entrepreneurship

Ep 87 – The state of venture funding with Maximilian Eckel

February 7, 2024

Dive into the heart of Germany’s startup ecosystem with our latest podcast episode, where we explore the vibrant yet challenging landscape of entrepreneurship in this dynamic country. Despite being a hub of innovation and potential, German startups face unique hurdles, from stringent regulations to the quest for funding. Our episode sheds light on these intricacies through the lens of industry insiders, offering a rare glimpse into what it takes to thrive in Germany’s competitive startup arena. 🚀🇩🇪

Join us as we dissect the layers of support and struggle that define the German startup journey, from the early stages of ideation to the complexities of scaling globally. Our guests share their firsthand experiences, navigating through bureaucratic tangles, cultural nuances, and the ever-evolving digital landscape. This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about the realities of startup success and the resilience it demands in Germany’s unique ecosystem. 🌐💼

EP 84 – Inspiration session #11: The Oliver Samwer and Max Finger startup bible

December 21, 2023

Welcome to our last episode in 2023!
🚀 This episode takes a unique twist as we journey 25 years back in time to dissect a master thesis that was written by two of the German entrepreneurship world’s most influential figures – Oliver Samwer & Max Finger.
📜 Oliver & Max, renowned for their groundbreaking entrepreneurial ventures, penned this remarkable thesis called “America’s Most Succesful Startups” at the dawn of their illustrious career when doing their masters at WHU. Now, Dries and Gerrit dive deep into the pages of history to meticulously examine the propositions made, debating their relevance in today’s fast-paced entrepreneurial landscape and whether the two founders walked the talk on their self-proclaimed recommendations.
💡 Some of the results indeed were visionary for the time, while other principles seem to have been forgotten…It’s not just a look back; it’s a conversation about enduring principles in the ever-changing world of entrepreneurship.
We wish all our listeners delightful holidays and a happy new year!

EP 80 – Inspiration session #10: Startup subsidies, lean impact and dark side of AI

November 1, 2023

We are excited to unveil the 10th installment of the inspiration session, featuring our co-hosts GerritMcGowan and Dries Faems.
They discuss a captivating mixture of different topics in the realm of entrepreneurship from an academic and a practitioner perspective, such as:
• Why aren’t there more sustainability-driven unicorns although badly needed
• Which startups get supported by government grants
• What the academic research on the controversial topic of hybrid work yielded
• The next big thing on the horizon: quantum computing
And have you always wanted to know how to create the boyfriend/girlfriend of your dreams? Then, gear up for a rollercoaster of knowledge, reflection, and pure amusement! You won’t want to miss this exhilarating episode!🔍

EP 78 – Empowering Women in Finance with Dana Menzel

October 4, 2023

We are over the moon to have Dana Menzel on board for episode 78 of the Most Awesome Founder Podcast. Dana’s entrepreneurial path is impressively versatile. She started as a goldsmith, mastering the art of this filigree craft, and turned this into her first thriving jewellery business. Now, she is leaping into a whole new area, and we are excited to hear about this!
With roots spanning across international borders, Dana is carving out a space for herself as a female entrepreneur. She talks about the most significant challenges as a female entrepreneur in Germany, how she masters them, and what qualities she looks for in a co-founder.
An MBA and WHU accelerator graduate, Dana speaks to her education’s instrumental role in equipping her with the tools and networks vital in breathing life into her idea of a platform born from a desire to uplift women through financial literacy and independence since her master’s thesis provided some shocking insights in that regard.

EP 74 – Inspiration session #9: Golf, Gender and Generative AI

August 2, 2023

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the 9th edition of the inspiration session with Gerrit and Dries! 🎉
They will once more discuss diverse and thought-provoking topics, combining insights from an academic and a practitioner perspective. What are the legal implications of AI-generated inventions, which entrepreneurs should consider entering a venture studio and why women should be careful if their boss plays golf?
These and other questions will be answered, so be prepared to learn, think, and laugh. Don’t miss this captivating episode! 🔍

EP 73 – The impact of AI on Startups, VC and Society with Frank Thelen

July 19, 2023

🎧 We are thrilled to announce a new episode of The Most Awesome Founder Podcast, featuring one of Germany’s most prominent deep tech investors, Frank Thelen. In this wide-ranging discussion, Frank shares his perspective on how AI and generative technologies are beginning to reshape the startup and venture capital landscapes. 🚀

While AI promises to turbocharge innovation and efficiency, Frank cautions that many startups are simply slapping an “AI startup” label on their pitch decks without true breakthroughs. Real advances require deep research and teams willing to eat glass for years before product-market fit. We also dive into the opportunities and limitations of using AI in deal flow analysis and startup evaluation. While AI can help sort prospects, Frank emphasizes that human judgment around founding teams and markets remains critical – not something algorithms can replicate (yet!). 🤖💡

With his characteristic candor, Frank voices his views on creating a thriving European tech ecosystem and why he engages in spirited LinkedIn debates on issues like work-life balance and how to balance innovation with ethics. If you’re an investor, founder, or tech enthusiast, this thought-provoking episode is not to be missed. Tune in across platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify to hear our free-wheeling exchange. After listening, we’d love to hear your key takeaways in the comments! 🌟

EP 72 – Building a startup as a multicultural entrepreneur with Kiran Banakar

July 5, 2023

🔥🚀 We’re thrilled to spotlight the incredible journey of Kiran Banaka, one of our founders from this year’s WHU accelerator batch. From grappling with the challenge of finding friends to scaling the heights of entrepreneurship, Kiran’s story is nothing short of inspiring. 🌟

Kiran will be peeling back the curtain on his success as an entrepreneur in Germany, sharing the invaluable lessons he’s gleaned from his tenure as a patent attorney and revealing how his company is harnessing the power of AI to revolutionize customer relationship building. 🤖💡

But that’s not all! Kiran will also delve into his personal experiences, growing up in a multicultural environment, and how it has shaped his unique approach to leadership. 🌍👨‍💼

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to hear Kiran’s story and extract precious insights that could be the game-changer in your entrepreneurial journey. Tune in, get inspired, and let’s accelerate together! 🚀💼🎯

EP 71 – Leveraging data to build an augmented venture capital approach with Dr. Andre Retterath

June 21, 2023

We are thrilled to welcome Andre Retterath to episode #71 of our podcast. Andre is one of the leading figures in disrupting the traditional VC landscape by implementing data-driven approaches to improve decision-making. So tune in to hear interesting use cases, why the days of purely gut-based decisions investing seem to be over and what the future might look like.

EP 70 – Unleashing Pet Health: Crafting a Customer-Focused Growth Journey with Stan Nazarenus & Alex Thelen

June 7, 2023

🎙️ Join us again for an exciting episode of the Most Awesome Founder Podcast as we dive into the captivating story of Alex and Stan, the founders of high-growth startup Mammaly, which tackles the complex issue of pet health.

Alex and Stand share how their shared vision led to a thriving direct-to-consumer business model and how collaborations are essential for their product development. Get ready for insights on customer understanding and hypotheses testing while rapidly scaling a startup. Take advantage of this fascinating episode packed with hands-on advice and inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs.

We hope you have as much fun listening to the episode as we had producing it!

EP 69 – Building platforms to disrupt the healthcare industry with Philipp Buhr

May 24, 2023

🎙️ Get ready to tune into today’s new episode of The Most Awesome Founder Podcast with Philipp Buhr, the co-founder of marta! marta is a platform that transparently enables families to match their elderly family members with suitable caregivers.

Beginning with stories from Philipps entrepreneurial childhood, enabling him to be the co-founder he is today, the episode advances into deeper topics associated with the healthcare market.

Here is a sneak peek of the topics Dries and Philipp further indulge into:
🤝 How Philipp and his co-founder developed their idea and shaped it into reality
💪 The challenges faced when growing companies
🚀 How the possibilities of digitally disrupting the healthcare market look like

We look forward to hearing what you think of the episode!