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

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?…

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

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

1 day ago59:48

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?…

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

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

6 weeks ago37:51

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…

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

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

11 weeks ago1:33:03

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…

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

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

35 weeks ago1:12:06

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?…

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

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

36 weeks ago1:10:23

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?…

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

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

36 weeks ago1:11:43

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?…

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

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

37 weeks ago1:09:21

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?…

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

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

40 weeks ago1:09:28

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…

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

1
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

43 weeks ago1:26:10

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?…

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

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

48 weeks ago1:05:58

1:05:58

Tushar Ahluwalia founded the Razor Group together with his founding team in 2020. Since then, the Razor Group has received more than one billion dollars in investment and credit, acquired and consolidated many Amazon FBA businesses and most recently some Amazon aggregators, such as Perch. Today, the Razor Group is the largest remaining player on the market in terms of sales and serves a product catalog of around 40,000 SKUs. The vision: to revolutionize e-commerce and shine in front of consumers with outstanding products. A concept that shone during Corona, but is now more of an anti-hype. Nevertheless, Tushar and his team have managed to scale extremely quickly. In this interview, he reveals to Fabian what his tricks and learnings are and what makes his business model so special. What you learn: Fast scaling: What do you need to be prepared for when hyperscaling? What are the stumbling blocks? What was the Razor Group's A-Team? How was the founding team put together? Is a company ever "too big to fail"? Why do so many of the Buy & Build models from the Amazon FBA space fail? Why is it attractive for Razor to consolidate these faltering players? Where should the Razor Group develop in the future? ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Tushar Ahluwalia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tushar-ahluwalia/ Razor Group: https://www.razor-group.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 are the good and the hard things about hyperscaling? (00:04:09) What made the perfect founding team for Razor, and what were the first steps to create momentum? (00:16:34) What must we know about the aggregators (like Perch, Stryze and others) you bought and why they sold to you? (00:27:58) How exposed is Razor to leverage? (00:34:06) Is the Razor Group too big to fail after consolidating with Perch? (00:36:59) What is the vision for the next few years for the Razor Group…

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

1
Misconceptions about pitching early stage investors - with Sequoia Capital Partner George Robson 30:22

49 weeks ago30:22

30:22

Is the European climate for early-stage start-ups improving again? After the European fundraising ecosystem was somewhat more cautious in the years following the corona boom, the question is: how is it currently developing? Fabian meets George Robson, Partner at Sequoia Capital, probably the best-known venture capital fund in the world. Together they talk about financing start-ups with high capital requirements, the fine line between optimistic vision and realism when pitching and the right approach to investors like Sequoia Capital. What you learn: Which investor should you seek for your startup if you're building more of a cash-heavy business? Market assessment: Are consumer products making a comeback? Sequoia Capital: How does Sequoia invest and what does the company value in founders? How much storytelling in the pitch is good and when does it become too much? How important is the warm intro really and what chances do you have with cold outreach to investors? Here you can find tickets for MERGE: https://merge.berlin Don't forget to use the code UNICORN for 30% off. ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery George Robson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgerobson Sequoia: https://www.sequoiacap.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) Is the European fundraising ecosystem waking up again? (00:04:21) How do I approach investors if I'm building a startup that combines hardware and software instead of the usual b2b SaaS startup? (00:07:12) What investor am I looking for if I'm a cash-heavy business? (00:11:40) How does investing at Sequoia work? (00:14:20) Are consumer products experiencing a comeback? (00:18:15) When it comes to pitching, where is the fine line between storytelling and "being too much"? (00:23:45) How to get in touch with Sequoia?…

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

1
Blitzscaling vs. Bootstrapping: How to choose your founder journey - Casper Rasmussen, Monta 47:45

50 weeks ago47:45

47:45

Monta has raised more than 120 million euros for its software platform for electric vehicles to improve the accessibility of charging infrastructure. Within 3 years, Monta has scaled to around 300 employees, is currently hiring 10-20 employees per month and is multiplying revenue annually. Previously, Monta founder Casper Rasmussen built 500+ mobile apps with his agency and bootstrapped the agency to 20 million in revenue. We talk about the differences between bootstrapping as an agency and the blitzscaling approach that Monta is currently taking. Casper has also made a role change from CTO to CEO - what has been particularly challenging for him in this role? He also gives you an all-round view on validating ideas quickly and avoiding tropical mistakes: what are the biggest challenges early stage founders face? Spoiler: Burnout and negative stress are only part of the picture. What you will learn: What are the major differences between founding a bootstrapped case and a venture-backed company? What mistakes can you make in hiring and how do you avoid them? How can you tell whether a business idea and a decision are good enough or not? What challenges await you when you switch from a specific role (in this case that of technical leader) to a generalized role (in this case CEO)? How can you prevent stress and burnout and how can you prevent your startup from undermining your private life? EVERYTHING ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Casper Rasmussen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casper-h-rasmussen-63b13922/ Monta: https://monta.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 are the main differences between building a bootstrapped case like the agency and a venture case like Monta? (00:02:24) How does the venture case challenge your growth - is it less focused than in the bootstrapping-experience? (00:04:32) Your most important learnings and mistakes in Hiring and Onboarding? (00:07:48) How do you evaluate if you bring in someone from the outside or promote from inside your own team? (00:09:40) What makes a decision good enough to take it? (00:11:21) How do you evaluate your ideas? (00:15:02) What are the biggest mistakes for early stage founders? (00:23:54) What are the hardest parts of switching roles from "only" being a CTO to CEO? (00:28:45) Would you say your personal life suffers from being a founder? (00:34:03) Who would you recommend becoming an entrepreneur and raising venture money? (00:40:58) Your tips for early stage founders that are struggling?…

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

1
How does it feel to make a 100 million dollars with an exit? with GitHub and Gitbutler Founder Scott Chacon 1:17:31

51 weeks ago1:17:31

1:17:31

Scott Chachon is one of the co-founders of GitHub, a developer platform that was sold to Microsoft for around 7.5 billion dollars. We talk about the moment he found out about the sale to Microsoft, how much money he made from the sale and whether it made him happy. He is now founding his third startup, Gitbutler, after investing 12 million of his own money in Chatterbug and has now decided to grow the company profitably without investment. We talk about founding in Germany and Europe as opposed to the US and Scott explains why he is now founding in Germany for the second time. What you learn: Milestone exit: How desirable is exit as a goal really? Customer retention: How hard is it to retain customers and what options, such as experiential approaches, are there? Team composition: What makes a high-performance team? Made in Germany: What are the pros and cons of setting up in Germany vs. the USA? Looking for 100.000€ in Cloud Credits, then apply for the OVHcloud Startup Program: https://startup.ovhcloud.com EVERYTHING ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery Scott Chacon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schacon/ Gitbutler: https://gitbutler.com/ Merge: https://merge.berlin 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 changes when you finally get the 100 million dollar exit? ? (00:06:20) Did you experience an exit-depression? (00:11:03) 12 million personal investment in Chatterbug? (00:15:04) What is your advice for founders to get to the "zero-to-one-effect"? (00:23:01) Gitbutler: Product & Vision (00:29:04) How did you build your third venture with all your experience? (00:32:55) What does it take to make a developer tool successful? (00:36:11) Was your product ready for a lot of attention when you got thousands of signups? (00:39:03) What do non-technical-founders forget about that makes it harder for tech people to succeed in the company? (00:42:26) Why is building from Germany great in some parts? (00:55:44) Investors vs. Bootstrapping: What are your thoughts? (01:00:14) How did you plan your runway? (01:03:44) The Merge: The developers conference…

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

1
Cost-Traps that Cost Your Company Millions David Heinemeier-Hansson, 37signals 1:09:14

52 weeks ago1:09:14