Martins Vaivars is the CEO and Co-founder of RivalSense, an AI-based tool designed to help businesses monitor their competitors. He is a serial entrepreneur, this being his fourth company, thus on top of practical AI software building knowledge, Martins also brings plenty of learnings from his previous startups. 

On this episode we talk about:

• Knowing what the competition is doing
• Development and validation of products
• Challenges and solutions in data management for AI
• Quality control and error management
• Business applications of AI insights
• Learnings from previous businesses

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Vytautas Kubilius is the Country Director for Google Baltics, playing a pivotal role in driving Google's mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful within the Baltic region. He is also an angel investor and working with such organizations as Change Ventures, StartupWiseGuys and Vilnius Tech Park in various supporting roles.

On this episode we talk about:

• AI Innovations from Big Tech
• Responsible AI Deployment
• The Challenges of Managing Confidential Data
• Competing for Talent on a Global Scale
• Future of AI in Startups and Enterprises
• Evolution of Google Search with AI

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Watch select full-length episodes on our YouTube channel > https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP6ueaLnjS-CQfrMCm2EoTA

Connect with us on Linkedin > https://www.linkedin.com/company/pursuit-of-scrappiness/

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Laimonas Noreika is a fintech entrepreneur and one of the leading alternative finance experts in the CEE region. He is the co-founder and CEO of HeavyFinance, a climate technology firm providing sustainable finance and investment solutions for agriculture. 

Earlier this year, the company raised a 50mEUR fund to support its mission. In 2015 Laimonas founded a direct lending peer-to-peer platform FinBee, which he successfully exited in 2020. 

On this episode we talk about:

• Building marketplaces
• Doing business in Ukraine
• Leadership requirements in startups at various stages
• Managing various stakeholders on financial marketplaces
• Impact of Climate change on agriculture business strategies
• The importance of farmers and agriculture sector for the economy and society

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If you liked this episode and want to support our work, buy us a coffee, or five or hundred: https://buymeacoffee.com/Pursuitofscrappiness

Find all episodes on >  https://www.pursuitofscrappiness.co/

Watch select full-length episodes on our YouTube channel > https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP6ueaLnjS-CQfrMCm2EoTA

Connect with us on Linkedin > https://www.linkedin.com/company/pursuit-of-scrappiness/

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Anna Strubel is the founder of CARA Health, a FemTech startup supporting women in their journey to motherhood. The company recently raised a seed round and is part of a burgeoning wave of FemTech startups. Prior to building CARA, Anna worked over six years as a pediatric nurse, specializing in intensive care for premature and newborn babies, as well as in maternity care for women. She moved to Tallinn during Covid from Germany, and is now building her company there.

On this episode we talk about:

• The emergence and potential of FemTech
• Building a femtech company
• Challenges for women in tech and startups
• Technological innovations in women’s health
• How to make your company more parent friendly

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Find all episodes on >  https://www.pursuitofscrappiness.co/

Watch select full-length episodes on our YouTube channel > https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP6ueaLnjS-CQfrMCm2EoTA

Connect with us on Linkedin > https://www.linkedin.com/company/pursuit-of-scrappiness/

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Kaspar Korjus is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Pactum AI - a tech startup that is revolutionizing the world of business negotiations with chat and AI. Walmart, Maersk and other Fortune 500 companies are among its clients! Prior to Pactum, Kaspar was the founding Managing Director of Estonia’s e-Residency.

On this episode we talk about:

• How AI can help in business negotiations
• The effect of openAI on the AI industry
• What unique challenges are builders in AI facing
• How to tackle adoption and trust issues for AI tools
• Selling to Fortune 500 companies
• Personal and organizational use of AI

This episode was recorded Live during Latitude59 2024.

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Find all episodes on >  https://www.pursuitofscrappiness.co/

Watch select full-length episodes on our YouTube channel > https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP6ueaLnjS-CQfrMCm2EoTA

Connect with us on Linkedin > https://www.linkedin.com/company/pursuit-of-scrappiness/

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Jone Vaituleviciute is the managing partner and co-founder of Firstpick, an early-stage VC and accelerator program based in Lithuania and operating across the Baltics. In this episode we decided to focus more on VC as a business. If you are a founder, this is a great chance to learn how the VCs tick. Before starting Firstpick, Jone was a partner at StartupWiseGuys. 

On this episode we talk about:

• When and why startups should consider VC funding.
• The importance of local presence and knowledge in early-stage investing.
• Unique hurdles faced by startups in the Baltic region and how to overcome them.
• When and why startups should consider accelerator programs.
• Practical advice on managing funds and financial planning for early-stage companies.
• Predictions and emerging trends in the VC landscape

Check out https://firstpick.vc/

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Watch select full-length episodes on our YouTube channel > https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP6ueaLnjS-CQfrMCm2EoTA

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Fabian started podcasting in 2016 when most people didn't know what a podcast was (including 4 out of 5 of his guests). Since then has built the largest platform for tech and startup discussions in Germany. Named among Forbes' 30 under 30, he has accumulated extensive industry expertise from interviewing countless world-class founders and investors.

On this episode we talk about:

• Why content creation matters for Founders and Investors
• Principles for captivating & effective Content Creation
• Do’s and Don'ts when building a Personal Brand
• Things Startups should know when entering the German market
• How Germany & Berlin became a Startup juggernaut in Europe
• What European Tech ecosystem can learn from Silicon Valley

Checkout Unicorn Bakery Podcast here, Fabian publishes some of his content in English as well > https://www.unicornbakery.de/

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Find all episodes on >  https://www.pursuitofscrappiness.co/

Watch select full-length episodes on our YouTube channel > https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP6ueaLnjS-CQfrMCm2EoTA

Connect with us on Linkedin > https://www.linkedin.com/company/pursuit-of-scrappiness/

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Anna Andersone and Kristofs Blaus are co-founders of StartSchool, a brand new transformative IT and business education program in Latvia, aimed at nurturing future technology leaders. With a unique curriculum combining comprehensive coding education from Silicon Valley and practical startup skills, the program is designed to produce well-rounded graduates ready to launch their own startups or join tech companies.

Applications for 1st batch are closing May 31, 2024, find out more here > https://www.startschool.org/

On this episode we talk about:

• What StartSchool is all about
• Practical matters of getting admitted to StartSchool
• Combining business and IT curriculum to forge future tech leaders
• Use of AI in education
• Challenges in the current education system and how to overcome them

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Find all episodes on >  https://www.pursuitofscrappiness.co/

Watch select full-length episodes on our YouTube channel > https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP6ueaLnjS-CQfrMCm2EoTA

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Aino Bergius is the CEO of Slush. Having started as a volunteer and working her way up the organization, she is perfectly positioned to share with us what makes Slush the global success we know and love. 

For those of you who don’t know, Slush is a conference that brings together founders, investors, and the startup ecosystem to create a positive culture towards entrepreneurship, profile the Nordics as a tech hub, and make venture capital more accessible. It started in 2008 as a gathering of 250 people and has grown into a global movement with thousands of attendees from over 100 different nationalities. Slush is known for its unique culture and the ability to adapt to the changing needs of the ecosystem.

On this episode we talk about:

• The evolution of Slush
• How Slush fosters a unique culture of innovation and entrepreneurship
• Challenges of organizing large-scale events
• How to make the most out of Slush as a startup

Find out more about Slush 2024 here https://slush.org/

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Watch select full-length episodes on our YouTube channel > https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP6ueaLnjS-CQfrMCm2EoTA

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Taavet Hinrikus is a partner at Plural, a VC investing in founders on a mission to change the world through technology. 

He co-founded the legendary Estonian unicorn Wise (initially TransferWise) in 2010, where he was CEO and later Chairman. Wise went public in the first-ever direct listing in Europe in 2021. 

Prior to that, Taavet was Skype’s Director of Strategy until 2008, starting as its first employee. He’s been an active investor supporting more than 100 companies globally. More recently he co-founded Jōhvi Coding School to help increase the number of people with coding skills in Estonia. 

On this episode we talk about:

• Early challenges and scrappy marketing strategies at Wise
• Building trust for a Fintech startup
• How the Wise culture shapes the next generation of entrepreneurs
• What sets successful entrepreneurs apart
• Dealing with stress and pressure
• Taavet's investment principles
• The mission of Plural and learnings from investing in 100+ companies
• How to navigate the current fundraising environment

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Find all episodes on >  https://www.pursuitofscrappiness.co/

Watch select full-length episodes on our YouTube channel > https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP6ueaLnjS-CQfrMCm2EoTA

Connect with us on Linkedin > https://www.linkedin.com/company/pursuit-of-scrappiness/

Support the show