The Recursive Podcast

For today’s episode, we talked with Karol Szubstarski, a venture investor at OTB Ventures. With over a decade of experience in the realm of venture capital, Karol brings a blend of traditional and corporate VC expertise to the table. He spent five years as an Associate and Investment Analyst at Intel Capital, identifying opportunities across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, to name a few.In his current role at OTB Ventures, Karol spearheads investments in Series A opportunities, focusing on deep tech. In this episodes, he shares about: How personal experiences fuels his professional careerHis transition to the VC world under the guidance of Marcin HejkaThe advantages and disadvantages of the Polish startup ecosystem0:00 Trailer 1:33 Intro 2:25 Backpacking through Asia with two broken arms & other challenges5:19 Karol’s adventure with the VC world and DeepTech 10:41 What are the skills a DeepTech investor should have? 12:09 Karol’s skills and learnings from Intel Capital and OTB Ventures 15:52 Perspective on the DeepTech ecosystem in CEE 21:27 Strengths of the Polish startup ecosystem24:23 Challenges of European tech startups for scaling globally 27:42 How OTB Ventures assesses the investment opportunities 39:45 Striking the right risk vs advantage balance 42:19 Can CEE startups get money from US investors right from the start? 44:55 How to differentiate yourself as a VC fund? 47:17 Building the top team for OTB’s portfolio companies 51:24 The leap of faith in investment decisions 52:42 What’s needed to be a good VC investor? 55:05 The CEE VC ecosystem and the lack of private capital 57:45 How will the CEE startup ecosystem look in the future? 1:03:40 How is OTB Ventures adapting to the technological advancements 1:10:00 Outro

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: 

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: 

 *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.

Our next guest has come a long way in his professional and personal development - from investment banking, through digital media and marketing, and e-commerce to rethinking humanity’s relationship with food.

Our next guest is an entrepreneur in the promising field of circular economy, advocating for the continuous use and reuse of materials. 

Mihail Dimitrov is the co-founder and CЕO of Swipe.bg, a Bulgarian marketplace for buying and selling used smartphones. The company recently raised an investment to expand regionally and grow its market share. 

Mihail Dimitrov comes with vast experience in e-commerce and business development. He previously worked for the world's largest classifieds platform OLX and Bulgaria’s largest mеdia group Nova Broadcasting Group. 

In this podcast episode, Mihail and Irina talk about: 

 *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.