Shows
The Pursuit of Scrappiness209. No Cards, No Phones, Just Your Hand: How Handwave Raised €4.2M to Build the Future of Payments With Palm Biometrics w/ Janis StirnaJānis Stirna is the co-founder and CEO of Handwave. The company’s palm-scanning tech enables cardless, phoneless payments and identity verification, emphasizing security (two-factor biometrics) and affordability to outpace rivals like Amazon One. With $5M raised—including a $4.2M seed from Practica Capital in August 2025—Handwave partners with Visa and targets retail pilots in Europe, the U.S. and beyond.On this episode we talk about:How fintech innovations like Apple Pay inspired HandwaveNavigating $5M in funding for hardware B2C fintechLeveraging Riga’s fintech hub for talent and pilots, challenges in U.S./EU markets...
2025-09-0944 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness202. Tax Expert Reveals How Startups Can Take Advantage of Tax Opportunities, Where the Baltics Rank in Competitiveness Globally & How to Use Niche Content to Build Your Personal Brand w/ Janis Taukacs (Sorainen)Janis Taukacs is a seasoned tax advisor and partner at Sorainen law firm, where he leads the tax and customs practice. He has nearly 30 years of experience across the Baltics and internationally. Known for his deep expertise in corporate taxation, international structuring, and tax dispute resolution, Janis is also a passionate content creator, running the “Tax Stories” blog and podcast. Through his work, he bridges complex legal frameworks with practical insights for founders, investors, and global businesses navigating tax systems.On this episode we talk about:Baltic Tax Systems ExplainedOpportunities and Risks of Distributed Teams and Remo...
2025-05-1353 min
The Pursuit of ScrappinessINSIGHT #11: Learn Visual Storytelling Tips from a Man Who Broke Out of 9-to-5 Job to Become LinkedIn's Top Visual Influencer with 200K+ FollowersThis is an insight from our previous conversation on making your visual presentations more powerful:Breaking down complex concepts into essential elements to make them easier to understandAvoiding clutter in visual presentations, highlighting that simplicity and minimalismA method for testing visuals you can apply todayJanis Ozolins is an illustrator known for his compelling visual content on LinkedIn and Twitter. He has built an impressive following on these platforms, showcasing his unique ability to visualize and simplify complex life and business concepts. His work, which often addresses themes like productivity, procrastination, and overcoming perfectionism, resonates with a...
2024-11-2108 min
The Pursuit of ScrappinessKaarel Kotkas (Veriff 🦄) on making tough decisions, building resilience & navigating your company through the storm with confidence + Recap of sTARTUp Day 2024. Ep 148As promised during some of the previous episodes, we went to Tartu for sTARTUp Day 2024 and brought back a recording of a fireside chat with Kaarel Kotkas.Kaarel is the founder and CEO of Veriff, one of the more recent Estonian unicorns that raised a 100m$ series C in early 2022 to hit the billion valuation mark. The 2 years that have followed have been very challenging and we sat down with Kaarel to talk about getting through challenging times, making tough decisions and building resilience,What you can expect to learn from Kaarel:What...
2024-02-0642 min
The Pursuit of ScrappinessDainis Kruze (Aerones) on pulling off a massive pivot, raising $30M, lessons from Y Combinator, practical tips for pitching investors & teaching maths as road to country’s prosperity. Ep 147Dainis Kruze is the CEO and Co-Founder of Aerones. With a deep passion for innovation, he and his co-founder Janis Putrams started Aerones in 2015. Originating from university projects, their ambition and hard work evolved into a robust company, now boasting over 120 employees catering to markets across Europe, North America, and Latin America. They raised $30M Series-A in 2023.On this episode we talk about:How Dainis pulled off a huge pivot with AeronesBuilding a culture that fosters innovation and adaptabilityWhat it takes to pitch successfullyExperiences and learnings from participating in Y CombinatorThe importance and challenges...
2024-01-3049 min
The Pursuit of ScrappinessMeet the man who broke out of 9-to-5 to become LinkedIn's top visual influencer & amassed a 200k following on social media + tips to improve your visual storytelling game w/ Janis Ozolins. Ep 140Janis Ozolins is an illustrator known for his compelling visual content on LinkedIn and Twitter. He has built a 200K following on these platforms, showcasing his unique ability to visualize and simplify complex life and business concepts. His work, which often addresses themes like productivity, procrastination, and overcoming perfectionism, resonates with a wide audience. Janis's skills have not only attracted the attention of top LinkedIn influencers like Justin Welsh and Sahil Bloom but have also made him a sought-after figure in the realm of content creation. Through his work, Janis demonstrates how to make business pr...
2023-11-2151 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness2/2 AI interviews us. We share our f^%kups, scrappy stories, podcasting advice & speculate when AI will replace us. Ep 103Uldis Teraudkalns and Janis Zeps are the co-hosts of the Pursuit of Scrappiness Podcast. After recording more than 100 episodes, we step into the guest role and talk about different aspects of making this podcast. Our interviewer is AI using chatGPT generated questions and Elevenlabs.io text-to-voice AI generator, which makes this the first time a podcast host is AI. You can find Part 1 of this conversation here > https://www.pursuitofscrappiness.co/episodes/102-103-worlds-first-human-aiIn this episode we talk about:What F^%kups and challenges have happened behind the scenesWe share our...
2023-02-0923 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness1/2 World's first AI-Human podcast interview? We talk to AI about the origins of our podcast, what goes on behind the scenes & most memorable moments (100+ Episode Special). Ep 102Uldis Teraudkalns and Janis Zeps are the co-hosts of the Pursuit of Scrappiness Podcast. After recording more than 100 episodes, we step into the guest role and talk about different aspects of making this podcast. Our interviewer is AI using chatGPT generated questions and Elevenlabs.io text-to-voice AI generator, which makes this the first time a podcast host is AI. There is also Part 2 of this conversation and you can find it here > https://www.pursuitofscrappiness.co/episodes/102-103-worlds-first-human-aiIn this episode we talk about:How it all startedThe philosophy of “Scrappiness”How...
2023-02-0733 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 2/2 Secrets behind Estonia’s digital success, cybersecurity for startups, business secret theft and privacy concerns in the digital age w/ ex-CIO of Estonia, Taavi Kotka (Koos.io) Ep.91Taavi Kotka is the CEO & co-founder of Koos - a company building a new form of ownership that recently raised 4mUSD seed round led by Plural foundation. Taavi is also a serial entrepreneur and one of the angel investors in Wise as well as one of the top experts on digital governance and known for leading the Estonian e-residency project which earned global recognition.In this episode we talk about:The Estonian E-residency programHow does a digital society functionHolding elections onlinePrivacy, data hoarding, government overreach and hacking risksThis episode is is Part 2 of...
2022-10-2729 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 1/2 Ex-CIO of Estonia, Taavi Kotka (Koos.io) explains why current incentive mechanisms are not enough, how to cure “founder’s amnesia” and how we can create more equal society. Ep.90Taavi Kotka is the CEO & co-founder of Koos - a company building a new form of ownership that recently raised 4mUSD seed round led by Plural foundation. Taavi is also a serial entrepreneur and one of the angel investors in Wise as well as one of the top experts on digital governance and known for leading the Estonian e-residency project which earned global recognition.In this episode we talk about:New model for aligning stakeholder incentivesSharing success with community and helpers (no free lunches)Cure for founders amnesiaThis episode is is Part 1 of...
2022-10-2531 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Returning to Estonia after 12 years in UK/US to start a company backed by Plural, framework for making good decisions & finding time to read 1 book per week w/ Lisett Luik (Arbonics) Ep.89Lisett Luik is the co-founder of Arbonics - the new forest economy. With her team, Lisett is building a solution for forest owners to earn from their forests without cutting them. Having worked for such companies as Wise, Swoon, American Express and more recently Taavet+Sten and having degrees from London School of Economics and Yale. Lisett brings a uniquely global perspective on work and life.In this episode we talk about:Pursuing a global level education and careerLisett’s decision to return to EstoniaDifferences in business culture in Estonia, UK and USBenefits of studying and pu...
2022-10-1838 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 2/2 Is this a good time to start a company, crazy ideas being pitched, bootstrapping and funding options w/ Jone Vaituleviciute & Marijus Andrijauskas (Firstpick) Ep.88Jone Vaituleviciute and Marijus Andrijauskas are partners at Firstpick - early stage venture capital fund backing the best tech founders across the Baltics. Jone and Marijus have spent the last couple of years together working with Startupwiseguys where they invested in such companies as kevin, Ondato, GoRamp, InRento, Jeff, HeavyFinance, Vsight, Watalook & Kernolab and many others.As we enter the muddy waters of a looming recession, we wanted to take a helicopter look over the industry from people who see lots of companies and the challenges they are facing.In this episode we...
2022-10-1325 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 1/2 Fundraising during a recession, pricing tactics and dealing with cost growth & wage pressure w/ Jone Vaituleviciute & Marijus Andrijauskas (Firstpick) Ep.87Jone Vaituleviciute and Marijus Andrijauskas are partners at Firstpick - early stage venture capital fund backing the best tech founders across the Baltics. Jone and Marijus have spent the last couple of years together working with Startupwiseguys where they invested in such companies as kevin, Ondato, GoRamp, InRento, Jeff, HeavyFinance, Vsight, Watalook & Kernolab and many others.As we enter the muddy waters of a looming recession, we wanted to take a helicopter look over the industry from people who see lots of companies and the challenges they are facing.In this episode we...
2022-10-1129 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Banter on inflation, global debt, political extremism, Ukraine, Russia & information war w/ Matthew Mezinskis (Crypto Voices podcast) Ep.86We bring you a new format today - an uncensored banter about current events:Central bank money printing and InflationGlobal currency dynamicsEuropean energy crisisFreedom and BitcoinPossibility of government without fiat currenciesPolitical extremism in Europe and the USThe role of US and NATO in global securityThe information warJoining Janis & Uldis today is Matthew Mezinskis the host of the Crypto Voices Podcast - podcast about Bitcoin, economics, privacy and more. He also does research on global central bank monetary policy, which he publishes through his Porkopolis economics platform. A finance professional by training and trade, Matthew combines his...
2022-10-0459 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 2/2 Sten Tamkivi (Plural, NFTPort) on his time at Andreessen Horowitz and Stanford, taking paternity leave & prioritising family. Ep. 85Sten Tamkivi is one of the co-founders of Plural platform - an investment platform to support building European early stage companies into legendary, GDP-level impact businesses. Sten is also a Stanford graduate, a co-founder of NFTPort, Partner at Taavet+Sten, Founder of Teleport, ex-EIR at A16Z, multiple key role holder at Skype and a multitude of other tech related engagements.This episode is brought to you in cooperation with sTARTUp day where Sten was also one of the keynote speakers. Make sure you check them out and get your pass to the next event March 15-17 2023...
2022-09-2932 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 1/2 Sten Tamkivi (Plural, NFTPort) on creating GDP-level impact with startups, Web3 & evolving angel investing. Ep. 84Sten Tamkivi is one of the co-founders of Plural platform - an investment platform to support building European early stage companies into legendary, GDP-level impact businesses. Sten is also a Stanford graduate, a co-founder of NFTPort, Partner at Taavet+Sten, Founder of Teleport, ex-EIR at A16Z, multiple key role holder at Skype and a multitude of other tech related engagements. This episode is brought to you in cooperation with sTARTUp day where Sten was also one of the keynote speakers. Make sure you check them out and get your pass to the next event March 15-17 2023...
2022-09-2724 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 2/2 Jevgeni Kabanov (Bolt) on preventing burnout, productivity hacks, importance of family & efficiency vs growth. Ep. 83Jevgeni Kabanov is the Chief Product Officer and President at Bolt - Estonian mobility giant. Jevgeni also holds a PhD in computer science, was a founder of ZeroTurnaround and is an active angel investor. This episode is brought to you in cooperation with sTARTUp day where Jevgeni was also one of the keynote speakers. Make sure you check them out and get your pass to the next event March 15-17 2023 here https://www.startupday.ee/Topics covered in this episode:What principles and values helped Bolt to succeedWhy starups need to strive for efficiency...
2022-09-2225 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 1/2 Jevgeni Kabanov (Bolt) on what it takes to hire a great team, building a world-class product & importance of taking breaks. Ep. 82Jevgeni Kabanov is the Chief Product Officer and President at Bolt - the Estonian mobility giant. Jevgeni also holds a PhD in computer science, was a founder of ZeroTurnaround and is an active angel investor. We record this just after Jevgeni has returned from 4 months completely off of work.This episode is brought to you in cooperation with sTARTUp day where Jevgeni was also one of the keynote speakers. Make sure you check them out and get your pass to the next event March 15-17 2023 here https://www.startupday.ee/ Topics covered in this episode:
2022-09-2029 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Building Europe's top investing app, raising capital from Richard Branson & unicorn productivity tips from Wise w/ Martin Sokk (Lightyear) Ep.81Martin Sokk is the CEO and Co-Founder of Lightyear - an app that makes investing lightyears better. Bringing his experience and practical learnings from Wise (Transferwise), Martin and his team have set out to significantly increase stock market participation in Europe.In this episode we talk about:Increasing stock market participation in EuropeBuilding of standout Fintech productsApplying learning from unicorn experienceThe topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:03:00 - Increasing stock market participation in Europe12:00 - Making investing safer and more accessible for everyone19:50 - The Lightyear...
2022-09-1345 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Scaling culture to 1000+ people, scrappy growth tips & how to implement Dalio's Radical Transparency in your team w/ Arnas Stuopelis (Hostinger) Ep.80Arnas Stuopelis is the CEO of Hostinger - a tool that provides everything you need to create a website. Bootstrapped from day one, Arnas and his team have built a great product and massive organisation, operating in such competitive markets as web hosting and website building.In this episode we talk about:Bootstrapping, creativity and of course scrappinessOKRs, Radical Transparency and cultureScaling an organization and conquering global markets02:15 - The story behind Arnas’s entrepreneurship journey07:30 - Going global from day 109:00 - The scrappy beginnings of Hostinger in a...
2022-09-0646 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Listen to this if you want to start investing! The basics, common mistakes & current market trends w/ Tom Crosshill (Index Investors Europe) Ep.79Tom Crosshill is the Founder of Index Investors Europe - an online training course for aspiring investors as well as the Co-Founder and member of the supervisory board at Indexo - an asset management company to challenge legacy pension funds. With his background from Wall street and building Indexo, Tom is on a mission to increase stock market participation in Europe. Tom is also an accomplished creative writer with several novels in his bibliography. In this episode we talk about:Building a personal brandHow to start investingHow to act in the current financial markets turmoil
2022-08-3049 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Vishen Lakhiani (Mindvalley founder, NY Times Bestselling author) on building $100M ARR business, how to transform your life and which beliefs are holding you back Ep.78Vishen Lakhiani is the founder of Mindvalley, one of the world's leading education platforms, which he founded in 2003 and now it has grown to over 10 million students worldwide. He is also the author of New York Times and Amazon bestseller “The Code for the Extraordinary Mind” In this episode we talk about:Mindvalley and how it can help you growTransformation instead of learningGetting rid of Brules (Bullshit rules)Simple and effective meditation practicesHaving social interactions as key for success in work and businessThe topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:2:20 - The o...
2022-08-2334 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Tesla carsharing, busting myths about Electric vehicles and future of mobility w/ Egija Gailuma & Juhan Kaarma (OX Drive) Ep.77Egija Gailuma and Juhan Kaarma are Co-Founders of OX Drive - a Tesla car sharing service in Riga or “the coolest thing in mobility since the horse”. Together with 2 more co-founders the team has set out to make mobility more sustainable and cool.In this episode we talk about:The rationale behind launching a car sharing business with TeslasThe future of micro-mobilityExperience of owning and driving a TeslaMost common myths & truths about Electrical VehiclesThe topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:02:30 - Introduction, challenges of launching OXDrive and what’s with the horse
2022-08-1645 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Intel’s CFO David Zinsner on leadership, making impact in global organizations, how to deliver ROI & prospects of solving semiconductor shortage Ep.76David Zinsner is the Executive vice president and the CFO of Intel Corporation. Having participated in several transformations in such companies as Credo, Micron Technology and Affirmed Networks, David is now leading the charge of realising Intel's global ambitions.In this episode we talk about:David’s leadership principlesImpact of the CFO role in the organisationHow to succeed in a new role at the highest levelMeasuring the return on R&D budgetGlobal microchip marketSemiconductor role in global securityThe topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:02:55 - Introduction and David’s journey before Intel
2022-08-0955 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Summer break and some VERY exciting guest announcements for AugustIn the shortest podcast episode so far Uldis & Janis announces their long awaited (but not that long) summer break, get into unavoidably depressive banter about current economic outlook as well as make some VERY interesting guest announcements for August:- A CFO of one of the largest tech companies in the world- New York Times bestselling author- One of the hottest Baltic startups in recent monthsStay tuned, we'll be back in August and follow us on on Linkedin in the meantime> https://www.linkedin.com/company/pursuit-of-scrappiness/Thank you...
2022-07-1203 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Cycling 30 000 km, capturing world’s media attention with innovative design and balancing creativity vs rationality w/ Aigars Lauzis (BeTRITON) Ep.75Aigars Lauzis is the Founder, CEO and Designer of BeTRITON - an amphibious camper-trike, namely a vehicle that lets you drive on the road and sleep on the water. Aigars has a landscape architecture and design background, having designed projects all around the world. The inspiration for creating BeTRITON came when Aigars decided to cycle 30 00 km from London to Shanghai.The topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:03:00 - What is an amphibious camper-trike and how it was concieved08:00 - What principles constitute a good design14:40 - What happens behind the...
2022-07-0544 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 All unicorns seemed like bad ideas initially w/ Raimonds Kulbergs (BADideas.fund) Ep.74Raimonds Kulbergs is the CEO & Founder of BADideas.fund, a recently launched angel investor syndicate combining startup founders and operators that are ready to invest their money and help with hands-on experience to CEE early stage startups. Raimonds has exited his startup (Funderful) and is also 500 Startups alumni. In this episode we talk aboutThe thesis and mechanics of BADideas.fundWhat constitutes a good founding teamRaimonds entrepreneurship storyAngel investing situation in the regionThe topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:01:15 - What is BADideas.fund03:30 - Mechanics of being part o...
2022-06-3019 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Crypto meltdown, reaching $100 billion in trading volume, future of money & inside view of building a crypto business w/ Martins Benkitis (Gravity Team) Ep.73Martins Benkitis is a Co-Founder at Gravity Team - a startup balancing the supply and demand across crypto markets worldwide. Martins and his team account for close to 1% of the global spot trading in crypto and have reached $100 billion cumulative trading volume.In this episode we talk about:Pros and cons of building a business in cryptoWhat’s happening in the markets currentlyCrypto price cycles and dealing with new exotic productsGravity Team’s Venture arm The topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:02:00 - Introduction and the origins of Gravity Team04:40 - Is...
2022-06-2838 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Winning pitch competitions, validating product via YouTube, importance of your voice & Estonia’s startup relocation program w/ Nick Lahoika (Vocal Image) Ep.72Nick Lahoika is the CEO and Co-Founder of Vocal Image - a speech training and voice therapy app. After relocating to Estonia from Belarus with his family and team, Nick is building a world class product (300,000 + users) to solve an issue that is very pressing for many people - strong sounding voice and clear speech. You might have already heard about Nick and Vocal Image from multiple recent startup pitch competitions they have won.In this episode we talk about:The importance of voice and voice mediaThe product of Vocal ImageCustomer acquisition tips and tricksHow to...
2022-06-2130 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Conquering the lucrative amateur sports market with wearables. Lessons in tech and marketing w/ Atis Hermanis & Reinholds Pirags (Hackmotion) Ep.71Atis Hermanis and Reinholds Pīrāgs are the CEO and CCO of Hackmotion - wrist sensor for amateur sports precision improvement. They are on a mission to help amateur golfers to fix their game with a unique technology that is used by elite level PGA (golf) coaches worldwide. Their sensors are also on the radar of other North American professional sports leagues such as NBA and MLB (baseball).In this episode we talk aboutDeveloping Hackmotion sensorsMarketing strategies for sports consumer devicesFuture of sports wearable techThe topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:...
2022-06-1622 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Investing in Ukraine despite the war, how startups are adjusting to new reality and predictions on war outcomes w/ Mathias Eklöf (Hype Ventures) Ep.70Mathias Eklöf is a serial entrepreneur and investor with multiple startup exits. He is currently running his own investment company Hype Ventures. With extensive entrepreneurship experience, especially in Russia and Ukraine, Mathias is one of the leading early stage investors actively focusing on Ukrainian startups despite the war. He also has a background from the Swedish military and enjoys giving direct opinions making Mathias a perfect guest for conversation about the investment climate and geopolitical trends in the region.In this episode we talk about:Hype Ventures and Mathias’s entrepreneurship journeyHow Ukrainian startups have ada...
2022-06-1445 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 How to get more tech pros to put their knowledge & money into startups? w/ Akim Arhipov & Tim Vaino (Fund Fellow Founders) Ep.69Akim Arhipov and Tim Vaino introduces Fund Fellow Founders (fff.vc) - a fund/angel syndicate to bring more smart money to regional founders and increase investing activity among C-level executives from the tech industry. They also run a cool podcast (link below)In this episode we talk aboutHow FFF works for investors and for startupsHow the fund is built and its community governanceWhat founders should expect from working with FFFThe topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:01:30 - Introduction and the origins of Fund Fellow Founders04:55...
2022-06-0737 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Estonian investment scene, backing Ukrainian startups & potential of sustainability tech w/ Helery Pops (Honey Badger Capital) Ep.68Helery Pops is a co-founder at Honey Badger Capital - angel investor friends office out of Estonia. Helery brings 5+ years operating experience in product and sales in such companies as Pipedrive and Ampler Bikes. Together with her partners - three Pipedrive co-founders, Helery is looking for ambitious and relentless founders in the regions, Ukraine and beyond.In this episode we talk aboutThe mission of Honey Badger CapitalInvesting in Ukraine during warHow early stage investors can help foundersInvesting in the competitive Estonian ecosystemThe topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:01:20...
2022-06-0215 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 The raise of Insurtech, can you insure against cyber & is it worth to share data to get better deals w/ Jan Kastory (astorya.vc) Ep.67Jan Kastory is the Founding partner of astorya.vc - the first independent purely Insurtech focused VC in Europe focusing on early-stage startups. With hands-on operator experience from Euler Hermes, Jan and his team brings unique insights into the insurance market.In this episode we talk about:Astorya VC and the promise of InsurTech investmentsInsuring cyber threatsThe business models of InsurTech companiesPersonal data sharing to improve deals and get prevention assistance The topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:02:00 - The potential of Insurance Technology startups04:05 - The key I...
2022-05-3141 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Profitable solutions for stopping climate change and how geopolitics impact food availability worldwide w/ Robin Saluoks (eAgronom) Ep.66Robin Saluoks is CEO and Co-founder of eAgronom - a farming based carbon credits platform. Robin and his team are fighting climate change by providing financial incentives for farmers to sequester more carbon and investors to invest into sustainability.In this episode we talk aboutFighting climate change with financial incentives in agricultureHow to distinguish between real environment protection companies and hottest companies to follow in the spaceThe impact of the war and global warming on global food production and pricesThe topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:01:20 - Fighting...
2022-05-2617 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 Women in tech. Fundraising biases, discrimination and interest in STEM w/ Anna Andersone (Riga TechGirls) Ep.65Anna Andersone is the Chief Empowerment Officer at Riga TechGirls - educating and inspiring girls & women about technology. Anna is a serial entrepreneur and currently running her own clothing company be-with.In this episode we talk about:Female representation in techEducation and reeducation for tech rolesDiscrimination in fundraising and decision-making The topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:01:35 - Introduction, Riga Tech Girls and female proportion trends in tech04:50 - Funding raised by female founders vs. male08:05 - Technical education trends for females09:40 - How ha...
2022-05-2427 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 64 What characteristics VCs like to see in founders and how Baltic startups compare to the rest of Europe w/ Andreas Helbig (Atomico)Andreas Helbig is a Principal at Atomico - one of the most well-known European VC firms. Andreas is responsible for the Nordic&Baltic region and is currently overlooking investments in such Baltic companies as Pipedrive, Katana and Pactum. In this episode we talk about:- Atomico’s strategy and view on the Baltics- Potential slowdown in VC markets- Ease of doing business in Baltics vs Western Europe- What founder characteristics are VCs looking for The topics covered in this episode with Timestamps:01:10 - What...
2022-05-1924 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 63 Sales, pricing & product development for B2B SaaS. Is email still alive and what role AI plays in MarTech w/ Rytis Lauris (Omnisend)Rytis Lauris is Co-founder and CEO of Omnisend - an ecommerce-tailored email & SMS marketing automation platform . Having established several companies before, Rytis and his team have bootstrapped Omnisend to a significant player in the highly competitive MarTech space and is considered one of Lithuania's unofficial unicorns or soonicorns.In this episode we talk about:- Omnisend, e-mail marketing and MarTech- Actionable insights into sales, pricing, product development for B2B SAAS- If email marketing is still alive- The role of AI in MarTech and impact of...
2022-05-1741 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 62 Is Putin ready to use nukes, cyber attacks on businesses and Baltic defense plans w/ Janis Sarts (NATO)Janis Sarts is the Director at NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence. An outspoken military expert, previously also state secretary of Latvian Ministry of Defense, Janis brings a clear, articulated and convincing message about the regional security situation as of today.In this episode we talk:The paradox of increased Baltic security amid deteriorating global securityThe impact of Finland and Sweden joining NATOCybersecurity risks and how companies should treat themOutlook for the war and endgame of involved partiesThe episode was recorded on April 29, 2022===The topics covered in this episode with...
2022-05-1227 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 61 Sustainability, unicorn building lessons from early days in Wise and what goes into launching a Fintech w/ Triin Hertmann (Grünfin)Triin Hertmann is the Founder of Grünfin - Invest your money where your values are. Triin is also an alumnus of Skype and Wise and is very active in angel investments being one of the few female angel investors in the region. In this episode we talk about:- Sustainable investing and the Grünfin product- Challenges in building a Fintech app- Impact of unicorn experience with Wise and Skype- Spotting a future unicorn founder/company The topics covered in this epis...
2022-05-1039 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 60 Raising $90M in equity & debt to build SaaS based future of workplace, rent-vs-own culture, HR Tech and Berlin startup ecosystem w/ Stavros Papadopoulos (Lendis)Stavros Papadopoulos is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Lendis, a German startup that offers a SaaS solution for companies such as BCG, Volkswagen, N26 to set up and manage their employees’ equipment and software in the hybrid working world. They have raised over $90M USD in debt and equity to date.In this episode we talk about the unique value Lendis offers to small and large companies, the rising of HR-Tech, renting vs owning culture as well as pros and cons of establishing a startup in Berlin.The topics covered in this epis...
2022-05-0342 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness🎧 59 What happens to a startup during a war? Overcoming the operational and leadership challenges w/ Vadim Rogovskiy 🇺🇦 (3DLOOK)Vadim Rogovskiy is the CEO & Co-founder of Ukrainian startup 3DLOOK. Upon the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vadim’s team has partially relocated to Western Ukraine, Poland and the US and continues to operate close to pre-war operational level.In this episode we talk:3DLOOK & its business operations before the warTeam response to crisisWhat happens to contracts during warCrisis management tips for CEOsWar impact on clients, partners and investorsThe outlook for Ukrainian startupsThe episode was recorded on April 26, 2022The topics covered in this episode with Timestamps...
2022-04-2640 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#58 How data can fight food wastage and how nutrition impacts your personal productivity w/ Michael Haase 🇩🇰 (Plant Jammer)This episode is brought to you in cooperation with TechChillJoin us in Riga on April 27-29, 2022100+ speakers (including the guest of this episode)200 top US and European investors300 StartupsListen to the episode intro to find a special PROMO CODE for Pursuit of Scrappiness listeners and get 20% OFF Get your pass NOW on https://techchill.co/ ===Michael Haase is the Founder and CEO of Plantjammer - Learn new easy dishes and fit them to individual health goals, availability and taste. With a background from McKinsey and Merill Lynch, Mi...
2022-04-1941 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#57 European tech ecosystem overview, expected correction in private markets & what goes into building a data intelligence startup w/ Yoram Wijngaarde 🇳🇱 (Dealroom)This episode is brought to you in cooperation with TechChillJoin us in Riga on April 27-29, 2022100+ speakers (including the guest of this episode)200 top US and European investors300 StartupsListen to the episode intro to find a special PROMO CODE for Pursuit of Scrappiness listeners and get 20% OFF Get your pass NOW on https://techchill.co/ ===Yoram Wijngaarde is the Founder and CEO of Dealroom - Global data platform for intelligence on startups, innovation, high-growth companies, ecosystems and investment strategies. With a prior career in investment banking, Yoram ha...
2022-04-1237 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#56 Rytis Vitkauskas (Lightspeed) on how the global VCs evaluate deals, how to find a category winner and is Harvard education worth it (for founders)This episode is brought to you in cooperation with TechChillJoin us in Riga on April 27-29, 2022100+ speakers (including the guest of this episode)200 top US and European investors300 StartupsListen to the episode intro to find a special PROMO CODE for Pursuit of Scrappiness listeners and get 20% OFF Get your pass NOW on https://techchill.co/ ===Rytis Vitkauskas is a Partner at the global VC powerhouse Lightspeed Ventures. Holding an MBA from Harvard Business School, Rytis has also founded and exited startups as well as made te...
2022-04-0548 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#55 “The Baltics were always going to be next” What can we do and what not to worry about w/ David Holahan, former US Defense Attache and Iraq war veteranDavid Holahan is a former US Defense Attache to Latvia. He is also a retired US Marine Lt. Col. a 21-year veteran of the US Marine Corps. Having served in conflicts in Iraq and Somalia.David spent over 10 years living in Baltics which gives him a unique viewpoint on the defense and security matters of our region both from local as well as US policy maker and NATO perspective.This episode is first in a series of special episodes on how the Russian invasion of Ukraine affects us in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. I...
2022-03-3142 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#54 Benefits of implanting microchips, biohacking tips, ethics of technology & risks worth taking w/ Hannes Sapiens Sjoblad 🇸🇪 (DSruptive)This episode is brought to you in cooperation with TechChillJoin us in Riga on April 27-29, 2022100+ speakers (including the guest of this episode)200 top US and European investors300 StartupsListen to the episode intro to find a special PROMO CODE for Pursuit of Scrappiness listeners and get 20% OFF Get your pass NOW on https://techchill.co/ =====Hannes Sapiens Sjoblad is the managing director of DSruptive - a deep tech company specialized in implantable microelectronics. With its revolutionary BeUno app, DSruptive is looking to make implantable health tr...
2022-03-2945 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#53 Investing in Baltics, Fintech trends, from entrepreneur to VC and insights into building an investment team with Adam Niewinski 🇵🇱 (OTB Ventures)Adam Niewinski is the Co-founder and General partner at OTB Ventures - a leading venture capital firm operating in CEE out of Warsaw. Adam is a seasoned executive, entrepreneur and with OTB has invested in several Baltic companies already, including Kevin, Ondato and Fractory.In this episode we talk about the evolution of the Polish VC/startup ecosystem, investing in the Baltics and sharing lessons for investing from business executive experience. We also talk about global VC trends, OTB strategy and making a good first impression to a VC. Finally we discuss building a strong VC team.
2022-03-2240 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#52 Augmented Reality, career path from an engineer to CEO and beating billion dollar startups in global MedTech space with Madara Kalnina-Kalnmale (Lightspace Labs)Madara Kalniņa-Kalnmale is the CEO of Lightspace - optical reality headset manufacturer for high-end medical operations. They've raised $14M USD in total funding to date. An electrical engineer by training, Madara is now leading the company to bring a revolutionary augmented reality (AR) product to the market after several years of R&D. In this episode we talk about the Lightspace and usage of AR in medicine as well as funding, developing and building a deeptech product. We also discuss the overall VR/AR industry with its successes and failures. Finally we talk about turning an eng...
2022-03-1538 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#51 How to learn coding with no background, classes or tuition. The story of Kood/Jõhvi, inside look at the life of the students and what it means to make a 180° career changeKood/Jõhvi is a coding school in northeast Estonia which was established by several Estonian startup founders, including Martin Villig and Taavet Hinrikus. Today we are joined by it’s Co-director Karin Künnapas as well as two students - Gunta Klava and Georgi Suikanen.In this episode we talk about the history and reasons behind the establishment of the school, the practicalities of getting admitted, student life, professional growth as well as the future of the school and its funding model. We also talk a lot about making the leap into coding at different points in o...
2022-02-2244 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#50 The hidden side of fundraising, how to succeed as a young founder in an old industry, routines for wellbeing and value of mentorships with Martin Vares (Fractory)Martin Vares is the CEO and Co-Founder of Fractory - a smart marketplace for metal fabrication. Martin is a mechanical engineer by training and has turned his passion for engineering and saving time on admin tasks into a thriving business.In this episode we talk about Fractory and how hard it is to enter such an old and complicated industry as manufacturing. We also talk about relentless fundraising and more importantly getting your life balance back after intensive periods of work. Finally, we explore the value of mentoring.The topics covered in this episode with...
2022-02-1542 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#49 How to make hard decisions, reality of being a startup CEO, opportunities & risks of Latin America, and the importance of transparency with Rain Sepp (askRobin)Rain Sepp is the Founder and CEO of askRobin - a financial education and inclusion platform operating in Mexico and other LatAm countries. Rain is a serial entrepreneur and a seasoned consumer finance expert. After building a customer base of more than 2 million users for askRobin and raising more than 1.5mEUR, Rain recently announced the winding down of the company.In this episode we talk about the story of askRobin, building a sizeable customer base in Mexico and the risks of doing business in emerging markets. We also go in depth into the decision to shut down...
2022-02-0845 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#48 Building products for Metaverse, partnering with global brands & entertainers, Zuckerberg’s big bet and opportunities of the decentralized world with Timmu Tõke (Ready Player Me)Timmu Tõke is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ready Player Me - the cross-game avatar platform for the metaverse. Timmu has been working on 3D design, virtual reality and the metaverse for more than 8 years becoming a true pioneer in avatars for the metaverse, a space that exploded in 2021.In this episode we talk all things metaverse, the unique positioning of Ready Player Me in it. We also talk about user experience, business models, global brands and opportunities in the metaverse. Finally we talk centralised vs. decentralised approaches to the metaverse and the current and potential r...
2022-02-0144 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#47 How to improve your life quality with Health Tech, similarities of running a business & ultra marathon, and principles of user centric design with Ignas Survila (Tyler.Health)Ignas Survila is the CEO and Co-Founder of Tyler.Health - a health tracking app that allows you to manage your nutrition the most accurate way. An endurance sports athlete and serial entrepreneur also having worked with Kilo.Health, Ignas is a proponent of user-centric design for building products.In this episode we talk about the challenges of healthcare and health monitoring industries and how Tyler attempts to solve them. We also talk about using health monitoring data to improve your lifestyle and sports performance. Finally we discuss user-centric design and what mistakes teams make when building p...
2022-01-2541 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#46 Ins & Outs of starting a hardware business and using subscription pricing to disrupt the package delivery industry with Andres Sampka (Parcelsea)Andres Sampka is the CEO and Co-Founder of Parcelsea, an Estonian last-mile delivery startup developing smart mailboxes that accept and deliver your packages in a secure and contact-free way, without you even being home.In this episode we unpack what goes into starting a hardware intensive business (in a garage), the subscription pricing model for hardware tech, building an MVP, adding innovative services to your (not so ordinary) mailbox, as well as how you can protect your IP from the likes of Jeff Bezos.The topics covered in this episode with Timestamps[03:10] - I...
2022-01-1837 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#45 The importance of values & rituals, how to build trust in multi-national teams, and lessons from scaling Europe's fastest unicorn with Aiste Juknaite (Gorillas, ex-Uber)Aiste Juknaite is the Director of Growth at Gorillas - Europe’s fastest unicorn and an instant grocery delivery giant out of Berlin. Before Gorillas, Aiste held several growth and customer service related roles at Uber.In this episode we talk about Aiste's journey working for global unicorn companies, with a focus on scaling global teams, building trust, implementing values and rituals. Finally we talk about what challenges first-time managers of global teams face as well as the workload and work-life balance management.The topics covered in this episode with Timestamps[01:35] - INTRODUCTION AN...
2022-01-1145 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#44 Martin Villig 🇪🇪 (Bolt) on building a global mobility Unicorn, challenges of scaling, ability to do more with less & making social impact with kood/Jõhvi coding schoolMartin Villig is a Co-Founder of Bolt, one of the most widely known Estonian unicorns valued at $4.75 Bn during the last investment round. Martin has been an entrepreneur for more than 20 years and is an integral part of the Estonian startup community. In recent years, he has been especially active in social impact projects with such initiatives as coding school kood/Johvi and the Good Deed Education Fund for solving acute problems in the education sector.In this episode we talk about Martin’s entrepreneurship journey including its biggest highlight - Bolt - from origins to philosophy an...
2022-01-0453 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#43 "Year in Review Pt 2/2" Comparing Best & Worst Government Decisions towards Startups in Baltics + Tech Predictions for 2022 with Jone Vaituleviciute 🇱🇹 , Toms Niparts 🇱🇻 and Eerik Oja 🇪🇪Welcome to the 2nd part of the Pursuit of Scrappiness 2 episode Christmas Special. Janis and Uldis are joined by previous star guests Toms Niparts from Jeff app (full interview in Episode #1), Eerik Oja from Planet42 (Episode #3) and Jone Vaituleviciute from Startup Wise Guys (Episode #20) to discuss the events in 2021 and make predictions about 2022.In this episode we talk about the relationship between governments, politicians and the startup ecosystem - what has been done right and what is still lacking? We also look into the crystal ball and try to see what the Baltic startup world looks like i...
2021-12-2836 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#42 "Year in Review Pt 1/2" The 2021 Fundraising Boom in Baltics, Life & Markets after Covid and Potential of Metaverse with Jone Vaituleviciute 🇱🇹 , Toms Niparts 🇱🇻 and Eerik Oja 🇪🇪Welcome to the 1st part of the Pursuit of Scrappiness 2 episode Christmas Special. Janis and Uldis are joined by previous star guests Toms Niparts from Jeff app (full interview in Episode #1), Eerik Oja from Planet42 (Episode #3) and Jone Vaituleviciute from Startup Wise Guys (Episode #20) to discuss the events in 2021 and make predictions about 2022.In this episode we talk about the Baltic fundraising boom of 2021 and the most impactful stories that we witnessed. We also discuss the sustainability of the pandemic increase in digital adoption and it’s biggest benefactors. Finally we talk about the metaverse and why maj...
2021-12-2144 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#41 Product management principles & work-life lessons from building a Unicorn with Martin Henk 🇪🇪 (Pipedrive, Eventornado)Martin Henk is the CTO and Co-Founder of Eventornado, a software solution for organising online hackathons and challenges. Martin is also a partner and angel investor at Honey Badger Capital, however most people will recognise him as one of the Co-Founders of an Estonian Unicorn, Pipedrive.In this episode we do a deep-dive into product management, covering everything from best practices and building efficient product teams to common mistakes. We also talk about life after a unicorn exit, the current projects Martin is engaged in as well as overall work-life balance throughout different stages of one's career.
2021-12-1442 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#40 Mikko Silventola (Early-Stage Investor in 50+ Startups) on being first to invest in Bolt, courage to back founders from faraway markets and basics of angel investingMikko Silventola is a Finnish angel investor currently based in Zug, Switzerland who has invested in more than 50 companies globally with gems such as Bolt & Hugo among his most successful investments. He is also a venture partner at Superangel and Frontier Nordic.On this episode we discuss all things angel investing, including starting up, basic skills, investing principles, best pitching practices, red flags and many more key aspects to being a successful angel investor. We also talk more in detail about Mikko becoming the first investor of Bolt and conquering Latin America with Hugo (3 years from investment...
2021-12-0744 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#39 Dmitrijus Borisenka 🇱🇹 (CoinGate) on what you should know about crypto and its future + tips for work-life balance & how to make time to do Ironmans while being a CEODmitrijus Borisenka is the Co-Founder and CEO of Coingate - your gateway to all things crypto. Dmitrijus is a serial entrepreneur, a crypto enthusiast and also an endurance sports athlete. In this episode we discuss the current crypto bull market, global crypto adoption as well as getting people and businesses into crypto. We also talk about the risks and opportunities in crypto, NFTs and coins to follow. Finally we cover business/life balance, boosting confidence through endurance sports and knowing your body and mind.The topics covered in this episode with Timestamps[02:20] - I...
2021-11-3044 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#38 Martin Kõiva & Kair Käsper 🇪🇪 (Klaus) from coding the prototype in a shashlik bar to raising $7M + Customer Service practices you can copy, Pipedrive effect, and the good & bad about VCsKair Käsper and Martin Kõiva are co-founders of the Klaus app - a conversation review and QA platform for support teams used by globally known names such as Wolt, SoundCloud, Epic Games. They have known each other for more than 20 years, have run several business ventures together as well as both have the ex-Pipedrive tag on their resumes.In our first-ever 2-on-2 episode we discuss the challenges startups face in customer service quality assurance, cover best/worst practices as well as talk about the overall value of investments into customer support. We also talk about cr...
2021-11-2345 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#37 Marek Unt 🇪🇪 (Grünfin, ex-Wise, Bolt). “The PR Special” on what makes Elon Musk newsworthy, and how to build personal brand, measure PR ROI & leverage fundraising announcementsMarek Unt is one of the most seasoned tech PR professionals in the Baltics who has worked for 4 of Estonia’s Unicorns. He served in senior PR & Communications roles at Wise and Bolt having tenured at Skype and Playtech prior to that as well. Currently, Marek is CMO of Grünfin, a sustainable investment platform.In this episode, we discuss the role of PR for tech companies as well as the impact the founder has on building successful PR. We also talk about starting up PR at your company, building personal brands, measuring ROI on PR initiatives, and...
2021-11-1644 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#36 James Berdigans 🇱🇻 (Printify) on record Series A, conquering the US, making connections that enable life-changing opportunities & impressing investors with scrappinessJames Berdigans is the CEO and Co-founder of Printify - a print-on-demand platform that helps you create and sell custom products. An alumnus of 500 startups and one of the leaders of the Latvian startup community, Printify just raised a whopping 45mUSD series A round to build on their growth in the US and expand in other markets.In this episode, we talk about the origins of Printify and the rise of the on-demand printing industry as well as starting a business in the US from Latvia. James also shares his scrappy stories of partnering with Shopify, meeting...
2021-11-0944 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#35 Andres Anijalg 🇪🇪 (Roofit.solar) on competing with Tesla, creating market category for solar roofs, fundraising €6.4M and importance of not giving up in Climate TechAndres Anijalg is the co-founder and COO of Roofit.Solar, producer of solar roofs that look like a regular roof. The Estonia-based company recently raised a 6.4mEUR series A to fund the transformation in roof building from a cost to an investment.In this episode, we discuss the revolutionary product of Roofit.solar and its various applications. We dig deeper into the aspects of running a hardware-intensive clean energy business as well as selling a high-cost product that the consumers are not aware of. Finally, we talk about the ClimateTech industry trends and promise for a climate-neutral...
2021-11-0239 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#34 Gerri Kodres 🇪🇪 (United Angels VC) on investments in Bolt & Veriff, how investor’s mind works and what mistakes do founders make when approaching VCsGerri Kodres is a founding partner at United Angels VC and has been a tech investor for more than 10 years with investments in such companies as Bolt, Veriff, Comodule, Monese, Starship, and many others. Alongside that, he spent almost 10 years with Fortumo as a chief business officer and advisor signing clients such as Google, Netflix, and Spotify.In this episode, we take a deep dive into tech investing by covering the investment landscape in the Baltics, the roles and responsibilities of a tech investor, the skills to look out for both in founders and investors as well...
2021-10-261h 11
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#33 Henrikas Urbonas 🇱🇹 (Interactio) on scaling 12x, raising largest Series A in Baltics, interpreting meetings for world’s leaders and making yourself attractive to investorsHenrikas Urbonas is the CEO and Co-founder of Interactio - your ultimate multilingual meetings solution. Interactio announced a record-setting 30mUSD series A round on the back of explosive growth during the pandemic and being the interpretation platform for such global organizations as the UN, the EU, Microsoft, Google, and many many other global governments and corporate brands.In this episode, we discuss the seven years old “overnight success” of Interaction, its mission, and product. We discuss challenges in explosive scaling and doing business with global public sector organizations. Henrikas also shares his lessons and findings from their mass...
2021-10-191h 14
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#32 - Martin Tajur 🇪🇪 (Honey Badger Capital, Pipedrive) on success factors in raising a unicorn, hard things entrepreneurs must be prepared for and lessons in angel investingMartin Tajur is an angel investor, partner at Honey Badger Capital as well as a co-founder and ex-CTO of one of the most successful sales CRM companies globally - Pipedrive. In our first interview with a unicorn founder, we talk about the origins of Pipedrive, growing it into a billion-dollar company, and the evolution of the role of the founder as the company grows. We also dig deeper into the hard things about growing a business. Finally, we talk about angel investing and its benefits for companies and investors. The topics covered in this episode wit...
2021-10-121h 07
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#31 - Eimantas Bekeza 🇱🇹 (Memby) on turning passion for education into a VC backed startup, the future of learning, and how to validate new ideas and markets with lean methodsEimantas Bekeza is the CEO & Co-founder of Memby, an after-school learning platform that provides top-tier tutoring at a fraction of the cost of private tutors. Eimantas is also a “superstar tutor” himself having tutored since 8th grade and has turned his passion for teaching into an exciting startup.In this episode, we talk about the origins of Memby and building an EdTech business as well as the development of the EdTech industry as such. We go deeper into what makes a learning experience effective and paint a picture of how the future classroom will look like. The...
2021-10-051h 01
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#30 - Martins Sulte 🇱🇻 (Mintos) on building Europe’s largest loan marketplace, pre-requisites of successful crowdfunding and road to becoming a licensed investment firmMartins Sulte is the co-founder and CEO of Mintos marketplace. Mintos is the leading loan investment platform in continental Europe with more than 7bn EUR of loans funded. Recently Mintos ran a successful crowdfunding campaign, netting around 7mEUR from its community. On top of that, they have just announced receiving an investment broker license from Latvian finance watchdog FKTK.In this episode, we talk about the evolution of the Mintos product and the P2P lending/loan investment platform industry as such. We also cover what it takes to run a successful crowdfunding campaign. Finally, we talk...
2021-09-281h 02
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#29 Merit Valdsalu 🇪🇪 (Single.Earth) on Climate Tech opportunities, raising $7.9M to tokenize world’s forests and lessons learned in PipedriveMerit Valdsalu is the Co-founder and CEO of Single.Earth, a revolutionary blockchain-based ecosystem of earth’s carbon sequestration and biodiversity monitoring, tokenization, and trade. Before starting this highly ambitious project, Merit led localization efforts at the Estonian unicorn Pipedrive.In this fascinating conversation, we talk about the need to digitize the earth’s nature and create a transparent, reliable, and efficient marketplace for trading carbon credits. We also discuss the business potential of the ClimateTech industry, economic and other motivations for nature preservation as well as overall fundraising and entrepreneurship lessons from Merit’s career at Pipedr...
2021-09-211h 10
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#28 - Taavi Rõivas 🇪🇪 (Auve Tech) on the future of driverless cars & AI, Estonia’s unicorns and government-business interactionTaavi Rõivas is the Chairman of Auve Tech, an Estonian producer and operator of self-driving vehicles and autonomous transportation systems that are already operational on public roads. He is also former Prime Minister of Estonia, a long-time member of the Estonian Parliament, and an international public speaker on e-government, cyber security, AI, and other related topics.In this episode, we discuss the development and promise of the self-driving vehicle industry, the interaction of government and business and how to clone Estonia’s success, the future of work and retirement as well as the risks associated with the...
2021-09-141h 18
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#27 - Davis Ziedins (Beetroot Lab) on partnership with Conor McGregor, operating $100 M ad budget, science of building successful apps, and recruiting global experts via LinkedinDavis Ziedins is Co-founder and Business development lead at Beetroot Lab, a game development studio in Riga operating since 2014, whose biggest hit Dystopia is made in partnership with Conor McGregor and recently hit the 1 million downloads milestone.In this super-high energy episode, we talk about the fundamentals of the game development business, building a very specialized skillset team in the Baltics, doing partnerships with global celebrities, keys to success in the saturated mobile gaming market, and the marketing of mobile games.The topics covered in this episode with Timestamps[01:45] - INTRODUCTION AND THE...
2021-09-071h 20
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#26 Juan Borras 🇪🇪 🇪🇸 (Outvio) on how good eCommerce sites stand out, importance of post-sales experience, engineering spaceships & reverse trend of working from.. officeJuan Borras is the Founder and CEO of Outvio, an Estonian startup whose mission is helping eCommerce improve the shipping experience. Outvio raised $2.5m just now to expand their product across Europe. An engineer by training with experience from the European Space Agency as well as having started several businesses, Juan now leads Outvio on a rapid growth path towards being a household name in the eCommerce tools spaceWe talk about the shipping experience and how it can make or break an eCommerce product in conjunction with customer loyalty and lifetime value. We also take an...
2021-08-311h 03
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#25 - Kaspars Dancis 🇱🇻 (Whimsical) on building a bootstrapped business for the US 🇺🇸 market, getting acquired, the importance of transparency, and developing a product people loveKaspars Dancis is the CEO and Co-founder of Whimsical, a content collaboration tool that facilitates teams thinking together. Being fully bootstrapped, the company boasts Vinted, Intercom, Hashicorp, Loom, Washington Post, Monzo, Oura, and others as its clients.In this episode we talk about Whimsical and how it helps teams collaborate on content creation, building a product that users love, bootstrapping, and the considerations to sell your business as well as values for building a sustainable business.The topics covered in this episode with Timestamps[02:10] - Introduction and the origins of WhimsicalHow...
2021-08-2454 min
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#24 - Tuomas Kosonen 🇫🇮 (Inventure) on investing in Wolt, characteristics of Baltic founders, biggest challenges when scaling and hottest industries for investment right nowTuomas Kosonen is a partner at Inventure, one of the leading VCs in the Baltic Sea region. Inventure has invested in such familiar Baltic companies as Nordigen, Scoro, and Whatagraph as well as Finnish juggernaut and one of the most used apps in the Baltics - WoltIn this episode, we talk about the Baltic Sea region as one of the leading global tech hubs and the future outlook of the Baltics and the rest of the region. We also discuss the VC investment decision-making process as well as the key challenges in scaling companies. Finally, we...
2021-08-171h 00
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#23 - Helmuts Bems 🇱🇻 (Sonarworks) on just raising $6 M, entering China 🇨🇳, building B2B partnerships, evaluating R&D progress, and never voting on decision when to pivotHelmuts Bems is the co-founder and CEO of Sonarworks, a company making individually perfected sound for creators and listeners used by Grammy-award winning producers. Having recently raised a fresh investment round of $6 M led by Almaz Capital (and $13.8 M in total to date), Helmuts and his team are working tenaciously on getting their software into your headphones and changing the way you listen to music, podcasts, and any audio content foreverIn this episode we talk about the future of sound, discuss the peculiarities of conquering China and other innovative Asian markets, building a B2B strategic p...
2021-08-101h 20
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#22 - Andris K. Berzins (Change Ventures) on negotiating with investors, finding a mentor, why round sizes in 3 Baltic countries are growing, and what we can learn from the IsraelisAndris K. Berzins is the managing partner of Change Ventures, the first and largest pan-Baltic seed investor. With an MBA from Stanford and 20+ years of tech experience in all kinds of roles from founder to executive, to an investor, Andris brings a uniquely nuanced opinion on the Baltic startup scene through the eyes of a VC. He is also credited for being one of the most visible shapers and champions of the Latvian startup ecosystemOn this energizing pod, we discuss the Baltics as the next startup nations by drawing parallels to Israel, what it takes to...
2021-08-031h 24
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#21 - Carlos Paniagua 🇪🇪 🇬🇹 🇺🇸 (Glia) on the role of a CTO in a startup that has raised $107 M, ease of doing business in Estonia & revolutionising digital customer service in USACarlos Paniagua is the co-founder and CTO of Glia - one of the leading digital customer service providers that to date has raised $107 million in VC investment. Coming from Guatemala originally, Carlos has spent a third of his life in Estonia, where he also resides currently and runs the technical team of Glia, while his co-founders and the rest of the team are based in the US. In this episode, Carlos shares his experience in running a US-Estonian organization in terms of operations and fundraising. We also have an in-depth discussion on the realities and challenges of a...
2021-07-271h 07
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#20 - Jone Vaituleviciute 🇱🇹 (Startup Wise Guys) on what investors want to see in founders, why B2B SaaS is so demanded, and how to avoid getting screwed when raising moneyJone Vaituleviciute is Partner at Startup Wise Guys that was just named The Hottest Startup Accelerator in Europe. In this episode Jone shares the perspective of the accelerator - with 1-2% acceptance rate, what are they looking for in business models and founders. We also discuss why investors like to invest in B2B SaaS and the value that early-stage support organizations can bring to startups in the pre-accelerator stage.The topics covered in this episode with Timestamps[06:00] - Startup Wise Guys and early-stage investing/acceleratingAccelerator wants you to move 6x faster than...
2021-07-201h 17
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#19 - Jekabs Endzins (Roibox) on serial entrepreneurship, the potential of geo data in AdTech, principles of building multiple profitable companies & helping millions of people to delete embarrassing tweetsJekabs Endzins is a serial entrepreneur, currently developing Roibox, a digital marketing tool that revolutionizes the potential of geolocation data. He has co-founded several profitable businesses, including Mogo Finance (now Eleving group), Tapbox, TweetDeleter, Finitera. He has also failed close to 10 other ventures over the past 10 years and has some ‘war stories' to share.As a true serial entrepreneur, Jekabs is always working on several projects at the same time, and in this episode, he shares his secrets on how to manage that. We talk about the latest in AdTech, building and failing companies, choosing the right co...
2021-07-131h 13
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#18 - Meeri Rebane 🇪🇪 🇩🇪 (INZMO) on raising EUR 3M following a successful Insurtech pivot, starting a business from scratch in Berlin, product validation and building the Red Bull of insurance brandsMeeri Rebane (EE) shares her experience of launching a company in one of the hottest Insurtech markets in Europe - Germany. Having pivoted away from a bicycle identification platform, Meeri together with her co-founder Risto Klausen (EE) is building a consumer-friendly insurance app in the heart of the Berlin tech scene with an edgy brand inspired by Red BullIn this conversation, we talk about the potential of Insurtech (an industry that raised over 1bn EUR in VC in Europe this year) and how it is helping the age-old insurance industry to reach the young and mobile...
2021-07-061h 06
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#17 - Martin Koppel (Fortumo) on sales approach that landed Google & Amazon, scaling a global payments business from Estonia, getting acquired and never delegating market entryMartin Koppel is the CEO and Co-founder of Fortumo. Before iOS and Android existed they offered various SMS services. Now they are solving payment challenges for Google, Spotify, Amazon, Tencent, Epic Games in emerging markets. And they invented Android in-app payments before Google did. Fortumo is truly one of the biggest success stories coming out of Estonia (Tartu to be precise) and Martin shares how he got there.This episode is overflowing with actionable insights and tips on business development, direct sales, Fortune500 company courting, deciding the right time to exit, deciding when and why to raise...
2021-06-291h 19
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#16 - Ieva Dvilinskiene (FlowSpace) on building the future of flexible work, raising money from Antler startup program & challenges female founders faceIeva is a marketer with a decorated career in product branding. We meet, however, to talk about her 180-degree career change - deciding to become an entrepreneur and joining Antler VC London cohort. After successfully graduating from the program and raising investment Ieva currently is in charge of growth at FlowSpace - a marketplace she has co-founded where teams meet co-working spaces in London. An insightful conversation follows. What questions to ask in order to find the right business partners? What the future of work looks like? As well as how to manage family & career and why i...
2021-06-211h 16
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#15 - Donatas Keras (Practica Capital) on the bright future of the Baltic tech scene, VC-Founder relationship advice, investment in Interactio and global VCs entering the marketDonatas is one of the most well-known investors in the Baltic startup scene. Having hustled in different businesses and investments, he started VC investing 10 years ago and has been part of such success stories as TransferGo, Trafi, Ziticity, Sonarworks, and recent headline maker InteractioIn a super high-energy conversation, we go back in time to compare what the startup scene was like 10 years ago and how far we have come. Donatas also shares many interesting stories from investing and not investing into different companies and principles in VC-founder relationships. By listening to this episode you w...
2021-06-151h 11
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#14 - Sandris Artemjevs (Codelex) on teaching people to code in 3 months, how to get devs to join your company, the future of AI, and myths about coding that can hold you backSandris is the CTO of one of the hottest Baltic fintech startups, Jeff App, however, in this episode, we focus on Codelex developer school, which he created a few years ago. With Codelex Sandris has added north of 130 able-bodied developers both men and women across different age groups to the market after subjecting them to an intensive 3 months developer Bootcamp.In a very direct and no bullshit interview Sandris shares his vision that almost anyone can code at a professional level, but also points out that it depends on everyone’s own motivation, explains that discrimination in the...
2021-06-081h 13
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#13 - Anastasija Oleinika (Twino) on leading the team through pandemic, 60/40 approach to culture, employee mental health and building a lifelong financial platformAnastasija is the CEO of one of the most recognized tech companies in Latvia - Twino. Having started out in investment banking and M&A advisory, she now manages one of the largest P2P lenders in continental Europe with a team of 400+ people in 6 countries. Having led the company through the pandemic as a shock to investor confidence across asset classes worldwide, Anastasija now builds Twino into a licensed broker and a lifelong financial partner to their clients. By listening to this episode you will learn:How to take over company management from a Founder C...
2021-06-011h 06
The Pursuit of Scrappiness#12 - Rolands Mesters (Nordigen) on the power of free open banking, reinventing your startup every 6 months and hustling until one of your ideas sticksRolands is a grade-A hustler who realized early on in his career that he must build companies and products to fulfill his dreams as well as overcome some grudges. Hustling several business ideas, Rolands found himself in the fintech space crunching credit risk numbers from bank statements and now has evolved the business model into providing free open banking and building a crucial piece of financial infrastructure for the successful development of the fintech industry. We also discuss Dr Dre, Netflix and Michael Jordan By listening to this episode you will learn:Hustling all kinds of a...
2021-05-251h 19The Pursuit of Scrappiness#11 - Petr Antropov (Lokalise) from bootstrapping a B2B SaaS company to serving top tech unicorns, going fully remote permanently and building ‘No Bullshit’ culturePetr is an ex-banker turned serial entrepreneur with several startups under his belt prior to founding Lokalise, including Odnoklassniki, Megogo, and Roamer app. The latter turned out to be the source of the product for Lokalise. With a no-BS mentality, Petr and the Lokalise team have achieved fantastic product-market fit with many top Tech names (e.g. Revolut, Bitpanda, Notion) as their loyal customers, which helped them bootstrap up until a 6mUSD VC round last year, becoming one of the most successful startups in Latvia.By listening to this episode you will learn:How to turn...
2021-05-1859 minThe Pursuit of Scrappiness#10 - David Holahan (ex-US Marine) on applying combat experience in Iraq to business, 6 leadership principles & making 500 decisions a day under stressDavid is a retired US Marine Lt. Col. with real combat experience in Somalia and Iraq, where he commanded a unit of 1 200 soldiers. He then served as the Defence Attache to Latvia in Riga. Since retiring from the military David has been applying the lessons he shares in this episode to both secure millions of USD in contracts for the businesses he worked for as well as to teach leadership both in Europe and the US. It turns out there are more parallels in business and military than you may think. In this engaging episode, David shares t...
2021-05-111h 03The Pursuit of Scrappiness#9 - Liudas Kanapienis (Ondato) on scaling his team 6x in 12 months, the 24/7 reality of a startup founder, the importance of 1-1 meetings, and the increasing role of RegTech in eCommerceLiudas, a fintech heavyweight, got into RegTech and ID verification as he saw an industry with an exponential rise in relevance for global commerce. Having led a team of 1000+ people before (ex-CEO of Paysera), he is now scaling the Ondato team with rocket speed having grown 6x times in the last 12 months. Liudas shares his management secrets to keep his team aligned on one visionBy listening to this episode you will learn:Importance of having a co-founder as it is almost impossible to achieve success aloneThe realities of startup Founder/CEO lifestyle. Hint - it...
2021-05-041h 22The Pursuit of Scrappiness#8 - The $2.6 Bn gold rush you never heard of - Amazon rollup companies. $0.5 Tn concept of ‘ammortality’ and Wise pays back to its users while Apple asks for moreRaising $400 M in the first year of existence? This is the story of 4 companies in 2020 who grabbed a piece of $2.6 Bn investment pie. With 2 million third-party sellers on Amazon responsible for ⅔ of sales on its platform, the market is ripe for consolidation. The “John D. Rockefellers” of the Amazon black gold mean business and are buying and building Amazon sellers left, right, and center.We also discuss the timeless quest to live longer from alchemy to ‘ammortality’ with the industry poised to grow to $0.5 Tn. Wise is giving away stock to their most loyal users pre IPO, robots are d...
2021-04-2749 minThe Pursuit of Scrappiness#7 - Elviss Straupenieks (Airboard) on flying a man on a drone, going to Silicon Valley, blowing up his first 50K in a test flight and taking company full cycle before the age of 22Elviss, a prodigy entrepreneur started Airboard at the age of 16 and takes us through his amazing story of following his dream of putting a man on a drone. Having raised initial funds in Latvia, Elviss shares his experience in the Silicon Valley over two accelerator programs, being mentored by Tim Draper and raising funds from angels from different parts of the world. He also shares his pivot from civil transport to agriculture, making first sales and getting outrun by huge US competitors. A story of ultimate scrappiness awaits!By listening to this episode you will learn:...
2021-04-2059 minThe Pursuit of Scrappiness#6 - Will your university diploma come from Apple? 3 ways to fund your business without giving up equity and - did you know you can become a VC yourself today?Global Education and Training is estimated to be a 7tn$ industry by 2025, but only 4% of it is digital. S^&t is about to go down. We also list ways to get financing for your startup without getting diluted, give a quick tip on how you can become a VC by buying shares in a Baltic Nasdaq listed investment fund, and try real hard to recall a successful Kickstarter campaign that has since grown into a major company.Should you go for a 4-year degree from Google in 6 months now available at $39 per month? Does it ma...
2021-04-1350 minThe Pursuit of Scrappiness#5 - Vytautas Zabulis (CEO H-Finance) on crypto potential, managing his company from Bali, dangers of margin trading as well as the future of NFTs and P2P lendingVytautas, a serial entrepreneur, and investor caught the crypto bug in 2015. After realizing that, like most things, his P2P lending business should not be put on a blockchain, he went and established a completely different business in crypto. After spending the last 3 months working from Bali and learning to surf, Vytautas has had revelations that fundamentally changed the way he looks at the office as we know it and what it means to have a work/life balance.By listening to this episode you will learn:5:50 - The process of pivoting your product 12:30 - Starting t...
2021-04-061h 21The Pursuit of Scrappiness#4 - Is the stock investing app business model irreparably flawed and will a 'local Klarna' bring Buy Now Pay Later to the Baltics?We dig deeper into two fintech verticals - stock investing apps and the business model of Robinhood as well as Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and the reasons why Klarna is Europe’s most valuable private fintech company.Should you start a new stock investing fintech and will we stop paying full price for goods immediately as the new norm in shopping? Find out in the latest episode!Things you will learn from listening to this episode:Stock investing apps:Why does it matter and what are the reasons behind its scorching gr...
2021-03-3059 min