The Pursuit of Scrappiness

190. Podcaster-Turned-Founder Who Just Raised $12 Million Series A Explains Dos and Don’ts of Influencer Marketing, Why It Might Not Work for B2B, & How to Create a Culture That Makes Employees Tattoo Your Logo w/ Avery Schrader (Modash)

2024-12-1752:15

Avery Schrader is the founder and CEO of Modash, a leading influencer marketing platform that helps brands scale partnerships with content creators. With a background in building relationships and driving results for companies like Bolt and Verif, Avery’s journey to creating Modash stems from firsthand experience in the creator economy. Modash now serves over 1,500 customers globally, including brands like Victoria’s Secret and Birkenstock, enabling them to discover and manage influencer camp...

189. Ads, Analytics & AI. How Distractions Rob Us of Ability to Think Deeply, Challenges of Tracking Marketing ROI & Creating B2B Content Optimized for ChatGPT w/ Vlad Zhovtenko (RedTrack)

2024-12-1046:47

Vlad Zhovtenko is the founder and CEO of RedTrack, a leading ad tracking platform used by over 800 businesses to measure and optimize ad performance across 60,000 ad accounts worldwide. With deep experience in marketing technology, Vlad has built a solution that simplifies complex ad attribution, helping companies better understand their campaign ROI and maximize advertising budgets. The company recently raised 2.9mEUR to fulfill their mission.On this episode we talk about:How AI improves ad ...

188. Ragnar Sass: Unicorn Founder Who Turned His Attention to Helping Ukraine – Lessons Learned on the Ground, Military and Terrorist Drone Threats, and Why Defense Tech Needs Non-Technical Founders

2024-12-0351:45

Ragnar Sass is a serial entrepreneur, co-founder of the unicorn Pipedrive, and an active investor in the Baltic and Ukrainian tech scenes. Beyond his entrepreneurial success, Ragnar has emerged as a leading advocate for Ukraine during its time of crisis, founding the Help99 Convoy initiative, which has delivered over €10 million in aid and critical supplies. With deep ties to Ukraine through business and personal connections, Ragnar is leveraging his expertise to support defense tech innovati...

187. Martin Sokk (Lightyear) Explains How the Courage to Go Against Conventional Wisdom Led to 40 Consecutive Months of Growth and a Product with Virtually No Churn + Why Founders Should Always Be Raising

2024-11-2641:32

Martin Sokk is the Founder and CEO of Lightyear - the greatest investing app for stocks, bonds, ETFs, you name it. The company raised 25mUSD back in 2022 from such big name investors as Lightspeed venture partners, Virgin Group, Taavet+Sten, Metaplanet and others and has been building relentlessly since. Martin was on our show before on episode 81 shortly after their Series A round, so you are welcome to scroll back!On this episode we talk about:- Navigating Regulatory Challenges in Fintech- ...

186. Being a Startup CEO in Constant Crisis Mode, Why Founders Make the Best Salespeople, Balancing Values & Profit, Why Companies Should Take a Political Stance w/ Anna-Liisa Palatu (Woola)

2024-11-1942:34

Anna-Liisa Palatu is the co-founder and CEO of Woola, an Estonian startup transforming waste wool into sustainable packaging to replace plastic. Under her leadership, Woola has gained recognition across Europe, securing high-profile clients like LVMH and raising €2.5 million to scale operations.On this episode we talk about:Why plastic is harmful, from fossil fuel origins to its lack of recyclability.The challenges of pricing sustainable packaging in a plastic-dominated market.How end-user de...

185. Raising $45M from a16z & Lightspeed for a 14-Month-Old Startup to Protect Child Privacy Online w/ Kieran Donovan (k-ID)

2024-11-1244:45

Kieran Donovan is the Founder and CEO of k-ID, a company dedicated to protecting children and teens online. Earlier this year the company raised a 45mUSD Series A round led by A16Z and Lightspeed Venture Partners. With a background in privacy law, Kieran combines his expertise with a commitment to creating age-appropriate online experiences.On this episode we talk about:Challenges of trust and safety in digital spaces for kidsHow traditional controls often fall short of creating safe online s...

184. How to Apply the 80/20 Rule in Your Daily Life, What Role Education Plays for Startup Founders, and How to Use AI to Enhance Your Brain vs. Just Outsourcing All Your Intelligence to It w/ Mathias Eklof (Pareto Business School)

2024-11-0730:18

Mathias Eklof is a Swedish impact entrepreneur and investor with Hype Ventures. He has remained steadfast in supporting Ukrainian founders as war continues raging on in Ukraine. Since his last appearance on the show in 2022, he has been spending considerable time in Kyiv and with his military background being able to offer unique insights into Ukraine’s tech and investment scene during this critical period. More recently Mathias has co-founded a new higher education product called Pareto Scho...

183. Investor in Ukrainian Startups Reveals How Mobilization Affects Tech Talent & How War Has Turned Ukraine into Future Defense Tech Powerhouse w/ Mathias Eklof

2024-11-0526:41

Mathias Eklof is a Swedish impact entrepreneur and investor with Hype Ventures. He has remained steadfast in supporting Ukrainian founders as war continues raging on in Ukraine. Since his last appearance on the show in 2022, he has been spending considerable time in Kyiv being able to offer unique insights into Ukraine’s tech and investment scene during this critical period. More recently Mathias has co-founded a new higher education product called Pareto School, which offers an alternative t...

181. Atomico Partner Andreas Helbig on How AI Affects Your Attractiveness to VCs, Are We Entering an Era of Billion-Dollar Fundraising & Why European Tech Should Stop Underestimating Itself

2024-10-2252:59

Andreas Helbig is a partner at Atomico, one of Europe’s leading venture capital firms, focusing on B2B SaaS, vertical SaaS, and B2B marketplaces. With extensive experience in the tech and investment space, Andreas leads Atomico’s coverage in the Nordic and Baltic regions, helping to drive innovation and scale in some of Europe’s most promising startups. One of Europe's Venture capital juggernauts, Atomico announced a massive $1.25 Bn raise across 2 funds just a month ago. On this episode...

180. How a Bootstrapped Startup With 0 VC Money Grew to Service Zoom & Microsoft. The Importance of Software Testing, Skype Mafia & What Matters to Enterprise Clients w/ Ervins Grinfelds (TestDevLab)

2024-10-1547:33

Ervins Grinfelds is the Co-founder of TestDevLab, a leading quality assurance and software testing service provider that works with global tech giants such as Microsoft, Zoom, and Twilio. TestDevLab has grown from a small startup to a company with more than 500 employees, all without external funding. Ervins is passionate about ensuring that software products meet the highest quality standards, and he brings invaluable insights into the importance of trust, scaling a service business, and the...

179. Are You Tough Enough for 'Tough Tech'? Solving Billion-Dollar Climate Challenges, How AI Increases Velocity, Bridging the Gap Between Innovation & Adoption w/ Rokas Peciulaitis (Contrarian Ventures)

2024-10-0856:22

Rokas Peciulaitis is the Founder and Managing partner of Contrarian Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in climate tech investments across Europe and Israel. With a background in trading and finance, Rokas brings a unique perspective to venture investing. His firm focuses on backing ambitious founders tackling climate change with innovative business models and sustainable solutions.On this episode we talk about:Why climate tech investing is difficultScaling ClimateTech startupsHow t...

178. PR Pros Reveal: What Makes a Story Newsworthy, How PR CAN Drive Sales, How to Build Trust with Journalists & Why Your New Website Probably Won't End Up in TechCrunch w/ Black Unicorn PR

2024-10-0145:14

The support for this episode comes from Leadfeeder - turn anonymous pageviews into concrete sales pipeline.Imagine knowing which companies are checking out your site, tracking their behavior on your site, and integrating all this into your CRM.That’s exactly what Leadfeeder does for you. Head to https://bit.ly/4dQVsWe for a FREE demo and get a FREE EXTENDED premium trial by mentioning the Pursuit of Scrappiness podcast.Head to https://bit.ly/4dQVsWe====Julija Jegorova and Mauro Battellini are...

177. “There’s a Mushroom for Every Problem” – Exploring the Fascinating Productivity Benefits Backed by the Latest Research: Grow Your Brain, Boost Performance, and Strengthen Immunity w/ Silver Laus & Siim Raadik (Shroomwell)

2024-09-2447:57

The support for this episode comes from Leadfeeder - turn anonymous pageviews into concrete sales pipeline.Imagine knowing which companies are checking out your site, tracking their behavior on your site, and integrating all this into your CRM.That’s exactly what Leadfeeder does for you. Head to https://bit.ly/4dQVsWe for a FREE demo and get a FREE EXTENDED premium trial by mentioning the Pursuit of Scrappiness podcast.Head to https://bit.ly/4dQVsWe====Silver Laus and Siim Raadik are the foun...

176. A Practical Playbook for finding Product-Market Fit: Real & False indicators & Steps you should follow with Mark Cuban-backed founder of one of America's fastest growing software companies Nick McEvily

2024-09-1744:29

The support for this episode comes from Leadfeeder - turn anonymous pageviews into concrete sales pipeline.Imagine knowing which companies are checking out your site, tracking their behavior on your site, and integrating all this into your CRM.That’s exactly what Leadfeeder does for you. Head to https://bit.ly/4dQVsWe for a FREE demo and get a FREE EXTENDED premium trial by mentioning the Pursuit of Scrappiness podcast.Head to https://bit.ly/4dQVsWe====Nick McEvily is a seasoned entrepreneur ...

175. What do you need to start a Deep Tech startup & raise money? How Theranos case affected female founders and how to apply scientific mindset to company building w/ Olesja Bondarenko (Nanordica Medical)

2024-09-1043:50

The support for this episode comes from Leadfeeder - turn anonymous pageviews into concrete sales pipeline.Imagine knowing which companies are checking out your site, tracking their behavior on your site, and integrating all this into your CRM.That’s exactly what Leadfeeder does for you. Head to https://bit.ly/4dQVsWe for a FREE demo and get a FREE EXTENDED premium trial by mentioning the Pursuit of Scrappiness podcast.Head to https://bit.ly/4dQVsWe====Olesja Bondarenko is the Founder and CEO...

174. “Every fifth person is lonely and AI won’t replace real relationships”. Getting 20K users in 4 months with no marketing budget & tips for working with influencers w/ Joiner App

2024-09-0343:41

The support for this episode comes from Leadfeeder - turn anonymous pageviews into concrete sales pipeline.Imagine knowing which companies are checking out your site, tracking their behavior on your site, and integrating all this into your CRM.That’s exactly what Leadfeeder does for you. Head to https://bit.ly/4dQVsWe for a FREE demo and get a FREE EXTENDED premium trial by mentioning the Pursuit of Scrappiness podcast.Head to https://bit.ly/4dQVsWe====Eduard Titov and Jurate Plungyte are the...

173. DEEP DIVE in Tiktok & short-form video: tactics & lessons from 1bn views, algorithms, metrics that matter, amateur mistakes, workflows, equipment w/ Elvis Kruze (Eksplodemedia)

2024-08-2751:32

The support for this episode comes from Leadfeeder - turn anonymous pageviews into concrete sales pipeline.Imagine knowing which companies are checking out your site, tracking their behavior on your site, and integrating all this into your CRM.That’s exactly what Leadfeeder does for you. Head to https://bit.ly/4dQVsWe for a FREE demo and get a FREE EXTENDED premium trial by mentioning the Pursuit of Scrappiness podcast.Head to https://bit.ly/4dQVsWe====Elvis Kruze is the founder of eksplodeme...

172. SALES special: Why drug dealers (sometimes) make great B2B sales people, reaching $1M ARR with 4 people team, how to adapt your style to the buyer, cold emails & AI, interview questions to hire sales sharks w/ Frank Sondors (Salesforge)

2024-08-2049:22

Frank Sondors is a seasoned sales expert and the Founder and CEO of Salesforge. With over a decade of experience in the sales industry, Frank has honed his skills in helping businesses navigate the complex landscape of sales and distribution. Frank’s company, Salesforge, is at the forefront of this innovation, helping businesses streamline their sales processes and improve their email outreach. Salesforge is also one of the truly most Baltic startups - a company based in Estonia with founders...

171. Why you should start to plan how to manage your wealth years before you get rich + practical steps how to do it w/ Tim Vaino (fff.club)

2024-08-1345:35

Tim Vaino is the co-founder of FFF (Finance Freedom Fellows), an angel investment syndicate club that is now turning into a wealth management platform for the tech crowd. Along with co-founder Akim Arhipov, they are on a mission to help tech entrepreneurs and employees manage their wealth before and after selling their valuable equity. Tim is also an investment manager with Change Ventures. On this episode we talk about:Success of FFF so farHow to Get into the Best Early Stage DealsWealt...

170. All You Need to Know about Hiring Remotely: Practical Steps of Hiring & Firing, Tools to Use, How to Build Remote Culture & Manage Time Zone Differences w/ Jamie Haerewa (Agile HRO)

2024-08-0653:32

Jamie Haerewa is the co-founder and CEO of Agile HRO, a global employer of record service provider and promoter and supporter of distributed teams. With over 15 years of experience in recruitment and HR, Jamie shares practical advice and strategies for companies looking to leverage remote work and navigate the complexities of international employment.On this episode we talk about:The Main Challenges of Hiring GloballyOvercoming Legal and Compliance BarriersMaintaining Company Culture in Distr...

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