Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast OpenAI's Laura Modiano on hackathons, Lovable and how startups can partner with the tech giant
Mar 26, 2026
Laura Modiano, who leads OpenAI's startups team in Europe and partners with builders and investors, shares lively stories from hackathons and grassroots events. She talks about how rapid testing grounds turn ideas into products. She explains partnering models with big tech, scaling culture while hiring thoughtfully, and why hands-on community programs spark future founders.
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Go To Short Hackathons And Build In Public
- Do attend modern hackathons even if skeptical; they now have short formats and diverse participants including many technical women.
- Laura notes events can be 3–6 hours so working parents or nontraditional builders can participate and win.
Learn Fast And Unlearn Faster
- Fast-growing startups succeed when they learn fast and unlearn fast, continually redefining playbooks as they scale.
- Laura highlights Lovable as an example that constantly reinvents processes while evolving with users and category changes.
Simplify Workflows And Give Everyone A Voice
- Do simplify workflows and give everyone on the team a voice so product, marketing and ops can iterate together.
- Laura says smaller teams empowered by AI tools let non-engineers influence product and share work publicly for faster feedback.