Shows
Launch and Learn19 - Staying customer-centric in a global economy with Doug van SpronsenIn this episode, we talk to Doug van Spronsen, the co-founder of Versett - a digital consulting firm focused on helping businesses launch customer-centric companies. Versett has been a global company from the start, and we talk about their approach to team-building, how they approach strategy & innovation, and where the industry is headed.
Thanks so much for listening! Follow Alex & Matthias on LinkedIn to chat or to suggest who should come on the show next!2021-03-2948 min
Launch and Learn18 - Disrupting Consultants with Alexandra NuthIn this lively episode, we talk to former big-4 consultant Alexandra Nuth about her journey into corporate entrepreneurship and how she ended up building Now or Never Ventures, a Challenger Consultancy that helps corporates drive innovation through venture building. She covers what it was like building a bank inside a bank, their unique approach to building ventures, and where most companies get it wrong when trying to be 'innovative'.
Keep up with Now or Never ventures on Medium or LinkedIn or follow Alexandra Nuth & Iain Montgomery to follow their journey!2020-12-1847 min
Launch and Learn17 - Riding a Rocketship with Benjamin BerényiLeading a company through a growth phase is challenging, to say the least. It can be hard to balance profitability with growth, particularly in Europe where language and regional differences can limit expansion opportunities.
Benjamin comes on the show to share about how Péntech is approaching their expansion across the Eastern European market and brings some practical strategies on how to approach sales and hiring during a time of rapid growth.
Connect with Benjamin and follow Péntech on LinkedIn! (especially if you speak Hungarian)
Have a guest to recommend or want to...2020-11-1000 min
Launch and Learn16 - Finding Market Fit with Shane FastPIVOT!
As we've learned in previous episodes, pivoting can be hard. But sometimes just one pivot isn't enough! Shane Fast digs into the story of how Athennian pivotted 3 times before becoming what they are today - a leading legal tech company with a focus on Entity Management and Corporate Law. Shane was formerly the CFO but recently stepped down to a Team Lead role - we also cover this story and how to place an importance on your family life.
Connect with Shane Fast on LinkedIn and learn more about how Athennian is shaking up...2020-10-2700 min
Launch and Learn15 - Business for Good with Charlotte De RidderMany forward-thinking businesses these days partner with non-profits, NGOs, or support causes they care about. Other businesses tackle social problems head-on: like Yusudi, an impact business based in Nairobi which offers training and equipping programs with the goal of improving the Youth employment rate in Kenya and beyond.
Charlotte De Ridder shares about her journey to social entrepreneurship, how to balance business KPIs with social impact, and the future of Yusudi.
Connect with Charlotte on LinkedIn
Check out our website or connect with Alex or Matthias on LinkedIn as well, while you're at...2020-09-3045 min
Launch and Learn14 - Building a Product Team with Stefan RichterStefan Richter has been part of numerous startups, both as a Product Manager and CPO. He comes on the show to share about how he approaches hiring Junior PMs, what the Product landscape looks like these days, and how he approaches running Product teams at scale.
Stefan's Recommended podcasts (some in German)
https://omr.com/de/podcast/
https://www.digitalkompakt.de/podcast/
https://www.breaker.audio/kassenzone-ceo-interviews
https://www.breaker.audio/ds-podcast-der-insider-podcast-uber-startups-und-grownups
https://mastersofscale.com/
Connect with Stefan on LinkedIn
Know anyone who would be a great guest...2020-09-0134 min
Launch and Learn13 - Fame, Fashion, and Freelancers with Eshita KabraThe fashion industry is undergoing some serious change these days, with many companies turning their focus away from fast-fashion and towards sustainable and transparent supply chains. Eshita Kabra only launched her clothing rental marketplace 10 months ago but has seen significant interest, due in part to her media coverage and focus on sustainability.
Eshita Kabra is the Founder of By Rotation and was recently named as one of the "14 Inspiring Women Leading The Fight Against Climate Change" by Refinery29 alongside Greta Thunberg, Stella McCartney, Ellen MacArthur and Dr Jane Goodall. We talked to her about building a community...2020-08-1145 min
Launch and Learn12 - Growing Pains with Julian Ritter & Sebastian DrescherStarting a new company can be a daunting task to new entrepreneurs. But just because the business model is proven doesn't mean the work is over - in fact, it has only just begun. Lifelong friends Julian & Sebastian share their experience in scaling Airgreets, including finding a technical Co-Founder, expanding to multiple countries, and building trust with customers.
Airgreets is an outsourced property manager for everyday people who want to list their primary home on short-term booking platforms without all the extra work that comes with tenant management. Julian & Sebastian sold Airgreets in 2019 before becoming...2020-07-2948 min
Launch and Learn11 - Mathematical Marketing with Adomas BaltagalvisMarketing these days is about a lot more than fancy ad campaigns and graphic design; it takes a scientific mindset and an iterative approach to help a product launch successfully. In this episode, Adomas Baltagalvis joins us to talk about his career as a math & finance enthusiast before becoming a freelance marketer and digital nomad who specialised in crowdfund campaigns. Now he's trying to change the travel experience through his role as a Co-Founder and CMO of Eddy Travels - a travel chat bot that helps you find the best deals on flights and accommodation.
...2020-07-0741 min
Launch and Learn10 - Customer-Focused Marketing with Julia KupkeA great marketing strategy means nothing if you don't have a customer-first mindset and a product that solves real problems. In this episode, Julia Kupke talks about her entrepreneurial journey from MIFLORA, a flower delivery service, to BonaVal, a jewelry marketplace for pawn shops, before becoming the CMO of Stryber, a venture builder in Munich. She talks growth hacks, common startup mistakes, and how to make it as a marketer in today's tech-heavy workplaces.2020-06-3030 min
Launch and Learn09 - Don't Count Out Culture with Tynan AllanIn this episode we talk to Tynan Allan about his experience as a culture consultant and how he ended up joining the founding team as the director of growth at Liveweb.io, a website tool that is bridging the gap in customer communication through live video chat. We talk all things culture, employee motivation, growth, and what the future of communication could look like.2020-06-1643 min
Launch and Learn08 - Fostering an Engaged Community with Tomas SabatIn this episode, Tomas shares with us about his time running a network community for finance professionals in London before eventually ending up as the COO of Grakn Labs, an open-sourced platform that is changing the way we structure and organise data. He talks about how to grow and maintain and open-sourced community as well as how to stay motivated and live with purpose.2020-06-1038 min
Launch and Learn07 - Building a Product Mindset with Alfonso RochaIn this episode we talk to serial PM and 2-time co-founder Alfonso Rocha about how to get started in Product, how to prioritise when scaling quickly, and how to have a growth mindset.2020-06-0240 min
Launch and Learn06 - Finding your Focus with Vartika ManasviIn this episode, we talk to Vartika Manasvi about being an entrepreneur in India before moving to Canada and pivoting to what is now Stackraft: a company that is looking to change recruitment and hiring for the better. She talks about what made her move to Canada, the importance of having a clear focus, and what the future of hiring could look like.
For more information about Stackraft, visit https://stackraft.com/ or reach out to Vartika on Twitter https://twitter.com/VManasvi2020-05-2641 min
Launch and Learn05 - Discovery and Distribution with Anja WillmsWe take a break from digital products and talk to Anja Willms about her experience in launching and building a health food startup called Shileo after being inspired by a trip to Malaysia. She talks about bootstrapping, the challenges of distributing physical products, and how to keep a clear mind through the ups and downs of running your own business.
For more information about Shileo, visit https://www.shileo.com/2020-05-1933 min
Launch and Learn04 - Venture Building, Pivoting, and Hiring your Friends with Steffi FeldmannIn this episode, Stephanie Feldmann talks about starting Six Reasons, a venture building agency in Munich. She talks about how she got started in entrepreneurship and we dig into her experience in pivoting Keyp from a dating service to a cybersecurity application and all the complications that came along with that.2020-05-0533 min
Launch and Learn03 - How to (not) launch a product with Gian SaratzIn this episode, we talk to Gian about his experience launching multiple companies in the food and beverage industry in China including Cilantro, a Shopify-like solution for restaurants looking to take their business online. He talks about his experience in the food industry, working with an agency, and what to focus on when launching a new product.2020-04-2832 min
Launch and Learn02 - Building a team in a foreign market with Robert HöglerIn this episode, Robert Högler walks us through his journey in launching Lendigo, a small business lending platform based in Nigeria. He covers the challenges in building a team in a new country, how to find your first customers, and what it was like building a FinTech company in an emerging market.2020-04-2128 min
Launch and Learn01 - Ideation and Validation with Timo HahnIn this episode, Timo Hahn uses his experience launching Wydr to talk about how to validate an idea, build an MVP, and get your first customers.2020-04-0735 min