Jan-Hendrick Boelens co-founder and CEO of Alpine Eagle.
Munich-based and backed by leading investors including General Catalyst and IQ Capital, Alpine Eagle is building the world's first air-to-air counter-drone system.
Prior to Alpine Jan-Hendrick was chief engineer at Airbus, and CTO at Volocopter and Quantum Systems.
During this episode we discuss how technology can help protect democracies in the face of global instability, why Europe needs and single defence market and the dependency on China in the supply chain.
Enjoy!
An overview of the European defense market, excluding Russia, highlighting a significant and accelerated increase in investment driven by the changed geopolitical landscape, primarily following the conflict in Ukraine.
We detail the current size and projected growth of defense spending by EU and key European NATO nations, emphasizing the commitment to and achievement of NATO spending targets as a percentage of GDP, with several countries exceeding the 2% benchmark.
We also outlines the key drivers of this transformation, including geopolitical imperatives and strategic alignment within NATO and the EU, alongside emerging trends like technological advancements in AI, cybersecurity, and advanced platforms, as well as industrial and procurement dynamics aiming for greater collaboration and strategic autonomy.
Finally, we discuss investment opportunities in leading European defense companies and attractive market segments, while also addressing the strategic considerations and risks for investors, such as production scalability, supply chain vulnerabilities, fiscal sustainability, and evolving ethical concerns.
Explore the transformative force of Artificial Intelligence (AI), outlining its historical evolution from foundational concepts to modern advancements like generative AI and large language models.
We detail the primary drivers fueling AI's growth, including technological enablers like increased computing power and big data, as well as economic and societal factors.
Furthermore, we analyze the vast opportunities AI presents across key industries such as healthcare, finance, and transportation, alongside its potential to drive economic growth and offer societal benefits.
Finally, we critically examine the significant threats and challenges accompanying AI, emphasizing ethical considerations, potential socio-economic impacts, security vulnerabilities, and inherent technical limitations.
Sebastian Hjarne - founder and CEO of Talentium.
At Talentium they are building the search engine for talent and creating an end-to-end platform for hiring.
€3.5m pre-seed round led by EQT ventures, with participation from some exceptional angels like Sebastian - the CEO of the giant Klarna, Joel - CEO of Sana Labs and Fredrik - CEO of Voi Technologies.
During this episode we discuss about the how Talentium was built from the frustration of finding top talent in machine learning, the challenge with boolean search and the more human future of hiring.
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A comprehensive overview of the global recruitment market, describing its significant current size and projected growth, driven by factors like increased job vacancies and technological advancements.
We segment the market by staffing type (temporary dominating), recruitment channel (online leading), end-user industries (IT & Telecom prominent), and service types (RPO and Executive Search growing).
The research also highlight key drivers such as SME growth and evolving workforce dynamics while outlining challenges including skill gaps, market competition, and data privacy concerns.
Finally, we discuss major market trends like the pervasive influence of AI and the continued rise of remote work, along with the competitive landscape dominated by large global players but also featuring specialized niche firms.
Jakob Sons is one of the co-founders and Managing Partners of Cansativa.
Cansativa is building the largest medical cannabis platform in Europe and are offering the most desirable products and brands yummy.
In 2022, they've raised the 15 million round from Snoop's dog, Casa Verde, and they generated 35M Eur in Revenue in 2024 and projected 90M Eur in 2025.
During this episode, we'll discuss Jakob's transition from being a lawyer to founding a medical marijuana startup together with his brother, the hyper-personalisation trend in medical cannabis, and the importance of curiosity, focus and speaking up.
An overview of the global medical cannabis market, highlighting its rapid growth driven by legislative reforms, increasing research, and patient acceptance.
While North America currently leads, Europe, particularly Germany, is identified as a major growth engine due to recent law changes significantly boosting patient access and imports, despite challenges like reimbursement, physician education, and supply chain complexities.
The analysis details market size variations, evolving product preferences (favoring extracts and precise dosing), primary therapeutic uses, and the significant hurdles posed by regulatory fragmentation, banking restrictions, and competition from the illicit market.
This overview analyzes David Allen's "Getting Things Done" (GTD) methodology, a widely recognized system aimed at achieving stress-free productivity by externalizing mental clutter.
The episode explains how GTD addresses cognitive overload and unmanaged commitments through a trusted external system, contrasting it briefly with other approaches like Alice Boyes' work.
It details the five core stages of GTD—Capture, Clarify, Organize, Reflect, and Engage—along with key techniques like the "Next Action" concept and the "Two-Minute Rule."
While highlighting benefits such as reduced stress and increased clarity, the text also examines challenges and criticisms, including the significant maintenance burden and potential for focusing on "shallow work," concluding that GTD remains a relevant framework for managing complexity, often complementing other systems.
Copy and use the framework here: https://calin-fabri.kit.com/2613dbbe6a
Ioan Jacob is the CEO and Founder of FlowX.AI.
The FlowX platform fundamentally changes how large banks build mission-critical products and modernize applications systems and infrastructure.
They are the first-ever multi-agent AI platform bringing enterprise-grade AI that is robust and safe to use for large financial services organizations.
Ioan has been working together with the same core team of founders and engineers for over a decade, having a previous successful exit together.
In 2023 FlowX AI has raised the largest Series A globally in enterprise software, a 30M Eur round led by Dawn Capital and based on its traction and growth, lets say the future is bright for them.
During this episode we discuss how a meeting with the Revolut team in London sparked the creation of FlowX.AI, why the ego is the enemy of the entrepreneur, and how does the multi-agent AI platform works in practice, beyond the buzzwords.
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FT Partners Research published a March 2025 report outlining key FinTech trends to anticipate in the coming year, alongside a recap of 2024 FinTech deal activity.
The report offers insights on AI, crypto, and the IPO market.
Key trends highlighted include the rise of AI agents, expanding crypto infrastructure, the resurgence of B2C FinTech, and increasing consolidation within the sector.
The analysis also spotlights opportunities in emerging markets, the impact of the great wealth transfer on WealthTech, and the growing role of AI in insurance.
W. Timothy Gallwey's Inner Game framework distinguishes between the conscious "Self 1" that instructs and judges, and the unconscious "Self 2" that performs.
The core argument is that internal interference, primarily from Self 1, hinders optimal performance by causing tension and self-doubt.
The Inner Game methodology focuses on techniques to quiet Self 1 through non-judgmental awareness, focused attention, visualization, and trust in Self 2.
Ultimately, the aim is to achieve harmony between these two selves to unlock potential, enhance learning, increase enjoyment, and redefine success beyond mere outcomes.
Dirk Sahlmer - Head of origination at Saas.group.
During this episode we discuss about how to prepare the exit of your company to get the best deal, how to focus on sustainable growth if you are a VC backed founder and you are considering an exit, and we cover top 3 mistakes founders make when selling their business
Ciao!
Tom Wehmeier - Partner and Head of Insights at Atomico the 1B Eur fund, founded by Niklas Zennstrom the famous founder of Skype, one of the first tech breakthroughs from Europe, and Yoram Wijngaarde - Founder and CEO of Dealroom - the source of record and insights on startups.
During this episode we discuss how well did tech Europe do in the last 10 years and why so many people were bashing Europe despite positive facts and trends, we discuss what we did well and what we can do better, and the current mood shift and the tech optimism in Europe.
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Daria Saharova Founding partner at WorldFund.
Worldfund is a 300M Eur leading European Climate tech fund investing in startups that decarbonise the global economy.
They support startups from early to growth stage, focusing on Energy, Food and Agriculture, Manufacturing, Buildings, and Mobility.
During this episode we discuss how Climate change isn't theoretical—it's already disrupting supply chains, insurance markets, and infrastructure and The cost of inaction is becoming far greater than the cost of investing in solutions, we also discuss how they asses the decarbonization potential of different technologies through the CCP - climate performance potential to combine the climate crisis with the venture capital model.
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Christian Rebernik - co-founder and CEO of Tomorrow University.
Tomorrow university is the first ed-tech scaleup to receive accreditation in Europe that offers bachelors, masters and MBA programs reimagining education starting from first principles.
Previously, Christian was the CTO of several multibillion Euro companies like N26, Scout24 and Awin Global.
During this episode we discuss about the advantages and disadvantages of building in regulated environments, how brand and positioning are paramount in education and the failed startup on meeting transcriptions that he never added on LinkedIn.
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Anna Brandt has close to 20 years experience in talent acquisition at some of the most iconic tech companies of our generation like Uber, Zalando, Mollie and N26 to name a few.
She is the co-founder of Invested a consulting and investment firm and she is a Venture Partner with EQT Ventures, Insight Partners and Fidelity.
During this episode we discuss about the importance of marrying business strategy with organisational design, why hiring A-players without context doesn't really work, and the tradeoff between speed, quality and cost when recruiting.
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Winston Churchill's 1931 essay, "Fifty Years Hence," contemplates the rapid acceleration of human progress driven by science and technology.
He notes the vast improvements in living standards and the potential for future scientific breakthroughs, particularly in energy.
However, Churchill cautions that humanity's moral and spiritual development has not kept pace with its material advancements.
He expresses concern about the immense power that future societies will wield and the potential for both utopian advancements and dystopian outcomes, including the manipulation of human nature.
Ultimately, the essay questions whether material progress alone can fulfil humanity's fundamental needs and emphasises the crucial role of virtue and spiritual understanding in navigating the future.
Tatiana Shalalvand - Venture Investor at Kinnevik and leads the Nordic early-stage strategy.
Kinnevik is a multi-billion-dollar investment firm writing checks from 5M to a 100M Euro, from early-stage to post-IPO, and even into the public markets. They invested in the likes of TravelPerk, Spring Health, Pleo, and Zalando to name a few.
During this episode we discuss about Kinnevik's capabilities to invest from the early stages to post IPO, why a money is not enough for a VC to impress a founder and the importance of remaining curious and open minded as an investor.
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Pär-Jörgen Pärson - general partner at NorthZone, a 1B Eur multi-stage venture capital fund partnering with founders from Seed to Growth. Across Europe and the US.
With more than 20 years of VC experience, PJ is a legend in the VC industry and has led the investments in some of the greatest startups coming out of Europe like Spotify, now listed on the NYSE and valued at $123B, the online classifieds giant Avito, sold to Naspers for $ 2.7 billion and the payments company iZettle, sold to PayPal for $ 2.2 billion among many other tech companies coming from Europe and as of lately New York.
During this episode we discuss the common traits of category defining entrepreneurs like Daniel Ek, why we need to change the narrative for tech Europe and keep the talent here and what heavy metal can teach you about management.
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Vadim Fedotov, co-founder and CEO of Bioniq.
Having raised a total amount of over $30M with backers like HV Capital and Cristiano Ronaldo - Bioniq is changing the world of personalized health with a data-driven wellness platform that’s redefining how we approach our health.
From playing professional basketball to leading one of the fastest-growing e-commerce giants, Groupon, across 48 countries, Vadim has never shied away from a challenge.
In this episode, we’re going to explore Vadim’s journey—from the discipline of sports to the high-stakes world of business, his leadership philosophy, and how he’s leveraging technology to change the future of health optimization.
Get ready for an inspiring conversation packed with insights, resilience, and a glimpse into the future of wellness.
Enjoy!
