Ahead of Slush 2022, we sit down for a conversation that provides everyone who’s joining us in Helsinki with a bit of the backstory and context behind the event you’re about to attend. We'll cover:Why and how Slush was foundedHow it became a student-run event (and continues to be that to this day)The impact Slush has had on the Finnish ecosystemWhat lies ahead now that Finland has a prospering ecosystemWhy Slush 2022 is the best Slush to dateWhat you should do on Nov 16–18 to make the most of your time hereIn the episode, you'll hear from:Slush's CEO Eerika SavolainenSlush President Mikko MäntyläSlush's first CEO and Wolt founder Miki Kuusione • fıve founder Claire Gusko – one of 4,600 founders & operators joiningAmin Hassan – one of the 1,500 volunteers building the eventHope you enjoy the conversation! See you November 17–18.

We bring you two sides of the German collaborative presentation company Pitch as its Co-founder and CEO Christian Reber is joined by board member and Lakestar partner Stephen Nundy to discuss product-driven companies.Christian and Stephen (as a CTO himself) discuss the various balancing acts companies can struggle with from both founder and board member perspectives: marketing and product team inputs, product-led CEOs and their CTOs, and even the emotional toll of such leadership positions.

Jeppe Rindom is the Co-founder and guiding hand of Pleo- The corporate card and expense claim company and the fastest to reach the €1bn valuation in Denmark. Jeppe dives deep with Mikko Mäntylä into the granular details of how to define your problem space, some key ways to create investor FOMO, and what he believes is a counterintuitive company-building truth.

Sonali de Rycker is a true icon of European venture. In her fourteen years with Accel, she has made early investments in success stories ranging from Spotify to Avito, Hopin to Kry and Monzo to Sennder.Together with Sonali, we explore everything that more than a decade of backing the greats of European tech has taught her about the formative choices that build legendary tech companies.

Cristina Cordova spent a decade leading partnerships at two of the most iconic tech success stories of the past decade – Stripe & Notion – before joining First Round Capital in March of 2022. Today, we discuss tactical company-building lessons that that her decade as an operator taught here.

Today, we speak to Des Traynor of Intercom about problem selection, pricing, using principles to scale yourself as a leader, and maintaining alignment as an organisation grows. Des is one of the most succinct communicators in European tech. He didn't disappoint on the episode. Throughout it, you'll come across surprising, unique principles and heuristics that have helped Des propel Intercom into €1B+ business it is today.

Today, we’re speaking to Brian O’Malley, Managing Partner at Forerunner Ventures – the famously consumer-savvy Silicon Valley firm – on everything it takes to build generational outcomes in the consumer space.

Guy Podjarny is Co-founder and President of Snyk – the €8B developer-first security platform. Together, we unpack tactical considerations that go into scaling a business – especially one with a product-led, freemium-based go-to-market.Guy started Snyk with his co-founders Assaf and Danny in 2015, spent four years as CEO, and migrated into his current role of President in 2019.Built dually in Tel-Aviv and London, and later in a distributed fashion around the world, Snyk is a platform that enables developers to automatically detect and fix vulnerabilities in their code and stack.Today, Snyk employs 1200 people is valued at closer to 8 billion euros. They’ve got there by raising a whopping 1.3 billion euros from iconic investors like Accel, GV, Coatue, Tiger Global, Addition, Blackrock and so many more.---1:11 What are the most important traits to have within a founding team?2:17 What should non-technical founders spend time on in the early days?3:23 What are the humane characteristics of great founding teams?4:51 How do you know to stop pursuing a given idea?6:16 Snyk's most critical milestone in the first month, quarter and year?9:28 Why should you launch a crappy product early?11:36 With a product-led go-to-market, which systems ensure deep learning?15:09 Why did you choose a product-led go-to-market?18:11 What are the signs that you should hire a professional CEO to replace you?20:12 What can an exceptional external CEO bring to the table?21:42 Having been acquired in the past, what do you optimize for acquiring companies?24:22 How do you judge when to say yes and when to say no?25:02 What do founders underinvest in early on? How about the inverse of that?26.18 What is one important truth about company-building that very few people would agree with?

Today on the Soaked by Slush podcast, we're joined by Deena Shakir, Partner at Lux Capital – the notoriously frontier tech focused fund. We cover topics ranging from recognizing iconic entrepreneurs early to Deena’s efforts to write a children’s book about a young girl who starts a company.Deena herself has the most fascinating of backgrounds. She is a first-generation daughter of Iraqi immigrants and she self-funded her way through Harvard and Georgetown. After kicking off her career in media, she moved to public service, working for Hillary Clinton’s office during the Obama administration, and eventually ended up leading product partnerships at Google before jumping into venture– first at GV and later Lux.At Lux, Deena invests in transformative technologies improving lives – especially in women’s health, digital health and the intersection of those. She has led investments in some exceptional companies from Maven Clinic to Ramp.

When it comes to building legendary engineering and product organizations, there really aren’t many people more experienced than Quentin Clark. Having spent 20 years moving up the ranks at Microsoft, Quentin went on to become CTO at two legendary software companies in SAP and Dropbox.These days, Quentin looks for next-generation products at General Catalyst, and sits on the boards of some exceptional startups like Coda, Commure, Hopin, Minio, and Aviatrix.In this episode, we unpack what Quentin has learn about leading and scaling technical organisations for world-class outcomes.Note: Any mention of or reference to any specific company is for discussion and illustrative purposes only and is not a recommendation or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities. The views and opinions expressed by the speaker are their own as of the date of the recording and not of General Catalyst. These views should not be relied on as investment or financial advice of any kind.---0:50 What has made Microsoft such an exceptionally enduring company?2:49 How does Microsoft circumvent the Innovator’s dilemma?4:29 What characteristics are non-negotiable in good CEOs?6:16 When have you been most surprised by a trait of an individual CEO?7:05 What separates truly exceptional CTOs from good CTOs?9:08 How do you balance input from your sales team with long-term vision in your product roadmap?11:13 What are the signs that you should replace your technical co-founder with an experienced hire?12:43 What have you learned about finding and evaluating great technical talent?14:19 What do great technical co-founders look like?16:15 How should you think about the structure of your technical organization?18:33 For a CTO, what really changes when the company scales from 5 to 50, and 50 to 500 people?21:12 What are the 3 most common root causes of company failure?22:46 What do founders think matters in the early stages that doesn’t?23:45 What are the most insightful questions you ask when being pitched by founders?24:43 What is one important truth about company-building that very few people would agree with?

In just over three years, Alex Bouaziz has scaled Deel to more than €5B in valuation and 700 employees across 60+ different countries. In the episode, we discuss the principles, systems and choices that have put him and Deel on that trajectory of true hypergrowth.This episode marks the first in a new era for the Soaked by Slush podcast, in which we will laser focus on company-building advice, interviewing some of the most iconic founders and investors of our generation to uncover the first principles behind the companies they have built.---0:42 Without which habit would you not be where you are today?1:27 If you got to relive your early 20s, what would you spend more time on?2:03 What are you inherently better at than most founders? What have you had to painfully cultivate?3:15 What systems do you have in place at Deel to mitigate your lack of a knack for documentation?4:31 Can you choose to become a founder first, and come up with ideas second?6:11 When and why did you give up on your first company, Lifeslice?7:51 Because of your experience at Lifeslice, what did you do differently in the early days of Deel?9:32 How can I as a prospective founder understand whether I’m better at B2B or B2C?10:46 How did you concretely listen to customers and iterate on the product early on?12:50 How can you ensure that your speed of execution ripples down the organisation?15:10 As their companies scale, how should founders manage their own responsibilities?16:49 A common aphorism is that companies need a different CEO for each stage of growth. What are those phases? How should you adapt?18:20 When should you promote people into leadership positions? When should you hire externally?19:40 If you showed me your calendar, what would I find most surprising?20:37 Who do you go to for advice?21:53 What is the most impactful question you’ve asked the CEO of another company?22:59 What is an important truth about company-building that few people would agree with?

Hi folks. Slush 2021 happened, and we had the opportunity to record some fun and interesting episodes on location. This week’s guest is Robert Lacher, an entrepreneur and Founding Partner at the Berlin-based VC Visionaries Club. Robert is a central figure in the European VC-scene, and is an excellent brain to pick about what entrepreneurs should think about when shopping for investors nowadays. Being a recent former entrepreneur, he himself has sought out to build a VC from his perspective of what would be most useful to founders. In this episode, we will delve into these perspectives, from personal chemistry to access and network. And we talked about Europe too, of course.Expect to learn:Why access and network means more than everWhat is Robert’s unique take on Europe’s strengths in entrepreneurship?Why is the personal relationship between investor and founder important?“VCs are all about upside, not about downside”Timestamps:1:06 Start1:40 Intro for Robert Lacher and Visionaries Club4:25 On the value VCs can provide to entrepreneurs these days6:42 How has access and network changed in Europe?11:58 Why Europe, why now?15:19 How should entrepreneurs think about VC fit?18:50 The role of network and access22:20 The personal relationship between VC and Founder27:15 Can that relationship be too close and friendly?31:15 On failing33:55 Curating the VC setup—Find out more about Capchase on capchase.com/slush

In this episode, recorded live at the Slush 2021 event in Helsinki, William and Isak talked to Gini and Eccie Newton from Karma Kitchen. Gini and Eccie are a pair of British siblings who decided to enter the catering business, and ended up finding a niche that they developed into Karma Kitchen. What was that niche? Buying warehouses and turning them into kitchens for restauranteurs. Oh, and their idea has raised over 300 million dollars to date. It sounds astounding, but the more you hear Gini and Eccie explain it, the more it makes perfect sense.Expect to learn:About sibling chemistry in entrepreneurshipHow Karma Kitchen grew without almost any marketingHow Gini and Eccie manage a very capital intensive ideaWhat the idea behind Karma Kitchen isCheck Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: soaked@slush.org1:29 Intro to Eccie and Gini3:25 History behind Karma Cans5:11 What it’s like working together as sisters8:43 Kitchen vs sales in planning menus9:44 Origins of Karma Kitchen15:08 How and why Karma Kitchen is so capital intensive?18:30 How does Karma Kitchen acquire customers?20:30 Marketing and finance23:50 The relationship between investor and invested26:15 How are Gini and Eccie different from each other as people?

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking to one of the absolute veterans of venture capital, the Managing General Partner of NEA, Scott Sandell. NEA has been around since the 1970’s, making it one of the oldest VC firms in history. That coupled with Scott’s personal track record and experience makes for a heap of knowledge and insights about investing, venture capital, entrepreneurship, technology and more. We hope you’ll enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed making it.Expect to learn:How NEA set out to build a company lasting 100 yearsHow Scott transitioned from being a product manager at Microsoft to venture capital How Scott thinks about investment decisionsHow could the VC model be innovated?00:50 Introduction to Scott 01:30 Introduction to NEA 02:45 How do you build for longevity in VC? 05:20 Transition from Microsoft to NEA09:05 Scott’s favourite investments 14:45 How Scott makes investment decisions16:50 Have the basic ingredients for success changed?21:52 Recent investments that have made Scott excited26:20 How much has the tech world changed since Scott’s time at Microsoft?27:50 Innovating the VC model 30:40 Is the VC model wasteful?33:20 Allocation of capital to purpose-driven companies Find out more about Capchase on capchase.com/slush

How does one rebrand? Should you even rebrand? We were joined by Nicola McClafferty and James Clark, from the establishment formerly known as Draper Esprit. That’s right, Draper Esprit did what many people often advise against and rebranded themselves, to Molten Ventures. In fact, it’s probably not great that I’ve written Draper Esprit more times than Molten Ventures. In this episode we will talk to James and Nicola about the reasons behind the rebranding, the operational checklist for rebranding, and how to choose a name for the new brand. Expect to learn:Why James generally thinks rebranding is a bad ideaHow the need for rebranding should be identifiedWhat the creative and operational side of rebranding look likeDoes the name matter?00:44 Introductions to Nicola, James, and Molten Ventures 04:00 Rebranding: what has changed, why did you choose to rebrand?06:30 Rebranding in an increasingly competitive environment 11:10 Checklist for rebranding18:05 When is the right time for a startup to start thinking about a brand? 23:30 Death of the artist in a brand 26:00 Using external help in rebranding? 28:00 Operational side of rebranding34:45 Determining the name36:30 Deliberate creative tension involved37:45 What is ‘Make More Possible’ all about? 40:00 Do you think competition among VCs will push more to consider rebranding?

I don’t know about you, but there’s something special and even beautiful about trucking. About the seemingly simpler life on the highway, accompanied by demanding distances and fleeting views. It doesn’t immediately conjure up images of digital platforms and software, but that doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be a good idea.Sennder is a Berlin-based digital freight logistics company that seeks to provide a platform that connects shippers with a unified fleet of trucks in Europe, and David Nothacker is their CEO and Co-Founder. In this episode, we discussed sennder’s growth through acquisitions and David’s acquisition checklist, customer acquisition, and the future of the freight industry. Expect to learn:If David thinks consulting is a good path to entrepreneurshipHow sennder approached customer acquisition of smaller and bigger customersSennder’s growth through acquisitionsSome of David’s thoughts on the future of the trucking industry00:30 Intro to David 01:30 Consultants and startup founders – similarities and differences03:30 How David got started with sennder05:05 David’s pivot experience 07:45 Why is the digitalization of freight forwarding happening now? 09:37 How did you identify the problem?11:40 B2B platform companies’ march forward – what is the main difference to B2C companies? 14:45 How did you acquire your first customers? 16:40 Acquiring bigger players as customers 18:20 Sustainability in the industry as a whole and what sennder is doing about this 21:30 Next 7-10 years going to see the first autonomous trucks (on highways) last legs will be done by people. Long-distance trucking. 26:25 Growth through acquisitions 31:15 How do you determine which companies to acquire?33:50 Expansion

When Softbank unveiled its first 100 billion dollar Vision Fund in 2017, the world had never seen investment funds of such magnitude. Two years later in 2019, Vision Fund 2 was announced, and in 2021, their combined fair value was estimated to be 154 billion dollars. In this episode, we talked to two representatives from SoftBank, Anthony Doeh and Nahoko Hoshino, about what this journey has been like from their perspective. What are some of the lessons taken from the first to the second fund? Do they have different strategies from one to the other? And how does the future look?Expect to learn:Is the Vision Fund II fundamentally different?Why is Europe more interesting now?How SoftBank assesses teams and foundersWhat SoftBank sees as future trends00:50 Introduction to Anthony and Nahoko 01:30 Softbank Vision Fund II: What has changed? 03:20 How has the 2nd fund been different06:30 Does it include early stage investing?09:15 Critical milestones for eligible companies11:35 Why Europe now? 15:40 European founders – big companies mushroom into new companies16:50 Intangibles in founders20:15 Importance of founder and investor relationship24:00 Are VC markets more competitive now?26:30 How do you determine what’s the right path for a company to exit? 31:00 Will data and AI change everything?Find out more about Capchase on capchase.com/slush

Our guest this week, Edgeir Vårdal Aksnes, is reinventing how people buy electricity. I don’t know about you, but I don’t always even remember that I’ve bought electricity, I just know that I pay a bill. To Edgeir and his co-founder Daniel, this sounded like a transaction that was ready to be improved, to fit both the problems and opportunities that our ever-weird modern age has to offer. And not only does Tibber, the company Edgeir co-founded, already provide a much appreciated product to many around Europe, it has grown with some fascinating unconventional means; no salespeople, simple value propositions, and a crystal clear narrative. Expect to learn:How Tibber’s business model is intrinsically aligned with purposeWhy Tibber has no official salespeopleEdgeir’s perspective on simplicity in solutionsEdgeir’s thoughts on how to think about value propositions01:00 Introduction to Edgeir and Tibber 02:30 Why did you start?06:30 How energy can be optimised09:15 How Tibber plans customers’ access to information12:10 The power of simple value propositions 15:10 How important is it for a company to have clear, tangible, and ambitious goals20:10 Is there a tension between profit and sustainability? 25:05 The importance of having a crystal clear story28:10 Should you start with a less impact-driven company to ‘learn the trade’ before? 30:30 Reinventing an industry with massive legacy34:20 What’s up next for Tibber?

In some previous episodes, we have discussed the state of the European ecosystem and its future trajectory, everywhere from the projections of investors to what’s happening on the aisles of accelerators. In this episode, Philippe Botteri from Accel joins Isak and William to discuss the Accel 2021 Euroscape report, which outlines pretty much all you need to know about the state of the European cloud ecosystem. With Philippe we discussed data on the amount of public and private funding in Europe and Israel, the number of IPOs, as well as comparisons with similar US metrics, among others. The report also provides some takes on what Accel sees as accelerating future trends such as the rise of crypto and DeFi infrastructure, as well as AI’s impact on the complexity of use cases. Are Europe and Israel “on their way to global domination”, as the report puts it?Link to the Accel 2021 Euroscape: https://www.accel.com/noteworthy/2021-accel-euroscape-on-the-path-to-global-dominance00:50 Introduction to Philippe Botteri and Accel08:00 What is happening with cloud and SaaS12:30 Why include Israel: part of same ecosystem 13:10 A look back to 201620:10 Is Israel making Europe look better? 23:20 Why is Israel a unicorn factory? 25:50 What’s different about this batch of founders?27:50 “The world of cloud is flat”29:50 Future trends for SaaS

No trace of darkness in this episode, where we talked to Emily Orton, Co-founder & CMO at the cybersecurity success-story Darktrace. Emily has been on board from the beginning, and shared some of her main learnings from the founding days to their recent IPO. In this fast-paced discussion, Emily and William discuss Darktrace’s early days in terms of customer acquisition and brand building, hiring and training people to become future leaders, scaling yourself as a founder in a rapidly growing and international company and the floatation of Darktrace on the London Stock Exchange. Expect to learn: How Darktrace approaches hiring and why you don’t necessarily need a business degree to do businessHow Darktrace approached acquiring the first customers and building the brand and story behind the companyHow we can foster more research-driven innovation in EuropeHow Darktrace approached expansionEmily’s thoughts on Darktrace’s recent IPO00:40 Introduction to Emily and Darktrace07:06 Transition from tech to building a brand11:54 How to create that initial momentum17:20 What to focus on when hiring22:55 Scaling yourself as a founder 25:57 Fostering more research-driven companies in Europe29:42 Global expansion33:52 Darktrace’s IPO process

Roxanne Varza not only has one of the most cinematic names of anyone we’ve talked to, but it also carries a boatload of weight in the European startup ecosystem. She is the Director of Station F, the biggest startup campus in the world, located in Paris (France, not Texas). Roxanne has played a central role in building one of the most vibrant startup communities ever, helping founders give their startups a boost. But what is the exact function of such communities? How can they ‘teach’ entrepreneurship and facilitate its broader adoption? In this episode, we will talk about the difference between the American and European ecosystems, how to get more people into entrepreneurship, and Station F’s role in all of this. Expect to learn:- Can you teach entrepreneurship? How? - What is the benefit of centralized hubs for entrepreneurs?- What is the biggest difference in mindset between the American and European ecosystem according to Roxanne?- How does Roxanne define success for Station F?Check Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: soaked@slush.org01:27 Intro to Roxanne02:55 Biggest difference between French and American entrepreneurs05:28 What could the European ecosystem still learn from the American?07:06 Talking about money in Europe vs America09:27 Intro to Station F12:02 Can you teach entrepreneurship?13:50 What’s the benefit of joining a centralized community?15:17 What does Station F look like?17:19 Why should one not join Station F or a similar community?18:38 How do you attract different kinds of people to entrepreneurship? 20:47 How do you start teaching someone entrepreneurship?22:58 What kind of fundamentals does a company need to have in place for entering Station F?25:48 Station F as a litmus test for the startup community28:45 What is Station F’s purpose?30:23 Surprising characteristics of successful entrepreneurs33:16 Roxanne’s experience as an angel investorFind out more about Capchase on capchase.com/slush

In this episode of the Soaked by Slush podcast, we had the opportunity to host Nicole Quinn, Partner at Lightspeed Ventures. As an investor, Nicole is a master at working with founders, brands, and end-customers. Her impressive background in both investing and entrepreneurship has garnered her a wealth of experience and knowledge – especially when it comes to consumer brands. Nicole’s unique style of working with founders certainly makes her ideas worth a(n intriguing) listen. Expect to learn:Do founders need to have a “run through walls”-attitude?How VCs should support their portfolio’s founders and the problem with the "founder hero"-mythWhy Nicole doesn’t want to invest only in the “bubble of Silicon Valley”Why is speaking to customers central to investors as well?Why companies should focus on niche markets first 01:25 Introduction to Nicole05:55 Important things in successful founders09:00 The importance of the founding team’s obsession13:10 Talking to customers and apps on Nicole’s home screen.16:38 When founders believe they have product-market fit too early18:45 People don’t want to hear bad things about their companies19:33 Problem of founder ‘hero mindset’ – can grit get too toxic?23:14 Philosophy of relation-building with founders26:06 What do founders usually worry about too much?29:34 Starting niche first33:38 Would founders experience from first building something smaller before building something that scales 36:14 The importance of listeningFind out more about Capchase on capchase.com/slushCheck Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: soaked@slush.org

In this episode, Isak and William talked to two Northzone Partners, Pär-Jörgen Pärson and Wendy Xiao Schadeck. Northzone is an early-stage venture capital fund based in Stockholm and New York, with many impressive companies in their portfolio. Many of these are shaping the almost paradigmatic change that the internet, decentralized protocols, and entrepreneurship are facilitating in these times. Some refer to it as Web 3.0. Listen to this episode to find out what that is and what it means for us.Expect to learn:Why digital decentralization is powerful and will mold the future.What might we expect the next big disruptions to be?Why Wendy and PJ think Europe has definitely not lost the race vs. China and the US.What role will humans and institutions play in a digitally decentralized world?Timestamps:1:15 Intros5:05 Why now is the most exciting time for entrepreneurship8:35 E-commerce in Europe9:50 Web 3.015:25 Bitcoin and media narratives about cryptos21:25 Institutions vs. protocols, humans vs. algorithms28:20 Discussion on the 4th Industrial Revolution32:00 “The word finance shouldn’t even exist”39:50 Stakeholder ownership41:05 What is Europe’s role in this change?44:05 “Europe is not the underdog anymore.”

Europe is a wonderful place, I think we can agree on that. I could spend all day listing reasons why, but then again this is just an episode description. However, some people are claiming that the jury is in regarding the state of European tech. Europe lost the race. Pack your bags. Martin Mignot, Partner at Index Ventures, begs to differ. He has worked with many rising European companies like Revolut, Deliveroo, and BlaBlaCar, and sees a bright future for European innovation. Listen to this episode to find out exactly what Martin means, and why. Expect to learn:Why does Martin think Europe is a great place for Founders?What is happening in European tech in 2021 in terms of funding?Where are the European tech giants?How has the pandemic changed Martin’s future outlook regarding his work?Index Ventures' Destination USA podcast: https://www.indexventures.com/resources/destinationusa/podcast/01:05 Intro03:00 European tech landscape from funding pov, 2021 Q1&nbsp;05:10 Role of the pandemic07:45 Did Europe lose the battle for platform economies?11:00 Why doesn’t Europe have more giants yet?13:25 New Index Origins seed fund18:35 Discussion on current status quo21:05 Martin’s mental models and how the pandemic changed his outlook31:00 Is pop culture driving consumer finance?36:45 What Martin has learned after 10 years at Index42:30 Not Optional campaign and Index Ventures’ new podcast---Check Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: <a href="mailto:soaked@slush.org" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

“Purpose” and “impact” are not new concepts anymore; millennials have been growing up with and spreading them around for many years now. They might still seem abstract to many people. Until you meet Hanno Renner, Co-Founder and CEO of Personio, to whom the idea of purpose defines the way a business should be run. In this episode, Isak and Oona talk to Hanno about what purpose actually means in practice; for Personio, their employees and investors, and Hanno himself.Expect to learn:What does purpose mean in practice for Hanno?Why does Hanno compensate his employees with stock ownership?Does Hanno see a tension between business and purpose, and how does he deal with it?What is Hanno’s approach to dealing with investors?00:43 Introduction to Hanno and Personio02:00 What is purpose-driven entrepreneurship?05:28 What does purpose mean on a practical level?&nbsp;07:24&nbsp;How important is it drawing those big lines early on?09:34 The formal vs. informal of purpose13:05 Balance of clear values vs. inclusivity15:15 “Scaling purpose”20:30 How early should Founders start thinking about purpose?22:30 Struggles with the practical aspects of purpose24:54 Millenials as employees: is purpose enough?&nbsp;28:18 Hannos’ Employee Stock Ownership Plan31:25 Investors’ reactions to ESOP32:45 Investor influence in and attitude towards purpose-driven entrepreneurship34:55 What could investors do better to enable sustainability and purpose?&nbsp;36:43 More on Hanno’s thoughts about investor relations&nbsp;

Sofia Nunes is the Co-Founder and Head of Culture at Mambu, which is a combination that isn’t often seen. In fact, some would question whether or not culture is something a Founding team should even be thinking about. Sofia Nunes and Mambu, on the other hand, have put culture in the centre right from the start. In this episode, she shares her insights into why that is, what she thinks company culture is, and how it should be scaled up when your company scales up.Expect to learn:Why should culture be thought about right from the start?How to manage culture when scaling up a company?How to manage culture in a remote-work era? What is the role of serendipity?Can company culture become too suffocating or cultish?Timestamps:&nbsp;00:30 Intro&nbsp;01:05 How did Sofia become co-founder and Head of Culture?02:50 How does Sofia define culture?03:43 Culture at Mambu05:20 How much of culture happens organically?09:23 How do you scale culture?12:45 What is it like for a new Mambuvian to come into the team?15:00 How to maintain a genuine grassroots perspective of culture?18:33 Serendipity and culture22:43 Changes in culture introduced by the pandemic25:57 How does Mambu measure engagement and employee satisfaction?31:55 Can culture become too suffocating?36:19 How to deal with brilliant jerks39:34 Clashes between business goals and culture?

Let’s talk about growth. Or, I mean, we did already. With Nick Dahl, Spotify’s Growth Strategy Lead and Truecaller’s ex Head of Growth. Nick is an excellent example of how to think about startup growth in a modern and analytical way. In this episode, he gives great insights and frameworks on how to approach growth and make it work for you. We delve into both Nick’s personal stories from Spotify and Truecaller, as well as his insights into how to think about growing your own company, at different points in the company life-cycle.
Expect to learn:How to approach growth across different stages of the company life cycleWhat is growth hacking and how do you growth hack?How to approach growth in a systematic way and how Nick has done that at Truecaller and Spotify.&nbsp;How involved should a Founder/CEO be in growth, and should it ever leave the founder’s table?

00:20 Intro of Nick1:30 Defining Growth04:00 How engaged should a CEO be in growth?05:00 What are the day-to-day responsibilities or a Head of Growth?07:20 Approaches to growth for early stage startups09:10 Growth hacking – what is it actually?13:35 Being systematic with growth16:45 How do growth strategies change along the way?&nbsp;&nbsp;19:15 How is growth affected by funding rounds?21:10 Differences in growth in B2C, B2B, platform etc.22:40 How Nick approached growth at Truecaller and Spotify?&nbsp;28:00 How was the growth team built at Truecaller and Spotify?32:10 Is there a difference in Customer acquisition cost in developing markets vs Nordic countries or the US?33:10 What other hires need to be done before the Head of Growth?35:18 Should growth never truly leave the Founder’s table?36:38 “John Schoolcraft’s – ‘you don’t need data or a marketing team – just try things.’”38:58 Role of creativity in growth?40:00 Good resources to learn about growth&nbsp;Have a listen, subscribe, rate, hate – whatever you feel like, mate. New episodes with the most interesting people in the world, every Thursday.---Check Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website:<a...

When Founders build a product, they are quite literally creating a new thing in the world. Part of that creative process is – as strange as it may sound – defining what the product actually&nbsp;is. What does it do? Who is it for? What can it be used for? How should it be thought about? This process is often called product positioning, and there are only a few voices in the world who talk about it as astutely and interestingly as April Dunford. In this episode, we delve into the dos and don’ts of product positioning, and how Founders can learn to think about it at the right time, namely, right now. Expect to learn:What are the most important questions to ask yourself when positioning your product?What examples are there of successful product positioning?What is product positioning not? How does it differ from branding?How should Founders think about their competition? What are “ghost” competitors?How do you identify the need for repositioning?00:25: Introduction01:20 How did April get into product positioning?03:55 What is April’s product positioning methodology?08:15 What are “ghost competitors"?11:55 The importance of identifying competitors’ positioning14:15 Why product positioning is important16:15 Branding vs. product positioning19:56 First steps in product positioning22:40 Arm and Hammer baking soda example25:17 Differences in product positioning in B2C and B2B29:19 Pitfalls in product positioning33:25 Who owns product positioning in a company?37:20 How should an early-stage startup identify the need to reposition their product?40:25 Final tipsHave a listen, subscribe, rate, hate – whatever you feel like, mate. New episodes with the most interesting people in the world, every Thursday!

The pandemic has arguably accelerated the onset of many future trends, not least for the rise of remote work and daily human interaction through live streams and video conferencing. Phil Libin, the creator of Evernote, has founded a new company called mmhmm (pronounced “mmhmm”), which aspires to add a fresh layer of fun on top of the usefulness of video calls, or what he refers to as “fuseful.” Phil Libin believes that the real world will increasingly fuse with the digital, and both will have to adapt accordingly. If this is the case, Phil sees no reason not to make our new digital existence more enjoyable than what it might be replacing, or at least providing an alternative to. What do you think?Expect to learn:What does Phil mean when he says ‘real life’ can be improved through digital life?How does Phil think about how the interaction between digital products should be designed?Why “Move Fast and Break Things” is not a good philosophy in Phil’s opinionWhat is the future of our work life and employment, and how should Founders plan ahead?1:00 Introduction&nbsp;3:00 More on mmhmm5:00 Phil’s philosophy of “fusefulness”6:35 What is IRL+?7:50 What’s better in the virtual in contrast to IRL?12:00 How to design interactions into digital products14:45 What makes for good quality in online products?18.15 Comparing mmhmm to Evernote22:10 How has Phil’s entrepreneurial process changed with age and experience?25:00 The importance of taking care of yourself27:?? Why “move fast and break things” is a bad mindset27:45 Cheat codes for building great products30:20 The future – should Founders lean into hybrid mode?&nbsp;34:30 Standards of recruitment and employment in the future, including remote workHave a listen, subscribe, rate, hate – whatever you feel like, mate. New episodes with the most interesting people in the world, every Thursday!---Check Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slush.org%2Fsoaked%2F&amp;redir_token=QUFFLUhqbG9zTkNIVHV2RE9OamhtVXZYak5FOWhMX00xZ3xBQ3Jtc0tsVXdRS3VGVzNRcGNZTDQ0a0pqakFkdFFKZkd6NjBoV2R6bGtia3IxZVJzSEd5UmQ5VktrcGVCQkVFNjRFWDdmVFVRQmRqTVRKTGdCclM2dkxHVm1rZE9UakR5amJMSnl6RkpVODg1UE1TM1lUVW1xUQ%3D%3D&amp;event=video_description&amp;v=WTaoLFVk880"...

Sophia Bendz was there when Spotify was taking its first adolescent steps, and left when it had amassed an over 9-digit global user base. Like many other companies of the same size, Spotify is more than the sum of its parts. It’s a brand and an idea that lives in public consciousness. Sophia was the person behind the heart and voice of those ideas, and she joined the Soaked by Slush podcast to share her insights into everything from nuts and bolts marketing strategy to understanding the deeper spirit of your company.Expect to learn:How did Sophia mold Spotify’s story?What is the importance of consistency in branding?How much of branding is skill vs. artistry?How did Spotify grow so immensely?How to manage your early stage marketing dollars as a Founder0:30 Who is Sophia Bendz?3:00 How important is marketing and storytelling in the early stages?6:29 Importance of branding in both B2C and B2B, importance of consistency10:54 Quintessential early stage marketing skills13:13 We start talking about Spotify16:30 Making and managing your first marketing hire and spending your first marketing money21:17 The first years marketing of Spotify28:30 What separates the good from the great in consumer brands? Are brands defined in hindsight?32:40 Is there an intangible mojo in branding that cannot be understood intellectually?34:10 How has Sophia adapted her skills to her new job as an investor?Have a listen, subscribe, rate, hate – whatever you feel like, mate. New episodes with the most interesting people in the world, every Thursday!---Check Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website:<a...

In this episode, we are talking to Avi Meir, CEO of TravelPerk. Based in Barcelona, TravelPerk was the fastest growing SaaS start up in Europe in 2019. Then the pandemic hit us globally, and Avi only had a couple of weeks to reassess his company’s situation. Or as Ben Horowitz refers to it, Avi had to transform from a peacetime CEO to a wartime CEO. In this episode, Avi shares his insight into and experiences from the past year, and how he managed to keep his ship afloat and thrive.Expect to learn:How did Avi and TravelPerk adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic?&nbsp;What does being a peacetime and wartime CEO entail, and how does Avi think about the distinction?What did Avi do to avoid laying off his employees, in a time where it would’ve made sense financially?What is Avi’s strategic and managerial mindset in times of crisis?Peacetime / Wartime CEO article by Ben Horowitz: https://a16z.com/2011/04/14/peacetime-ceowartime-ceo-2/2:00 Distinction between peacetime / wartime CEO4:30 Decision making in uncertainty12:05 Wartime CEO decision making contrasted with decision making in actual war16:29 Funding in times of a crisis21:33 How do you save on costs and extend your runway?24:15&nbsp; Ensuring morale and staying true to culture in times of crisis32:06 External and internal communication and jargon in wartime33:51 Strategic thinking in times of crisis36:52 What would Avi change about last year if he could?Have a listen, subscribe, rate, hate – whatever you feel like, mate. New episodes with the most interesting people in the world, every Thursday!---Check Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website:<a...

Hi dear humans, long time no podcast. The Soaked by Slush-podcast has returned 🤩🚀 In our first episode of the new season we talk to John Lindfors, Managing Partner at DST Global. There are not many Finns, if any, who have as unique an insight into both the global and Asian economies as John does. Having been an investor in many global giants such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Airbnb, Spotify, Alibaba, Slack (you get the gist), as well as having worked with the massive tech sector in China, John’s expertise and knowledge is second to none. In this episode, we discuss global macro-trends and opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors and everything from China’s rise to the future of tech.Expect to learn:What are the next big tech trends for the 2020’s according to John? How did John’s predictions from 2012-2013 play out?Will the Big Five companies be reshuffled in the coming years, or has the network effect handicapped market competition?How has China’s economy changed and grown in the last decade?What is the future of platform economies?Is the COVID-19 pandemic a decade-definer, or is it too early to tell yet?Episodes also available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCESKqOrSvsY6J2rEUCrHu6wCheck Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslushSoaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: soaked@slush.org

Yep, this one has to do with Bitcoin. Pavel Matveev is the Founder and CEO of Wirex, a London-based global cryptocurrency payment platform, that is also the largest of its kind. In 2020, they launched a wait-list for a multicurrency (crypto and fiat currency) card with support from Mastercard, marking a big step in the evolution of cryptocurrencies from the margins to the mainstream. Pavel Matveev has been around to witness the evolution, as well as to navigate in and contribute to the field as an entrepreneur. In this episode, we got to pick his brain.Expect to learn:- Pavel’s insights into being a first mover in a field with no competition- How to deal with the skepticism of founding a company that deals with cryptocurrencies- How did Wirex spread to over 100 countries in only a few years- What was Pavel’s approach to building and maintaining the company culture while growing up to 200 employees.Have a listen, subscribe, rate, hate – whatever you feel like, mate. New episodes with the most interesting people in the world, every Thursday!---Episodes also available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCESKqOrSvsY6J2rEUCrHu6wCheck Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: soaked@slush.org

If you can, go grab a notebook or open up a notes-app. You might not need to use it, but you might want to. In this episode, we had the honor of getting to pick the brain of a product-market fit master, the Founder and CEO of Superhuman, Rahul Vohra. Superhuman has reimagined the way in which we experience and use email by applying many of the principles that Rahul explained to us. This episode is jam packed with knowledge for fresh and seasoned entrepreneurs, especially but not limited to the SaaS field.&nbsp;Expect to learn:Why Rahul thinks traditional launches are a bad ideaRahul’s take on the “fail fast”-mantraWhat are Rahul’s famous takeaways on product-market fitWhat product designers can learn from game designWhy user experience is also about programming challenges, and not only ease of useUse the code SLUSH in the "Where did you hear about us?" section of the sign up process for Superhuman, in order to be bumped to the front of their waiting list of 365 000+ people.Sign up for Superhuman here: https://superhuman.com/Rahul Vohra’s product-market fit engine: https://firstround.com/review/how-superhuman-built-an-engine-to-find-product-market-fit/ Rahul on how to move beyond gamification: https://youtu.be/zaxAdRlyZQ8Have a listen, subscribe, rate, hate – whatever you feel like, mate. New episodes with the most interesting people in the world, every Thursday!---Episodes also available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCESKqOrSvsY6J2rEUCrHu6wCheck Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: soaked@slush.org

The internet would not be the same without Wikipedia. In this episode, we had the honor of hosting its Founder, Jimmy Wales. Even in the modern age of the internet, Wikipedia still remains among the 15 largest web sites, whilst still holding on to its&nbsp;philosophy from the early days. It stands apart because of its unique business model compared to the other, more modern tech giants.&nbsp;Where did Wikipedia come from and how was it built? How has it been able to become what we all know it for today, without selling ads or building addictive algorithms? What does Jimmy think about the internet in 2020?Expect to learn:What Jimmy’s views on building a tech company today are and how he sees the future of WikipediaIf Jimmy regrets not monetising WikipediaWhat Jimmy would do if he founded Wikipedia todayIf Jimmy still edits articles on Wikipedia himselfWhat Jimmy thinks about modern day social media and how is he trying to solve the problem by building one himselfWhat Jimmy does on Zoom every Sunday---This episode is sponsored by Hannes SnellmanIs there a common denominator behind Smartly.io’s sale of a majority stake to Providence Equity Partners, SoftBank’s acquisition and sale of its stakes in Supercell, and Telia’s investment in Spotify? Yes, there is, and it is called Hannes Snellman, a Nordic law firm proud to carry the responsibility entrusted to it by these and other clients in pivotal tech-driven transactions. Regardless of the size of a project, Hannes Snellman’s dedication and world-class combination of skills and experience remain the same. The firm advises leading and aspiring international and local corporations and investors across all business sectors. Hannes Snellman has the expertise and capacity to handle any demanding local or cross-border matters in which assets are being developed, protected, financed, acquired or under dispute.Check out Hannes Snellman at: https://www.hannessnellman.com/ ---Have a listen, subscribe, rate, hate – whatever you feel like, mate. New episodes with the most interesting people in the world, every Thursday!Episodes also available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCESKqOrSvsY6J2rEUCrHu6wCheck Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: soaked@slush.org

Why do some founders succeed again and again? Jessica Rolph co-founded and successfully sold Happy Family to Danone. Now, in just three years, her new company, Lovevery, is growing twice as fast as Happy Family. In this heart to heart episode Jessica shares her views on everything from entrepreneurship to leadership, raising capital and managing her work-life balance.&nbsp;Expect to learn:&nbsp;How Lovevery has managed to go from zero to tens of millions in revenue and exponential growth in just a few years.How much Jessica’s serial entrepreneur background has helped her with Lovevery?Jessica’s views on raising capitalHow Jessica views entrepreneurial leadership and what her leadership style isHow Jessica views perfection and combining entrepreneurship with family life&nbsp;How much Jessica’s MBA helped her as a founderHave a listen, subscribe, rate, hate – whatever you feel like, mate. New episodes with the most interesting people in the world, every Thursday!Episodes also available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCESKqOrSvsY6J2rEUCrHu6wCheck Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: soaked@slush.org

If you live in a major city, chances are you’ve seen an electric scooter standing around or being driven. Chances are you might’ve tried one yourself. Chances are you have seen a post on social media about them, and chances are that you have an opinion about them yourself. But where did they come from, and how? This episode tells one e-scooter company’s story, namely Tier’s. Our guest is Tier’s Founder, Lawrence Leuschner, an entrepreneurial veteran behind the European e-scooter market leader.Expect to learn:How does Lawrence deal with local regulators with a product that is so visible in the cityscapeHow does Lawrence deal with negative customer feedbackHow has Tier succeeded in such immense growth in such a short period of timeWhat is Tier’s key to success in a highly competitive and dynamic marketEpisodes also available on Youtube: https://youtu.be/vHLSkCxU7lQ---Check Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: soaked@slush.org---

Most of us like new stuff better than used stuff, but not all new stuff is good for the planet. Sami is a guy who, with his team, figured out how to make used stuff into really good stuff. Refurbished stuff, as he calls it. Well, he might prefer to say refurbished iPhones, specifically.Sami is the Co-Founder and CEO of Swappie, an exponentially growing Finnish startup selling, you remember it, refurbished iPhones. Want to learn more about how to build a product and service that satisfies customers and makes the economy one step more circular? Sami knows a thing or two about that.Expect to learn:• How Swappie approaches internationalization• What is Swappie’s philosophy when it comes to VC money and external funding• How Swappie has integrated a customer-centric approach to every step of their business model---This episode is sponsored by Business Finland and this time we’re promoting two things we really love: Finland and entrepreneurship.Business Finland has a very interesting service called Start-up kit which is aimed at helping entrepreneurs interested in Finland with all the nitty-gritty stuff such as permits, moving to Finland and establishing a company.Finland can offer this and so much more. For anyone interested in Finland, check out: https://www.businessfinland.com/startupkit---Episodes are also available on Youtube: https://youtu.be/aUCe1xyuO4kHave a listen, subscribe, rate, hate – whatever you feel like, mate. New episodes with the most interesting people in the world, every Thursday!Check Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: soaked@slush.org---

Some things just work like they’re supposed to, and for a moment the world feels flawless. Sometimes it’s the universe handing you a full house out of nowhere because it was your turn, but often it’s because someone carefully designed the thing you are using with diligence, precision and integrity. For many of you, Google Drive might be one of those many things, and Jonathan Rochelle is the man behind it. In this episode, we will hear about Jonathan’s principles on product design and quality - how do you let your creativity and the customer’s needs sit behind the steering wheel, while your ego takes the backseat?Expect to learn:How data and metrics can be used to understand what customers actually needWhy simplicity is key in Jonathan’s philosophyWhat tips Jonathan has for non-technical people interested in technical entrepreneurshipWhat young people can learn from Jonathan’s son when it comes to learning and educationHow to build inclusive productsJonathan on social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrochelleLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanrochelle/---This episode is sponsored by Avance AttorneysThe Avance story on the Finnish legal market is completely unique. Since launch in October 2011, the firm has grown from a start-up to a leading law firm of around 50 legal professionals advising clients in their most challenging corporate transactions, disputes and projects.Avance’s Technology and Venture Capital teams have broad experience in supporting the success of clients, looking both into and out of Finland, and ranging from emerging startups to leading global players in sectors as varied as healthtech, cleantech, quantum computing, gaming, fintech, blockchain and the paper industry.&nbsp;Learn more at www.avance.com---Episodes also available on Youtube: https://youtu.be/zwW-D9t0SuEHave a listen, subscribe, rate, hate – whatever you feel like, mate. New episodes with the most interesting people in the world, every Thursday!---Check Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: soaked@slush.org---

There’s no such thing as a free brunch. That’s the saying, right? For some founders, the worry and uncertainty over the cost of a loss in autonomy after a VC deal makes the option seem less attractive. What should founders know about the nature of venture capital and its overall business model, in order to clarify some of the open ends about what the VC lunch is all about? Oh, we’re actually pretty sure it’s “lunch”.Jyri Engeström is a Finnish Silicon Valley sage, who co-founded Yes VC with his partner Caterina Fake. Jyri’s mind and knowledge bank is unique, so have a listen and learn how Jyri sees the role and duty of Yes VC and venture capital in general – both to themselves, the investees, and the business ecosystem at large.Expect to learn:• How the business model of Yes VC/venture capitalists in general works and why your company need to be able to return the whole fund.• What founders should expect when getting involved with venture capital.• What kind of trade-offs and benefits venture capital have.• Why Jyri sees taking VC-money as a failure of sorts.(Jyri's deck) "What You Should Know About Early-Stage Venture Capital" : https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1LJ6U4BFULkMXFA5GMJcK_sK7I2h2Sq-RNIZN98w_TFk/edit?usp=sharing ---What’s the next big thing?VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland wants to tackle global challenges and turn them into opportunities for sustainable growth - do you share the same passion?VTT develops cutting-edge innovations and offers a true deep tech wonderland for investors. VTT is also able to co-invest its valuable IPR to growth companies.Learn more about the innovations and people behind them at: https://www.vttresearch.com---Episodes also available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCESKqOrSvsY6J2rEUCrHu6wHave a listen, subscribe, rate, hate – whatever you feel like, mate. New episodes with the most interesting people in the world, every Thursday!---Check out Jyri &amp; Yes Vc at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/jyriFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jyri.engestromInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jyriengestromYes VC Website: https://yes.vc/---Check Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: soaked@slush.org

Katelin Holloway is one of the sharpest 21st century voices on people and culture in the business world. In this podcast, she shares her insights on the subject, based on her experience at companies such as Pixar and Reddit, to illustrate how fundamental culture is for companies.&nbsp;Culture is not easy to define. For someone it might’ve meant eating fresh grapes on the steps of the hanging gardens of Babylon, while pondering the Epic of Gilgamesh with your fellow Akkadians. For someone else it might mean choosing what snacks to bring to the next game night. For many companies, it’s about finding the “how” for their existence and work. Sounds easier said than done? It is.&nbsp;Expect to learn:• How Katelin defines culture at the moment&nbsp;• Why the “why” of culture is something that companies shouldn’t involve themselves too much in• What a lack of culture looks like in a company• When you would start caring about culture• If remote word is here to stay---Episodes also available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCESKqOrSvsY6J2rEUCrHu6wCheck Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: soaked@slush.org---

In the very first Soaked by Slush conversation, our guest is the Global Creative Director of Oatly, John Schoolcraft. Oatly has gone a long, long way from being an obscure Swedish oat milk start-up to becoming one of the global leaders in sustainable business. Along the way, Oatly has been wrestling with the trials and tribulations of becoming mainstream and working inside the system it has sought to make a change in. One example of this is their recent, highly publicized deal with Blackstone. This episode is a conversation about Oatly’s story, as well as the dilemmas of making an impact in the world while staying true to your roots while growing up.Expect to learn:• How Oatly has found and cultivated the unique voice of its brand• John’s advice to entrepreneurs trying to find their own brand’s voice• How Oatly approaches a decision, such as the recent Blackstone deal, in which one has to make a compromise between (at least ostensibly) clashing values and targets• How a company should deal with backlashes and strong public reactions in the time of social media and lightning-fast trendingHave a listen, subscribe, rate, hate – whatever you feel like, mate. New episodes with the most interesting people in the world, every Thursday!---Episodes also available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCESKqOrSvsY6J2rEUCrHu6wCheck us out on Social Media!Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked Website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush Website: https://www.slush.orgContact us: soaked@slush.org