Leap Takers

Dr. Anjali Raja Beharelle is the CSO (Chief Science Officer) and one of the founders of collabree.com. Collabree is a Swiss eHealth / digital adherence start-up focusing on improving therapy compliance of chronically ill patients by applying behavioural economics principles. Collabree is helping patients to make lasting behavioral changes and stick to their therapy regimen by combining human engagement with scalable algorithms and using the most relevant gamification factors: fun, friends and feedback.Anjali is responsible for the clinical track and integrating insights from behavioral economics and neuroscience into the app. Before founding Collabree, Anjali worked as a neuroscientist. Her research focused on the neuro(chemical) and behavioral components of decision making between short-term and long-term rewards (e.g. should I have a candy bar or some broccoli) and how to optimize these decisions.We discuss:How behavioral economics can help us to make long-lasting positive habit changesTaking the leap from Academia into the world of startupsWhy medication adherence is so importantCollabree’s mission and future plansTips for forming habitsShow notes:03:41 -- Intro of Anjali04:19 -- Why Anjali decided to leave academia and to join a startup05:38 -- Anjali’s academic research focus and how it links to her role at Collabree08:55 -- How Anjali joined Collabree / found her co-founders10:45 -- What is Collabree’s mission and what problem is the startup trying to solve15:52 -- Development status of Collabree17:18 -- More info about the Collabree app17:36 -- Deep dive into scientific results from behavioral economics and how it can help us to form healthier habits22:15 -- Pricing model of Collabree24:26 -- Broader focus of Collabree - healthy habits25:19 -- Deep dive into what habits are and habit formation from a scientific perspective31:11 -- Practical & actionable tips for forming positive habits34:49 -- Future plans for Collabree and status of fundraising37:04 -- Learnings from switching from academia to the world of startups40:43 -- Anjali’s favorite book42:43 -- Role model of Anjali43:35 -- Advice to your younger self44:28 -- What courage means to Anjali45:09 -- How to find out more about CollabreePlease follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and my Website, where I post new episodes and share resources & tips for anyone interested in entrepreneurship in Europe. If you're enjoying the podcast, the best way to support the show is by leaving a review on Apple Podcast or in your favorite podcast app.

Hugo Amsellem [@HugoAmsellem] is a thought leader covering the world of the creator economy and writes the blog “Arm the Creators”. The Creator Economy enables an entire generation to bypass traditional gatekeepers for the 1st time in history. Anyone can learn anything online, build something new and distribute it all over the world—without asking anyone's permissionIn 2013 he jumped the fence and joined The Family as part of the founding team. The Family is one of the world’s leading fellowship programs for founders. Twice a year, The Family selects 50 startups from around the world. In exchange for 5% equity, they provide everything you need to build a scalable business: advice, mindset, network & a world-class investor demo day.With the Family he backed hundreds of founders across Europe.Previously, he co-founded oocto, a decentralized music label to help artists bypass the record labels and keep ownership of their projects.Hugo recently joined Jellysmack, a “creator accelerator” to educate & empower the next generation of ambitious creators.We discuss:Why the Creator economy will change everythingLessons from startup failureThe origin story of The FamilyDevelopments in the European startup ecosystemInvesting in creators and creator acceleratorsShow notes:03:09 -- Intro of Hugo05:31 -- Hugo Amsellem’s path into entrepreneurship / disrupting the music business08:32 -- Learnings and reflections from startup failure13:00 -- Unit economics - Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Customer LifeTime Value (CLTV)15:30 -- Does risk mitigation in startups work? Should you start a startup?19:30 -- Ideas are worthless - true or not?20:39 -- The origin story of The Family and the startup ecosystem in Europe in the early 2010’s27:51 -- Structure of The Family fellowship program31:52 -- Who should apply to The Family program33:26 -- Intro to the Creator Economy and why it matters38:43 -- Jellysmack - the accelerator for creators43:09 -- Investing in creators47:43 -- Hugo Amsellem’s favorite book50:25 -- What courage means for Hugo53:32 -- Hugo Amsellem’s contact details and outroPlease follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and my Website, where I post new episodes and share resources & tips for anyone interested in entrepreneurship in Europe. If you're enjoying the podcast, the best way to support the show is by leaving a review on Apple Podcast or in your favorite podcast app.

Patrick Gobonya is one of the co-founders of Ovation eSports. Ovation was founded in Zurich / Switzerland in February 2020, and is the first sustainable eSports organization. Ovation is "a lit, young & dynamic pioneer which combines professionalism and fun in one team. A network platform of champs and eSports enthusiasts."Ovation accompanies and develops athletes on their journey to become leading eSports players. The company is committed to provide their athletes with support to protect their mental and physical well-being and offers an environment to master a successful future following a career in eSports. Ovation eSports AG is a Swiss team consisting of players from the DACH region and with partnerships all over Europe. Ovation is one of the fastest growing and up-and-coming esports teams in Europe and currently competes in the games of Fortnite and Valorant.In March 2021, Ovation announced that it has raised a seed round investment from billionaire twin brothers Maurice and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.We discuss:The origin story of OvationTips for starting an eSports team & scouting talentSustainability in eSports and gaming as a career trackFundraising adviceShow notes:02:23 -- Intro of Patrick Gobonya03:12 -- What is eSports and why is it relevant05:54 -- Ovation’s fundraise from Maurice und Kyril Louis-Dreyfus06:56 -- How the investment from the Dreyfus twins in Ovation came to be11:06 -- How Patrick for the first time got the idea to start his own company and the origin story of Ovation15:52 -- How Ovation came up with the name for its team17:16 -- How to start an eSports team, recruiting players, getting into the community19:50 -- How to scout talent in eSports22:18 -- Progress of ovation in 202024:55 -- Stats and further info about Ovation28:15 -- Revenue streams of Ovation and eSports teams - how the sponsorship model works31:48 -- What sustainability means in the context of eSports34:01 -- Patrick’s learnings from building an eSports brand35:22 -- Trends in the eSports space36:58 -- Patrick’s favorite game37:42 -- Patrick Gobonya’s advice to younger self38:22 -- Open browser tabs39:20 -- What courage means to PatrickPlease follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and my Website, where I post new episodes and share resources & tips for anyone interested in entrepreneurship in Europe. If you're enjoying the podcast, the best way to support the show is by leaving a review on Apple Podcast or in your favorite podcast app.

Arman Anatürk [@ArmanAnaturk] is the founder and CEO of FoodHack. FoodHack is a community-driven platform that inspires, highlights and connects food entrepreneurs and innovators. With FoodHack Arman is is building the 21st century media / events company for the foodtech industry. The platform's offering includes a weekly food & food tech newsletter, ambassador run meet-ups, an annual FoodHack Summit, as well as a newly launched Food Discovery board (think of the “Product Hunt of Food”) where innovative food tech startups are featured.Arman’s goal with FoodHack is to make it easier for impact driven food founders to access the resources, network and knowledge they need to successfully launch and grow their Food (tech) business. The FoodHack newsletter has over 100+ editions sent and over 5k+ happy readers.Arman also hosts "The Secret Sauce" Podcast, where he provides insights from food industry leaders.We discuss:How Arman founded and grew a 21st century media company focused on food & technologyCold outreach tipsNewest trends in the FoodTech spaceTools to run an emerging startup / platformThe origin story of FoodHackShow notes:02:33 -- Intro of Arman03:20 -- How Arman Anatürk got interested in startups and food tech07:04 -- Next steps after working for a coding school08:16 -- Cold outreach tips13:17 -- How Arman got his first client14:50 -- Description of FoodHack and its mission17:50 -- Sources of revenue for FoodHack / a 21st century media business20:13 -- The story of FoodHack and its different products23:51 -- Stats of FoodHack25:33 -- Arman’s favorite tools to run FoodHack / a media startup28:05 -- Tips to grow your newsletter30:31 -- Latest trends happening in the FoodTech space37:30 -- Book with the biggest impact for Arman37:54 -- Area in FoodTech that Arman is most excited about38:27 -- Lessons for other (aspiring) entrepreneurs40:44 -- What courage means for ArmanPlease follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and my Website, where I post new episodes and share resources & tips for anyone interested in entrepreneurship in Europe. If you're enjoying the podcast, the best way to support the show is by leaving a review on Apple Podcast or in your favorite podcast app.

Job van der Voort (@Jobvo) is the CEO and one of the founders of Remote.com.Remote makes it possible to employ anyone, anywhere in the world. Their mission is to simplify how companies employ the best talent globally and to help remote organizations do their best work. They offer services such as international payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance for businesses big and small - so that they can hire anyone in the world - while outsourcing all the admin & legal work to Remote. Remote's vision is to become the "stripe for (remote) work".Remote is also among the fastest growing startups globally and is backed by some of the best venture capital investors in the world, such as Index Ventures, Sequoia, General Catalyst, Two Sigma, and many more very accomplished angel investors. Before founding Remote, Job worked as neuroscientist, and he was one of the first engineers that joined GitLab. In his role as VP of product, Job was responsible for GitLab's product development and he helped grow the company from 5 to 450+ employees. Today GitLab is one of the largest distributed companies in the world.We discuss:The advantages of remote workBest practices for working from homeThe origin story of Remote.comTips for aspiring entrepreneurs and much moreShow notes:00:50 -- Intro03:49 -- Personal intro from Job van der Voort06:59 -- How Job started as one of the first engineers at Gitlab07:37 -- Background to Gitlab - What is Gitlab?08:05 -- Job’s first touchpoints with working for a fully distributed / remote company10:07 -- Insights into Job’s role at Gitlab as VP of product11:37 -- Gitlab’s growth and scaling up12:40 -- Collaboration tools14:06 -- Advantages of remote work16:33 - The shift to remote-first from employers perspective17:56 -- Second order effects of shifting to remote work20:30 -- Best practices for remote work24:59 -- The origin story of Remote.com - How remote.com was started27:45 -- Introduction to what remote.com does30:35 -- Remote.com’s venture capital fundraise32:00 -- Customers of Remote.com33:23 -- Remote.com as stripe for remote work36:09 -- Job’s vision for remote.com in 5 years37:19 -- Job van der Voort’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and leaptakers40:39 -- Labor market and demand for remote roles42:36 -- Book that had biggest personal impact43:08 -- Job’s favorite remote collaboration tool44:42 -- Advice to younger self45:03 -- What courage means to Job

Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄This episode is going to be a small experiment. In this Christmas special, I'm introducing you to 5 of my personal and my podcast guests favorite business & startup books. Hence, I give you a crowd-sourced reading list from some of Europe's top up-and-coming entrepreneurs and VCs. I'm convinced that these books can help you to bring your business / startup to the next level, or to get motivated to "take the leap" yourself! It's also the perfect activity to read on a cold wintery day at home.Since it’s Christmas, I'm also doing a little giveaway and will send to some lucky winner a book of his or her choice from this list. All you got to do is to review the Leap Takers Podcast on Apple Podcast (or your favorite podcast app), give it a 5 star rating, and send me proof (screenshot / link) to remo.kyburz1[at]gmail.com. I'll then randomly draw a lucky winner. Deadline is January 1st 2021.This is just a little thank you & Christmas gift from me to the listeners of the Leap Takers Podcast. 🎁 Thank you for your continued support and I hope you get some benefit and motivation from listening to this podcast.I'm wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2021!RemoPlease follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and my Website, where I post new episodes and share resources & tips for anyone interested in entrepreneurship in Europe.If you're enjoying the podcast, the best way to support the show is by leaving a review on Apple Podcast or in your favorite podcast app.

Alina Bassi (@alinabassi1) is the founder and CEO of Kleiderly. Originally from London, she founded Kleiderly in 2019 in Berlin with the goal of solving the problem of fashion industry waste. She has developed a patent-pending technology to recycle waste clothing into a new and sustainable material, diverting clothing waste away from landfills and incinerators. Her mission is to lower the carbon footprint of fashion and eliminate tons of CO2 emissions.Alina is a Google for Startups Female Founder alumna and a member of the Forbes 30 under 30 class of 2020.In this episode you will learn about:Kleiderly and how they are trying to solve the problem of fashion industry wasteThe Berlin startup scene and acceleratorsHow to build up confidence as a founderSupporting minority foundersAnd much more…!Show notes:01:45 -- Intro of Alina Bassi02:04 -- Alina’s background before she launched her own startup03:13 -- Gaining first startup experience at bio-bean04:28 -- How Alina found a startup to work for and gather relevant experience05:07 -- The origin story of Kleiderly08:04 -- Kleiderly’s value proposition09:48 -- The first steps of entrepreneurship. How do you start your own company13:19 -- Alina’s experience with Accelerator programs16:42 -- Current stage and facts about Kleiderly19:10 -- Lessons learnt from an early-stage startup23:27 -- Mistakes to avoid as a founder24:38 -- Tips and insights into the Berlin startup scene26:33 -- Initiatives that Alina is involved in to support minority founders30:17 -- Alina’s favorite book she would recommend to fellow startup founders30:50 -- Alina’s best personal investment31:25 -- Alina’s favorite SaaS tool to help her as a founder32:29 -- Advice to your younger self33:32 -- How to build up confidence as a founder34:45 -- What courage means to AlinaPlease follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and my Website, where I post new episodes and share resources & tips for anyone interested in entrepreneurship in Europe. If you're enjoying the podcast, the best way to support the show is by leaving a review on Apple Podcast or in your favorite podcast app.

Tobias Gunzenhauser (@TobGunzenhauser) is the CEO and one of the three co-founders of yamo.yamo is Europe's first digital native vertical brand that produces fresh organic baby and children food. The company launched in 2017 in Switzerland with their first product of baby purees. In the meantime, yamo is also sold in "Coop", one of Switzerland's largest retailers.All of yamo’s products are 100% organic, natural and free from additives. They developed every recipe together with dozens of helpful moms, dads, their little ones, nutritionists and pediatricians.In the summer of 2020, yamo raised a €10M Series A.You will hear the fascinating origin story of yamo, tips around production & manufacturing, how to find a good production partner, advice on online stores, and much more!Show notes:02:15 -- Introduction of Tobias02:43 -- The origin story of yamo. How the founders came up with the idea for a baby food company07:45 -- Starting a company on the side vs. quitting and going all in11:53 -- How yamo started producing their first product15:39 -- The benefits of a production partner vs. producing yourself16:55 -- How to find a good production partner19:42 -- How yamo solved the problem of high minimum orders combined with limited capital to manufacture their product20:57 -- yamo’s approach to distribution and setting up their online store24:41 -- The state of the eCommerce infrastructure & online store integrations in Switzerland26:15 -- Overview of yamo’s product offering and their newest innovative product30:36 -- Tobias’ key learnings from starting yamo33:09 -- How to test your D2C business idea35:01 -- Tobias’ favorite book35:37 -- Another favorite D2C product of Tobias36:01 -- Advice to your younger self36:58 -- What courage means to Tobias38:01 -- Info about yamoPlease follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and my Website, where I post new episodes and share resources & tips for anyone interested in entrepreneurship in Europe. If you're enjoying the podcast, the best way to support the show is by leaving a review on Apple Podcast or in your favorite podcast app.

Heidi Lindvall (@HeidiLindvall) is one of the founders and a general partner at Pale Blue Dot. Pale Blue Dot is a seed stage ClimateTech VC investing in reducing and reversing the effects of climate change and preparing for a new world. They invest tickets of €200k - €2M, in pre-seed and seed-stage companies based in Europe and US.Heidi Lindvall previously co-founded Storygami, an online video company that increases viewers engagement & helped monetize content. She also founded CODOC, an award winning video production company. She has a background in Media and Human Rights and has studied for two degrees in the field in London.In this episode you hear how Heidi made her way from being a documentary filmmaker into the world of Venture Capital (VC). We also discuss her learnings from being an entrepreneur and what areas in ClimateTech she is most excited about to help save the planet. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.Show notes:01:48 -- Introduction of Heidi Lindvall02:21 -- Description of Pale Blue Dot and the goal of the VC fund04:26 -- How Heidi got in touch with the world of startups & tech07:16 -- Documentary movies created by Heidi Lindvall07:54 -- How Storygami - a online video SaaS product - was born10:20 -- What is the right moment for a startup to start looking for investors11:33 -- From Storygami to joining accelerators, becoming an investor, and the origin story of Pale Blue Dot VC19:15 -- What is ClimateTech and in what areas does Pale Blue Dot invest in22:35 -- Investment target & fund characteristics of Pale Blue Dot23:50 -- Public investments of Pale Blue Dot VC24:41 -- The role of regulation in the ClimateTech sector26:27 -- Learnings from raising a VC fund in Europe29:35 -- Heidi’s advice and tips for (aspiring) entrepreneurs32:03 -- Book that had a big personal impact on Heidi’s life33:07 -- Resources for people interested in the climate & tech space34:17 -- Heidi’s most worthwhile investment35:24 -- Advice to your younger self36:10 -- What courage means to HeidiPlease follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and my Website, where I post new episodes and share resources & tips for anyone interested in entrepreneurship in Europe. If you're enjoying the podcast, the best way to support the show is by leaving a review on Apple Podcast or in your favorite podcast app.

Anne-Laure Le Cunff (@anthilemoon) is the Founder of Ness Labs, an award-winning productivity & learning community and venture studio building products that focus on mindful productivity, wellness, creativity, and culture. She is an ex-Googler, MSc of Applied Neuroscience candidate at King's College, member of the Society for Neuroscience, and certified Mental Health First Aider accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health.Her work has been featured in WIRED, Forbes, FT, Rolling Stone, and more. Every week, she sends a newsletter to thousands of mindful makers with practical content at the intersection of neuroscience and entrepreneurship.She is half-French, half-Algerian. Anne-Laure was born in Paris, sold French wine in New York, studied in Tokyo, worked at Google in San Francisco, and started her company Ness Labs in London.In this episode you will hear the origin story of Ness Labs, we discuss fascinating topics such as the concept of time anxiety, and you hear Anne-Laure’s advice for anyone that wants to start & grow a content community. I found this episode incredibly interesting and I hope you enjoy it as well.Show notes:01:54 -- Intro of Anne-Laure Le Cunff02:42 -- Anne-Laure’s personal background and travels04:49: -- How Anne-Laure became interested in the human mind and neuroscience07:12 -- Ness Labs: What is it and who is it for11:18 -- The origin story of Ness Labs. How Anne-Laure Le Cunff built a learning platform for mindful productivity14:34 -- Lessons learned from a previous startup failure18:41 -- Tips on growing your audience and community20:43 -- Working with the garage door open22:03 -- Positive highlight of Ness Lab’s journey so far23:28 -- Ness Labs as a remote-first company26:13 -- Time Anxiety. What is it and how do we best counteract it?31:22 -- Top recommended articles on Ness Labs32:12 -- Key learnings from starting an online learning community34:19 -- Ness Lab’s newest product35:37 -- Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s favorite book35:55 -- Anne-Laure's best personal investment37:08 -- Anne-Laure’s advice to her younger self38:17 -- What courage means to Anne-LaurePlease follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and my Website, where I post new episodes, share interesting articles I found, and blog occasionally about cool startups!If you're enjoying the podcast, the best way to support the show is by leaving a review on Apple Podcast or in your favorite podcast app.