In this episode, I talk to serial entrepreneur and super angel investor Stephan Schubert.

Stephan went from bootstrapping his company Onvista to taking it public in 1.5 years and has since exited 3 more companies. As an investor, he has since invested in more than 60 companies including unicorns such as Spotify, Airbnb, Zooplus, and Audibene, and has supported first-hand the rise of many category-leading companies. 

In our episode, we discuss: 

• how you can maximize your chances of building a successful company - and of achieving true financial freedom
• the best indicator for sustainable product-market fit
• how to nail sales and minimize costs as a startup from day 1

Stephan Schubert: linkedin.com/in/stephanschubert1

Investment Anfragen an [email protected]

👋 Get in touch with Kilian here: linkedin.com/in/kiliankarrasch

Do you have an innovative idea you would like to validate through market research or rapid prototyping or a validated concept you would like to bring to life (e.g. in form of an MVP)? Then book a free consultation here: http://bit.ly/3Xr0BvG 🚀

Timeline:

0:00 - Introduction

0:17 - Who is Stephan Schubert

0:50 - Topics of the episode

1:20 - What are “camel” companies and why are they so promising

2:46 - How success should be defined in the startup industry

3:56 - Why the probability of success is higher for camel companies than unicorns

7:32 - The problems of unicorn companies

8:08 - The business models of camel companies

8:30 - Why camels have high contribution margins

12:04 - Why the company “Emma” became so successful as a camel

14:01 - How Stephan managed to make his company “Vista” a success

17:23 - Why sales should be the top priority for every founder

19:11 - Why Stephan defines product-market fit differently

21:29 - Incremental or innovative vs. disruptive or revolutionary products

22:49 - The Mindset of camel companies that makes them successful 

23:06 - What Stephan looks for when investing in B2C businesses 

24:25 - Stephan gives examples of creative ways to reach the end customer

26:15 - Should the evaluation or exit price of founders define success

27:47 - Exit possibilities for camel companies vs. for unicorns

29:26 - Two things you should consider when building a camel company

31:10 - The factors Stephan pays attention to when investing in a company

32:47 - Stephans number one advice to founders who want to build a successful company

34:58 - Why you should consider building a camel instead of a unicorn

37:35 - Why camels lead to more personal wealth