From McKinsey Consultant to $70M in Revenue: How She Built an AI-Powered Pet Insurance Empire
Description
🐾 Meet Hedda Båverud Olsson, Founder & CEO of Lassie — the startup transforming pet insurance and pet health. From McKinsey & EQT Ventures to raising €50M+ and now also crossing €70M+ in annual revenues , Hedda’s journey is packed with bold moves, big lessons, and surprising insights into the booming pet industry.
In this episode:
✅ How Lassie rewards pet owners for keeping their pets healthy
✅ The challenge of disrupting a regulated industry
✅ Finding the right co-founders and building a top-tier team
✅ Using AI to scale and acquire customers creatively
✅ Lessons from raising millions and breaking into competitive markets
Whether you’re a founder, pet lover, or just curious how a startup can change an entire industry, this conversation is a must-watch.
📍 Timestamps:
00:00 Sharing Your Idea Early
00:49 Intro to Hedda & Lassie
01:51 From Consulting to Founder
06:37 Navigating Regulation
09:48 Raising the First Angel Round
13:00 Building the Right Team
17:37 Leveraging AI for Growth
19:40 Go-to-Market Strategy
26:34 Brand vs Conversion
30:06 Overcoming Breaking Points
33:42 Scaling & Leadership
38:05 Pet Industry Trends
41:54 Lessons Learned
Youtube: https://youtu.be/0fniIhtRqak
📌 Connect with Hedda and Lassie: https://www.lassie.co/en
📌 Join The Startup Leap Community: subscribe.thestartupleap.io
#PetTech #StartupStories #LassieApp #Entrepreneurship #AI #PetInsurance #StartupLife #TheStartupLeap
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