitless: https://www.limitless.ai/ Optimizely: https://www.optimizely.com/ Unicorn Bakery WhatsApp Broadcast: Here you can find out everything you need to know as a founder: https://drp.li/jrq5S Our WhatsApp Broadcast keeps you up to date with insights into the scene, news and top content. Marker: (00:00:00) Company Building in the era of AI (00:06:35) What do you use GPT4 for, and what about old habits that block us from using new tools like AI? (00:10:48) Building the founding team - what people are you looking for and how is your leadership-style? (00:19:59) How to do Backchannel References? (00:23:36) How do you find out if former founders are recruitable? (00:26:45) How do you describe the journey of Limitless to Product-Market-Fit? (00:32:13) What are the biggest fallacies about finding PMF? (00:35:01) Round Sizing: How do you evaluate how much money you want/need from investors? (00:39:22) Why founders need to have empathy for investors (00:45:47) How do you know if the investor you are talking to is the right investor for you? (00:49:45) What unusual decision did you make in your fundraising? (00:53:30) How do you think about burn management? (00:56:16) To what extent can you test your hardware for product market fit? (01:01:03) How do you think about energy management now as a 3-times-dad and a 2nd time founder? (01:06:02) What is one of the biggest misconceptions that founders have?…

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Why startups fail with Dave Hersh, Founder & Author 1:09:21

for 43 weeks siden1:09:21

1:09:21

Only 10% of start-ups are successful and yet 82% of founders think they will be successful. 78% of start-ups don't even manage to pay back their investors. Dave Hersh scaled a company with Jive to more than 10 million dollars in turnover, took a growth investor on board and Jive later went public. Through his other positions as a coach, board partner at a16z and also as a buyer of start-ups, he has a 360-degree perspective on the things that go wrong in the venture ecosystem. His book Reignition is all about dealing with the 90% of startups that don't achieve outlier success. As a founder, how can you prevent your startup from getting stuck halfway through, or pull the cart out of the mud if that has already happened. What you learn: The evolution of the venture capital ecosystem and its current challenges The importance of intuition versus data-driven decisions in company building When and how to raise capital and the risks of funding too early or too much The role of market access and operational efficiency in the success of startups How to choose the right investor and the importance of deep personal connection and trust ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Dave Hersh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davehersh/ Reignition - Transforming Stuck Startups: https://amzn.eu/d/3ZHnrUK Unicorn Bakery Whatsapp Broadcast: Here you can find out everything you need to know as a founder: https://drp.li/jrq5S Our WhatsApp Broadcast keeps you up to date with insights into the scene, news and top content. Marker: (00:00:00) To what degree do you think the venture ecosystem is broken? (00:04:67) What questions must be answered before building a company? (00:11:33) Where do I position myself to set the guidance for the last few years? (00:16:23) When is the right time to raise money, and do you differentiate between private and institutional investors? (00:22:49) What do you tell founders that are scared of not reaching sales targets fast enough? (00:25:36) How do I find the right investor, and what should I look for? (00:29:26) How can founders see if they are on the right track and the company is moving in the right direction? (00:34:27) What is the flywheel that leads to being stuck as a company? (00:35:39) Trying to do my best hiring vs. putting persons in the position that hire better than me (00:38:33) How do I unstuck my company, and how do I realize my own mistakes? (00:49:01) What about overthinking in the early founder stage? (00:52:39) What do you have to think about to become the best performer, and where do I start? (00:59:20) Is it even possible to be successful in the early 20s?…

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Deeptech: The hurdles of making the first Quantum Computer accessible as a B2B Cloud Product - Alexander Keesling, QuEra 1:09:28

for 46 weeks siden1:09:28

1:09:28

Alexander Keesling researched quantum computers at Harvard and, together with a team, decided to found a company based on his research. Today, QuEra generates tens of millions in revenue, licenses its quantum computer via AWS and is building a new quantum computer in Japan for around 41 million dollars. In the podcast, we talk about the status quo of quantum computing, when quantum computers will be available to the general public, and also how difficult it is to go from researcher to CEO of a fast-growing startup & where the parallels lie. What you will learn: What are the challenges of building a great technical team? When will quantum computing become interesting for the general public and in which industries can it be usefully applied? What do you need to set up a company as a researcher and how do you find your first customers? Technical sales: How do you set up a sales organization for a technically sophisticated product? What difficulties do you encounter when you want to export a new quantum technology to Japan? ALL ABOUT THE UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Alexander Keesling LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-keesling-66229730/ QuEra: https://www.quera.com/ https://aws.amazon.com/de/braket/quantum-computers/quera/ Unicorn Bakery Whatsapp Broadcast: Find out everything you need to know as a founder: https://drp.li/jrq5S Our WhatsApp broadcast keeps you up to date Marker: (00:00:00) Researcher turning CEO: Job Similarities and differences (00:07:14) Why is it still complex to deliver quantum computers? (00:15:24) How would you explain what a quantum computer is? (00:26:41) What is the ChatGPT-moment of quantum computing - when will it be accessible to the public? (00:34:47) What circumstances made you build a business out of your research? (00:45:25) How do you build your sales motion for a complex technical product? (00:54:41) Why Quantum Computing will change the world and how you can try it today…

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1100+ investments, 40% Annual Realized Return for 26 years: How Fabrice Grinda built FJ Labs, one of the most successful Venture Capital Funds globally 1:26:10

for 49 weeks siden1:26:10

1:26:10

Fabrice Grinda, founder of FJ Labs and extreme athlete, explains how he has made over 1100 investments, primarily in marketplace and network-effect startups, generating an average 40% return over 26 years. Fabrice also likes to simplify a lot in his life by outsourcing things. Find out his recipe for a fulfilling life and managing virtual assistants in the podcast. What you will learn: Outsourcing: How to outsource more professionally and privately to increase your quality of life and output Marketplaces: What are the difficulties in scaling marketplace companies, the most important KPIs and current valuations? FOMO: How do you manage not to be pushed by others? Senior hiring: Is it typically European to hire senior rather than young and motivated? ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Fabrice Grinda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabricegrinda/ FJ Labs: https://www.fjlabs.com/ Unicorn Bakery Whatsapp Broadcast: Find out everything you need to know as a founder: https://drp.li/jrq5S Our WhatsApp Broadcast keeps you up to date with insights into the scene, news and top content. Marker: (00:00:00) What does a successful life look like to you and what role does money play in your life? (00:05:50) How do you decide what things you outsource vs. what you do by yourself and how do you delegate successful? (00:12:56) Managing lessons to become a relaxed manager/avoiding things you don't like (00:16:38) Is hiring seniors instead of young ambitious people an European problem? (00:20:27) FJ Labs’ Investing Strategy that leads to 1100+ Investments and 40% realized IRR over 26 years (00:36:13) What fascinates you about marketplaces and why did you stay focused? (00:43:28) What is needed to scale a marketplace successfully (00:56:18) How do you manage and resist FOMO? (00:59:39) Fabrice Grinda’s view on the macroeconomics and their influence on the venture ecosystem (01:06:37) As an extreme sports-fanatic: what are the biggest parallels between extreme sports and investing/building a company? (01:09:37) What did you learn about yourself through your extreme adventures and how do you manage stress? (01:13:49) Was it as easy as it appears for you to reach everything you want and how much do you need other people's opinions?…

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Consolidation as Strategy: Razor Group's Path to Market Leadership - Razor Group Founder Tushar Ahluwalia 1:05:58

for 1 year siden1:05:58