Scandinavian Product Podcast #35 Lessons learned from a 2x Unicorn Founder (Uri Levine, Founder & ex-CEO at Waze and Moovit)
May 2, 2026
Uri Levine, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Waze and Moovit, and author of Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution. He talks about falling in love with the problem, validating big problems through real user conversations, and why product-market fit is the single most important milestone. He covers focus, failing fast, launching early, hiring and firing, and fundraising storytelling.
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Episode notes
Top Down Permission To Fail And Spin Off Innovation
- To preserve innovation in large firms, leaders must publicly embrace experiments and failure and avoid firing people for failed tests.
- If duration and cash constraints threaten projects, spin them off with external investors instead of burying them.
Go Global Strategically Not Automatically To The US
- Think global early if your home market is small, but choose the next market that is significant and easiest to win, not automatically the US.
- Waze’s #1 was US and #2 Brazil; choose markets with cheaper acquisition and less competition.
Lead Fundraising With A Single Strong Story
- Prepare fundraising as a different skill: start with your strongest story hook and expect investor first impressions to form instantly.
- The CEO should lead the first meeting alone and craft emotional storytelling tied to a clear problem.
