ENTREPREHARDSHIP

Two years of meetings, and still no venture fund. Hrish Lotlikar shares how an events business in Kyiv helped him build the relationships behind Eastlabs.

In the first episode of the ENTREPREHARDSHIP podcast show, Josef Holm talks with SuperWorld co-founder and CEO Hrish Lotlikar about leaving New York, building a network from scratch, and staying with an idea when progress is hard to measure.

They follow the route from Cocktails and Connections to Eastlabs, then through Toptal and Rogue Initiative to SuperWorld, with practical lessons on taking risks, making useful introductions and building a business that fits your life.

Disclosure: Josef's fund invested in SuperWorld.

Hrish at SuperWorld: https://www.superworldapp.com/team-members/hrish-lotlikar/

CHAPTERS
00:00 Two years of meetings, still no fund
00:30 Meet Hrish Lotlikar
02:01 Leaving New York for Kyiv
05:52 Why walk away from a promising career?
09:43 Risk and the option to go back
11:55 Building a network from scratch
15:32 The events business he never planned
19:06 Why the party photos brought people back
20:34 The reunion that opened a door
24:48 What two years of meetings actually built
28:15 What Eastlabs became
33:28 From venture capital to SuperWorld
40:24 Feeling afraid while believing in the decision
45:27 Conviction, stubbornness and making money
48:20 Starting with the resources you have
51:10 Why Josef started this show
55:01 Rapid-fire: business advice to unlearn
57:39 The question to ask before a big risk
58:10 Meeting people in a new city
59:38 What progress looks like
1:01:24 How to ask for an introduction
1:03:35 The least glamorous part of building Eastlabs
1:05:28 What starting over costs
1:07:07 Protecting family and health
1:09:52 Waiting to feel ready
1:12:26 The lesson Josef is taking away

ENTREPREHARDSHIP with Josef Holm
The stories behind the success stories.

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