How Community and Communications Are Reshaping Venture Capital — with Hege Tollerud of BrightEye Ventures

In this episode of The Runway, we sit down with Hege Tollerud, Head of Community and Events at Brighteye Ventures — Europe’s leading edtech VC fund.

 With a rich background in journalism, media, and ecosystem building from Oslo to China to London, Hege shares how VC is evolving beyond just capital to include real human connection, community, and strategic support.

We dive into:

• Hege’s unique journey through media, city branding, and edtech leadership
• Why community and communications are now core to value creation in VC
• What founders should really be doing at startup events
• The role of storytelling in early-stage fundraising and brand building
• How BrightEye defines and supports the future of learning and work
• Emerging VC trends in platform, events, and content

Tune in for a fresh take on the future of venture capital, and what it means to build truly founder-centric ecosystems.

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Thanks for listening! For more, follow us on LinkedIn.

Runway is a podcast started by Black Unicorn PR co-founders Julija Jegorova and Mauro Battellini to help startup founders, company builders and business leaders with insights, tools and advice from specialists in sales, marketing, PR and more.

Black Unicorn PR is a London-based tech PR agency focused on startups, scaleups and VC.

For more information visit: https://www.blackunicornpr.com/

For even more advice, especially on PR, visit the Black Unicorn PR blog

Parker Olson on the Real ROI of Podcast Guesting

Parker Olson is co-founder of PodPitch, an AI-powered platform reshaping how startups and PR pros land podcast interviews. The platform has seen enormous growth and is quickly becoming the number one AI-powered tool for PR agencies.

In this episode, Mauro sits down with Parker, who shares his unconventional journey and offers a masterclass in how startups can leverage podcast guesting to build trust, refine messaging, and grow their audience, even without massive budgets or big-name recognition.

🎙️ We discuss:

• Parker’s wild entrepreneurial journey from viral Twitter pages to living in a tent for two years
• What makes podcasts such a powerful (and underutilised) channel for B2B and startup marketing
• Smart tactics for startup founders to refine their messaging through podcast interviews
• The importance of niche shows, host relationships, and content repurposing for ROI
• Why podcasts can outperform traditional media for influence and conversion
• Best ways to leverage podcasts

🎧 Tune in to learn how to podcast smarter.

Chronology:

• Introduction and the PayPal Surprise
• Parker's Journey into Entrepreneurship
• The Evolution of Podpitch
• The Value of Podcasting
• The Influence of Podcasts on Trust
• Navigating the Podcast Landscape
• The Role of Niche Podcasts
• The Future of Podcasting and Branding
• Maximising ROI from Podcast Guest Appearances
• Strategies for Startups in Podcasting
• The Long-Term Value of Podcasting
• Corporate Podcasts: Trends and Insights
• Case Studies: Success Stories in Podcast Guesting

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Thanks for listening! For more, follow us on LinkedIn.

Runway is a podcast started by Black Unicorn PR co-founders Julija Jegorova and Mauro Battellini to help startup founders, company builders and business leaders with insights, tools and advice from specialists in sales, marketing, PR and more.

Black Unicorn PR is a London-based tech PR agency focused on startups, scaleups and VC.

For more information visit: https://www.blackunicornpr.com/

For even more advice, especially on PR, visit the Black Unicorn PR blog

From Journalism to VC Comms: Frederik Barsøe on Telling Startup Stories That Stick

What happens when a journalist turns PR pro and dives headfirst into the startup and VC ecosystem?

In this episode, we sit down with Frederik Barsøe, PR & Comms Lead at Scale Capital, who shares his journey from Denmark’s top newsrooms to the heart of Europe’s tech scene. Still with a foot in both the media and PR worlds, Frederik, who also serves as a UK producer for TV2 Denmark, offers rare insights into what makes stories land in broadcast. Fred also shares his experience in the world of startup PR, whether you’re bootstrapped or backed, as well as VC.

We cover:

• The divide between bootstrapped and VC-backed startup storytelling
• What VCs actually want to say (and what founders get wrong)
• Why founders should avoid buzzwords and over-polished comms
• How to think like a journalist... and pitch like one
• The biggest PR mistakes startups keep making (and how to fix them)
• How to build visibility as a VC without hogging the spotlight

🎧 Give it a listen, and for more do check out the rest of our pod. If you find it useful, don't forget to give us a 5-star review!

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Thanks for listening! For more, follow us on LinkedIn.

Runway is a podcast started by Black Unicorn PR co-founders Julija Jegorova and Mauro Battellini to help startup founders, company builders and business leaders with insights, tools and advice from specialists in sales, marketing, PR and more.

Black Unicorn PR is a London-based tech PR agency focused on startups, scaleups and VC.

For more information visit: https://www.blackunicornpr.com/

For even more advice, especially on PR, visit the Black Unicorn PR blog

What does it take to build a B2B marketing function from the ground up, and make it work? What is B2B marketing, and how does effective B2B marketing look like, in 2025?

In this episode, we’re joined by Julieta Varsano, a seasoned B2B marketing leader with 10+ years of experience scaling brands across startups, scaleups, and global corporates. 

Now heading the marketing function at Upvest, Europe’s leading investment infrastructure provider, Julieta shares her playbook for setting marketing foundations, winning internal buy-in, and balancing strategic thinking with fast execution.

Julieta is also a frequent public speaker on B2B marketing, co-founder of the B2B Marketing Meetup Berlin, and part of the Women in Fintech Powerlist.

In the episode, we talk about:

• The first 100 days of a one-person marketing team.
• Why lead gen is out, and how demand gen drives real results.
• How to align with product, sales, and leadership.
• Using OKRs to connect marketing with company goals.
• The core principles every B2B marketing function should be built on.
• AI’s impact on junior roles and experimentation.
• And the biggest misconceptions about marketing (and how to fix them).

This episode can help anyone in entrepreneurship and business, but if you're building a B2B startup, leading a B2B company or work in B2B marketing, it should be a no-brainer!

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Thanks for listening! For more, follow us on LinkedIn.

Runway is a podcast started by Black Unicorn PR co-founders Julija Jegorova and Mauro Battellini to help startup founders, company builders and business leaders with insights, tools and advice from specialists in sales, marketing, PR and more.

Black Unicorn PR is a London-based tech PR agency focused on startups, scaleups and VC.

For more information visit: https://www.blackunicornpr.com/

For even more advice, especially on PR, visit the Black Unicorn PR blog

What’s it like reporting on tech and startups from one of Europe’s most overlooked corners?

In this episode, we sit down with Bojan Stojkovski, Editor-in-Chief of IT Logs and veteran journalist, to explore the Southeast European startup ecosystem—from its hidden potential to the challenges of funding, visibility, and cross-border collaboration.

Bojan shares his journey from covering foreign policy to uncovering dark PR, troll farms, and underground tech worlds, and his latest role in the world of startup media, shining a light on emerging startup founders in North Macedonia and the Southeastern European region.

We also talk media trends, PR dos and don’ts, and what it’ll take for the Balkans to catch up with the rest of CEE.

Don't miss it!

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Thanks for listening! For more, follow us on LinkedIn.

Runway is a podcast started by Black Unicorn PR co-founders Julija Jegorova and Mauro Battellini to help startup founders, company builders and business leaders with insights, tools and advice from specialists in sales, marketing, PR and more.

Black Unicorn PR is a London-based tech PR agency focused on startups, scaleups and VC.

For more information visit: https://www.blackunicornpr.com/

For even more advice, especially on PR, visit the Black Unicorn PR blog

Veteran journalist and content consultant Nick Huber joins JJ and Mauro to demystify how startup founders should think about comms. Drawing on 25+ years writing for outlets like the Financial Times, BBC, and The Guardian, Nick shares:

• Why founders should relax about PR and also stop treating it as a black box
• The biggest mistakes companies make when trying to get media coverage
• How journalists actually pitch their editors, and what PR pros can learn from it
• What makes a story genuinely newsworthy (hint: it’s not just a product update)
• The difference between being newsworthy and being helpful as a source
• Why founder involvement and thought leadership matters, and how to get it right
• His take on AI hype, accessibility for journalists, and trends in the European tech scene

If you’re a startup founder, comms lead, or just curious about how journalism and PR intersect... you can't miss this one!

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Thanks for listening! For more, follow us on LinkedIn.

Runway is a podcast started by Black Unicorn PR co-founders Julija Jegorova and Mauro Battellini to help startup founders, company builders and business leaders with insights, tools and advice from specialists in sales, marketing, PR and more.

Black Unicorn PR is a London-based tech PR agency focused on startups, scaleups and VC.

For more information visit: https://www.blackunicornpr.com/

For even more advice, especially on PR, visit the Black Unicorn PR blog

🎙️ From Music Festivals to Startup Exhibitions: Ben Costantini on Building the Future of Events

In this episode of the Runway Podcast, JJ and Mauro sit down with Ben Costantini, founder and CEO of Sesamers, a platform connecting various tech players around events to drive real-world traction.

Ben truly is the GOAT of events, having studied them, collaborated and worked with them, as well as event attendees, presenters, exhibitors and sponsors for years. And he shows proof of that in plentiful golden nuggets of advice, the insights, tips and analysis from the conversation.

We also dive into his origins story, from organising music tours in China to advising thousands of founders on event strategy, Ben shares his fascinating career journey and hard-earned insights on what makes events truly valuable.

We cover, among many other things:

• Why exhibitions, not just tech conferences, can be growth accelerators for startups
• How to choose the right events at each stage of your startup journey
• What makes an event great (and what to absolutely avoid)
• Practical advice for founders on networking, exhibiting, and speaking
• Analysis of event organisation from the event organisers' perspective
• Sesamers’ next big move: building the SaaS infrastructure that powers startup-event matchmaking

Ben hits it out of the park, and whether founder, marketer, or event organiser, this episode is packed with great advice and a fresh perspective on the role of events in the startup ecosystem.

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Thanks for listening! For more, follow us on LinkedIn.

Runway is a podcast started by Black Unicorn PR co-founders Julija Jegorova and Mauro Battellini to help startup founders, company builders and business leaders with insights, tools and advice from specialists in sales, marketing, PR and more.

Black Unicorn PR is a London-based tech PR agency focused on startups, scaleups and VC.

For more information visit: https://www.blackunicornpr.com/

For even more advice, especially on PR, visit the Black Unicorn PR blog

How does a tiny country with no natural resources, a legacy of Soviet occupation, and just 1.3 million people become one of the most digitally advanced nations on Earth?

In this episode, Mauro sits down with Joel Burke, author of Rebooting a Nation: The Incredible Rise of Estonia, E-Government and the Startup Revolution, to unpack Estonia’s remarkable transformation.

Drawing from his own experience and research for the book, Joel shares his journey from Silicon Valley and Berlin to helping lead Estonia’s e-Residency program, and what he learned about innovation, identity, and (e)government along the way.

Having seen Estonia’s digital transformation first-hand, but through the eyes of an outsider, Joel offers a unique perspective. His experience in both governance and tech ecosystems puts him in a rare position to compare and contrast Estonia’s trajectory and dissect what makes it so distinctive. Coupled with historical research, this allows him to unpack how and why Estonia got there, the pivotal leaders who shaped the journey, the lucky breaks along the way, and what the Estonian model might teach other countries aiming to reboot their own systems.

We cover:

• Overview of Estonia's economic policy post-USSR occupation
• What led Estonia to embrace digital transformation early
• What makes its startup ecosystem so unique
• The new work and societal organisation culture in Estonia
• How e-residency works, and who’s using it
• What other governments can learn from Estonia’s bold moves
• Why this Baltic nation continues to punch above its weight

For that and much more, tune in!

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Thanks for listening! For more, follow us on LinkedIn.

Runway is a podcast started by Black Unicorn PR co-founders Julija Jegorova and Mauro Battellini to help startup founders, company builders and business leaders with insights, tools and advice from specialists in sales, marketing, PR and more.

Black Unicorn PR is a London-based tech PR agency focused on startups, scaleups and VC.

For more information visit: https://www.blackunicornpr.com/

For even more advice, especially on PR, visit the Black Unicorn PR blog

In this Baltic special, we sit down with Anda Asere, journalist at Labs of Latvia and co-founder of business newsletter Finday.lv.

Often referred to as the “godmother of Latvian startups.” Anda has been covering the Latvian startup scene since the very beginning... before “startups” was even a  thing in Latvia!

We dive into:

• How Anda’s journey from business journalism led her to startups
• The origins and mission of Labs of Latvia, and why it matters for the ecosystem
• The do’s and don’ts for PRs and founders when approaching media
• The current state and future of Latvia’s startup ecosystem - beyond unicorns
• Anda’s Latvian startup sectors and startups to watch in 2025

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Thanks for listening! For more, follow us on LinkedIn.

Runway is a podcast started by Black Unicorn PR co-founders Julija Jegorova and Mauro Battellini to help startup founders, company builders and business leaders with insights, tools and advice from specialists in sales, marketing, PR and more.

Black Unicorn PR is a London-based tech PR agency focused on startups, scaleups and VC.

For more information visit: https://www.blackunicornpr.com/

For even more advice, especially on PR, visit the Black Unicorn PR blog

David Johnson, Country Manager and Editor at Maddyness UK (part of Maddyness, of French origin), joins the show to share his winding journey from running a bookshop to shaping one of the UK’s most influential startup media platforms.

We talk about:

• How David’s background in literature, architecture publishing, and Libya (!) led him to startups
• The real state of the UK tech ecosystem in 2025, and how it compares to France
• Comparing France and the UK when it comes to startups
• What founders and PR people still get wrong when pitching stories
• Why storytelling, not just news, still matters, and what makes a pitch stand out
• What to make of the hype around AI, defence tech, and the “next Silicon Valley”

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Thanks for listening! For more, follow us on LinkedIn.

Runway is a podcast started by Black Unicorn PR co-founders Julija Jegorova and Mauro Battellini to help startup founders, company builders and business leaders with insights, tools and advice from specialists in sales, marketing, PR and more.

Black Unicorn PR is a London-based tech PR agency focused on startups, scaleups and VC.

For more information visit: https://www.blackunicornpr.com/

For even more advice, especially on PR, visit the Black Unicorn PR blog