Building DeepL started with a clear bet: language would be the first place where AI had to be genuinely good.

At Slush in Helsinki, I sat down with Jarek Kutylowski, CEO and founder of DeepL, and we talked about why “good enough” wasn’t enough for translation, how quality became the company’s moat, and what changes when AI moves from experiments into real business use.

The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:

https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk

Sponsors:

SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/

Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/

Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction to Scaling Europe show

0:25 - Interview with Eric, CEO of DeepL

1:00 - DeepL's journey and mission explained

3:22 - DeepL's focus on translation quality

6:08 - New functionality for translation services

7:12 - Understanding enterprise customer needs

9:02 - Engaging in deeper customer conversations

10:12 - Vision for new AI product development

12:55 - Challenges of building startups in Europe

14:58 - Importance of targeting global markets

16:05 - Best moment in the founder's journey

18:06 - Overcoming emotional challenges as a founder