Startup Notes

Startup Notes

By Emil Beck, Ignacio Khalek, Thomas Harsch, Torge SchwandtBusinessEntrepreneurshipTechnologyCareers
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Startup Notes episodes

  • Seth Pierrepont on Accel Partners' success and the startup scene in Europe
    Seth Pierrepont joined the international VC firm Accel Partners in 2013. At Accel, he focuses on investments in software, consumer marketplace and mobile businesses. He helped lead Accel’s investments and ongoing work in CallSign, Carwow, Kry, and Soldo. Prior to Accel, Seth invested in European companies with Vision Capital and advised technology and media companies on strategy with Oliver Wyman in San Francisco. Originally from America, he is based in London.
    In this episode, we are talking to Seth about the potential of the European startup scene, Accel’s investment criteria, his best VC advice for founders and why entrepreneurs should show that they are really passionate about what they are working on.
    22 min
  • Seth Pierrepont on Accel Partners’ success and the startup scene in Europe
    Seth Pierrepont joined the international VC firm Accel Partners in 2013. At Accel, he focuses on investments in software, consumer marketplace and mobile businesses. He helped lead Accel’s investments and ongoing work in CallSign, Carwow, Kry, and Soldo. Prior to Accel, Seth invested in European companies with Vision Capital and advised technology and media companies on strategy with Oliver Wyman in San Francisco. Originally from America, he is based in London.

    In this episode, we are talking to Seth about the potential of the European startup scene, Accel’s investment criteria, his best VC advice for founders and why entrepreneurs should show that they are really passionate about what they are working on.
    22 min
  • Michael Brehm on launching startups and the key role of sales & marketing for success
    Michael Brehm is one of the biggest names in the German startup scene. As former Executive Director & Investor at social network startup VZnetzwerke (with its brands studiVZ, schülervz, meinVZ), he forever influenced the society in his home country in many ways in the 2000’s before industry giant Facebook even entered the local market. Having built and sold several companies (e.g. to Google and eBay) and taken another one public in his career, he is especially a renowned expert on sales & marketing. Among his notable ventures was e.g. Rebate Networks, which has rolled out couponing websites all across the world.
    Since 2014, Michael is a Partner at Redstone - a first of its kind venture capital firm with the approach of „VC-as-a-service“. Moreover, in the past years, he has been involved in supporting startups like Bonaverde as a member of the supervisory board and also working on launching new ventures.
    In this episode, we are doing a deep dive with Michael into startup marketing & sales. Among others, we are talking to him about how to implement a coherent startup culture (especially in relation to sales efforts), the development of studiVZ back in the days, the importance of paying detailed attention to your product & customers, the qualities that make a great CMO nowadays as well as useful marketing tools and how to combine them. He is also sharing insights about his new startup i2x that he kept in stealth mode for the past two years.
    33 min
  • Yassin Hankir on savedroid's ICO and the future of cryptocurrencies
    Yassin Hankir is one of Germany’s FinTech stars. After a few years as a Consultant at McKinsey, he co-founded vaamo, a digital wealth management solution, and in 2015 started savedroid - an innovative personal savings app.
    This interview is a special one - being Startup Notes’ very first follow-up episode. One year after our first conversation with Yassin on FinTech in Germany, we talked to him again triggered by some really exciting developments at savedroid. The startup recently entered the cryptocurrency space.
    More specifically, savedroid is currently staging its own ICO to raise money for its vision to democratize access to cryptocurrencies. Savedroid wants to enable users to get easy access to smart crypto-savings plans and superior crypto-investment opportunities without any technological adoption barriers -
    leveraging savedroid’s existing core assets of AI and great UX.
    In this interview, we talk about Yassin’s view on the future of cryptocurrencies, regulation in the space and we dive into the topic of ICOs. There’s definitely some really great insights in here - both for people who are new to cryptocurrencies, but also more knowledgeable members of the community.
    ---------
    More info on savedroid’s ICO: http://bit.ly/2FqgewB
    (main sale ends 9th March 2018)
    Our first episode with Yassin from February 2017: http://bit.ly/2CiOSKr
    44 min
  • Yassin Hankir on savedroid’s ICO and the future of cryptocurrencies
    Yassin Hankir is one of Germany’s FinTech stars. After a few years as a Consultant at McKinsey, he co-founded vaamo, a digital wealth management solution, and in 2015 started savedroid - an innovative personal savings app.

    This interview is a special one - being Startup Notes’ very first follow-up episode. One year after our first conversation with Yassin on FinTech in Germany, we talked to him again triggered by some really exciting developments at savedroid. The startup recently entered the cryptocurrency space.

    More specifically, savedroid is currently staging its own ICO to raise money for its vision to democratize access to cryptocurrencies. Savedroid wants to enable users to get easy access to smart crypto-savings plans and superior crypto-investment opportunities without any technological adoption barriers -
    leveraging savedroid’s existing core assets of AI and great UX.

    In this interview, we talk about Yassin’s view on the future of cryptocurrencies, regulation in the space and we dive into the topic of ICOs. There’s definitely some really great insights in here - both for people who are new to cryptocurrencies, but also more knowledgeable members of the community.

    ---------

    More info on savedroid’s ICO: http://bit.ly/2FqgewB
    (main sale ends 9th March 2018)

    Our first episode with Yassin from February 2017: http://bit.ly/2CiOSKr
    44 min
  • Anna Alex on Outfittery and why data analytics and good storytelling is a powerful mix

    Anna Alex belongs to Germany's top female entrepreneurs. Since 2012, she and her co-founder Julia Bösch have been disrupting the fashion industry with OUTFITTERY. The startup offers a curated online shopping experience for men that allows their clients to save time while receiving professional style advice by its stylists. OUTFITTERY is operating in eight European countries, employs 300 people and has raised roughly 50m EUR in funding so far (e.g. from well-known VC’s like Mangrove Capital and Northzone).

    Prior to starting her own business, Anna was Head of Product Management & IT at a Swiss online company and also worked for German startup powerhouse Rocket Internet as well as Smava. She holds a Master’s degree in Economics.

    In this episode, we are talking to Anna about her entrepreneurial journey of building OUTFITTERY from scratch, the reasons for the low number of female founders in Europe, the power of good storytelling, and collecting and analyzing the right data for delivering your clients the best product and experience possible.

    Here is the full list of topics that we discussed with fashion industry disruptor Anna Alex:

    [01:06 – 1:36] Introduction of Anna and her background

    [01:37 – 02:17] Explanation of OUTFITTERY’s business model

    [02:18 – 03:28] On OUTFITTERY’s different growth stages and focus topics so far

    [03:29 – 04:21] One thing that people would be surprised to know about OUTFITTERY

    [04:22  – 04:49] The split between different roles among OUTFITTERY’s staff

    [04:50  – 06:51] Anna’s worst management decision and her learnings from it [Listener Question]

    [06:52  – 08:23] OUTFITTERY’s unfair advantage in comparison to its competitors

    [08:24 – 08:56] Anna’s view on provocative media coverage [08:57 – 10:02] What the future holds for OUTFITTERY in 2018 & 2019

    [10:03 – 13:05] How the fashion companies of the future will be based on technology

    [13:06 – 14:57] The role of Amazon in the fashion ecommerce space

    [14:58 – 18:00] Anna’s opinion on the importance to address the topic „female founders“

    [18:01 – 22:00] On the power of good storytelling when building a startup

    [22:01 – 27:01] Anna’s best practices on structuring her work day [Listener Question]

    [27:02 – 27:49] The KPIs to track for retaining great talent for your startup

    [27:50 – 28:12] The one must-read book for founders

    [28:13  – 29:43] The best life advice that Anna has been given

    [29:44 – 30:55] Startups that former employees went on to found

    [30:56 – 31:19] One thing that Anna fundamentally disagrees on with other people

    [31:20 – 32:30] Advice that founders should write down on post-it notes and always remember

    [32:31 – 34:10] Anna’s ultimate vision for OUTFITTERY

    36 min
  • Eckhardt Weber on his learnings from building companies with FinLeap and Heartbeat Labs
    Since 2014, Eckhardt Weber has been one of the key people behind Berlin-based company builder HitFox Group and especially its FinTech-focused branch FinLeap, which has seen some tremendous success in recent years with him leading it as its Managing Director. Having a background as a corporate lawyer and being specialized in business development within highly regulated markets, he was especially instrumental in creating solarisBank - a well-reputed FinLeap venture that managed to obtain a full banking license in Germany within just 9 months.
    Since summer 2017, Eckhardt is focusing on creating new tech ventures in the healthcare industry under the umbrella of newly founded company builder Heartbeat Labs, which also belongs to the HitFox Group. Up to five startups per year shall be created and supported with the company builder’s help that Eckhardt co-founded and again leads as Managing Director.
    In this episode, we are talking to Eckhardt about how he made his way from being a lawyer to building companies in the FinTech and healthcare sector, his best practices for being productive and efficient, the reasons for FinLeap’s success, his plans for Heartbeat Labs and mistakes that he sees founders make over and over again.
    Here is the full list of topics that we discussed with hands-on company builder Eckhardt Weber:
    [00:02 – 01:49] Introduction of Eckhardt and his background
    [01:50 – 03:06] One thing people would be surprised to know about Eckhardt
    [03:07 – 05:37] What a typical day in his life as an entrepreneur look like
    [05:38 – 06:57] Eckhardt’s best practices for daily routines
    [06:58  – 08:49] How to best plan your tasks ahead
    [08:50  – 13:26] On the reasons for FinLeap’s success as a company builder
    [13:27  – 16:01] What Eckhardt is doing differently now building Heartbeat Labs in comparison to his time at FinLeap
    [16:02 – 19:20] The first tasks to tackle when setting up a company builder
    [19:21 – 23:07] Why Eckhardt is still bullish on the business model of a company builder
    [23:08 – 27:49] Why it makes sense for founders to start a startup with a company builder
    [27:50 – 30:15] How founders can ‚wow‘ Eckhardt to convince him for investing into a startup with Heartbeat Labs
    [30:16 – 32:48] One challenging question that Eckhardt asks when founders seek for funding
    [32:49 – 35:09] On the most innovate service that will likely be launched in the health industry within the next 5 years [Listener Question]
    [35:10 – 38:22] Eckhardt’s view on the challenges of starting a health startup in Germany
    [38:23 – 43:26] The ‚secret sauce‘ of the company culture behind the success of FinLeap and Heartbeat Labs
    [43:27 – 45:46]  One mistake that founders do over and over again when starting a company
    [45:47  – 49:07] Advice that founders should write on some post-it notes and remember at all times
    52 min
  • Doreen Huber on growing Delivery Hero and disrupting the catering industry with Lemoncat
    Doreen Huber is one of the most respected female entrepreneurs in Germany. As the Founder & CEO of LEMONCAT, she is successfully digitalizing the market for business catering since 2016. After starting out as an entrepreneur in various companies with a strong focus on sales already in her twenties, she especially left a mark in the European startup scene (and beyond) in her roles as CSO at Lieferheld and subsequently COO of Delivery Hero (EUR 1bn IPO in 2017) from 2011-2013. Living and working in Berlin, Doreen is also an active angel investor in various companies. She holds a degree in Literature, Art History and Media Science from Humboldt University in Berlin.
    LEMONCAT makes it easy for businesses to access convenient, fresh and delightful caterers all over the world by bringing the fragmented catering industry together in a digital one-stop solution. In Germany, the startup offers the country’s largest caterer network with more than 500 curated caterers to its clients, which are companies like airBnB, Salesforce and Adidas. Since its start, LEMONCAT has already served several hundred thousands of guests in 250 cities. The startup has more than 40 employees and successfully raised 9m EUR in funding so far.
    In this episode, Doreen shares some behind-the-scenes insights and learnings of the crazy early days at Delivery Hero, discusses LEMONCAT's business model, assesses the current tech trends that will shape the future of the food industry, talks about the topic of 'women in tech' and gives her best advice to (female) entrepreneurs.

    -----------------------------
    
This episode was recorded at the McKinsey Experience Studio in Berlin on 12 December 2017 during Startup Notes’ first-ever live event, which was organized in partnership with Digital Shapers - a joint initiative between McKinsey and six corporate partners (Airbus, Bertelsmann, Lufthansa, Metro, SAP, and Zeiss).
    -----------------------------
    Here is the full list of topics that we discussed with sales expert and catering industry disruptor Doreen Huber:
    [01:38 – 08:00] Introduction of Doreen and the milestones of her career so far that led to founding LEMONCAT
    [08:01 – 09:48] On the blurred lines between work and private life as a founder
    [09:49 – 12:25] The customer journey of LEMONCAT
    [12:26 – 13:21] On what makes LEMONCAT special within the catering industry
    [13:22 – 16:00] The future trends and developments within the FoodTech industry
    [16:01 – 18:20] Doreen’s learnings from the crazy early days at Delivery Hero in Berlin
    [18:21 – 21:54] On the ‚secret sauce‘ of Delivery Hero’s success
    [21:55 – 25:54] Doreen’s view on the topic of ‚women in tech‘
    [25:55 – 28:36] Three pieces of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
    [28:37 – 30:17] Doreen’s worst management decision so far [audience question]
    [30:18 – 31:48] On the potential synergies between B2C and B2B sales within the catering industry [audience question]
    34 min
  • J. Allie Morse on building Africa's first unicorn for Rocket Internet and working in Silicon Valley
    J. Allie Morse is a seasoned entrepreneur who has lived and worked in Sierra Leone, Singapore, Nigeria and San Francisco with close ties to the European startup scene. She was the founder and former CEO of Jumia House (formerly Lamudi) in West Africa, which is an online real estate market place backed by German tech giant Rocket Internet and belongs to its Africa division Jumia (formerly known as Africa Internet Group). In 2016, Jumia became Africa's first unicorn startup valued at over $1 billion. Most recently, Allie joined San Francisco-based startup Postmates as Head of Expansion. Being originally from Canada, she is a McGill University alumnus and also graduated with a Master’s degree in Global Politics and Gender Studies from Oxford University.
    Postmates was founded by German entrepreneur Bastian Lehmann and is an on-demand logistics company. It is one of Silicon Valley's fastest growing startups and is transforming the way goods move around cities by enabling anyone to have anything speedily and inexpensively delivered on-demand. The startup’s Urban Logistics platform connects customers with local couriers who can deliver anything from any store or restaurant in minutes. Like this, Postmates empowers communities to shop local with no waiting, and also empowers businesses through its API to offer delivery. In total, 65,000 couriers work for Postmates in 44 cities across the US. By the end of 2016, the startup raised $140m in its latest funding round at a $600m valuation.
    In this episode, we are talking to Allie about how she made her way into the startup world without a business degree, what it’s like to build a company under extremely challenging conditions like in Africa, and making the jump to Silicon Valley.
    Here is the full list of topics that we discussed with hands-on startup builder J. Allie Morse who is not afraid to be a tech pioneer in challenging markets like Africa:
    [01:27 – 02:51] Introduction of Allie and how she made her way into the startup world
    [02:52 – 03:52] Allie’s favorite things to do besides building startups
    [03:53 – 09:14] How Allie figured out that entrepreneurship is what she wants to do in life
    [09:15 – 11:36] Why not having attended a business class is not a disadvantage for building companies
    [11:37 – 15:12] On the challenging times of setting up Lamudi in Nigeria
    [15:13 – 16:21] The most important skills to have as a founder
    [16:22 – 18:12] Why building a startup in emerging markets like Africa is a big opportunity
    [18:13 – 20:03] The reasons for Allie joining Postmates in the Silicon Valley
    [20:04 – 22:06] How the experiences gained in Africa benefit Allie for working in the Valley
    [22:07 – 24:54] Why Allie is passionate about evolving markets and what to do when you want to expand into new markets with your startup
    [24:55 – 26:54] The reasons for Postmates being successful
    [26:55 – 30:25] On Silicon Valley being the special place for tech innovation that it is
    [30:26 – 32:18] How to make the jump from Europe to Silicon Valley
    [32:19 – 33:58] Allie’s best piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs
     
    [33:59 – 35:34] The industry and location that Allie would found a company in nowadays
    36 min
  • J. Allie Morse on building Africa’s first unicorn for Rocket Internet and working in Silicon Valley
    J. Allie Morse is a seasoned entrepreneur who has lived and worked in Sierra Leone, Singapore, Nigeria and San Francisco with close ties to the European startup scene. She was the founder and former CEO of Jumia House (formerly Lamudi) in West Africa, which is an online real estate market place backed by German tech giant Rocket Internet and belongs to its Africa division Jumia (formerly known as Africa Internet Group). In 2016, Jumia became Africa's first unicorn startup valued at over $1 billion. Most recently, Allie joined San Francisco-based startup Postmates as Head of Expansion. Being originally from Canada, she is a McGill University alumnus and also graduated with a Master’s degree in Global Politics and Gender Studies from Oxford University.

    Postmates was founded by German entrepreneur Bastian Lehmann and is an on-demand logistics company. It is one of Silicon Valley's fastest growing startups and is transforming the way goods move around cities by enabling anyone to have anything speedily and inexpensively delivered on-demand. The startup’s Urban Logistics platform connects customers with local couriers who can deliver anything from any store or restaurant in minutes. Like this, Postmates empowers communities to shop local with no waiting, and also empowers businesses through its API to offer delivery. In total, 65,000 couriers work for Postmates in 44 cities across the US. By the end of 2016, the startup raised $140m in its latest funding round at a $600m valuation.

    In this episode, we are talking to Allie about how she made her way into the startup world without a business degree, what it’s like to build a company under extremely challenging conditions like in Africa, and making the jump to Silicon Valley.

    Here is the full list of topics that we discussed with hands-on startup builder J. Allie Morse who is not afraid to be a tech pioneer in challenging markets like Africa:

    [01:27 – 02:51] Introduction of Allie and how she made her way into the startup world

    [02:52 – 03:52] Allie’s favorite things to do besides building startups

    [03:53 – 09:14] How Allie figured out that entrepreneurship is what she wants to do in life

    [09:15 – 11:36] Why not having attended a business class is not a disadvantage for building companies

    [11:37 – 15:12] On the challenging times of setting up Lamudi in Nigeria

    [15:13 – 16:21] The most important skills to have as a founder

    [16:22 – 18:12] Why building a startup in emerging markets like Africa is a big opportunity

    [18:13 – 20:03] The reasons for Allie joining Postmates in the Silicon Valley

    [20:04 – 22:06] How the experiences gained in Africa benefit Allie for working in the Valley

    [22:07 – 24:54] Why Allie is passionate about evolving markets and what to do when you want to expand into new markets with your startup

    [24:55 – 26:54] The reasons for Postmates being successful

    [26:55 – 30:25] On Silicon Valley being the special place for tech innovation that it is

    [30:26 – 32:18] How to make the jump from Europe to Silicon Valley

    [32:19 – 33:58] Allie’s best piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs
     
    [33:59 – 35:34] The industry and location that Allie would found a company in nowadays
    36 min

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Startup Notes is the hub for unique entrepreneurial insights. Every two weeks, we publish a podcast interview with an accomplished founder or venture capitalist from Europe. We talk about all things…