Episode 149: Marcin Lewandowski: My Last EU-Startups Podcast Episode – We Flipped the Script… Live on a Padel Court

After 100+ episodes over two years, this is Marcin Lewandowski’s final episode as host of the EU-Startups Podcast. We flipped the script: this time Marcin is interviewed by David Cendon Garcia (News Editor at EU-Startups) — who will be taking over the podcast going forward. We recorded it live on a padel court, in one take, while playing. It’s a fun behind-the-scenes look at: → Marcin's story and how it all started → the conversations that made the biggest impact → the toughest moments → favorite guests + lessons learned → and what’s next Thank you, Marcin. David — welcome to the mic. If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the EU-Startups Podcast on YouTube! Or follow along on your other favorite podcast platforms... Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4QU85dN... / Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ee/podcast... Follow EU-Startups on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eu-startups-menlo-media/ Visit our Website: https://www.eu-startups.com/ Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.eu-startups.com/newsletter/

Most people talk about AI in the cloud. Karim Saleh is putting it on the factory floor. This week on the EU-Startups Podcast, Marcin Lewandowski sits down with Karim Saleh — Co-Founder & CEO of Cerrion, the company building agentic AI that watches factory lines 24/7 and intervenes in real time to prevent safety incidents, scrap, and costly downtime. Cerrion plugs into standard cameras, understands production flows like an expert operator, and can instantly take action — slowing conveyors, shutting down machines, or triggering alarms. Factories using Cerrion resolve issues 50% faster, cut downtime and scrap in half, and run operations with far less stress. Karim’s journey is unreal: → Grew up in a manufacturing family in Egypt → Professional athlete & captain of Egypt’s national water polo team → Electrical engineering at ETH Zurich → Founder building AI across 15 countries and 3 continents → Just raised an $18M Series A from Creandum, Hanel, YC, 10x Founders, Robin Chan, Justin Kan, Harry Stebbings and others We cover: • The moment on a factory floor that shaped the mission behind Cerrion • Why frontline teams everywhere face the same structural problems • How agentic AI can safely intervene during production • Real stories where Cerrion caught what humans couldn’t see in time • The surprising similarity between factories in 15 different countries • What elite sport teaches you about building a hypergrowth startup • What the factory of the future feels like for a shift leader in 2030 • And the “one myth about factories” Karim wants the world to forget This is one of the most grounded, mission-driven, high-clarity deep-tech conversations we’ve had. Takeaways: 1. Frontline teams are overwhelmed; AI reduces stress, not jobs. 2. Agentic AI is shifting factories from firefighting to foresight. 3. Real-time AI intervention works when humans stay in the loop, not out of it. 4. Elite sports taught Karim the founder superpower: discipline beats adrenaline. 5. The factory of the future is calm, predictable, and safe — not chaotic. Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction: Karim’s story & Cerrion’s mission 02:13 – Growing up in manufacturing & seeing frontline pain 06:59 – What’s broken in factories today 10:39 – How Cerrion’s AI agents work in real time 12:34 – Human–AI partnership on the shop floor 15:40 – Success stories from 15 countries 18:22 – Athlete mindset → founder mindset 21:29 – Hypergrowth: what broke first 24:50 – The factory of the future 26:42 – Rapid Fire with Karim Saleh If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the EU-Startups Podcast on YouTube! Or follow along on your other favorite podcast platforms... Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4QU85dN... / Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ee/podcast... Follow EU-Startups on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eu-startups-menlo-media/ Visit our Website: https://www.eu-startups.com/ Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.eu-startups.com/newsletter/

Is Europe really at an AI crossroads — or are we already picking a lane? This week on the EU-Startups Podcast, Marcin Lewandowski sits down with Emmet King, Founding Partner at J12, VC with presence in Stockholm, London, and Paris, backing founders early at the frontier of AI, to unpack what the AI moment actually looks like on the ground for European founders. Emmet argues that Europe has world-class AI talent, but faces real constraints in capital deployment, energy capacity, and regulatory timing. The question isn’t “can Europe build iconic AI companies?” — it’s whether we’ll move fast enough on energy, compute, and policy to let them scale here. Together, we dig into: • What “Europe at an AI crossroads” means in practical terms for founders today • Where talent density is an advantage — and where capital, energy, and regulation still bite • Why calling AI a “bubble” is lazy, and where the froth really is (application layer) • Where the real compounding value lies: infra (DataCrunch, etc.) vs applied AI (Dropcode, Kovant, Pistachio, Dema…) • Energy reality: China’s lead, US flexibility, and how Europe can close the gap • The non-negotiables for building an AI startup in Europe in 2026 • What kind of regulation timing helps, instead of smothering, AI scaleups • Signals that the tide is turning: talent flows, new strategies, infra investment • A concrete “order of operations” for Europe: capital, energy, compute, data, visas We also run through a quick rapid-fire round: • Europe’s AI superpower — and kryptonite • One regulation to keep, one to rewrite • How to spot the copilot mirage (shiny but 0.2% impact) • What proves an infra startup can actually compound • And Emmet’s finish to: “AI isn’t a bubble if we…” Takeaways • Europe has the AI talent to build global leaders — but still underpowers them with capital, energy, and policy. • The AI “bubble” narrative is lazy; froth is in shallow apps, while infra quietly compounds. • Energy capacity and compute access are now strategic levers, not back-office concerns. • Winning AI startups in Europe will be trust-first, productivity-proven, and talent-dense. • Europe’s path is clear: align capital, energy, compute, data, and visas around its best teams. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction to AI in Europe 03:10 – Europe at an AI Crossroads 08:16 – Energy Infrastructure and AI 10:41 – The AI Bubble Debate 18:01 – Non-Negotiables for AI Startups 22:55 – J12’s Investment Lens & Thesis 26:22 – If Europe Led for a Day: What to Fix First 31:16 – Contrarian Bets, Safe Bets & Myths 35:14 – Rapid Fire with Emmet King If you’re building AI in Europe — or thinking about where to found your next company — this conversation is a roadmap, not a hot take. If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the EU-Startups Podcast on YouTube! Or follow along on your other favorite podcast platforms... Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4QU85dN... / Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ee/podcast... Follow EU-Startups on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eu-startups-menlo-media/ Visit our Website: https://www.eu-startups.com/ Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.eu-startups.com/newsletter/ #ai #technology #startup #investing #business

This week on the EU-Startups Podcast, Marcin Lewandowski sits down with Zuzanna Stamirowska, CEO & Co-Founder of Pathway — the company building the world’s first post-transformer AI model. Transformers took us far, but they’re showing real limits: they recite instead of reason, freeze instead of adapt, and break under real-time complexity. Zuzanna’s team is rewriting the foundations. Pathway introduces a new architecture with native memory, temporal awareness, and glass-box visibility, enabling models to adapt on the fly—more like humans, less like static prediction engines. Backed by the minds behind Transformers and GPT o1, and trusted by organizations like NATO, La Poste, and Formula 1 teams, Pathway might be the most important AI company you haven’t heard of yet. In this conversation, we dive into: • Why AI’s next leap requires new foundations—not bigger transformers • How Pathway updates reasoning mid-stream as new evidence arrives • Visibility as a feature: what “glass-box AI” actually looks like • How long-range context can survive without latency or cost exploding • Why post-transformer models need far less data to specialize • The operational patterns across NATO, La Poste & F1 that justify a new paradigm • What Pathway’s #1 ranking on Hugging Face opened up • The next 12 months: the capability Zuzanna is most excited to ship If you care about where AI is really going — not incremental tweaks but a genuine architectural shift — this is the episode. Takeaways: • AI’s next leap is architectural, not incremental. • Memory + time unlock adaptation transformers can’t touch. • Context beats parameter count. • Glass-box visibility will become an enterprise requirement. • Less data, more reasoning — the future is efficiency over scale. Chapters: 00:00 – Meet Zuzanna & Pathway 02:57 – Why AI Needs New Foundations 05:58 – Memory & Time: The Missing Ingredients 09:09 – Adaptive Reasoning in Real Time 11:57 – Less Training, More Understanding 15:06 – NATO, La Poste, F1: Field Proof 18:01 – Building Teams at the Frontier 21:09 – Hugging Face #1: The Ripple Effect 23:58 – What Comes Next If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the EU-Startups Podcast on YouTube! Or follow along on your other favorite podcast platforms... Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4QU85dN... / Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ee/podcast... Follow EU-Startups on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eu-startups-menlo-media/ Visit our Website: https://www.eu-startups.com/ Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.eu-startups.com/newsletter/ #ai #technology #startup

Most healthcare only really starts when something goes wrong. Even is trying to flip that. Recorded live during Italian Tech Week in Turin, this episode of the EU-Startups Podcast features Matilde Giglio, Co-Founder of Even, India’s leading healthcare startup redesigning access to affordable, high-quality care for over 1.3 billion people. Backed by Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund, Lachy Groom, Alpha Wave and others, Even has raised over $60M since launching in 2021, grown to a 400+ person team, and built a unique membership that gives Indians unlimited, cashless access to primary care, diagnostics, specialists, and hospital cover – all wrapped around a strong preventive model. We talk about: – Why Matilde chose India and what she saw in the system – Why most “prevention” models fail – and how Even makes it work at scale – How they redesigned incentives so doctors, patients and Even are aligned – What it means to build hospitals that feel like part of life, not a last resort – Where AI is genuinely useful today – and what stays deeply human – The hardest founder moments building in a complex, regulated system – And the headline Matilde wants Even to make five years from now Takeaways: – Even blends care + cover in one model, not two separate worlds. – The core bet is prevention first, not “wait for sickness then pay big.” – Incentives are redesigned so patients, doctors and Even win on better outcomes, not more procedures. – AI augments care, handling workflows and insight – but trust and empathy stay human. – Success is measured in health outcomes and satisfaction, not just ARR or procedure volume. Chapters: 00:00 Understanding Even Healthcare's Model 02:21 The Decision to Operate in India 05:05 Innovative Healthcare Solutions and Prevention 06:19 Redesigning the Hospital Experience 09:17 The Role of AI in Healthcare 12:40 Challenges Faced by Founders 16:21 Future Aspirations for Even Healthcare 19:07 Rapid Fire Questions and Closing Thoughts If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the EU-Startups Podcast on YouTube! Or follow along on your other favorite podcast platforms... Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4QU85dN... / Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ee/podcast... Follow EU-Startups on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eu-startups-menlo-media/ Visit our Website: https://www.eu-startups.com/ Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.eu-startups.com/newsletter/ #startup #health #healthcare

If your coffee tastes the same delicious every morning, there’s a good chance Cropster is involved. In this episode of the EU-Startups Podcast, Marcin Lewandowski sits down with Andreas Idl, Co-Founder & CEO of Cropster, the quiet tech force behind the global specialty coffee boom. Founded after Andreas spent time in Colombia and saw how hard it was for small farmers and roasters to access the global market on fair terms, Cropster builds software that helps producers and roasters hit specialty-grade quality, roast after roast—while sending more value back down the supply chain. Today, Cropster works with hundreds of roasters and cafés worldwide, including every winner of the World Coffee Roasting Championship. Their tools help map the entire journey from cherry to cup, capture and analyze roasting data, and keep quality consistent from one batch—and one location—to the next. With the recent acquisition of FireScope, Cropster is also deepening its footprint in Asia, one of the fastest-growing coffee markets in the world. We talk about: – What specialty coffee actually is—and why it’s exploding globally – Where quality is won or lost along the coffee production chain – The frictions that keep smallholders and emerging roasters out of premium markets – What Cropster’s software actually shows on-screen—and how it changes tomorrow’s roast – Why World Coffee Roasting Champions trust Cropster, and what any roaster can copy – The thinking behind the FireScope acquisition and expansion in Asia – How data can help farmers and roasters get fairer pricing and longer relationships – Where Cropster is going next: product roadmap, more M&A, and opening specialty to more roasters Takeaways: – Specialty coffee is won or lost at multiple steps—from cherry to cup. – Small roasters are often blocked by outdated trading systems and lack of data. – Cropster turns roasting into a measurable, repeatable process, not guesswork. – The FireScope acquisition accelerates Cropster’s growth in Asia’s fast-growing coffee market. – Great coffee is about balance—of flavor, process, and consistent quality. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Cropster and Andreas Idl 06:30 Understanding Specialty Coffee 09:03 The Coffee Production Process 12:19 Challenges for Small Holders and Emerging Roasters 19:48 Cropster's Role in the Coffee Industry 30:02 Acquisition of FireScope and Market Expansion 37:50 Future Plans for Cropster 38:35 Rapid Fire Questions with Andreas Idl If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the EU-Startups Podcast on YouTube! Or follow along on your other favorite podcast platforms... Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4QU85dN... / Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ee/podcast... Follow EU-Startups on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eu-startups-menlo-media/ Visit our Website: https://www.eu-startups.com/ Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.eu-startups.com/newsletter/ #coffee #business #technology

This week on the EU-Startups Podcast, Marcin Lewandowski sits down with Rebecka Löthman Rydå, General Partner at Norrsken Evolve. Rebecka calls herself a nerd at heart passionate about supporting early stage founders building transformative companies that tackle meaningful problems. She's an investor in over 30 companies like Truecaller, through Zenith (IPO $2b), Funnel (series C $66m), TrusTrace (series B $25m), Formulate (exit to Relex) and Zound Industries (now Marshall exit at $1b). Norrsken Evolve is a new €57M oversubscribed pre-seed fund backing founders building Europe’s resilient and sustainable future. It’s an evolution of Norrsken Accelerator—since 2021 they’ve backed 80 startups—now doubling down with €250k upfront + follow-on, a world-class in-person sprint, and a top-tier advisory network. We dig into: • Europe’s “defining moment” and the courage founders need now • What Evolve looks for at pre-seed (problem-obsession, resilience, honesty) • Why storytelling + direct feedback beat vanity metrics at day-zero • Hiring truths (why a Founder’s Associate / Chief of Staff early can 10x output) • How “resilience” gets real across energy, logistics, cities, food, health & society Takeaways: – Pre-seed is courage + clarity: narratives matter more than noisy metrics. – Back problem-obsession, not just credentials. – Resilience = real-world stress-tests, not buzzwords. – Hiring a Founder’s Associate early saves the CEO from context collapse. – Direct, fast feedback compounds founder learning. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Evolve & AI Bubble Discussion 03:08 How Evolve Works 06:04 Courage in European Innovation 08:58 Founder Traits: Problem-Obsession & Grit 12:02 Hiring & Early Team Dynamics 15:06 Fundraising & Metrics at Pre-Seed 17:56 Radical Candor: Feedback & Transparency 20:58 Resilience & Sustainability in Practice 23:03 Sector Impact & What’s Next 24:02 Final Thoughts & Rapid Fire If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the EU-Startups Podcast on YouTube! Or follow along on your other favorite podcast platforms... Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4QU85dN... / Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ee/podcast... Follow EU-Startups on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eu-startups-menlo-media/ Visit our Website: https://www.eu-startups.com/ Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.eu-startups.com/newsletter/ #startup #funding #sustainability #business #technology

Abacum is the all-in-one FP&A platform helping CFOs forecast revenue, plan headcount, and model financial scenarios—so finance can drive efficient growth in tough markets. With 100+ employees across Barcelona, New York, and London, Abacum is used by hundreds of mid-market companies in 31 countries—trusted by Strava, Trilogy, Abridge, JG Wentworth, Mastercam, and more. The company recently closed a $60M Series B led by Scale Venture Partners (total funding $105M) with investors including Y Combinator, Cathay Innovation, Atomico, Creandum, and K Fund. In this episode of the EU-Startups Podcast, Marcin Lewandowski sits down with Julio Martinez, Co-Founder and CEO of Abacum. Julio shares how Abacum turns spreadsheet-heavy workflows into real-time, collaborative planning. We cover how finance teams adopt Abacum in practice, Spain’s tech rise, and why the company is doubling down on U.S. expansion. We also dive into Julio’s personal operating system—Vipassana, Stoicism (Epictetus), journaling, family-first—and yes, his near-career as a paella cook (although he didn't say his last word about it yet) and much more. Takeaways: – Excel works… until scale, collaboration, and cadence break it. – One live model for revenue, headcount, and OPEX = forecasts you can defend. – Headcount discipline (role → timing → ramp → ROI) beats top-down totals. – AI enhances productivity; decisions stay human. – EU vs U.S.: EU optimizes for control; U.S. for speed—Abacum serves both. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Abacum and Julio Martinez 03:00 Identifying Pain Points in Finance 05:55 The Spreadsheet Dilemma 08:52 Hiring and Business Growth Traps 11:56 The Role of AI in Finance 14:59 Cultural Differences: EU vs US Finance 18:12 Raising Capital and Business Foundations 20:59 Personal Habits and Leadership 23:49 Rapid Fire Questions If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the EU-Startups Podcast on YouTube! Or follow along on your other favorite podcast platforms... Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4QU85dN... / Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ee/podcast... Follow EU-Startups on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eu-startups-menlo-media/ Visit our Website: https://www.eu-startups.com/ Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.eu-startups.com/newsletter/ #startup #finance #business

This week on the EU-Startups Podcast, Marcin Lewandowski sits down with Vidya Peters, CEO of DataSnipper—the Dutch unicorn automating document-heavy audit and finance with enterprise-grade, traceable AI. Founded in 2017, DataSnipper is used by 600,000+ professionals across 2,000+ customers in 175 countries—including the Big Four (Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC) and enterprises like Volkswagen, Morgan Stanley, Paramount, Siemens, Baker Tilly. In 2024, DataSnipper raised a $100M Series B led by Index Ventures at a $1B valuation, was the #1 fastest-growing company in the Netherlands for two years, and completed its first acquisition (UpLink). With multi-language support and industry-specific automation, DataSnipper focuses on what auditors actually need: speed with a regulator-ready audit trail. In this exciting conversation, Vidya shares her background, the importance of auditors in society, and how DataSnipper is transforming the auditing landscape by automating tedious tasks and enhancing efficiency. The conversation delves into the future of auditing with AI, the significance of trust in the auditing process, and the impact of partnerships, particularly with Microsoft. Vidya also engages in a rapid-fire segment, sharing personal insights and thoughts on the evolving role of AI technology in people's lives. We go deep on: – What “traceable AI” looks like for regulators (step-by-step breadcrumbs) – The one process that makes auditors smile by Friday – Where agents should own work this quarter—and where humans stay in the loop – How partnerships (incl. Microsoft ecosystem) make Monday mornings effortless – The moment auditors say, “I’ll never go back” Takeaways: – Traceable AI = evidence, not guesses: every extraction, match, and check leaves a breadcrumb. – Automate reality, not theory: start with evidence collection & tie-outs (fastest “auditors smile by Friday” win). – Agents own the repetitive; humans own the judgment: let agents prep, reconcile, and validate; keep materiality & risk with people. – Trust beats speed when it’s close: preserve human sign-off where stakes are high. – Platform vision: industry-specific automation + partners + app ecosystem → repeatable outcomes at scale. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to DataSnipper and Its Impact 02:30 The Role of Auditors in Society 06:01 Transforming Auditing with Technology 09:33 The Future of Auditing: AI and Automation 12:33 The Importance of Human Auditors 14:25 Partnerships and Effortless Workflows 15:56 Milestones and Future Vision 17:29 Rapid Fire Questions and Personal Insights If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the EU-Startups Podcast on YouTube! Or follow along on your other favorite podcast platforms... Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4QU85dN... / Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ee/podcast... Follow EU-Startups on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eu-startups-menlo-media/ Visit our Website: https://www.eu-startups.com/ Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.eu-startups.com/newsletter/ #startup #ai #technology #data #audit

This is the best time to build a startup ever. To young people thinking whether to build something: Start Now. This week on the EU-Startups Podcast, Marcin Lewandowski sits down with Laura Modiano (Startups EMEA at OpenAI) to turn her “love letter to European founders” into a build-now playbook. We break down OpenAI’s latest platform updates—Apps in ChatGPT + Apps SDK (a brand-new distribution channel), AgentKit (agents that actually do), Codex (GA) for developer speed, Sora 2 / Sora 2 Pro via API for high-ROI video, and GPT-5-pro for higher-stakes reasoning—into concrete steps founders can run today. You’ll learn: – The fastest path from idea → prototype using OpenAI’s stack (weekend-level speed) – Apps in ChatGPT: how discovery + monetization change—and what founders should prep before day one – Where AgentKit beats basic API calls (state, tools, guardrails → outcomes) – How to fold Codex (GA) into your PR flow without slowing teams – Sora 2: responsible, high-ROI uses that move real metrics – GPT-5-pro vs. cheaper models: a practical decision rubric (stakes, accuracy, latency, cost) Takeaways: – Speed is a moat: scaffold with GPT-5-pro, then optimize to cheaper models. – Don’t “add AI”—remove steps: redesign the workflow; kill clicks, not add them. – Apps in ChatGPT = new distribution: 800M weekly users; EU/UK—prep your app listing, onboarding, and pricing now. – Agents vs. endpoints: with AgentKit, combine state + tools + guardrails to deliver outcomes, not demos. – Codex (GA) ≠ novelty: pair-programming, repo refactors, doc hygiene—without slowing PR velocity. – Sora 2: use where dynamic video outperforms static—product demos, instructionals, simulations. – Europe’s edge: talent density + research depth; the bottleneck is belief + shipping cadence, not brains. Chapters: 00:00 Building in Europe: A Love Letter to Founders 05:15 Europe’s Competitive Edge 12:16 From Idea to Prototype: Leveraging OpenAI Tools 13:45 Integrating AI: Common Mistakes to Avoid 15:10 Apps in ChatGPT: Discovery, Distribution & Monetization 18:22 AgentKit: Unlocking New Possibilities 19:14 Codex (GA): Enhancing Developer Workflows 21:44 Sora 2 & GPT-5-pro: The Future of AI 25:15 AI & Jobs: A Balanced Perspective 32:01 Best Time to Build: A Call to Action 38:45 Final Thoughts: AI’s Role in Our Lives If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the EU-Startups Podcast on YouTube! Or follow along on your other favorite podcast platforms... Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4QU85dN... / Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ee/podcast... Follow EU-Startups on LinkedIn: / eu-startups-menlo-media Visit our Website: https://www.eu-startups.com/ Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.eu-startups.com/newsletter/ #startup #ai #chatgpt