From Working In A Bar To CEO of Starmate, In Conversation With Michael Batko
Description
Today we’re in conversation with Michael Batko, the CEO of Startmate.
After years in finance and consulting in his early days, Michael moved to Australia to work in a bar - and ended up at early-stage startup Mad Paws. We have the pleasure to hear Michael’s career journey in the startup space and the things he’s learnt along the way. If you’re interested in hearing his advice to founders and VCs alike–from the worst way to pivot to how to find a niche as a VC–this episode is for you.
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Welcome to The Way Forward
00:20 - Sponsor shoutout
00:47 - Intro to today’s episode
01:02 - Michael’s early days in early-stage startups
5:47 - A learning about financial modeling - it’s all about the story
6:43 - Hiring for attitude and not skill
9:23 - Aligning your career with your life’s mission
11:20 - Advice to early-stage founders above the age of 30
13:47 - Traction vs product-market fit
15:25 - Disappointments
17:54 - What Michael looks for in startups from an investor perspective
20:47 - The worst way to pivot
22:38 - How Michael maintains his mental health
24:40 - Advice for VCs
26:00 - A common misconception about going into VC
28:11 - What VCs bring to the table (and it’s not just capital)
31:27 - Signals and anti-signals of great founders
33:21 - What Michael would like to see more of from the NZ/AUS startup space
United States
