EU-Startups Podcast

Interview with Ropa Popat, Founder & Managing Partner at Arāya Ventures In this episode, Rupa Popat, founder of Arāya Ventures, shares her vision for redefining early-stage venture capital. Rupa discusses the persistent under-allocation of capital to diverse founders, highlighting that female-led teams in the UK still receive less than 1% of VC funding - even though data shows diverse teams consistently outperform. Rupa also dives into the world of AI investing, focusing on workflow-native, human-centred AI rather than headline models. She shares her perspective on the UK’s positioning as a European AI hub, the growing opportunities in Health x AI, and how early-stage founders can prepare for fundraises that go beyond technical spectacle to execution-led, scalable businesses. Throughout the conversation, Rupa explores what it means to be a value-add VC today, the importance of domain expertise in building defensible startups, and the systemic challenges in the venture ecosystem. She highlights emerging sectors, including preventative healthcare, precision medicine, and FemTech, while providing actionable insights for founders, investors, and policymakers. Key points covered in this interview: - The persistent funding gap for female founders and why inclusivity drives performance, not just values. - What makes a founder or founding team stand out at pre-Seed stage: lived experience, resilience, and clarity of vision. - Emerging opportunities at the intersection of Health x AI, including preventative care, precision medicine, and FemTech. - How Arāya Ventures trains investors through its Investment Academy to broaden who writes cheques and build a more inclusive ecosystem.

Interview with Founder and CEO of n8n, Jan Oberhauser In this interview, Jan Oberhauser, Founder and CEO of n8n, talks about how a personal frustration with repetitive coding led him to build one of Europe’s best-known workflow automation platforms. From the early pain point of constantly rewriting the same code to creating a fair-code automation tool used by developers and enterprises worldwide, Jan shares the thinking behind n8n and the principles that shaped it from day one. Jan explains the meaning behind the company’s unusual name, why openness and community-driven technology matter, and how flexibility, self-hosting, and control over data have become major priorities for businesses, especially in Europe. He also discusses why companies want to avoid being locked into a single model, provider, or ecosystem as AI adoption accelerates. The interview also looks at the broader AI landscape, including Europe’s position compared to the US and China, the areas where the region still needs to improve, and what may separate long-term winners from the flood of startups building “just another AI tool”. Beyond company building, Jan also reflects on surprising use cases of n8n, how users have stretched the platform in unexpected directions, and what he looks for when backing founders as an angel investor. Key Points - How Jan’s frustration with repetitive coding became the starting point for n8n - The story behind the name n8n and the company’s fair-code, community-driven philosophy - Why data ownership, self-hosting, and flexibility matter more than ever for European businesses - Europe’s strengths and weaknesses in AI compared with the US and China - Jan’s thoughts on the AI bubble, unexpected n8n use cases, and the founder traits he values as an investor

Interview with the CEO & co-founder of Neuroelectrics, Ana Maiques This episode features Ana Maiques, CEO and co-founder of Neuroelectrics, a Barcelona-based neurotechnology company pioneering non-invasive brain stimulation for neurological and psychiatric conditions. Founded in 2011 as a spin-off from Starlab, Neuroelectrics has grown into a global digital brain health company operating in over 74 countries, with a presence in both Barcelona and Boston since 2014. Their tech enables clinicians to both read and influence brain activity in real time, offering applications in epilepsy, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and anxiety disorders. The conversation explores how the neurotechnology landscape has evolved over the past decade - from a niche research field into a rapidly growing sector attracting significant investment. Maiques also discusses Neuroelectrics’ collaboration with NASA, where its technology has been used to measure cognitive fatigue in pilots. The interview examines the structural challenges of scaling DeepTech companies in Europe versus the US, including access to capital, talent, and regulatory pathways. Maiques shares insights from her role as President of EsTech, an organisation representing leading Spanish scale-ups. Key Points: - Why Neuroelectrics was founded to address the lack of personalised, effective brain disorder treatments - How non-invasive brain stimulation works and why it offers advantages over surgical approaches - How COVID-19 accelerated adoption of remote brain treatment and telemedicine solutions - Challenges of scaling DeepTech companies in Europe and the funding gap compared to the US - The current state of gender diversity in STEM and where progress is still needed Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - Sponsor 2:43 - Interview

Interview with Refurbed founder Kilian Kaminski In this interview, we speak with Philipp Heltewig, Refurbed founder Kilian Kaminski. The Austrian scale-up is turning e-waste into Millions.

Interview with GM of NiCE Cognigy Philipp Heltewig In this interview, we speak with Philipp Heltewig, Chief AI Officer at NiCE and General Manager of NiCE Cognigy, about the journey of building Cognigy from a startup in 2016 to a $1 billion acquisition by NiCE Ltd. in 2025. Philipp reflects on the early frustrations that inspired the company, the rapid evolution of enterprise AI adoption, and how customer service is shifting from chatbots to agentic AI systems capable of acting autonomously within enterprise workflows. Cognigy was founded in 2016 by Philipp Heltewig, Sascha Poggemann, and Benjamin Mayr with the goal of transforming how enterprises engage with customers. In the conversation, Philipp looks back at Cognigy’s early years and the key milestones along the way, including the ~€36 million Series B in 2021, the €93 million Series C in 2024, and the strategic acquisition by NiCE in 2025. A major theme of the discussion is the rise of agentic AI — systems that can understand intent, take actions across enterprise systems, and orchestrate complex customer interactions. Philipp breaks down how these AI agents differ from traditional chatbots and why enterprises are increasingly adopting them to automate routine tasks while allowing human agents to focus on higher-value interactions. The conversation also explores the limits of current AI systems and the situations where human support is still essential, particularly when empathy, complex judgement, or sensitive decision-making is required. Key Points - Cognigy was founded in 2016 and acquired by NiCE Ltd. for $1 billion in September 2025. - Philipp explains the shift from basic chatbots to agentic AI, capable of acting autonomously within enterprise systems. - Enterprises increasingly use AI to augment human agents, handling routine interactions while humans focus on complex cases. - The interview explores how the founder role evolves after a major acquisition, and how AI strategy is shaped within a larger global company. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:26 - Sponsor 02:39 - Interview

Interview with Enrico Giacomelli, the Founder of Namirial In this interview, Enrico Giacomelli, Founder and Chairman of Namirial, reflects on building one of Europe’s leading Digital Transaction Management and Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) groups - from a small Italian software house founded in 1991 to a pan-European digital trust leader valued at approximately €1.1 billion. Founded in 2000 in Senigallia, Namirial now operates in 90+ countries, employs over 1,300 people, and serves enterprises, SMEs and public administrations across Europe, Latin America and Asia. In 2020, Ambienta acquired a majority stake, accelerating international expansion. In July 2025, Bain Capital acquired a majority stake. Later that year, Namirial merged with Signaturit (backed by PSG Equity), creating a leading pan-European QTSP with strong positions in Italy, Spain, France and Germany. We discuss regulation as both constraint and catalyst, what “AI-first” means in a highly regulated environment, scaling through M&A, and the future of European digital identity. Key Points: - How Enrico identified the original problem in 1991 - and why it still matters - Building a global tech leader from outside Europe’s main startup hubs - Regulation as both constraint and competitive advantage - What “AI-first” means in a trust-heavy, compliance-driven sector - Practical advice for founders making their first steps - Avoiding the AI hype cycle while building long-term value

Davide Dattoli, founder and Executive Chairman of Talent Garden and Venture Founder at Italian Founders Fund, leads a pan-European edtech and coworking platform. He discusses Talent Garden’s growth from coworking to large-scale training. He explores why physical learning communities still matter. He talks about evolving EdTech funding and what truly future-proof skills mean.

Interview with Antler co-founder and CBO Fridtjof Berge In this episode, we sit down with Fridtjof Berge, co-founder and Chief Business Officer at Antler, one of the world’s most active early-stage venture capital firms. Since launching in 2017, Antler has backed more than 1,650 startups globally and, according to recent data, has now made over 1,800 investments across six continents, supporting founders from day zero. Fridtjof shares his journey from McKinsey and Harvard Business School to building a global VC platform operating in 27 cities, from San Francisco and New York to Berlin, Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney. We explore how Antler scaled from deploying €5.4 million across 44 startups in 2019 to launching a €30 million Nordic fund in 2021 and a €150 million Nordic fund in 2023. We also dive into Antler’s latest report, “The Anatomy of Greatness”, analysing a decade of unicorn creation from 2014 to 2024. The data reveals a dramatic acceleration in billion-dollar company formation, the rise of AI, shifting founder demographics, and the globalisation of innovation far beyond Silicon Valley. From backing breakout companies like Airalo and Lovable, to shaping one of the most distributed early-stage investment models in the world, Fridtjof offers his view on what truly sets exceptional founders apart today. Key Points: - Antler has made over 1,800 global investments and backed more than 1,650 companies since 2018, operating in 27 cities worldwide - Unicorn creation has surged from around 4 per year a decade ago to 148 per year, driven largely by AI AI startups now reach unicorn status in just 4.7 years on average, faster than any other sector - The average AI-unicorn founder age has fallen to 29 in 2024, even as overall founder age trends slightly upward - Unicorns have expanded from 30 cities in 8 countries to 300+ cities across 45 countries, reflecting a globalisation of tech entrepreneurship

In this interview, we sit down with Tessa Clarke, co-founder and CEO of Olio, a community-powered platform built to redistribute surplus food and household items at scale. Growing up on a dairy farm in Yorkshire, Tessa developed an early understanding of the effort behind food production and a deep aversion to waste. That mindset later collided with a very common problem: moving house with a fridge full of perfectly good food. Knocking on neighbours’ doors with a newborn and toddler in tow, she realised there had to be a better way to share surplus – and Olio was born. Since launching in 2015, Olio has grown from a 12-person WhatsApp experiment into a global platform with over 9 million users, 135 million meals redistributed, 15 million household items rehomed, and around 300,000 tonnes of CO₂e prevented. To date, Olio has raised around €45 million in funding. Alongside neighbour-to-neighbour sharing, Olio now works with major partners including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Pret and Compass Group to safely redistribute surplus food at scale. In the conversation, Tessa reflects on moving from senior corporate roles at Dyson and Wonga to building a purpose-led startup, the power of volunteer-driven models, and why household food waste – which accounts for around half of global waste – remains one of the hardest challenges to solve. Key Points - How growing up on a dairy farm shaped Tessa Clarke’s views on food, work and waste - The moment that sparked Olio – and how a few sweet potatoes led to a global platform - Lessons from scaling a purpose-led startup from a WhatsApp group to millions of users - Why household food waste is harder to tackle than supply-chain waste - The role of community, volunteers and trust in making circular models work at scale - Where Olio’s peer-to-peer model fits within the wider European FoodTech ecosystem

In this episode, we sit down with Hanno Renner, co-founder and CEO of Personio, Europe’s leading all-in-one HR software platform, to reflect on a decade-long journey from near-bankruptcy to building one of Europe’s most influential SaaS companies. Hanno looks back on Personio’s earliest days, including the moment when the company had just a few hundred euros left in the bank. We explore what truly changes when a startup moves from survival mode into scale-up mode, what doesn’t scale as expected, and how founder alignment evolves as roles diverge in a company of more than 1,800 people serving over a million employees. A central and timely part of the discussion focuses on EU Inc and the proposed 28th regime. Hanno makes a strong case for deeper European integration. His pro-European stance highlights why regulatory harmonisation, capital mobility, and a truly unified market are not abstract policy debates, but goals for Europe’s next generation of scaleups. Beyond business, Hanno reflects on leadership lessons from his time as a yacht skipper, how those experiences shaped his approach to responsibility and decision-making, and how he thinks about long-term societal impact through the Personio Foundation, which has committed 1% of the company’s equity to climate action and education. Key Points - From near-zero cash to multi-billion valuation: the least visible but hardest phases of Personio’s growth - What breaks - and what surprisingly holds - when scaling from startup to European scaleup - Personio’s evolving role at the centre of Europe’s HRTech ecosystem - Why EU Inc and the 28th regime are critical for Europe’s ability to build global tech champions