This episode is part of our EXPERT SERIES, in which we interview experts in the startup and business ecosystem, like investors and lawyers. Today I’m excited to share with you an interview my partner and I did with Michael Sidler from Redalpine, a seed stage venture capital firm investing in high tech companies in the field of ICT (internet/media/mobile) and Life Sciences. In our conversation we cover many of the questions we asked ourselves as founders when it comes to investors, like “how do you get in touch with investors?”, “how do you keep investors interested in your story?”, “what are the good and the bad sides of having an investor on board?” and “what are the most common mistakes made by founders when it comes to dealing with investors”? We had never met Michael before and the fact that he took time out of his day to answer our questions just goes to show how serious some investors can be about helping entrepreneurs succeed, and I’m super grateful to have had such an insightful conversation about topics that aren’t really talked about enough. And I’m excited to now share this conversation with all of you. Enjoy! IF YOU LIKED THIS EPISODE, GIVE US A FIVE STAR REVIEW ON APPLE PODCAST. We covered the following topics: About Redalpine What kind of startups do they invest in How are they helping these startups succeed, concretely (with examples) Contacting Investors How do I know if my startup is ‘scalable’ enough for VC’s? At what point should founders start contacting investors? How much traction is needed, e.g. with an e-commerce startup? How do you keep investors interested in your project, e.g. if it’s too early? The good and the bad What are the ‘bad sides’ of having VC’s on board? What should founders expect? What experiences has he made where the startup and the investors clashed together? What’s the most common mistake founders do, and how can they fix it? IF YOU DIDN’T LIKE THIS EPISODE, LET US KNOW HERE