In this episode of DeepTech Unleashed, host Christian Noske talks to Benoit Lemaignan, a key player in Europe’s battery industry who, as CEO and Co-Founder of @Verkor, has raised €2bn to support Verkor’s mission to fast-track low‑carbon battery production. Their discussion centres on the two critical yet contrasting phases every founder must face, crisis and expansion, through the prism of the battery industry. 

Topics include: 

The importance of European strategic autonomy 

The investments Europe needs to make in fusion and hydrogen 

Why Benoit is excited about SMRs and decarbonisation 

What Europe has ‘forgotten’ about manufacturing in the age of outsourcing

The European mindset v the US mindset 

The role of management boards in crisis spotting 

Managing risk through doing things ‘one step at a time’ 

Revisiting traditional concepts of risk 

The urge to push during an expansion phase 

Changing speed during expansion can be as difficult as managing a crisis 

The vision skill set vs the execution skill set

How humility and letting go are important to both phases

Chapters

00:00 Navigating Expansion and Crisis in Startups

02:39 The Vision Behind Vercor

05:42 The Importance of Electrification and Decarbonization

08:58 The European Startup Mindset and Innovation

12:15 Governance and Execution in New Ventures

14:50 Balancing Expansion and Crisis Management

18:49 The Role of Leadership in Crisis and Growth

23:32 Risk Management and Strategic Planning

27:24 Recruitment Challenges and Team Dynamics

30:34 The Rewards of Overcoming Challenges

34:53 Future Trends in Battery Technology and Decarbonization

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In this episode of DeepTech Unleashed, host Christian Noske speaks with Jan Goetz, CEO and co-founder of IQM, a Finnish company at the cutting edge of the global quantum revolution about the uncertainty principles of deep tech entrepreneurship, building trust with different audiences, and the current state of the quantum industry. 

Topics covered include: 

Adopting a founders’ mentality to living with uncertainty

The current state of possibility in the quantum industry in Europe compared to the US and China

The certainty of how high-potential new tech will always develop in unexpected directions 

Why ‘sexy ideas’ aren’t enough 

Why superconducting will be the ‘winning tech’ in quantum

‘Creating facts’ through repeating patterns of delivery 

How changing your language, not your story builds trust across different audiences

How IQM’s Nordic culture affects how they do business 

Why Jan rejects the ‘we’ll let you know when it’s ready’ approach to delivery

Jan’s prediction for the most exciting technology of the next 10 years 

Chapters

00:00 Navigating Uncertainty in Deep Tech Entrepreneurship

09:59 The Current State of the Quantum Industry 

19:52 Team Building, Communication & Company Culture

29:53 The Future of Quantum and Other Technologies

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In this episode of Deep Tech Unleashed, host Christian Noske speaks with Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer, CEO and founder of eGym, a company bringing health and fitness into the digital age about one of the biggest questions deep tech founders face: choosing a business model that delivers real, long-term value to customers and investors. 

Topics covered include: 

What the ‘rock star’ companies of the future will look like 

Why AI makes hardware more important than ever 

Hardware as your ‘moat’ and key to defensibility, even if it isn’t the majority of your revenue

Operational rigor and the dangers of being overly fluid just because you’re growing fast

The real meaning of ‘efficiency’ and ‘accountability’ 

How to know when when you’re creating value rather than just making money

When to work in parallel and when to work sequentially 

Why ‘no’ doesn’t necessarily mean you’re wrong, it might just mean you’re talking to the wrong people

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Deep Tech Unleashed

01:00 The Vision Behind eGym

06:12 Hardware vs. Software: eGym's Approach

10:49 Navigating Complexity in Deep Tech

14:03 Business Models and Value Creation

21:59 Operational Resilience and Investor Relations

28:02 The Importance of Focus in Growth

35:51 AI and the Future of Deep Tech

47:13 Looking Ahead: The Future of Deep Tech

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In this episode of DeepTech Unleashed (recorded in late 2024), host Christian Noske speaks with Marta Sjögren, co-CEO and co-founder of Paebbl, a deep tech startup focused on turning CO2 into solid, sustainable building materials, about building a world-class team and growth hacking for deep tech startups. 

Topics covered include:

Marta's filters for evaluating climate tech opportunities

The ‘humbling experience’ of transitioning from investor to operator

Aligning expectations between operators and VCs

Creating honest board dynamics 

How Marta’s hub building model allows for talent optimization

Hiring for a growth mindset 

Testing for culture fit to reduce mismatches in hiring

Deep tech growth hacking strategies 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Deep Tech Unleashed

01:13 Building a World-Class Team

02:12 Marta's Journey to Founding Paebbl

05:54 Filters for Climate Tech Investment

10:11 Transitioning from Investor to Operator

13:59 Expectations Between Operators and VCs

18:09 Hub Building in Europe

21:56 Hiring for Hub Culture

26:12 Cultural Cohesion in Diverse Teams

32:23 Building Team Culture and Communication

44:06 Growth Hacking in Deep Tech

50:44 Personal Recharge and Family Support

53:34 Moments of Magic in Leadership

01:00:07 Future Technologies and Climate Solutions

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of DeepTech Unleashed, host Christian Noske speaks with Cyrille Kabbara, CEO and founder of Shark Robotics, about building successful partnerships between Deep Tech startups and governments/public bodies.

Topics covered include:

Cyrille’s unique journey from military intelligence to founding a robotics company focused on saving lives

The ‘Chess game’ of selling to governments

Transitioning from being project-based to product-driven

The importance of thinking in terms of Op Ex v Cap Ex

Overcoming the cultural differences between startups and governments

Magic moments from Cyrille’s Deep Tech journey

The potential of AI to revolutionise robotics

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Deep Tech and Shark Robotics

02:12 Cyril's Unique Background and Journey

05:22 The Evolution of Shark Robotics

11:44 The Role of Robotics in Firefighting

13:38 Selling to Governments: Challenges and Strategies

20:14 Navigating the Public Sector Sales Process

23:30 Future Innovations in Robotics

29:21 Personal Insights and Moments of Magic

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In the first episode of DeepTech Unleashed, host Christian Noske talks to Péter Fankhauser, Co-Founder and CEO of ANYbotics about an area of founder life that is as vital as it is challenging: enterprise sales.

Founded in 2016, Péter and his fellow founders have turned ANYbotics into a spectacular European DeepTech success story. Trusted by hundreds of industry leaders and recognised as the Next Global Hot Thing at the Digital Economy Awards 2023, ANYbotics connects the physical and digital worlds by teaming up humans and autonomous robots.

Topics covered include:

How AI is revolutionizing the field of robotics

Understanding customer needs on an individual level even when dealing with large companies

Shifting from a research to a customer focus

When to start selling

Enjoying the journey and ‘falling in love with the problem’

The importance of storytelling

Recognizing the right moment for scaling

Magic moments from across Peter’s DeepTech journey

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to DeepTech Unleashed

02:07 The Journey of ANYbotics

05:54 AI and Robotics: A Paradigm Shift

09:50 Challenges in Enterprise Sales

14:07 Building Relationships in B2B Sales

17:54 The Importance of Storytelling

22:14 Customer-Centric Approach in Robotics

26:00 Balancing Life as a Deep Tech Founder

29:47 Moments of Magic in the Journey

34:05 Future of Robotics and AI

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.