We close out the year by turning the mic on ourselves. After a full year of conversations with Europe’s most thoughtful founders, operators, and investors, we reflect on the lessons that truly changed how we think about building companies, leading people, and staying sane along the way. From international ambition to focus, ego, and introspection, this episode pulls together the patterns that kept showing up, on the podcast and in our own journeys.
In this episode we talk about:
• Why thinking big and international from day one is a mindset, not a stage
• How saying no became one of the most important growth skills
• Why introspection and emotional intelligence are underrated founder advantages
• How to define success beyond funding rounds, titles, and external validation
A reflective end-of-year conversation about ambition, focus, and what it really means to build meaningful companies in Europe - without losing yourself in the process.
For more reflections, book lists, and behind-the-scenes insights, subscribe to our newsletter at followthegradient.io.
Bea Knecht is founder of Zattoo and a serial founder who’s built and led companies across the US, Europe, and Asia, and who brings a uniquely deep lens on what it really takes to succeed across startup ecosystems. From navigating Switzerland’s internationalization challenge to reshaping what leadership looks like in tech, Bea blends raw operational insight with powerful personal perspective.
In this episode we talk about:
• Why internationalization is Switzerland’s unavoidable founder skill
• How to lead startups through uncertainty—without clinging to perfect structure
• Why social science grads might be tech’s most overlooked leaders
• How to separate a “must-have” product from a distraction—fast
A conversation about sharp strategy, mindset shifts, and the courage to question what’s considered “normal” in building tech companies today.
For more from Bea subscribe to our newsletter at followthegradient.io.
Olivier Gaudin is the co-founder of SonarSource, the developer tooling company that quietly became a global force, without raising a cent in its first years. Built out of frustration with bad code quality, SonarSource started as a side project among three friends and grew into a 800-person company powering millions of developers worldwide.
In this episode we talk about:
• Why staying “use case focused” beats being “customer obsessed”
• How to scale a culture without adding managers—until you absolutely have to
• Why open source was the smartest product decision they ever made
• How SonarSource expanded into the U.S. by trusting intuition over playbooks
A conversation about intentional scaling, deep product convictions, and the silent compounding of community trust.
For more from Olivier - including early decisions that unlocked adoption and how SonarSource stayed aligned across continents - subscribe to our newsletter at followthegradient.io.
Andy Yen built Proton after realising that the business model of the internet was heading in a direction that could undermine democracy, privacy and long-term freedom.
In this episode he talks about how growing up Taiwanese next to China shaped his worldview, why Europe has become a digital colony, and what it takes to build products that stay independent when your competitors own the operating systems and set the rules.
We also break down Proton’s rare hybrid structure, why the company moved under a Swiss non-profit foundation, and what tech sovereignty means for founders and operators who are building in Europe today.
Recorded during Open-i in Zurich.
For more from Andy check out our newsletter at followthegradient.io.
Jonas Muff is the founder of Vara, a deep tech health startup - and a rare founder willing to dissect the emotional cost of ambition. After facing over 100 rejections during a critical fundraising round, he experienced a breakdown that forced him to confront the hidden engine behind his drive: fear. What followed was a years-long journey through therapy, meditation, and rethinking what it means to lead.
In this episode we talk about:
• Why being “driven” is often just fear in disguise
• How to spot when your inner narrative is sabotaging your startup
• What “thinking in bets” really means for founder decision-making
• How to rewire overthinking loops with meditation, journaling & intention
A conversation about ego, identity collapse, and the difference between chasing performance and building from purpose.
For more from Jonas - including his essays and reflections on founder psychology - check out our newsletter at followthegradient.io.
Thomas is a veteran angel investor and board member with 40+ startup deals under his belt—and a front-row seat to what makes early-stage companies thrive or fall apart. He’s also the president of SICTIC, Switzerland’s largest angel network, and someone who’s seen the European startup scene evolve from local coffee chats to global Zoom deals.
In this episode we talk about:
• Why most first-time angels invest too soon—and too big
• How founders can spot the difference between a project and a real business
• What makes a healthy cap table at seed (and what absolutely breaks it)
• How to activate angels after the wire hits—without burning yourself out
A conversation about pattern recognition, post-wire dynamics, and the slow art of building trust between founders and funders.
For more on early-stage investing and startup strategy, subscribe to our newsletter at followthegradient.io.
Kitty is the co-founder of Project Europe, a new initiative backing under-25 founders with bold, unproven ideas—and helping them build companies from day zero. After years in early-stage talent investing, Kitty was ready for a reset. Then came a cold LinkedIn DM from Harry Stebbings, a mountain trip with no Wi-Fi, and a viral launch that turned her into one of the most talked-about names in European tech.
In this episode we talk about:
• Why young founders need cultural permission before capital
• How to spot “earnestness” as a superpower in early-stage talent
• What makes European ambition different—and what still holds it back
• How to build a continent-wide founder movement with no HQ, no rules, and a lot of trust
A conversation about narrative shifts, deep founder signals, and the emotional chaos of building fast.
For more from Kitty, including founder traits she watches for and how Project Europe scouts talent, subscribe to our newsletter at followthegradient.io.
Elvis Nava is a researcher-turned-founder building Mimic Robotics, a company developing general-purpose robot hands powered by imitation learning. After completing his PhD at ETH Zurich, Elvis realized the only way to scale his research was by turning it into a company. Today, Mimic is pioneering a new kind of robotics—flexible, AI-native, and already proving itself in real-world industrial use cases.
In this episode we talk about:
• Why some research only works outside the lab
• How to build hardware that adapts—rather than hard-codes—the task
• What it takes to raise a $16M seed round in Europe
• How hackathons and ecosystem building accelerate deeptech
A conversation about research taste, the myth of perfection, and what happens when you build both the model and the machine.
For more behind-the-scenes from Elvis - including takeaways on fundraising and team-building - subscribe to our newsletter at followthegradient.io.
Fabienne Doerig is a former CFO and COO turned advisor, with 15+ years of experience helping companies - from pre-seed startups to public enterprises - scale their finance and ops. She’s led through hypergrowth, driven restructuring, and now helps founders automate the operational backbone of their business using AI.
In this episode we talk about:
• Why clarity, not code, is the first step in automation
• How to build a 13-week cash forecast that updates daily
• When to build, buy, or copy automation tools
• What founders get wrong about scaling their back office
A conversation about the hidden power of finance operations, the messy reality of AI adoption, and why the biggest wins often come from the most “boring” use cases.
For more insights from Fabienne—including practical examples that didn’t make it into the episode—check out our newsletter at followthegradient.io.
Noa Perry Reifer is the Chief People Officer at Neko Health, where she’s helped scale the team from 100 to over 500 in just five months. Before that, she spent nearly a decade helping build the culture and people systems at On, one of Europe’s most iconic consumer brands.
In this episode we talk about:
• Why culture is the most misunderstood scaling tool
• How to build orgs that are bold, fast—and still deeply human
• Why AI-native hiring needs both automation and judgment
• What founders get wrong about org design in hypergrowth
A conversation about leadership in the AI era, building cultural glue across wildly different teams, and how to design companies that don't just move fast—but move with meaning.
For more insights from Noa - including examples that didn’t make it into the episode - check out our newsletter at followthegradient.io
What do robots, risk, and resilience have in common? In this episode, Roman Hölzl, founder and CEO of RobCo, shares how he went from elite freestyle skier to building one of Europe’s most capital-efficient robotics startups.
We get into what it takes to sell robots to people who don't want to buy robots, how to say no to average and build a Champions League culture, and move hardware at software speed – all while staying sane under extreme pressure.
And yes, we unpack that one night in 2012 that still shapes how Roman leads today.
🟢 And before you go, subscribe to our free newsletter at followthegradient.io. Twice a week, we break down startup and tech news, share exclusive insights from our podcast guests, highlight top job openings from European startups, and provide food for thought you won’t find anywhere else. 🟡
Christian Woese was one of Yokoy’s first employees and the architect behind its entire customer success organization. His philosophy is to transform post-sales from a support function into a strategic growth engine — connecting sales, marketing, and product around one goal: delivering real customer value.
In this episode, we talk about:
A conversation about building sustainable growth through retention, turning clients into advocates, and staying sane while scaling fast.
For more insights from Christian that didn’t make it into the episode, check out our newsletter at followthegradient.io
Andreas Klinger calls himself a technical founder turned investor turned lobbyist. He was CTO at Product Hunt, helped build AngelList and OnDeck, and now runs Prototype Capital, a solo GP fund backing ambitious founders.
Andreas is also the co-initiator of EU Inc, the proposal for a true pan-European legal entity that could finally allow startups to scale across Europe without the friction of 27 national company regimes.
In this episode we talk about:
A conversation about fixing the system, raising ambition, and building sovereign European giants, while staying sane along the way.
For additional insights Andreas shared that did not make it into the episode, check out our newsletter at followthegradient.io/p/andreas-klinger-podcast.
In this episode, Nicole Büttner - investor, entrepreneur, and political leader - shares why Europe has all the ingredients for AI leadership, but still struggles to scale its breakthroughs into global companies.
From navigating corporate partnerships without falling into “POC limbo” to reframing courage as a core leadership trait, Nicole breaks down the mindset shifts and structural changes founders need to succeed. She also shares candid reflections on the weight of responsibility leaders carry and how to sustain energy in the long run.
You’ll learn:
Nicole’s insights are a playbook for founders who want to build enduring, globally relevant companies out of Europe.
Get bonus insights from Nicole that didn’t make it into the episode at followthegradient.io.
In this episode, Jake Bornstein — executive coach to founders and co-founder of Studio Medis — shares how personal growth and leadership frameworks can unlock scale when startups hit the limits of chaos.
From reframing coaching as a billion-dollar investment to building minimum viable structures that keep teams aligned, Jake breaks down what every founder needs to know to stop being the bottleneck.
You’ll learn:
Jake’s insights are a playbook for founders who want to scale not just their companies, but themselves.
Get bonus insights from Jake that didn’t make it into the episode at followthegradient.io.
In this episode, Simone Rüschenberg - finance leader behind Gorillas, SoundCloud, and TIER - shares how she helped scale some of Europe’s fastest-growing startups by building finance teams that actually enable growth.
From ditching Excel at the right moment to avoiding ERP nightmares, Simone breaks down what every founder and CFO needs to know to stay sane while scaling.
You’ll learn:
How to scale your finance function across Series A, B, and C
Why the first three finance hires are absolutely pivotal
How to avoid painful financial cleanups (and investor panic)
What it means to lead with strategy - not just spreadsheets
Simone’s story is a playbook for modern finance leaders navigating speed, scale, and change.
Get bonus insights from Simone that didn’t make it into the episode at followthegradient.io.
In this episode, Victoria Ransom, founder of Wildfire (acquired by Google) and Prisma, shares the scrappy, principled, and deeply human approach that shaped her startup journey - from asparagus farming in rural New Zealand to building and selling a high-growth tech company.
Victoria opens up about how she scaled Wildfire from a humble tool to 400 employees, maintained a strong culture during hypergrowth, and navigated an acquisition without losing the soul of the company. She also shares the realities of co-founding with her husband and raising three kids while running startups — without burning out or burning bridges.
You’ll learn
How to scale without diluting culture or values
Why scrappiness can be a superpower in startup execution
How to navigate acquisitions while keeping your team engaged
What it takes to co-found a company with your life partner
Victoria’s story is proof that you don’t need a Silicon Valley pedigree to build something world-class — just grit, clarity, and a whole lot of heart.
Get bonus insights from Victoria that didn’t make it into the episode at followthegradient.io.
In this episode, David Oort Alonso, co-founder of Bloom and Y Combinator alum, breaks down what it really takes to get into YC as a European founder. After six applications, multiple pivots, and finally raising $3.4M in just five days, David shares the lessons that helped him and his team stand out to investors and YC partners.
You’ll learn:
How to know when to pivot versus push through
Why YC cares more about markets than tech—and how to frame yours
How to run a lightning-fast fundraising process that builds FOMO
How to use demos, storytelling, and urgency to win investors without a deck
Why team chemistry and resilience matter as much as the idea
Sign up for exclusive insights from David that didn’t make it into the episode at followthegradient.io.
In this episode, Rob Snyder, founder of Waffle and Reframe and Harvard Innovation Labs Fellow, shares his no-nonsense approach to finding product-market fit for early-stage B2B startups. After spending two years in what he calls the "pain cave" without traction, Rob developed four key frameworks that have helped founders grow from zero to over one million in annual recurring revenue.
You’ll learn
Rob's approach is grounded in experience and focused on results. If you're navigating early-stage growth, this episode offers clear, actionable advice.
Sign up for exclusive insights from Rob that didn’t make it into the episode at followthegradient.io.
As part of our most-listened replays this holiday season, we’re bringing back one of the standout episodes of Follow the Gradient.
In this replay, Ruth Barnett—former Comms Lead at Sequoia Capital and ex-journalist—breaks down how startup founders can sharpen their storytelling, build reputation, and handle crisis communication like a pro.
You’ll learn:
How to craft a narrative that resonates with investors, customers, and your team
What most founders get wrong about PR (and how to fix it)
Why reputation is everything—and how to protect it
Crisis communication 101: be ready before it hits
How technical founders can learn to lead with the “why”