In this episode, we explore the concept of the ‘Velocity Gap, a framework developed by global strategist Sophie Krantz to explain the diverging realities of 2025. While the world faced stagnation in some areas, there is a parallel track of positive-sum breakthroughs accelerated rapidly, removing structural friction across trade, energy, health, and work.

We discuss the 2025 acceleration map” which outlines 20 specific areas where motion increased, including:

• Technology & Energy: The shift of fusion energy from science fiction to commercial construction, and SpaceX making reusable heavy-lift rockets routine.

• Global Economy: The defiance of hard landing predictions, the rise of the Vietnam Premium in supply chains, and the expansion of digital trade architecture.

• Society & Governance: The ratification of the High Seas Treaty, the success of large-scale four-day workweek trials, and the global export of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure.

The episode concludes with the critical strategic question for 2026: Are leaders organised to defend the status quo, or aligned with the direction where the world is actually moving?

Read the original article here: https://www.sophiekrantz.com/p/2025-spun-faster

In this edition we explore the work of Global Strategist Sophie Krantz on a strategy for leaders seeking to act beyond local surroundings without the strain of global expansion. The episode highlights Maido, a Lima, Peru, restaurant rated the world’s best in 2025 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, as proof that you can achieve world-class standing - and draw the world to you - from a single location.

Maido employs a strategy of Local Immersion (anchored in Peruvian ingredients and local ethos) alongside Global Leverage. Its Nikkei cuisine, cross-border networks, and participation in international dialogue allow the team to learn from and contribute to top culinary professionals globally, reinforcing its reputation without replicating itself elsewhere.

Maido proves that a global mindset is sufficient for success, commanding global influence even without a global footprint. The lesson for leaders is to choose ambition (measuring against world-class benchmarks) and agency (designing on your terms) to create something distinctive that the world actively seeks out. Ultimately, Maido demonstrates that staying rooted does not mean staying small.

Read the article here:

https://www.sophiekrantz.com/p/world-class-without-global-expansion

Maps are fundamentally reflections of our worldview, not just navigational aids.

Historically, maps placed what was central to a civilisation at the physical centre: the Babylonian Map of the World (c. 6th Century BCE) placed Babylon itself at the heart, reflecting belief and geography. Medieval maps later centered Jerusalem using symbolism over scale.

The appearance of Terra Incognita on early European maps marked uncharted territories, signifying where knowledge ended and possibility began.

Today, global strategist, Sophie Krantz, explores how the common global reference is fragmenting. Instead of sharing a collective frame, modern technologies and national priorities draw diverging versions of reality. We are now arguing over which map to use, rather than what lies beyond its edges.

Maps today illustrate the movement of people, data, and opportunity flow. Strategic choice is key: when leaders label the unknown as risk rather than possibility, they shrink their world. The goal is to choose your vision and redraw the map with intent.

Read the original article by Sophie Krantz, here:

https://www.sophiekrantz.com/p/terra-incognita

The world’s oldest surviving map was etched on a clay tablet in Mesopotamia around the 6th century BCE. Known as the Babylonian Map of the World or Imago Mundi, it shows the city of Babylon at the centre, the Euphrates River flowing through it, and the known lands encircled by a “Bitter River” - the ocean. Beyond that ring sit small triangles labelled as distant, perhaps mythical, regions.

It wasn’t so much a navigation aid, yet rather a worldview. Babylon’s placement at the centre said as much about belief as geography. The map reflected how people made sense of their world - what was known, what was unknown, and who belonged where.

Terra Incognita

Terra Incognita - Latin for “unknown land” - appeared on early European maps to mark uncharted territories. It signified both danger and discovery: areas where knowledge ended and where possibility began. We all can see leaders facing equivalent frontiers - the limits of what they know, see, and believe possible.

Over time, maps evolved with our understanding.

We each get to choose what we see - our worldview, and the scope of our Terra Incognita. Heading into 2026, there’s value in recognising the limits and how they limit, delay, or reduce our wider vision for commercial success or positive-sum impact.

This episode summary focuses on the three essential founder and leadership questions: “Why this? Why me? Why now?”.

Building on work by Global Strategist Sophie Krantz, the podcast explores these questions, noting that while they gained prominence in venture capital for assessing startup founders, they are now vital for any leader driving change or challenging the status quo.

These questions test for insight, authenticity, fit, and timing, revealing whether the problem being solved is real, if the leader has the unique capability for the work, and if the world is ready for action.

Learn how strong answers reduce perceived risk and are anchored in conviction, a developed worldview, and a personal connection to the mission - traits that distinguish successful leaders from those who rely on imitation or shallow intent. Ultimately, understanding and clearly answering these questions helps leaders align ambition with agency, turning intent into investable impact.

Read the original article here:

https://www.sophiekrantz.com/p/why-this-why-me-why-now

The questions “Why this?”, “Why me?”, and “Why now?” sit at the heart of startup investing and founder assessment. Increasingly, they’re just as relevant for any leader trying to drive change or get a new idea over the line, especially when it challenges the status quo.

They’re the three questions founders are expected to answer when pitching a new venture or seeking investment. Each tests for insight, authenticity, fit, and timing and are the foundations of credibility and lasting success.

Their moment is now. It’s the time for all of us to be able to answer them clearly, confidently, and in context. Let’s explore how.

It’s a wrap! Elena Verna and Whitney Menarcheck celebrating with particiapants from around the world, markingt he conclusion of the 48 hour Lovable SheBuilds Buildathon.

Today we deep dive into Lovable, the Swedish-founded tech startup that achieved US$100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in a record-breaking eight months. This growth, which outpaces giants like OpenAI and Perplexity, makes Lovable a standout in the global tech ecosystem.

Founded in late 2023, Lovable’s core product is an AI-powered no-code platform that allows anyone - from solo founders to large teams - to build full-stack applications simply by describing their ideas in plain language. Their mission is to democratise software development, bridging the global gap between ideas and the technical ability required to build them.

This exponential success is fuelled by a strategy of inclusion as design, rather than mere declaration. Lovable demonstrates what happens when friction and unnecessary gatekeepers are removed, enabling creators globally.

We look closely at the SheBuilds hackathon, a 48-hour virtual event where 200 participants, selected from 3,000 applicants, turned ideas into live app prototypes. Led by Elena Verna and Whitney Menarcheck, this event showcased how a fast-moving, globally diverse culture can be built rapidly through invitation and connection, providing unlimited credits and direct access to the development team. Lovable is intentionally designed for universal access and active input, unlocking a broader range of talent and creativity.

Lovable’s model shows that acting globally can reshape systems. By operating at the Globally Impactful level on the Ambition × Agency Ladder, the company commands global attention and inspires collective participation. Lovable sets a high bar for leadership, showing that global progress depends not on the few, but on enabling more of us to build and create together.

Read the article by Sophie Krantz here:

https://www.sophiekrantz.com/p/the-profitable-future-of-building

In 48 hours, I experienced how a fast-growing tech company turns an idea into a movement. Here we break down why and how they did it.

See What’s Shifting

Lovable is expanding faster than most startups. To understand this, and for a crash course in vibe coding, I spent time with the company.

During the recent SheBuilds hackathon, the company invited women from around the world to turn ideas into functioning apps that were live prototypes built in 48 hours.

Lovable acknowledges that women start fewer apps than men - including on their platform, despite the barriers to building decreasing. The invitation involved access to the platform, the tools, and a global community.

Led by Elena Verna (Head of Growth), and Whitney Menarcheck (Community Team), the virtual event attracted around 200 participants across continents, selected from 3,000 applicants. From the start, a strong culture formed - it was global, generous, and fast-moving.

Every participant received unlimited Lovable credits and direct access to the dev team. Real-time support and collaboration was held on Discord (although the video function was unreliable, with poor audio and inconsistent settings). Expert product sessions anchored the experience.

In less than two days, apps were built. And a movement was born.

Setting the Context

Lovable is recognised as one of the world’s fastest-growing startups in 2025, holding the record as the fastest software startup to reach US$100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). This was achieved in eight months.

This growth outpaces OpenAI and Perplexity and makes Lovable a standout in both global and European tech ecosystems.

Inside Lovable

* Founded: Late 2023, Stockholm, Sweden, by Anton Osika and Fabian Hedin. It originated from GPT Engineer, an open-source project that showed how AI could convert natural language prompts into functioning code and software.

* Product: An AI-powered no-code platform that lets anyone - from solo founders to large teams - build full-stack applications without writing code. Users describe ideas in plain language (or voice), and the platform outputs ready-to-launch software.

* Business Model: A freemium structure with paid tiers, strong community support, and rapid iteration have driven exponential adoption. By early 2025, Lovable had millions of users, nearly 200,000 paying subscribers, and had closed one of Europe’s largest Series A rounds - US$200 million at a US$1.8 billion valuation.

* Mission: To democratise software development by making it accessible to everyone, bridging the global gap between ideas and the technical ability to build them.

Lovable’s combination of rapid user and revenue growth, product-led innovation, and massive engagement has broken gowth records.

Why Lovable Matters

Lovable’s approach shows what happens when friction is removed.

There is no need to know how to code. There are no gatekeepers. There is no waiting for permission.

Growth comes from enabling creators. The powerful reframe is inclusion as design rather than declaration.

Designing to Include. Growing a Market.

Exclusionary systems restrict participation through selective processes and rigid criteria, often resulting in lost innovation and limited engagement. Conversely, inclusionary systems are intentionally designed for universal access and active input - unlocking a broader range of talent, creativity, and positive outcomes.

As noted by Culture Amp and Inclusive Economy, inclusive design in workplaces and digital environments directly correlates with higher engagement, retention, and innovation. Research published in ScienceDirect and examples from Skillstx and Culture Monkey show that businesses embedding inclusion in product or hiring design outperform those relying on legacy gatekeeping. The table below draws on this research base.

In today’s creator economy and tech ecosystem, inclusion-by-design is proving far more powerful than exclusionary legacy models. In particular, there’s a rebalancing of who gets to participate and who can benefit from growth.

The follow-up to the Lovable SheBuilds hackathon reinforced the tone set throughout the event. A short survey ended with a surprise thank you - a Lovable T-shirt being sent to each participant via Go Swag. It’s an example of them being true to their name - everything they do is Lovable.

In 48 hours, they showed that a virtual, globally diverse culture can be built through invitation, care, and connection.

Scaling Ambition and Agency

Lovable highlights how ambition and agency can compound. The Ambition × Agency Ladder maps how organisations evolve from awareness of global issues to creating scalable, systemic impact at the global level.

Why Global Matters

Global ambition and agency multiply impact, while leverage sustains it. Acting locally can solve problems; acting globally can reshape systems. Lovable’s model shows how strategic leverage - of technology, networks, and community participation - turns access into acceleration.

When opportunity and innovation cross borders, growth compounds into shared advancement, creating a positive-sum cycle that lifts the builders, their markets, and the systems they touch. Lovable thinks, acts, and achieves with global relevance - and global impact. The below table summaries this.

Lovable is a young company and, to a large extent, is operating at the Globally Impactful level. By climbing the ladder themselves - with deliberate action to maximise the positive-sum nature of their platform - they enable a global market of builders: anyone, anywhere, at any stage or age. And by helping more people climb, they reinforce their own position as globally influential.

The Lovable platform enables global participation, and the company is reshaping how widespread creation happens. Its growth model multiplies impact through every new builder who joins.

Lovable shows how real impact scales - through the success of the people in your market.

Acting Lovable

What if more organisations acted like Lovable for 48 hours?

* Make an invitation to those who may not yet be engaging or are underserved.

* Remove unnecessary gatekeepers.

* Equip and trust people to build, solve a problem that matters, or 10x their agency.

* Make support visible.

This could look like opening your own platform, process, or product for others to build on. It could mean turning tools into invitations, data into shared value, or expertise into open access. It’s about designing for participation, letting others create alongside you, rather than just consume what you make, do, or sell.

And when one of the world’s fastest-growing companies invites you in - jump at the chance. You’ll experience their growth strategy first-hand. If it’s through a hackathon or any kind of sprint, you’ll likely walk away with new capability, sharper insight, and a stronger network.

While the World Sleeps

The hackathon was a steep learning curve. It was the first time I’d built an app - next time, I’ll build better.

The time zone was US-centric, with most of the live sessions running between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. my time. For an event built on a global invitation, a more balanced time-zone spread would have strengthened the experience and better reflected Lovable’s global community.

Still, the energy was contagious. It was easy to stay awake through the night because it felt like being surrounded by people building what the world needs next - a generation of founders who see barriers as brief, and building as a shared act of progress.

For leaders, that’s the takeaway. The world’s most ambitious talent doesn’t wait for permission or perfect conditions. They gather, learn, and build - wherever they are, and often when the rest of the world is asleep.

What Comes Next

It’s yet to be seen what the metrics will show from the 200 participants - how many apps will move from MVP to viable ventures. Whatever the outcome, Lovable keeps the barrier to entry low.

Monthly subscriptions - for the Pro tier, from around US$25 - buy 100 credits. That’s enough to build, particularly when using generative AI prompts to give vibe-code instructions through tools like ChatGPT or Claude. Additional credits can be purchased when needed, which keeps app building continuous and affordable.

Low Barriers. A High-Set Bar.

The low barrier to entry matters. We need more founders to be successful around the world, beyond the initial build.

Lovable offers a glimpse of what leadership in this next era looks like - global in reach, inclusionary by design, and bold enough to hand the tools of creation to anyone willing to try. It sets a high bar.

Through Lovable, we see that global progress doesn’t have to depend on the few building for all. It depends on more of us building and creating - together.

Are you a brilliant founder whose opportunities constantly stall after the first introduction? You’re great at making connections, yet struggle with the follow-through.

Global Strategist Sophie Krantz is tackling this exact challenge. Her initial approach started offline in early 2023, sending physical “Colour Your World” cards and pencil packs to 100 people around the globe. The goal was to encourage them to look outward, reflect on their global markets, discover opportunities, and map their missing knowledge or networks. The “Colour Your World” map helped business leaders define where their current market is (Orange), where potential customers who experience their problem live (Blue), and where they lack knowledge or networks (Black). The overall aim is to expand the worldview and accelerate global success.

Now, Sophie is leveraging technology to scale this ambition from a hundred people to tens of thousands. She is actively building the MVP of a new tool to specifically bridge the post-connection gap. This lightweight, AI-guided tool is designed to match the right people, structure follow-ups effectively, and transform promising introductions into active collaborations that drive growth.

This MVP is being developed next week as part of Lovable.dev’s SheBuilds Buildathon, which brings together 200 women from around the world. Sophie is also gathering a small global group of advisors to provide strategic feedback, emphasizing that we go further, faster, together. If turning connections into productive collaborations is a hurdle you face, Sophie Krantz is currently asking for your feedback as this innovative tool takes shape.

Read the article by Sophie Krantz here:

https://www.sophiekrantz.com/p/from-100-to-10000

At the start of 2023, one hundred people around the world received a card and a small pencil pack in the post. Inside was an invitation to pause, look outward, and consider the bigger picture of their world.

The Colour Your World card asked them to reflect on where their markets were, where opportunities lay undiscovered, and where knowledge or networks were missing. Colouring in their world was my way of encouraging people to see more, think bigger, and play a bolder global game.

In a digital age, receiving physical mail is rare and these cards landed well.

Today, the world’s knowledge is at our fingertips. And yet, many founders face the same hurdle: they’re brilliant at making introductions, yet too often opportunities stall after that first contact.

Next week, as part of Lovable.dev’s SheBuilds Buildathon, bringing together 200 women from around the world, selected from more than 3,000 applicants, I’ll be building the MVP of a new tool designed to change this.

MVP focus:A lightweight, AI-guided tool that helps founders bridge the post-connection gap - matching the right people, structuring follow-ups, and turning promising introductions into active collaborations that drive growth.

Technology has evolved. It now allows me to amplify my ambition - to scale from a hundred to tens of thousands. And my agency to do so has grown with it.

I’m also bringing together a small global group of advisors to provide strategic feedback and stretch my thinking. Because we go further, faster, together.

If turning connections into productive collaborations is a challenge you face, I’d love your feedback as the MVP takes shape. Hit reply, or comment below, and I’ll share a few early links and updates as the build unfolds.

Read what I’ve previously written about Lovable here:

Read about the value of globally diverse strategic connections here: