“In a technical organisation, getting towards excellence, salespeople are less important than technology people. And the reality of this is that if you don’t do sales on your own, I think that chances of being able to succeed are trending towards zero”

In this episode, we had a chat with Bogdan Iordache, General Partner at Underline Ventures. The company invests in seed-stage startups and in our conversation Bogdan shares his journey from technical founder to investor as well as his unique perspective on venture capital in Romania and the CEE region. Bogdan is also the founder of How To Web, one of the largest tech conferences in Central and Eastern Europe. The next edition is taking place on October 2nd and 3rd in Bucharest.

🔍 Episode highlights:

• 🏗️ The fundraising process as a solo GP and the strategies Bogdan used to attract different types of LPs.
• 📊 Exploring the differences between indexers and deterministic investing—and why one approach is better suited for the CEE region.
• 🚀 The importance of the opportunity discovery phase in startup development, and why it plays a crucial role in the early stages of growth.
• 🌍 The current state of the Romanian VC ecosystem and how it fits into the larger regional landscape.
• 🔎 Why regional reports might not always capture the full potential and nuances of the ecosystem.

Tune in to gain insider knowledge from Bogdan’s vast experience in the startup world, and get a glimpse of what’s happening in the rapidly evolving Romanian venture capital scene. Don’t miss out on this insightful conversation! 🎧

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“But we are still hungry. And while we will be hungry, I think this ecosystem will be flourishing.”

In this episode, we sat down with Andrius Milinavicius, General Partner at Baltic Sandbox Ventures, to uncover the secrets behind their success in supporting startups and raising funds in the competitive Baltic ecosystem. 🇱🇹

From helping founders through incubation and acceleration programs to creating investment opportunities, Baltic Sandbox Ventures is playing a pivotal role in the region’s innovation landscape. 🌍

🔍 Episode highlights:

• 🚀 How incubation and acceleration programs help Baltic Sandbox Ventures discover top startups.
• 🧠 An inside look at their evaluation process for deep tech and life science startups.
• ⏳ The importance of respecting the time needed for technology development.
• 💡 Why founders in the CEE often achieve more with less funding.
• 🇱🇹 The current landscape of venture capital in Lithuania.

Don’t miss out on this insightful conversation! Tune in now to gain invaluable knowledge from Andrius' vast experience, and learn why staying hungry is key to success. 🎧

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🎙️ Dive into the entrepreneurial journey with Maciej Zawadziński as he transitions from startup founder to VC investor in Poland's vibrant tech scene. Maciej is a founding partner of Hard2Beat, one of the newest VC fund in the Polish investing ecosystem. Before focusing on investing in startups and helping founders, Maciej was a serial founder and served as CEO of Piwik PRO. Hard2Beat focusses on early-stage startups operating mostly in the B2B and enterprise software sectors.

🔍 Discover how Maciej's unique insights can shape your startup strategy and investment understanding:

• 💼 Fundraising Success: Learn how Hard2Beat swiftly raised its initial fund and why the timing was so crucial for their success.
• 🤝 Strategic Partnerships: Understand Maciej’s criteria for selecting potential Limited Partners (LPs).
• 🚀 Supportive Ecosystem: Explore why Hard2Beat is encouraging their startups to raise non-dilutive funding.
• 🌟 VC vs. Angel: Delve into Maciej's decision to launch a VC fund over continuing as an angel investor.
• 🔄 Dual Perspective: Gain insights into how Maciej’s experiences on both sides of the table enhance his approach to evaluating startups and their founding teams.
• 🔔 Seeking Feedback: Discover why founders should always seek feedback, even after a rejection from investors.

📚 Maciej's Book Recommendation: Similarly to Diana from the last episode, Maciej recommends ‘Venture Deals’ by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson as it is full of insights for both VC investors and startup founders

🎥 Catch Maciej in Action: Watch Maciej in action in this reverse pitch video and see Hard2Beat's investment strategy firsthand: Watch Now.

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