By The Recursive Media
The podcast currently has 104 episodes available.
What makes a “perfect marriage” between founders and investors? In this episode of The Recursive podcast we explore investor’s dilemma and founder’s mindset with Pedja Predin. He is General Partner at Fifth Quarter Ventures, a new early-stage venture capital fund creating global success stories from Southeast Europe.
In this episode, Irina Obushtarova talks with Martina Silov, President of CroAI, the Croatian Artificial Intelligence Association, and Head of Partnerships at Mindsmits.
Martina is an advocate for tech optimism, focusing on integrating technology into education and fostering a strong AI community. In this episodes, she shares about:
Connecting with the AI community in Croatia and beyond
The responsibilities of the mentors and their role
The role of AI in decision-making
Timestamps
0:00 Trailer
1:27 Intro
3:07 The beginning of Martina’s journey to CroAI
8:46 Engaging the AI community in Croatia
13:05 How much Tech optimism is OK
24:23 Women vs men in technology
28:07 The role of the mentors
39:00 The future of AI and Croatia’s place in the change
58:00 Outro
For today’s episode, we talked with Karol Szubstarski, a venture investor at OTB Ventures.
Our guest today is Bartosz Lipnicki, an entrepreneur, investor, and Managing Director at Endeavor Poland.
Our guest today is Krzysztof (Chris) Wrobel, the founder and CEO of Virbe AI, a startup incorporating a one-stop-shop solution to extend your team with AI-powered digital employees.
Our next guest is an engineer turned entrepreneur turned investor. Borys Musielak is a founding partner at Polish SMOK Ventures, having a particular focus on software development tools, game development, and artificial intelligence.
Our guest for this episode has a big, bold ambition to make digital identity services the cornerstone of all economic and social activities of people around the world.
Konstantin Bezuhanov is co-founder and CEO of Evrotrust Technologies, the company that aims to solve the challenges associated with secure digital identification.
Evrotrust's products are adopted by over 1.3 million users across 58 countries. The company has attracted partnerships with industry giants like Mastercard and leading banks such as Unicredit Bulbank, and KBC, and it has been recently recognized by governments and the European Commission.
In this episode, we learn more about the complexities of identity in the digital age, but also what it takes to solve meaningful problems.
Konstantin also shares:
How it is to build a global identity system transcending national borders and work with strict entities like banks or government;
Views on mission-driven entrepreneurship how a strong sense of purpose guides decision-making and success metrics;
How the future would look if digital identity seamlessly integrates into daily life;
The importance of data protection and compliance in Evrotrust’s solution;
TIME STAMPS
00:00 Trailer
0:56 Introduction
1:47 Moving from the comfort zone to entrepreneurship and what it takes
4:41 Konstantin’s endeavors in London and why he lived there
10:08 Why Konstantin moved back to Bulgaria
11:03 Why execution matters more than the idea
13:00 Evrotrust’s story and how the founding team was formed
20:42 Choosing the best market and end users for Evrotrust
24:00 The most difficult problem in the space of digital identity
28:58 The mission and vision of Evrostrust
36:08 Early adopters for digital identity solutions
38:05 Konstantin’s many hats and switching them
44:39 Finding success as a founder and in life
47:30 The future of digital identity
55:43 Outro
Our guest today is Radoslav Gaydarski, co-founder of CleverPine, a company that has made significant strides in the tech industry since its inception during the pandemic. Prior to this position, he was the co-founder and CEO of Upnetix, offering client-tailored software solutions, which was acquired by Scalefocus.
With a deep background in software development and a passion for entrepreneurship, Gaydarski shares his journey from tinkering with computers in his youth to leading a company that has seen substantial growth and has recently partnered with Lufthansa Technik to innovate within the aviation sector.
In this discussion, you will discover Radoslav’s approach to leadership style,but also CleverPine's way of delivering exceptional value to its clients.
On top of that, he touches on:
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 Trailer
01:47 Introduction
03:27 Why Radoslav Moved to the US and Back to Bulgaria
08:11 Choosing Entrepreneurship and What Does It Take
13:25 Radoslav’s Failures and What He Took Out of It
20:00 What Is a Lifestyle Company
20:33 Upnetix’s Acquisition and the Learnings Learned
23:20 Cleverpine and Lufthansa Technik’s Partnership and What Is ViTech
39:06 The Importance of Studying the Client’s Industry and How Cleverpine Does That
42:41 How a Lifestyle Company Works and Why It Doesn’t Care About Metrics
51:59 CleverPine’s Working from the Office Culture
54:59 Team Structures and How to Deliver Quality Projects on Time
1:01:17 Developing Yourself as a Leader and Self-Reflection
1:04:58 CleverPine’s Flans for the Future
1:10:20 CleverPine Ventures and Supporting New Businesses
1:16:30 The Happiness Culture and How Can a Leader Foster This
1:21:40 Outro
Our guest today is Milen Manev, the co-founder and CTO of PlanDelta, a next-generation planning tool bridging the gap between strategic and financial planning.
With over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, Milen has a wealth of knowledge in software product development and has held various leadership positions, including Vice President at the American software company SyncHR.
He holds a Master Degree in Management of Information Systems from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski.
In this episode we discover Milen’s approach to entrepreneurship, fundraising and what he learned from pitching to the biggest VC funds.
He talks about:
How visualizing failure and making peace with the worst case scenario can help you prepare for hard decisions;
Why self-promotion and highlighting your capabilities is crucial during fundraising;
What sacrifices comes with entrepreneurship and what mental health challenges occur;
*This episode of The Recursive Podcast is released in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. As part of their mandate to support small and medium-sized businesses, The EBRD’s SME Finance and Development Team provides knowledge, network, and skills to help emerging businesses innovate, thrive, and succeed.
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 - Trailer
01:56 - Introduction
02:27 - How PlanDelta Choose the Problem They Want to Solve
05:52 - How to Know if You Are Solving the Right Problem
09:22 - Carving a Niche in Complex IT Ecosystems: How PlanDelta Identified Its Place in the Big Picture
15:09 - Data Integrity for Strategic Decisions in Fast-Moving Startups
17:06 - Mastering the Pitch and How Many Meetings With Investors You Need
27:48 - The Truth About Fundraising as an Early Stage Startup
30:32 - Why and How PlanDelta Fundraised from 17 Angel Investors
34: 54 - Step by Step: PlanDelta's Methodical Approach to Growth
39:00 - The Fine Line Between Ego and Ambition
44:28 - Navigating the Competitive Landscape of Tech Startups
51:09 - How to Get Energized as a Founder and the View on Failure
1:04:37 - Mentorship and Asking for Support
1:08:33 - Outro
Our guest today is Diana Aladzhova, an experienced investment manager and partner at the first Bulgarian mezzanine fund Silverline Capital.
The podcast currently has 104 episodes available.