The convergence of traditional finance and the blockchain is no longer a fringe concept; it is the next frontier of global banking. Adriana, the co-founder of Deblock and former COO of Revolut, explains how her team is building a natively Web3 institution that prioritizes true self-custody. By securing the first MICA license in France, Deblock is proving that a rigorous regulatory framework is the ultimate enabler for disruptive financial products.

🔗 Bridging the gap between traditional neo-banking and decentralized finance (DeFi).

🛡️ The fundamental security difference between custodial exchanges and self-custody wallets.

📈 Delivering high-yield financial products through smart contracts and stablecoins.

🇫🇷 Why France is becoming a leading hub for European fintech and crypto innovation.

⚙️ Applying the "Revolut Playbook" to scale operations and hire elite remote talent.

📺 Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/hJXT3bTyMgU

💡 Go Deeper: If you enjoyed Adriana’s insights on financial infrastructure, check out our session with Edouard Mandon on the evolution of payment networks here: https://youtu.be/VNIL1hni498?si=8zc5HDBGrotDW7w

About the Guest:Adriana is the co-founder of Deblock and the former COO of Revolut, where she managed hypergrowth for over 15 million customers and led the rollout of branches across 10+ European geographies.

About Aulium:Aulium is a video show dedicated to Innovation and Private Capital. Hosts Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas interview industry leaders to uncover the mechanics of European tech ecosystems, M&A strategies, and the future of investing.

Connect with us:➡ Follow Aulium on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aulium➡ Thomas Viguier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tviguier/➡ Markus Perkumas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markusperkumas/

#privatecapital #innovation #fintech #aulium #blockchain

Can venture capital sourcing be automated before a company even has a website? Discover how the mechanics of deal flow are shifting from manual networking to real-time data feeds.

In this episode, Jacob Houlberg, co-founder of Evertrace, joins Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas to discuss the "descriptive problem" of startup sourcing. Jacob explains how Evertrace helps early-stage investors identify founders the moment they incorporate, leveling the playing field for VCs and entrepreneurs alike. They dive into the strategy behind Evertrace's rapid M&A growth and why they chose to stay bootstrapped in an industry fueled by venture money.

⚖️ Moving from Alpha to Beta: Why deal discovery is becoming a commodity.

🚀 Stealth Mode Sourcing: How to find founders the day they incorporate.

🏁 The M&A Playbook: Executing three acquisitions in 18 months as a lean team.

🎯 Niche Monopolies: Why competing in crowded markets is a founder's biggest mistake.

About the Guest:Jacob Houlberg is the co-founder of Evertrace, a Danish software company that provides AI-powered deal sourcing for early-stage VC funds, leveraging his background in investment banking and consulting at Bain.

About Aulium:Aulium is a video show dedicated to Innovation and Private Capital. Hosts Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas interview industry leaders to uncover the mechanics of European tech ecosystems, M&A strategies, and the future of investing.

Connect with us:

➡ Follow Aulium on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aulium

➡ Thomas Viguier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tviguier/

➡ Markus Perkumas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markusperkumas/

#privatecapital #innovation #VentureCapital #aulium #SourcingAutomation

The death of third-party cookies shouldn't mean the death of your growth. Discover how to reclaim lost attribution and feed the AI algorithms the high-intent signals they need to lower your CAC.

In this episode, Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas sit down with Edward Upton, CEO and Co-founder of LittleData. They dive deep into the technical mechanics of the Shopify ecosystem, the reality of "Agentic Commerce," and the hard-won lessons of scaling a B2B SaaS company through the post-COVID trough. Edward shares how brands can bridge the data gap between Shopify and ad platforms like Meta and Google to drive true marketing efficiency.

🚀 How to fix the 20-30% discrepancy between Shopify sales and Google Analytics reporting.

📊 The transition from reporting-focused data to "activation" data that powers AI bidding models.

🤖 The rise of Agentic Commerce: How shoppers will use Gemini and ChatGPT to purchase directly.

📉 Honest reflections on the "founder's trough" and the pivot from VC-backed hype to profitable growth.

About the Guest:Edward Upton is a second-time founder and the CEO of LittleData, a leading marketing attribution platform that helps nearly 1,000 global Shopify brands automate first-party data integration.

About Aulium:Aulium is a video show dedicated to Innovation and Private Capital. Hosts Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas interview industry leaders to uncover the mechanics of European tech ecosystems, M&A strategies, and the future of investing.

Connect with us:

➡ Follow Aulium on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aulium

➡ Thomas Viguier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tviguier/

➡ Markus Perkumas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markusperkumas/

#privatecapital #innovation #ecommerce #aulium #littledata

Can European deep tech actually compete with Silicon Valley, or is the lack of a unified market a fatal flaw? Watch as we break down the "Day One US" strategy that is defining the next generation of venture capital.

In this episode, Augustin Sayer, General Partner at OVNI Capital, joins hosts Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas to discuss the mechanics of building a venture firm from scratch and the necessity of bridging the Atlantic. He explains why OVNI focuses exclusively on technical R&D and applied science, helping European "nuggets" scale in the United States. We explore the realities of fundraising a first-time fund, the future of computing via photonics, and the radical shifts coming to the labor market and human longevity.

🚀 The "Day One US" thesis: Why European founders must ignore local borders to build generational companies.

⚖️ Fundraising Truths: The grind of meeting 1,000 LPs to raise a €60M first-time fund without an anchor investor.

🏗️ The Future of Deep Tech: How photonics and light-based computing will replace the silicon and copper era.

🏁 The Exit Reality: Why 90% of acquisitions over $300M happen in the US and how to position for them early.

🌍 Post-Work Society: A contrarian view on why we might all be "jobless" in 10 years and what that means for equity.

About the Guest:Augustin Sayer is a General Partner at OVNI Capital, a venture capital firm specializing in European deep tech startups with a mandate to scale internationally to the US from day one.

About Aulium:Aulium is a video show dedicated to Innovation and Private Capital. Hosts Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas interview industry leaders to uncover the mechanics of European tech ecosystems, M&A strategies, and the future of investing.

Connect with us:

➡ Follow Aulium on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aulium

➡ Thomas Viguier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tviguier/

➡ Markus Perkumas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markusperkumas/

#privatecapital #innovation #DeepTech #aulium #VentureCapital #USExpansion #Photonics

How do you transition from a decade of bootstrapping to a high-profile exit with one of the world's largest private equity firms? Gregory Blondeau reveals the mechanics of scaling Proxyclick to $10M ARR and why his new venture is set to disrupt private market reporting.

In this episode, Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas sit down with Belgian entrepreneur Gregory Blondeau, founder of Proxyclick and Clariteer. Gregory shares his journey of navigating a massive product pivot, competing against Silicon Valley giants like Andreessen Horowitz-backed rivals, and the tactical "war-time" leadership required during the global pandemic. We dive deep into the shift from B2B food delivery to global visitor management and how AI is now reinventing the LP experience in Private Equity.

🚀 The "Don't Die" vs "How to Win" mindset shift for founders.

⚖️ How to reject an acquisition offer to trigger a 15% price increase.

🏁 The 3 luck factors that aligned for a perfectly timed exit to Thoma Bravo.

🤖 Why AI-powered startups will systematically underprice legacy SaaS incumbents.

About the Guest:Gregory Blondeau is a seasoned Belgian entrepreneur who bootstrapped Proxyclick to $10M ARR and a successful exit to Thoma Bravo, and is now leveraging AI to revolutionize private equity portfolio monitoring as the founder of Clariteer.

About Aulium:Aulium is a video show dedicated to Innovation and Private Capital. Hosts Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas interview industry leaders to uncover the mechanics of European tech ecosystems, M&A strategies, and the future of investing.

Connect with us:

➡ Follow Aulium on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aulium

➡ Thomas Viguier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tviguier/

➡ Markus Perkumas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markusperkumas/

#privatecapital #innovation #SaaS #aulium #ThomaBravo

Can AI fix the world’s most inefficient industry? Discover how automated engineering is slashing costs and carbon footprints for the next generation of skyscrapers.

The construction sector has long operated on "expert guesses" and manual silos, leading to massive hidden costs and sustainability gaps. In this episode, Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas sit down with Dominik Pezzei, co-founder of Optimuse, to explore how their Vienna-based startup is revolutionizing the built environment. We dive into the shift from "prototype" building to machine-like precision through AI-driven digital twins.

⚖️ How AI eliminates "hidden costs" by replacing manual estimations with trusted engineering science.

🚀 The transition of buildings from simple structures to complex machines requiring automated orchestration.

🏁 Why the real estate market is pivotally shifting from "sustainability hype" to hardcore financial ROI.

🏗️ The technical challenge of structuring "messy" building data into actionable digital twins.

About the Guest:Dominik Pezzei is the co-founder and CEO of Optimuse, a computer scientist and former BCG consultant leveraging AI to automate complex building engineering processes.

About Aulium:Aulium is a video show dedicated to Innovation and Private Capital. Hosts Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas interview industry leaders to uncover the mechanics of European tech ecosystems, M&A strategies, and the future of investing.

Connect with us:

➡ Follow Aulium on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aulium

➡ Thomas Viguier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tviguier/

➡ Markus Perkumas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markusperkumas/

#privatecapital #innovation #PropTech #aulium #ConstructionAI

Could a machine be more reliable than a human expert when millions are on the line? Discover how AI is fundamentally restructuring the economics of M&A and why the traditional law firm hierarchy is about to collapse.

In this episode, Thomas Viguier sits down with Rick Van Esch, co-founder and CEO of Emma Legal, to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and high-stakes legal due diligence. Rick shares his journey from capital markets to scaling AI startups, revealing how Emma Legal has already processed over $1 billion in enterprise value. We dive deep into the tension between billable hours and AI efficiency, the "Winner Takes All" market dynamics of legal tech, and why the US market is adopting these tools faster than Europe.

⚖️ How Emma Legal automates complex due diligence across $1B+ in deal flow.

🚀 The "Darwinistic" shift: Why law firms must adapt to AI or lose their clients.

🏁 Horizontal vs. Vertical AI: Why "one model to rule them all" fails in law.

🤖 The future of talent: How AI allows juniors to reach partner-level insights in 5 years.

🌍 Scaling to the US: Why the American legal market is the ultimate frontier for innovation.

About the Guest:Rick Van Esch is the co-founder and CEO of Emma Legal, a Belgian-based startup leveraging AI to perform automated legal due diligence for law firms and private equity players.

About Aulium:Aulium is a video show dedicated to Innovation and Private Capital. Hosts Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas interview industry leaders to uncover the mechanics of European tech ecosystems, M&A strategies, and the future of investing.

Connect with us:

➡ Follow Aulium on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aulium

➡ Thomas Viguier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tviguier/

➡ Markus Perkumas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markusperkumas/

#privatecapital #innovation #legaltech #aulium #AImandadue-diligence

Can your hospitality business survive the next five years without owning its customer data? Discover how to stop leaking revenue and build a resilient brand in the most challenging economic climate in decades.

In this episode, Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas dive deep into the shifting landscape of the European hospitality sector with Fryderyk Szydlowski, co-founder of Embargo. Fryderyk shares his journey from professional basketball to the front lines of Joe & The Juice, explaining how he built a platform that now powers over 3,000 locations across Europe. We explore why the "old way" of running a restaurant is dead and how savvy operators are using data to fight back against rising labor costs, inflation, and high marketplace commissions.

🚀 The "leaky cup" analogy: why retention is the only metric that predicts 10-year success.

⚖️ How to balance high-commission marketplaces like UberEats with high-profit direct sales channels.

🥐 Simple strategies for increasing average transaction value (ATV) by 20% through "habit shifts."

🌍 The economic "wonder" of the Polish tech scene vs. the current UK hospitality sentiment.

🏁 Practical advice for first-time founders on raising capital without losing your long-term vision.

About the Guest:Fryderyk Szydlowski is the co-founder of Embargo, a leading loyalty and CRM platform for the hospitality industry, having previously served as Head of Marketing for major UK hospitality groups and a Training Manager at Joe & The Juice.

About Aulium:Aulium is a video show dedicated to Innovation and Private Capital. Hosts Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas interview industry leaders to uncover the mechanics of European tech ecosystems, M&A strategies, and the future of investing.

Connect with us:

➡ Follow Aulium on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aulium

➡ Thomas Viguier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tviguier/

➡ Markus Perkumas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markusperkumas/

#privatecapital #innovation #HospitalityTech #aulium #SaaSGrowth

Is the era of pure B2B SaaS dominance coming to an end? Discover why top investors are shifting focus toward hardware as the ultimate defensive moat in the age of AI.

The venture capital landscape is undergoing a significant correction as interest rates fluctuate and market saturation hits software sectors. Hayden Smith, Head of Debt at Mountside Ventures, joins hosts Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas to break down the exploding demand for non-dilutive capital. They analyze the macroeconomic tailwinds favoring debt financing and explain why "hybrid hardware" is becoming the most defensible asset class for the coming year.

📈 The increasing momentum and quality of Venture Debt opportunities.

📉 How falling interest rates will create positive tailwinds for borrowing.

🤖 Why AI differentiation is forcing VCs to look at Hardware again.

🛑 The strategic shift away from B2B SaaS saturation.

About the Guest:Hayden Smith is the Head of Debt at Mountside Ventures, leading the charge in connecting high-growth startups with optimal non-dilutive capital and debt financing solutions.

About Aulium:Aulium is a video show dedicated to Innovation and Private Capital. Hosts Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas interview industry leaders to uncover the mechanics of European tech ecosystems, M&A strategies, and the future of investing.

Connect with us:

➡ Follow Aulium on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aulium

➡ Thomas Viguier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tviguier/

➡ Markus Perkumas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markusperkumas/

#privatecapital #innovation #VentureDebt #aulium #HardwareInvesting

Global financial services are worth trillions, yet most back-office processes are still trapped in the 1990s. Discover how a new generation of AI-native startups is finally moving beyond SaaS to automate the office of the CFO and redefine global payment rails.

In this episode of Aulium, Will Orde, Partner at Passion Capital, joins hosts Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas to dissect the evolving landscape of European FinTech. Will shares the investment thesis behind one of London’s most iconic venture firms—early backers of Monzo and GoCardless—and explains why they prioritize founder judgment and high-velocity decision-making. We dive deep into the specific opportunities within "Agentic Payments" and why the next wave of disruption will come from "strongly opinionated" AI products.

• The 7-Day Decision Cycle: How Passion Capital maintains a competitive edge by moving from first meeting to term sheet in one week.

• The Rise of Agentic Payments: Why current payment rails are built for humans, and how the future belongs to agent-to-agent transactions.

• The Founder "Litmus Test": How to evaluate a founding team’s judgment based on their choice of co-founders and early hires.

• AI in the Office of the CFO: Identifying the "Greenfield" opportunities where manual Excel-based processes are ripe for AI automation.

• The "Pain Point" Priority: Why a startup must solve a top-3 problem for a CFO to achieve true market pull.

About the Guest:Will Orde is a Partner at Passion Capital, a leading European pre-seed VC firm, where he leverages deep sector expertise to back founders disrupting FinTech and enterprise risk through AI.

About Aulium:Aulium is a video show dedicated to Innovation and Private Capital. Hosts Thomas Viguier and Markus Perkumas interview industry leaders to uncover the mechanics of European tech ecosystems, M&A strategies, and the future of investing.

Connect with us:

• Follow Aulium on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aulium

• Thomas Viguier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tviguier/

• Markus Perkumas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markusperkumas/

#privatecapital #innovation #FinTech #aulium #WillOrde #VentureCapital #AI

Key Discussion Points