Techtalk

This episode of Techtalk features Tamar Raz, CEO at Hadasit Medical Research Services & Development, the technology transfer company of Hadassah University Hospitals in Jerusalem, and a Technology Transfer Expert with nearly 20 years of experience leading business transactions and management in the biotech and life sciences sector. Tamar is also the Director of KAHR-medical Ltd. and she serves as the chairperson of Hadasit Bio Holdings, a public holding company allowing public participation in the promising field of biotechnology. This conversation covers Tamar's point of view about the technology transfer in Israel and her remarkable experience as an expert and entrepreneur who brings medical innovations from the laboratory to the market. Tamar starts with an historical overview of the technology transfer sector in Israel and continues by giving us precious insights about the technology transfer infrastructure, steps, phases and key departments. We discuss not only the basics of technology transfer, but also more advanced industry activities like the incubation or acceleration programmes, that can not exist without the infrastructure described before. IBM Alpha Zone - the first accelerator that IBM built in the world, located in Israel - is a great example. Moreover, Tamar shares lessons about how a technology transfer center like Hadasit can become financially sustainable and the importance of a flexible business model that means long-term investment and short-term activities that bring revenues. “We worked in Hadassah, in the last 4 or 5 years, to enlarge the innovation ecosystem of Hadassah. So, we want to bring companies to work with us not only based on our IP, but also based on their IP, on their ideas. Because we believe that connecting the physicians and professors of Hadasa to the industry and to the start-up companies, we create a cycle of innovation at Hadassah that will bring us more work and will bring us more revenues. But also we create better inventors that will think about the new ideas all the time”, Tamar explains. Tune in to find Tamar's favorite Hadasit success story and:

In this episode, meet Peter Cowley - serial entrepreneur and angel investor, board member of the Global Business Angel Network (GBAN) and President Emeritus of the European Business Angel Network (EBAN) - as he walks us through the lessons he learned while founding and running 14 businesses in technology, property and publishing, over the last 40+ years, and while building a portfolio of 76 angel investments over the last decade - 11 positive exits (one of which at 107X, paying back all invested cash), 14 failures, 51 still living. Peter explains his investment criteria (The Team and the CAC CLV Ratio, The Product and The Finances) and talks about the importance of trust and chemistry not only between investors, but also between investors and the investees. He also describes what a good relationship between founders looks like and points out the reasons why investors leave. In addition, Peter gives us his honest point of view about the advantages and disadvantages of university spin-outs, the implications of not having enough financial knowledge as an entrepreneur or about his energy and drive resources, that help him push his limits and do so many things in life. “I really enjoy learning. And particularly, I enjoy spending time with people of all sorts of age or younger. The Millennials, I just absorb so much from them”, Peter says. Listen to this episode to learn more about:

This episode of Techtalk features Jan Smejkal, better known as #YourChinaGuy, who resides in Shenzhen and is the founder of YCG, a boutique cross-border business expansion firm working with a selected group of companies to supercharge their operational and business development capabilities in China. Jan is a venture partner at Black Panther Capital (BPC), founded by established and influential family offices around the world. And he is also Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR) at Stacks Accelerator, which is investing in outstanding startup teams building on the Stacks Blockchain. Nevertheless, Jan is the one who scaled Startup Grind (the world's largest startup community) in Asia. In this interview, Jan talks about the beginning of his new life and entrepreneurial journey in China, back in 2018. And also about how he manages to facilitate the next generation's cross-border success in China by going much deeper than the past generations of entrepreneurs and by truly trying to understand the culture, in order to play a long-term game and to build sustainable entrepreneurial bridges. “If you have that comprehensive approach - the next generation approach - that you want to understand the culture, you want to meet a lot of people, you want to build your network locally, not just in your specific area, but you want to go broad,” Jan says. “Those are the things that can save you eventually.” Listen to this episode to find more about Jan's point of view over the following topics:

Marius Istrate was Chief People Officer at UiPath between 2017-2020, setting up and running the company's people and talent function during its rapid growth from 100 to 3,000 employees across the globe, and from 4 to more than 50 offices worldwide. Prior to his role at UiPach, he was the CEO of SkillValue, and today he is advising and investing in tech startups that wish to go global, while partnering with venture capital firms to help accelerate their portfolio's growth. This is a conversation to listen from the beginning to the end, because you will discover some great insights not only about the hyper-growth of UiPath, but also from my guest's experience as an investor, growth adviser, tech business angel and venture partner at 3VC. Marius brings incredible passion and expertise in explaining why it is so important for leaders to be not only culture fit and eager to learn, but also capable of bringing something extra to the table, not just of fitting into the mold of a company. And you will find out why lack of ambition, being risk-averse, not being able to articulate a vision about the future, or not thinking at marketing as a critical function are some of the reasons that can make it difficult, or even impossible for a start-up to scale or expand internationally. Moreover, Marius describes how the UiPath success was considered an inspiration and why it brought a higher level of energy, a positive vibe. However, he points out that the next success story does not have to be a UiPath or a new unicorn, and he recommends us to adjust our lens to what a great company really is in order to see more success stories. Curious to see where the next disruption will happen? Tune in to discover his point of view about this topic and to learn more about:

Xenia Muntean is the CEO and Co-Founder of Planable, a content review and marketing collaboration platform used by over 5,000 teams behind brands such as Hyundai, Christian Louboutin, Viber and United Nations. Prior to launching Planable, at 20 y.o., she built a digital marketing agency and led social for clients such as Coca-Cola. Xenia joins Ștefan Koritar in a friendly and honest discussion about content marketing and building Planable, a platform that allows agencies and social media marketers to collaborate with their clients. She offers us deep insights on Planable's early days in Cluj-Napoca, on the fact that getting customers, building a team and the co-founders relationship were the main challenges encountered prior to the first founding round, on Planable's main functions and functionalities, and on how saying “No” and risking to lose customers was a major decision in developing Planable as a product. Xenia also gives us a glimpse into the Planable's future and her life outside of being a tech entrepreneur and a start-up founder. Xenia Muntean has been nominated on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and she spoke on the Innovation Stage at Cannes Lions in 2018. She graduated Tim Draper's startup academy in Silicon Valley and she took Planable through the Techstars London accelerator in 2017. She is also a writer, as she published a book – "The Manifesto on Content Marketing Teams", and the podcast host of "People of Marketing". Having her on the Techtalk podcast was inspiring. That is why this episode is also a call to action to all the Techtalk listeners who are invited to send us names of women that are building great things in business and in the tech community, in order to have them as a guest, because we believe that a greater number of women in business would change the game for the better. Tune in to learn more about:

Bogdan is an entrepreneur with 13 years of experience in tech. 3 years ago he co-founded and became the CEO of Bright Spaces, the end-to-end digital leasing solution for commercial properties. Bright Spaces was one of the 5 startups participating in the 2020 PiLabs accelerator and already has important clients in Romania and the UK. *In this episode you can learn more about: * * How does a high-school fashion business look like * The role of mentorship and building new entrepreneurial talent in tech * The effect of accelerators and competitions in the tech industry * Moving real-estate spaces into the digital 3D space * How to find your product niche in proptech * Doing smart fundraising Listen to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform: Spotify: https://bit.ly/BogdanSpotify Apple: https://bit.ly/BogdanApple Google: https://bit.ly/BogdanGoogle Special Guest: Bogdan Nicoara.

For the past 10 years, Andrei has been a digital marketer and designer, freelancer, and at last he claimed the role of an entrepreneur. He developed projects and managed teams for clients all over the world and today he is building a startup called BRUNCH. Brunch is a software-as-a-service web app targeting digital experts building and optimizing live websites. In short, it saves you time and money if you are going through the feedback loop nightmare when you're building a new website or upgrading a live one. Special Guest: Andrei Stoica.

Michael Chaffe is the CEO of Wolves Summit. He spent a decade working up to 250m under the Ocean as a Saturation Diver in the Oil & Gas industry, before entering the European VC industry in 2017. Initially assisting UK-based startups in closing their funding rounds, he went on to acquire Central & Eastern Europe's flagship innovation conference, Wolves Summit in 2019. Together with a rapidly expanding team, he is leveraging the summit to build valuable bridges between the CEE innovation ecosystem and global partners & investors. Special Guest: Michael Chaffe.

David Timis is a keynote speaker focused on the impact that AI will have on the future of work. He has Master's Degrees in Business Administration and Management and Public Policy, and work experience in the private, public and NGO sectors. He has guest lectured at renowned universities, such as Cambridge University in the UK and the College of Europe, and delivered presentations for a diverse range of clients, including Google, the European Commission, and AIESEC. David has been recognised as an Influential Leader by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List in Romania for his continuous work to promote education and digital skills. If you are interested in the future of work and skills then you shouldn't skip this conversation: The Effect of Automation Today And In The Future What Skills We Need To Stay Competitive Covid And Its Impact On The Workforce The Role Of Institutions In The Workforce Reskilling And Upskilling Opportunities The Multilateral Effect Of Having A Job Unemployment And Its Impact How The European Market Will Change Enjoy my talk with David!

Max is an entrepreneur turned investor, based in Sofia, Bulgaria. After co-founding and exiting an online legal services company in The Netherlands, Max was on the founding team of Eleven Startup Accelerator in Bulgaria, after which he turned to angel and private investments by co-founding an angel investment syndicate, called Teres Angels and he also pioneered several leading ecosystem initiatives like EIR Tribe, TRACTIONCamp, and SummitSummit. Currently he is a managing partner at Vitosha Venture Partners. He mentors with Seedcamp, LAUNCHub, Happy Farm, and other accelerators, and is passionate about expanding the regional entrepreneurship ecosystem in the CEE. Max started his career at the European Commission and worked in the publishing sector before launching his first venture. Raised in Russia, USA, Latin America, and Netherlands, and currently residing in Bulgaria, Max is fluent in six languages, loves to blog about start-ups, and is frequently found in art and creative circles. Max holds a Masters degree in International and European law from the University of Groningen (Netherlands) and also attended Universita di Bologna (Italy) and University of Wisconsin-Madison (United States). Get ready for a conversation full of insights: * What Max Gurvits Does * The Importance of Accelerators * How Max Got Into The World of Investments * Why Max Relocated to Bulgaria * How Max's Business Operates * What Matured The Eastern European Scene * Eastern European Startups Relocating To Grow * What Makes Investors Put Their Faith in A Startup * Innovation And Changes During Covid Enjoy my talk with Max :)

Louis Havriliuc is the founder and owner of Simbound, a digital marketing learning platform. While on the lookout for ethically designed technology, he has pioneered a simulation method for digital marketers to hone their skills. His work is inspiring, and his experience helped him learn the ins and outs of our startup ecosystem. *In this episode, you can hear us talking about: * 1. What Simbound does; 2. How understanding of the digital marketing world changed throughout the years; 3. Why different cultures to business differently; 4. Customer Care in the SaaS industry; 5. Why learning by practice is important; 6. Why Simbound is bootstrapped; 7. How investments affect a company; 8. How CoVid affected Simbound. And a lot more. Make sure you subscribe and drop a review if you liked what you heard today!

Boris is the Founder of presentation agency 356labs and a PowerPoint MVP. He has presented in more than 25 countries and has been rated as the top speaker numerous times. Boris has years of experience as a trainer, mentor and consultant and his team is working with companies like Deutsche Telekom, KPMG, Renault, Societe Generale, Roche, Publicis, Experian, Bosch, VMWARE, Adidas and many, many more to help them write, design and deliver truly effective presentations. His agency is also the only presentation agency in the world speaking at Microsoft Ignite – the biggest yearly event of Microsoft, attended by more than 25.000 people. In this episode you'll hear about: 1. How Boris found the perfect niche; 2. What 356 Lab does; 3. How the presentation scene can be improved; 4. How the first big contract felt; 5. Tips for a succesful presentation, powerpoint, and pitch deck; 6. How to find information for an upcoming presentation, whether it's an investment deck or a simple powerpoint; 7. How to Present; 8. Apple's presentations and why Q&A's are missing from them; 9. The different types of presentations; 10. What happens with the human body on stage; 11. How psychology comes into play in a presentation; 12. The importance of mingling before a presentation; 13. Interesting events from presentations. Enjoy this episode! :)

This is our first episode in Romanian, and our guest is Florin Grozea. Florin calls himself simply an entrepreneur, yet he is the Founder and CEO of MOCAPP an Influencer Marketing Platform, Author of the ”Hit Yourself” book, and over 22 years experience in the media and entertainment industry. MOCAPP is a tech startup that has its own technology and the largest database in Romania and the Republic of Moldova: over 700 influencers. Companies and agencies use MOCAPP to automate processes and cut costs by 45% to 70%. This saves our most important resource: time. Currently, MOCAPP intends to invest 200,000 euros in accelerating business development, investment that will be financed through an active equity crowdfunding campaign starting yesterday, October 27 on SeedBlink. So, we promise we will bring back Florin and do one episode in English too, and discuss more about influencer marketing in Europe and their experience with SeedBlink. Until then, here is what you'll hear about in this episode: 1. Ce este MOCAPP; 2. Pe cine și cum ajută; 3. Valorile MOCAPP; 4. Descentralizarea lumii influencerilor; 5. Piața de Influencer Marketing din România; 6. MOCAPP vs Casting; 7. Ce este un influencer; 8. De ce companiile aleg MOCAPP; 9. Calitate vs Cantitate; 10. Elemente principale pentru un influencer bun; 11. Următorii pași MOCAPP For all my fellow Romanian followers, bucurați-vă de discuție, eu unul sigur am învățat multe despre influencer marketing și nu uitați să dați subscribe pe platformele preferate de podcasting. Enjoy!

Emmett King is COO and a minority shareholder at Wirtek, a publicly traded European software and electronic engineering solutions company. He is responsible for implementing strategic growth and professional development plans, as well as all of their operations. He is a businessman from US, with over 17 years of practical experience in Romania. He loves living and working in Cluj-Napoca and has traveled to most of the regions of Romania. Enjoys a good knowledge of the country and its history, and is working to improve his proficiency in speaking Romanian. Emmett is an entrepreneur with many decades of proven success in: business creation and startups, strategic planning and execution, business development and management, sales and negotiations, client relations, operational excellence, marketing and branding, team development, training and staffing. He has implemented those successes worldwide, within a wide range of industries, including: software development, business consulting, training and development, international logistics, solid waste management, recycling, public accounting and auditing. Emmet is a good friend and I always learn new things when we talk. In this part two of our chat, you'll learn about: How to Go To Market The Right Way; Employee Stock Options; Emmett's experience with investments; Investments and how Romanians see them; What do Romanian startups do wrong; Why you shouldn't take more money than you need; How Business Angles And Investors Think in Romania; What Emmett wants to invest in. This is Part TWO of the podcast. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the conversation.

Emmett King is COO and a minority shareholder at Wirtek, a publicly traded European software and electronic engineering solutions company. He is responsible for implementing strategic growth and professional development plans, as well as all of their operations. He is a businessman from US, with over 17 years of practical experience in Romania. He loves living and working in Cluj-Napoca and has traveled to most of the regions of Romania. Enjoys a good knowledge of the country and its history, and is working to improve his proficiency in speaking Romanian. Emmett is an entrepreneur with many decades of proven success in: business creation and startups, strategic planning and execution, business development and management, sales and negotiations, client relations, operational excellence, marketing and branding, team development, training and staffing. He has implemented those successes worldwide, within a wide range of industries, including: software development, business consulting, training and development, international logistics, solid waste management, recycling, public accounting and auditing. Emmet is a good friend and I always learn new things when we talk. In this part one of our chat with Emmett, you'll learn about: What moving to Romania was like for Emmett; Why Emmett chose Romania; How he sees the differences between different Romanian regions; What being an American businessman in Romania is like; What Romania needs in order to grow; What was Emmett's career path back in the States; How Emmmet made a lot of money out of waste management; Why friendly competition is lucrative; How reverse mergers work; The differences in business structure and opportunities between Romania and the US. This is Part ONE of the podcast. Enjoy the conversation and make sure you go to your favourite podcast platform and subscribe to the show, thanks :)

Adrian is the CEO & founder of SmartDreamers, a VC backed recruitment and marketing automation company, boasting clients such as L'Oreal, Siemens, Temenos, Infosys, UiPath, and others. Prior to building SmartDreamers, Adrian was part of another HR tech startup, cumulating over 8 years of experience in the recruitment tech space. Adrian has started SmartDreamers business back in 2014, as a regional player in the recruitment industry. In 2018, the business was pivoted to a scalable SaaS model, with a global footprint. When starting the SmartDreamers business, Adrian's experience was mainly in sales and extending in product and fundraising. Today, we sat down and talked about: What Smartdreamers is and how it helps; What raising money is like; How Business Angels bring both money and validation; What churn is and how to analyze it; What Adrian's journey was like; Why Adrian chose Cluj; What targeting the US market is like; How sales can be improved upon in startups; The numbers behind startups; Different startup ecosystems; VC funds and what they want; Leading a team and working better; And a ton more. Enjoy our conversation, and if you like the episode please share it with your friends and subscribe to the podcast. :) Here is Adrian from SmartDreamers.

Vlad Sarca is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor. He is also one of the board members at Sparking Capital, a venture capital fund focused on pre-seed & seed investments. Previously he has managed to develop a niche recruitment company in over 10 countries and has made an exit after 12 years. Vlad has been interested in strategic management since he was a student, and has obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Strategy and Innovation from Said Business School, University of Oxford. He is passionate about supporting promising startups with his knowledge and skills. What you'll hear about in this episode: * Why it's important to use your skills in the service of others * How Romania's past affects its entrepreneurial scene today * What we need to improve our country * How Vlad Sarca became the person he is today * EU funds and how they should be used * Romania's economic status * Business development tips for startup founders And a lot more. I learned so much from him, I hope you do the same by listening to this episode. Enjoy our conversation and don't forget to subscribe to the podcast!

Gerald Pollak is an associate at Vienna based venture fund capital300. capital300 is a European Series A venture capital fund backing disruptive technology companies run by ambitious entrepreneurs. capital300 has established innovative co-investment partnerships with global leaders in venture capital and together with the best VCs in the world like Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures und Draper Associates, capital300 provides portfolio companies with a substantial leverage for conquering the US market and building a significant global presence. Gerald has previously worked for Apple's Western Europe sales department and engaged with the international tech and entrepreneurship scene while completing a double masters degree at London Business School and Fudan University Shanghai. If you listen to this podcast, you'll hear about: Gerald's rowing passion; Does competitiveness help you in your career; How to defuse conflicts; Why and how networking mattered for Gerald; What was the takeaway from university for Gerald; What is Capital 300; How does Capital 300 choose who they invest in; When will Capital 300 start looking at the Romanian market; What eastern european businesses should change about themselves; Why hiring matters so much for investors; Due diligence and how Capital 300 does it. Enjoy!

Thibaut is a 32-year-old passionate entrepreneur, deeply involved in his projects. Scout leader at heart, for him human relationships and team spirit are the 2 ingredients of success. At 18 years old, after living for 1 year in a Finnish entrepreneurial family, he realized the importance of taking action to succeed. Questioning is a daily practice for him, he likes to learn and share what he learns; And if you are looking for a good business book, he recommends "E-Myth, Why small businesses do not work, and what to do about it". After an Erasmus year in Mexico, he imagined creating a chain of Mexican restaurants; but after months of work he decided to do a "small" pivot with his associates and with them created one of the first B2B marketplace for marketing services in Europe: Sortlist. He says, and I quote: For me there is no such thing as failure, it is simply a more or less long success, which requires more or less pivots and time. By questioning themselves regularly, with enough energy and a united team, any entrepreneur can succeed;). What you'll hear in this episode is: 1. Vacation and Digital Detox; 2. Tourism in France during a global pandemic; 3. Interesting facts about Thibaut's name origin; 4. What is Sortlist and Why you should use it; 5. Insights on culture differences in business; 6. Advices on how to expand your business in a healthy way; 7. Fundraising and the importance of a good, motivated team; 8. Why Cluj from all the cities in Romania? 9. Challenges to working with teams all across Europe; 10. Tips on entering new markets; 11. Next point on the Sortlist's road-map. I just loved our conversation and learned so much from him, I hope you do the same by listening to this episode. Enjoy our conversation. :)

Iulia is a Talent Acquisition veteran with a demonstrated history of setting up and transforming Talent Acquisitions functions. Psychologist with a keen interest and proven results in candidate assessment and driving high quality hires. She is highly skilled in Talent Acquisition, Executive Search, Executive Coaching and People Management. Iulia is also the host of the Skills for Mars podcast. A podcast where she talks with her guests about the future and also about now. About change, the new world of work & the skills needed to have meaningful, impactful careers and lives. From actually going to Mars and creating a new home there, to the rise of the gig economy, e-sports and the gaming industry, AI and blockchain, arts, genetics, environmental hacking and why not - pure surviving skills - they touch on what it takes to make it out there. Whether you are still in school, 40 or 60, a parent guiding their child, someone that wants to start a career or change it, a business or an HR Leader that wants to better understand the new world of work, give it a try and hear for yourself. What you'll hear about in this episode: 1. Insights on Amsterdam 2. The influence others have on us 3. HR Management - How to be an expert in this field 4. An interesting perspective on Talent Acquisition 5. Some key differences between an Early Stage Founder and a Later Stage Executive 6. The importance of a right recruitment for Start-ups 7. The impact of automation on the working market 8. Skills on Mars 9. Why do people change carriers Enjoy our conversation, because I surely did.

Krisztina has been working as Chief Experience Officer at Anyline since 2016, a SaaS startup that is scaling fast. After completing her management and finance studies, Krisztina entered the world of startups in Vienna, being passionate about promoting innovation and creating opportunities for young entrepreneurs, especially female entrepreneurs. She has been involved in numerous incubator and mentoring programs in Austria, including Techmakers weXcelerate and The Ventury. What you'll hear about in this episode: 1. What is a Chief Experience Officer 2. Insights about working at Anyline 3. What Anyline does 4. How it helps different industries 5. Challenges the company overcame at the very beginning 6. The difference between selling B2B vs B2C 7. What Series A fundraising is like 8. Tips on choosing the right VC investor 9. Coping with changes during the pandemic 10. A perspective on the Eastern European Startup Scene 11. The importance of gender blend for a better future This is a great conversation, enjoy it, and don't forget to subscribe to the podcast

Sveatoslav Vizitiu has more than 14 years of experience within the technology industry, with a focus on UI/UX design and programming, currently concerned about innovating healthcare and tackling the major issues of this environment by producing meaningful interaction between the ecosystem stakeholders. He is the co-founder of Wello, an artificial intelligence platform in nutrition for overweight kids who can change the way families understand and relate to their health. In 2019 he became a member of the Centre of European Policy Studies as a Foodtech Expert. Sveat is also the winner of EIT Health StarShip, where he proposed a digital solution in the sports medicine field that helped the medical team to get a visual overview of their athletes' health status and create personalized prevention programs. What you'll hear about in this episode: Insights about entrepreneurship How to overcome a problem you have - building a startup Wello - AI platform that fights obesity How to use gamification to improve the health of your child The paradox of European Funding A cool experience at Google for Startups Accelerator The importance of funding Insights on food from Centre of European Policy Studies Enjoy the talk and remember to subscribe to the podcast. :)

Andrei is the Director for Special Projects at UiPath. A Robotic Process Automation company with Romanian origins. He is leading cross-department and cross-geography strategic projects at UiPath, together with a brilliant team of professionals that aim to improve the current aspects, but always with a glance into the future to be prepared for upcoming challenges. His first role in UiPath, was to lead the team building the UiPath Transylvania Campus in Cluj-Napoca. As of April 2020, he joined the Strategy team, and now he is working on key projects with company-wide reach. Andrei has always been passionate about innovation. He graduated from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business with a Bachelors of Science Degree. He is a Fellow of the Aspen Institute Romania Young Leaders Program and the Founding Curator for the Global Shapers Hub in Cluj. He is also the co-founder of Innoteque - the leading innovation policy event in Romania. What you'll hear about in this episode: 1. A retrospective on the startup scene 2. How working in such a fast growing company feels like 3. The importance of values a company is built on 4. What RPA is 5. How you can get into the RPA scene 6. UiPath Program for Start-ups and Scale-ups 7. How to build a sustainable ecosystem in a country that has potential 8. Some ideas on compulsory ingredients for the change needed in Romania Enjoy the conversation and remember to subscribe to the podcast. :)

Diana is Head of Marketing at Rainmaking, a global innovation firm using the power of entrepreneurship to build and transform business with the world's leading corporations and startups. In her role, she oversees the company's branding and digital marketing activities across ten countries. Previously she led the global marketing of Startupbootcamp, one of the world's largest network of accelerators investing in technology startups. In 2016 she founded Local Spoon, an innovative solution to food waste offering delicious surplus food from restaurants, cafes, and food markets to enjoy at half the regular price. She ran partnerships with brands such as the Taste of London and won the Lloyd's Banking People's Choice Award pitching in front of innovators such as Tata, PayPal, and many other ventures. She holds a BA in Marketing Communications from UoW and a Master's Degree in Technology Entrepreneurship from UCL. What you'll hear about in this episode: Differences in marketing between East and West of Europe. Marketing tactics for early stage companies to generate traction. What is Venture Development? How Venture Development works? About corporate innovation budget dynamics. Enjoy the talk and remember to subscribe to the podcast.

Human, dreamer, coder, believer in the magic of technology and the CEO & Co-founder at TeleportHQ. Paul has spent the past 25 years in the digital world as a coder, entrepreneur, advisor, and investor. For the past five years, he has focused his work on corporate innovation as a member of the SDL innovation team, Head of Moqups Enterprise, and as Head of R&D at Evozon of which teleportHQ is a spin-off. He leads the Spherik Accelerator and is a proud co-founder of the JSHeroes community and JSHeroes International Conference. Paul builds networks and ecosystems capable of generating interdisciplinary idea collisions, helps tech teams to transform their innovative ideas into products and promotes cross-sector collaboration. What you'll hear about in this episode: How TeleportHQ automates UX creation How Big Data Can Be Use To Improve Business Processes How Paul Brie Plans To Disrupt The Market TeleportHQ's biggest challenge Machine Learning and User Experience What EU Fundraising is like The Investment Scene In Romania Building an Ethical Tech Startup The Future of The Tech Market Enjoy the talk and don't forget to subscribe!

He is the Head of European Sales at AlphaBlock from where he engages with collaborative multidisciplinary innovation teams across various businesses and domains to socialize, prototype and deploy new intelligent distributed assets and services using AlphaBlock's General AI blockchain validated solutions. Andrei had strategic roles in private, corporate and government enterprises to enable platforms and services for payments, banking, telcos, smarter cities and central government by driving a culture of innovation, developing and delivering disruptive technology. He was building and supporting teams that developed, rapidly incubated, and managed to scale digital platforms that delivered value in areas like Digital Transformation, process automation, Cognitive Computing (AI, ML), Blockchain, IoT and advanced data analytics. What you'll hear about in this episode: What Alphablock is How Blockchain Helps The FInancial Market The Importance Of Frameworks In FinTech Why Romania Is A Good Choice For Their Headquarters How North America Facilitated The Birth of Modern Fintech Why We Need A Framework For Innovation What Eastern Europe Needs To Encourage Innovation Overall Differences In Tech Markets All Across The Globe How Romanian Startups Can Go Global Thank you for listening and don't forget to subscribe to our podcast!

This episode is hosted by Valentin Maior. Valentin is the CEO of Techmatch, a company that connects clients with vetted software experts from Eastern Europe, individual consultants and full project teams. Valentin is passionate about helping people grow themselves and their businesses by using his life, tech and business expertise. A software developer for over 10 years, manager and business developer with great communication and sales skills, he helps entrepreneurs reach higher levels. He is interviewing a Alexandru Dorin Bogdan and Catalin Briciu. Alexandru and Catalin are co-founders at Linnify. At Linnify they say that it is the place where new ideas grow and shape the future for the better. Simplifying life through innovation each day. What you'll learn about in this episode: Who Alexandru And Catalin Are What Their Early Career Looked Like How Linnify Began What Their Company Culture and Work Enviornment Is Like The Importance Of Values When Running A Good Team Dealing With Your Direct Competitors Maintaining A Good Work Enviornment During The CoVid Crisis Other Projects Alexandru And Catalin Built Together Tools They Build And Tools They Use Budgeting Your Product Enjoy the conversation and don't forget to subscribe to the podcast!

This episode is hosted by Valentin Maior. Valentin is the CEO of Techmatch, a company that connects clients with vetted software experts, individual consultants and full project teams from Eastern Europe. Valentin is passionate about helping people grow themselves and their businesses by using his life, tech and business expertise. He has been a software developer for over 10 years, manager and business developer with great communication and sales skills, he helps entrepreneurs reach higher levels. He is interviewing a local technical co-founder, Adrian Magdas. Adrian is the CTO and Co-founder at Crafting Software. He is speaker, trainer and local community leader regarding functional programming languages. Having more than 11 years of experience under his belt, he architected solutions using a wide range of technology stacks in fields like high performance trading solutions and online education. Words like husband, dad, and geek are words that best describe Adrian. What you'll learn about in this episode: How Crafting Software Was Built How Adrian Progressed Throughout His Career What It's Like To Be Outsourced from Sillicon Valley Switching From Your Own Products To Outsourcing Insights On How To Build Valuable Products How To Create A Healthy Work Enviornment What Newcomers In The Tech World Need To Keep In Mind Tips On Navigating The Tech Market Enjoy the conversation and don't forget to subscribe to the podcast!

Everybody wants to know but nobody wants to be. The word that best describes Alex. At 15 years old, he launched a project called "Insignus" a promotional swag company. That was his pocket money project in highschool. On this project he developed skills on how to talk with clients, how to properly use emails, how to address weird and awkward situations, how to negotiate, how to identify opportunities and many other soft & hard skills. Now at 23 years old, he is a Forbes 30 under 30 alumni, GSEA TopStupreneur in Europe, Thiel Fellowship finalist, JAEC Grand Champion and many more. When he's not working he's running at local competitions and doing obstacle-course-running training for Spartan Races. What you'll learn about in this episode: What ProductLead is And How It Can Help How You Should Analyse Your Competition What Working With Influencers Is Like How Automation Can Help Your Marketing Processes Trend In Marketing Trends in Ecommerce Why International Clients Matter How The Startup Ecosystem In Romania Looks Like Enjoy the talk and thank you for listening.

He is a leader with over 18 years of IT industry experience, a strong HR background and major expertise in driving projects related to human growth, organizational and operations development. With a diverse career path, he migrated from an automated systems programmer to a web programmer to hold exclusively managerial positions. He has been involved in both national and multinational organizations. Razvan Voica is passionate about technology and leadership. He is a mentor and the CEO and Co-founder of the non-formal IT education platform that he launched together with his friends almost six years ago. What you'll learn about in this episode: The Importance Of Informal Education Why (And How) To Build Communities How Role Models and Mentors Matter Problems In And Solutions For The Public Educational System What The Perfect Classroom Should Look Like What The Trends Are In The Tech Maret Outsourcing, The Tech Market, Education, and Our Economy During The CoVid Crisis Prospects For The Future Of The Tech Market Enjoy the talk and thank you for listening.

Bogdan has experience in developing markets from scratch in the software sector and the ability to understand the way customers use and want to use products. He has experience working with big names like IBM, Microsoft, and renown middle eastern banks. He holds a degree in computer science from the Technical University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and has been selling security software in different countries and creating markets for the past years. Bogdan is a startup founder, passionate in helping great products scale, a husband and a father. This is a conversation full of quality information. Bogdan went knee-deep into how the hardware market can be improved, what kept promising projects back, and how you can market yourself to work with the big names. What you'll hear about in this episode: What Onyx Beacon was and the huge potential for market disruption it had Why everything didn't go exactly as planned How Bogdan was able to build on a trend set by Apple The importance of infrastructure when launching a new technology Moving from developing software to developing hardware products A smart strategy for competing in the hardware market One of the big mistakes Bogdan did as CEO How to market yourself to work with the big names in your industry Managing a hardware company Dealing with burnout Assessing the market you're in The Government's involvement in the startup scene Fun facts about the hardware market's history Our economy after the CoVid crisis Bogdan's future projects Enjoy our talk and make sure you subscribe to the podcast.

Andrei Dudoiu is the CEO of SeedBlink and the Co-Founder of Human Finance. He used to be a banker for the last 20 years and his past roles include Deputy CEO, Corporate & SME banking at Banca Transilvania and CEO of Volksbank Romania. In 2018 Andrei started a new life journey, willing to build new experiences, find new perspectives and purpose by helping. All for the greater good of the communities, he is designing the organizational culture of companies but also developing his skills and autonomy as an entrepreneur. He became a member of various social or charity organizations but also started his entrepreneurial Fintech & education venture. Andrei, along with Ionuț Pătrăhău, another former top executive banker, co-founded in 2018 Human Finance. A platform that provides knowledge digital tools and aggregates the investment readiness rating for the early stage innovative startups. Human Finance connects the innovative, ethical and well prepared entrepreneurs with the appropriate investors and lenders. In 2019 they made a spin-off and launched SeedBlink, the first equity crowdfunding platform developed in Romania that already helped more than 7 innovative startups to get funding. What you'll hear about in this episode: What SeedBlink is, and how they help startups get a head start The complexities of the legal framework in Romania and Eastern Europe regarding startups How SeedBlink's first equity crowdfunding campaigns went What the investors network in Romania looks like What equity crowdfunding is, and how it can help you What it takes to have a successful crowdfunding campaign Financing in the digital world Crowdfunding for NGOs How to get financed on SeedBlink Some lessons from the banking world Enjoy this conversation and make sure you subscribe to our podcast.