Startup Syndrome

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Startup Syndrome is a podcast where you get an unfiltered view of Stockholm's vibrant startup scene, known as one of the greatest in the world. Hosted by Julia Delin and Andreas Johansson.

SSE Business Lab


    • May 23, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 35m AVG DURATION
    • 53 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Startup Syndrome

    53. Knowing when to quit

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2024 41:14


    It's the last episode of Startup Syndrome (for now, at least). Julia and Andreas have been going back and forth on whether to continue recording each week, but have decided to quit for now. They end up speaking about how to know it's time to leave your startup or give up on it and try something else, and how to time-box a startup journey to make sure you quit while you're ahead. We want to hear from you. Do you have any input on what future episodes should be about? How often you want to hear from us? Let us know! Email julia.delin@hhs.se or andreas.johansson@hhs.se. Alumni company of the week: Klarna Other resources mentioned: The Time-Boxed Startup: https://www.workingtheorys.com/p/time-boxed-startup Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Carl Andersson Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    52. The ex(c)iting world of exits

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2024 33:43


    Julia has been speaking with a few companies recently where the founders are in exit talks, and Andreas has been looking into different types of exits and haw to strategize as a founder. They end up speaking about why some exits are more common than others, examples of exits they've seen first hand, and why some exits are not the ones generating headlines in the media. Alumni company of the week: Budbee Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    51. We got your backs with these growth hacks

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2024 33:24


    Andreas has been thinking about the different growth hacks he's seen throughout the years from both SSE Business Lab companies but also other well-known startups, and Julia has been wondering if these growth hacks can be split into different categories. They end up speaking about which growth hacks they've seen work in practice, some examples of companies who've implemented these hacks, and why they think these specific hacks worked so well. Alumni company of the week: Intraction Studio Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    50. Product-Market-Model-Channel Fit bit by bit

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2024 30:40


    Andreas and Julia has been listening in on the Activate workshops recently and were inspired by the Go-to-market workshop by Rasmus Savander to talk about the Product-Market-Model-Channel fit. They end up speaking about different ways you can make sure you have coherence across these different parameters and how the fit between them can drive your business in the right direction. Resources mentioned: An image of the model and some background https://brianbalfour.com/essays/product-channel-fit-for-growth Alumni company of the week: Napper Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Produced by MTW Studios Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    49. Steering the Leadership in the right direction

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2024 44:06


    Andreas has recently been through the recruiting process of new colleagues to SSE Business Lab and Julia reminisces about her time recruiting and managing Andreas (phew!). They end up speaking about what to look for when recruiting people to a very small team, how you learn to become a great leader, and how to manage people in the fast-paced environment a startup is. Alumni company of the week: Ledarskapsjouren Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Carl Andersson Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    48. The recipe for cooking up startup success

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2024 32:12


    Andreas has previously gotten the request to talk about the success stories they've seen at SSE Business Lab, and Julia has recently gotten a similar request - but to talk about the failures. They end up choosing the former topic to be a bit more positive, and speak about some of the more successful companies the've seen during their time, discussing what those teams did well. Alumni company of the week: Inex One Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    47. Diving into diversity - Differences & similarities in co-founders

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2024 42:26


    Julia has been thinking back on a course she took about the pros and cons of diversity in teams, and Andreas recently hosted a workshop about what aspects are important for co-founders to discuss and align on in early startups. They end up speaking about SSE Business Lab's diversity criteria, why they care about diversity and why startup founders should, as well as how many of the discussions about diversity could benefit from some nuance. Alumni company of the week: The Ode To Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    46. Say hi to the SHA (Shareholders' Agreement)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2024 33:44


    Andreas has been getting a lot of questions about Shareholders' Agreements lately, and Julia has been looking into the fine print of the Startup Tools' Shareholders' Agreement template. They end up speaking about the different clauses that are good to be aware of in the SHA, why cliff and vesting is so important, and what changes they would like to see in the Startup Tools' template. Alumni company of the week: OMIT Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    45. Every single way a startup can fail

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2024 46:10


    Andreas has been thinking about all of the different ways he's seen startups fail, and Julia has finally read about the “Onion Theory of Risk” which Andreas has been nagging about. They end up speaking about the different risk factors contributing to startup failure, examples of startups they've seen falling prey to these risks, and what you can do to mitigate them. Alumni company of the week: Charlie Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    44. Billing before building

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2024 37:02


    Julia has been thinking about how to sell before you build after hearing Harald Mix's comment at Breakit Funding Day where he spoke about how they built Northvolt and H2 Green Steel, and Andreas has dug deeper into when it does NOT work. They end up speaking about how much you need to build before you start selling, what you should never focus on before you start selling and when “sell before you build” doesn't really apply. Alumni company of the week: Fleetm8 Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    43. The B2B SaaS Masterclass

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2024 32:30


    Julia has been looking into the history of the term SaaS, and Andreas has been deep diving into why VCs love SaaS businesses so much. They end up speaking about why repeatability, scalability and profitability are three major keys, what the rule of 40 is, and how your SaaS business can become a cash printing machine. Alumni company of the week: Quinyx Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    42. Couldn't Google build this?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2024 40:36


    Andreas has been reading up on the new Gemini Business by Google, and Julia loves to talk about startups competing out the big tech companies. They end up speaking about why startups have better odds to launch a new idea than the big tech companies do, what are some great examples of success stories, and what they did right. Of course, the also give founders the correct way to answer the question all investors seem to love; “Couldn't Google build this?”. Alumni company of the week: Froda Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    41. Behind the scenes of the MVPs of Ideate and Activate

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2024 40:45


    Julia goes back memory lane to when she started the Activate program, and Andreas tells the story of why och how he started Ideate. They end up speaking about how to MVP something like a startup program and how similar it is to getting early traction for your startup, sharing some behind-the-scenes stories of how scrappy the MVPs of the programs really were. Alumni company of the week: Spring Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    40. Sweat Equity makes us sweat

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2024 33:11


    Andreas has recently spoken to a company which early on did a sweat equity deal, and Julia ran into an alumni company who did the same. They end up speaking about why it is that they really don't like sweat equity deals, what can go wrong if you choose to do them, and why they think the most common arguments for sweat equity don't make that much sense. Alumni company of the week: Färsking Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    39. Fundraising 101 - One on one

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2024 41:25


    Julia has been chatting to multiple different founders about the basics of fundraising, and Andreas has been hearing more about how the US is influencing Sweden in fundraising. They end up speaking about when to start planning for your fundraise, how to design a fundraising process, and how to work the magic of psychology to close investors; it's all about social proof, FOMO, and momentum… Alumni company of the week: Tilly Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    38. Coaching on leveraging coaches

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2024 37:36


    Andreas has been mentored by an old acquaintance and Julia has been going through half a coaching program. Neither makes them equipped to give advice around mentors and coaches, yet here we are. They end up speaking about how to find a mentor or coach for yourself, how to leverage the person's experience and knowledge and why the SSE Business Lab coaching is structured the way it is. Alumni company of the week: Caterbee Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    37. Shooting for a North Star Metric

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2024 38:37


    Julia and Andreas have both been on an offsite with the team, going through the OKRs for the year, which reminded them of the most important metric to track as a startup; the North Star Metric. They end up speaking about what a North Star Metric really is, how to figure out what it should be for your startuo and end off with a quiz on which metric a few famous startups use. Alumni company of the week: Qasa Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    36. Applying best practices for how to apply to SSE Business Lab

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2024 47:35


    Julia has been listening to Startup School from Y Combinator and Andreas has been wrapping up as application deadlines for the programs approach - this Sunday (Jan 28, 2024). They end up speaking about how to apply to the SSE Business Lab programs, what to do right to increase the chances of being admitted and how to answer questions from the Board of Admissions at the pitch. This is an episode that gives you an unfair advantage of how to get into the Activate and Incubate programs at SSE Business Lab. Alumni company of the week: Tidings Other resources mentioned: How to apply to SSE Business Lab: https://ssebl.com/apply Pitch deck templates: Activate - https://[ssebl.com/deck-activate](http://ssebl.com/deck-activate) and Incubate - https://ssebl.com/deck-incubate Program info: Activate - https://ssebl.com/activate and Incubate - https://ssebl.com/incubate Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    35. Time to update your investor update?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2024 35:41


    Julia has been busy planning the annual LP dinner for SSE Ventures and Andreas has been figuring out if there's a perfect way to manage your investors. They end up speaking about how often investors actually want to hear from founders and in what format, as well as how you resolve conflicts with investors on your cap table for a smooth long-term collaboration. Company of the week: Geil Other resources mentioned: Managing Your Boss, HBR: https://hbr.org/2005/01/managing-your-boss The Investor Update Template https://medium.com/@juliadelin1/landing-your-first-investment-the-investor-update-email-df0f6618677f Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    34. OpenAI: The Times are tough

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2024 32:53


    Andreas has been reading the New York Times' lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, and Julia has been looking into similar legal disputes from the past. They end up speaking about whether OpenAI will have to shut down ChatGPT and start from scratch, what the implications of this case could be for AI development, and why the timing might be perfect for the “Spotify of AI” to emerge. Company of the week: Klimio Other resources mentioned: Thomas Eriksson's Linkedin post: [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/erikssonthomas_i-går-kom-nyheten-att-new-york-times-till-activity-7146117520255614976-v2gp](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/erikssonthomas_i-g%C3%A5r-kom-nyheten-att-new-york-times-till-activity-7146117520255614976-v2gp?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop) Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    33. First principles thinking in tech - from Aristotle to Ek

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2024 45:21


    Andreas has welcomed the new year as an opportunity to suddenly become a morning person, and Julia is also inspired ahead of 2024 after listening to a podcast with author Adam Alter. They end up speaking about first principles thinking as a way of solving difficult problems creatively, how it might be extra relevant during a time of year where many are looking for new challenges, and how it can be applied as an entrepreneur. Alumni company of the week: Ebie Other resources mentioned: Diary of a CEO with Adam Alter: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2dVHm9F530MKDFGwIshWZT?si=FhnOgEbrQpiy7MhhOgFcPw Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    32. One-round wonders, doomed to go under or new path for founders?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2023 41:40


    Andreas has just learned the term “one-round wonder”, a company that only raises capital once and then becomes profitable, and Julia has been thinking about what such a strategy means for the returns an investor can expect. They end up speaking about what is needed to become a one-round wonder, whether this makes sense for investors, and do a quiz trying to guess which well known companies only raised one round before becoming profitable. Company of the week: Bantaba Other resources mentioned: suno.ai Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    31. Ask a VC “Why should founders choose you?”

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2023 33:13


    Andreas has been annoying VCs by asking them why founders should choose them, and Julia has made a near-impossible quiz guessing the VC based on what they write about themselves. They end up speaking about why branding should matter for VCs, how to get dealflow as a VC investor, and which firms actually stand out from the crowd. Alumni company of the week: Dibz Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    30. A good foundation to leave your nation for internationalization

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2023 40:21


    Julia has a lot of learnings about the New York tech ecosystem from her 2.5 months in the city, and Andreas has been to Slush, with tons of insights from that and his previous week in Silicon Valley. They end up speaking about why Sweden is one of the strongest startup hubs in the world, how to leverage building in the early days in the Stockholm ecosystem, as well as when and how to later expand beyond the Swedish borders. Alumni company of the week: Swedish for Professionals Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Other resources mentioned: Avalara Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    29. Mind's set on growing the learning curve

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2023 31:08


    Andreas has discovered the flaws of his often-quoted favorite cognitive bias, and Julia has a take on the balancing between fixed and growth mindset. They end up speaking about mindset, and how it can be applied to entrepreneurship, as well as the importance of learning and share their stories on how they learn (which is not so different after all). Company of the week: Pocketklubben Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Produced by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    28. OpenAI - The board is not keeping us bored

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2023 43:26


    Julia has been onboarding new board members at SSE Ventures, and Andreas has been obsessed with the chaos at OpenAI and their unique governance. They end up speaking about exactly what has happened at OpenAI and why, what lessons startup founders can get about governance from the entire saga, and what they themselves appreciate from a board of directors. Company of the week: Scrive Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    27. Working out getting product-market fit

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2023 33:03


    Andreas just had a long discussion about product-market fit (PMF) with a founder the other day and Julia is upset that the concept is always explained so badly. They end up speaking about how to do things that don't scale to be able to do things that scale, what the early signs of product-market fit are, and the unit economics and metrics behind it, such as LTV, CAC, Churn, Retention, GRR, NRR and more. Company of the week: Relate Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    26. Bankruptcies and liquidations - WeWork it out

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2023 27:09


    Andreas is in New York on a visit and has been thinking about WeWorks recent bankruptcy, and Julia has been learning more about the different types of Chapter bankruptcies that exists both in the US and Sweden. They end up speaking about where WeWork went wrong but also what they got right, as well as what actually happens when a company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and why it doesn't always mean the company is shutting down. Company of the week: Places Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    25. Timing markets - Push the raise or fill the briefcase?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2023 39:26


    Julia is constantly thrown back to the profit vs. growth discussion in the VC industry and Andreas has been listening in on coaching at SSE Business Lab where coaches give different advice to different startups. How do you know which to focus on? Or can you do both? They end up speaking about raising a larger round vs. a smaller round in this market, why profitability is only important for VCs when it's a matter of life and death, and if valuations REALLY matter. Company of the week: Astrid Wild Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    24. Where did Almi money go?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2023 30:44


    Julia has been digging deep into the documents behind Almi Invest Stockholm losing the public procurement for their next fund, and Andreas has thought a lot about the consequences this might have on the Stockholm startup ecosystem. They end up speaking about how this affects founders fundraising, what implications this might have on the entire ecosystem and what they think Almi Invest Stockholm need to do to save themselves. Alumni company of the week: Circulate The prompt: https://ssebl.com/podcast-aiprompt Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    23. Sales which scales - Trust is a must

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2023 44:20


    Julia has been hearing the term “free cash flow” over and over again, and Andreas has been digging deep into different B2B sales motions. They end up speaking about different B2B sales strategies, how to run a sales meeting to make sure you get the sale and walk the talk by improvising how a sales meeting between a seller and a potential buyer might sound. Alumni company of the week: Ripe Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    22. Tapping into the well of wellbeing

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2023 35:32


    Andreas has been talking about SSE launching a center for wellbeing, welfare and happiness, and Julia believes the current market puts entrepreneurs at an even bigger risk of being mentally and physically exhausted. They end up speaking about the stigma of mental health in the startup sector, their own experiences struggling with mental health issues, and what entrepreneurs can do to mitigate and manage stress. Alumni company of the week: Lägereld Other resources mentioned: the Hugging Face Community Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    21. Option Programs: What are the options?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2023 39:23


    Julia has recently become an expert on Qualified Employee Stock Options and Andreas shares an old anecdote of why options brings back difficult memories for him. They end up speaking about the ins and outs of the new QESO program, why saying it's risk free isn't completely true, but also why options can be great for both employees and employers. Alumni company of the week: Kaspian Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    20. The startup climate for Climate tech

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2023 31:54


    Andreas is the in-house expert on everything sustainability-related at SSE Business Lab, and Julia has a newfound interest in biodiversity after attending Climate Week in New York. They end up speaking about why the greatest challenges within climate are also the greatest opportunities to build startups around, what the EU Taxonomy really is and how biodiversity can become the next big impact wave. Alumni company of the week: Water in Sight Resources mentioned: Third Derivative, Inflation Reduction Act, stockholmresiliencecenter.org, foraybio.com, heygen.com. Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    19. The terms of a term sheet

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2023 36:37


    Andreas just met with Cherry VC and talked about their term sheet, which is available on their website, and Julia has been digging into the nitty gritty of Pale Blue Dot's open term sheet guide. They end up explaining the most important terms in a term sheet, what you can expect, and what the market standard is. They also fight about whether liquidation preferences should be provided to investors and if founder vesting really should reset when a VC invests. Alumni company of week: Bubblare.se, founded by Oskar Kalmaru Resources mentioned: Cherry's term sheet: https://medium.com/cherryventures/term-sheet-unlocked-c73f28bd15f7Pale Blue Dot's term sheet: https://pbdvc.notion.site/The-Pale-blue-dot-term-sheet-guide-e5e9d27983b54a6a8cde23e7df463befJulia's column on liquidation preference shares: https://www.breakit.se/artikel/36657/dirty-term-sheets-forstor-ekosystemet-for-startupsWellstreet's blog post on dirty terms: https://wellstreet.se/story/navigating-the-risks-of-dirty-term-sheetsHosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    18. TechBBQ - The recipe for a well done meet

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2023 34:18


    Julia has been preparing for TechBBQ for weeks and Andreas has not been preparing at all. Still, they ended up having a lot of good stories to tell from the second biggest tech conference in the Nordics that was held on September 13-14. They end up speaking about how to make the most out of a tech conference like this, how to handle the content overload and why after parties with VCs always seem to get cringey. Alumni company of the week: Sustainergies Other resources mentioned: Sam Lessin on X: https://twitter.com/lessin/status/1668940929770864643 Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    17. Building a Minimum Lovable Product (MLP) with minimum effort

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2023 23:18


    Julia has received a suggestion to talk about how to quickly validate an idea, and Andreas is thrilled to do a full on deep-dive into minimum viable products. They end up speaking about when it makes sense for a minimal product to be viable vs lovable, and share anecdotes from when they were running their companies and launched MVPs. Alumni company of the week: Beachhallen Tropical AB Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    16. Selling Secondaries - Second time's the charm

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2023 22:46


    Julia recently met a founder who was leaving his startup and wondered whether he could sell his shares, and Andreas is excited to speak about a topic someone has requested. They end up speaking about selling secondaries, everything from how it works, who typically sells and buys and how the price is set, to what potential risks there are and why Sebastian Siemiatkowski might not be a fan of secondaries. Alumni company of the week: Stiksen Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    15. Pitch Perfect - Why you start with the why

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2023 24:54


    Both Julia and Andreas have been prepping the startups for the Demo Day that SSE Business Lab hosts today, which includes weeks of pitch training for some of the startups going on stage. They end up speaking about the magic of a 3-minute pitch, different techniques to start off your pitch with a crisp “why” and then they put their own advice to the test as they live-pitch some Chat-GPT-generated ideas. Alumni company of the week: Yollibox Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    14. Startup deja vu - and why these ideas don't see success

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2023 34:46


    Andreas and Julia have both been seeing many different ideas pass them by in their days at the SSE Business Lab. They reminisce about the different ideas that have popped up over and over again, which usually (unfortunately) never succeed. They end up speaking about the hurdles of building a P2P clothing rental service, a travel recommendation site, and an app to split the check - and why all of these ideas are great but most likely bound to fail. Alumni company of the week: Trion Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    13. The future of VC - Vicious Catastrophe or Value Creation?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2023 33:17


    Julia has been reading about how the economic downturn will affect the VC industry and Andreas has been wondering since 2019 when this shift was going to come. They end up revisiting Zero Interest Rate Police as an explanation of how we got here, and speak about how VCs will need to change to adapt to the new climate. Company of the week: Prion Other resources mentioned: a16z' AI glossary: https://a16z.com/ai-glossary/ Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    12. Getting to profit: Uber got the Memmo

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2023 35:26


    Julia was asked how it's possible that Uber made its first ever profitable quarter and Andreas has been reading tweets (or posts on X, as it's called these days) asking how Memmo could possibly be going into bankruptcy. They end up speaking about marketplaces and the dynamics of the old Venture Capital-financed startups, and why some (like Uber) have managed to turn it around as less capital is available in the market and why some (like Memmo) haven't been as lucky. Company of the week: Femme Natural Boost Other resources mentioned: iOS 17 launching in September. Sign up as a beta user (at your own risk) at [beta.apple.com](https://beta.apple.com/). Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    11. Boards, salaries and pivots - Founder Q&A

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2023 27:42


    Andreas has made of list of the most common questions that the team has been asked by the SSE Business Lab member startups recently and Julia is quizzed on pivots. They end up speaking about when to get your first board, how much a founder can pay themselves in salary, their favorite startup books and how to know it's time to pivot. Alumni company of the week: Washaway Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    10. Fundraising starts with fun

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2023 28:10


    Julia is excited about fundraising season starting soon and Andreas has a new rule for when the clock starts ticking for a startup, i.e. from what point in time you need to run fast if you want to impress an investor. They end up speaking about the rules of fundraising and why it's inspired by the Pitbull song Feel This Moment. They cover when you should start fundraising (which is much sooner than you think), who is the right investor for you (and how to approach them - hint: you don't always need an intro), and how to structure your first meetings with an investor (from pitch to what questions founders should ask investors). Company of the week: Macacos Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    9. Convertible notes: The NICE is the new WISE

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2023 24:52


    Julia has been signing a few of those so called convertible note agreements for the fund investments with SSE Ventures and Andreas has seen a few other versions of convertible notes fly by at the office. They end up speaking about when a convertible note is better to use than an equity round, what terms and benchmarks are for a pre-seed convertible and why the NICE (Neat Instrument for Convertible Equity) is the new WISE (Warrants for Investment in Startup Equity). Company of the week: Polytope Other resources mentioned: StartupTools Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    8. Will a broken cap table make you capsize?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2023 36:56


    Julia has seen a post circulating on Linkedin of examples of “uninvestable captables”. Andreas is curious if these cap tables really are as broken as they appear. They end up speaking about what to do if you end up with a broken cap table, what to do to mitigate it happening from the start — and if these examples of “broken cap table” really are that bad. The discussion includes what dead equity is, when option plans make sense, and benchmarks for vesting and cliffs. Company of the week: Tankeapoteket Other resources mentioned: Almi and Scribe as a tool for automating the creation of SOPs (standard operating processes). Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    7. AI deep dive

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2023 39:23


    Andreas has learned how AI models and neural networks actually work and Julia is all about how both individuals and startups could think about using AI. They end up speaking about how to categorize different types of AI companies, what use cases they've found for AI themselves, and why AI models have such a hard time generating human hands. Company of the week: Just Football / InchByInch Other resources mentioned: Museum of Failure, Microsoft for Startups Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    6. What is really a VC case?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2023 41:26


    Andreas has had a philosophical conversation about what kind of founder you have to be to start a VC-backable startup and Julia gives the investor's view on what it takes to build a VC case. They end up speaking about the characteristics of a VC case, what VCs want to see in a deck for a VC-backable startup, and what other alternatives to VC funding there are out there. Company of the week: Guestit Other resources mentioned: Almi, DBT Capital, Ark Kapital, Seedrs, @soren_ivarsen on Twitter. Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    5. Splitting equity & fun(d) facts

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2023 42:40


    Julia is nerdy about fund structures and Andreas have been in multiple meetings about founder's equity and how to split it when you get started. They end up speaking about when is a good time to file for registration of your company, how to discuss splitting equity among founders and fun facts about the SSE Ventures fund structure. Alumni company of the week: Madden Analytics Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    4. B2C & what happens when money is free?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2023 31:00


    Julia is curious about the state of B2C companies and Andreas has spent the week deep diving into the concept of ZIRP – zero interest rate policy. They end up speaking about how the interest rate affects VC firms and startups, especially in the B2C space, and which phenomena in society only became a thing because money was free. Alumni company of the week: Playpilot Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

    3. The investor meeting done right

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2023 36:21


    Andreas has just written an article about questions entrepreneurs receive in an investor meeting and Julia has been in admissions meetings all week. They end up speaking about how to pitch your market, competition and team to an investor and how to answer the tough questions investors are bound to ask you. Hosted by Julia Delin & Andreas Johansson Edited by Victor Ganguly Responsible publisher: Lars Strannegård

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