Eléonore Crespo is the Co-Founder and CEO @ Pigment, one of Europe’s fastest-growing companies. With Pigment, Eleonore has raised over $397M from the best in the world including ICONIQ, Greenoaks and IVP to name a few. Prior to Pigment, Eléonore was on the other side of the table as an investor with Index Ventures.

In Today's Episode We Discuss:

[04:10] “I had 3 surgeries. That’s when I knew I had to become a founder.”

[06:50] Why Index Ventures isn’t on her cap table

[08:40] Eleonore’s CIA-style co-founder hunt (she literally made a target list)

[11:50] Co-CEOs: “We talk 3x a day. That’s our superpower.”

[13:30] The boutique coffee metaphor for product excellence

[15:40] Yuri Milner’s 4 traits of legendary founders (one is shocking)

[17:30] “Hiring is everything. I hunt talent like a football scout.”

[19:00] Wild Olympic Games story → led to hiring a top CFO

[24:50] How she filters out title-chasers and political hires

[29:30] “Too much process? I make teams list the dumbest ones.”

[33:00] Her blunt answer on whether Europe can produce scale execs

[35:00] Why she raised so much money… even when they didn’t need it

[38:50] Board power is real: “They can fire you. I’ve seen it.”

[43:30] Rob Ward’s counter-cyclical advice: double down during a downturn

[44:50] “We closed a massive US deal… at 2am… while drenched in rain.”

[47:10] Selling into the US as a European founder—her full playbook

[50:20] The hardest part of being a CEO no one talks about

[54:00] “Children remind you what happiness is.”

[56:30] “I don’t fast. That would make me unhappy.” On longevity culture

[59:20] Why her husband knows nothing about Pigment

[01:04:20] “Forget $50B. I want to build a $200B company.”

Follow Eleonore Crespo

LinkedIn: Eleonore Crespo
Pigment: pigment.com

Subscribe to 20VC for more conversations with the world’s best founders and investors.

Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com. This is a paid advertisement for Mode Mobile’s Regulation A+ Offering. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investing in private company securities is not suitable for all investors because it is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. It should only be considered a long-term investment. You must be prepared to withstand a total loss of your investment. Private company securities are also highly illiquid, and there is no guarantee that a market will develop for such securities. DealMaker Securities LLC, a registered broker-dealer, and member of FINRA | SIPC, located at 105 Maxess Road, Suite 124, Melville, NY 11747, is the Intermediary for this offering and is not an affiliate of or connected with the Issuer. Please check our background on FINRA's BrokerCheck.

Water In The Basement, Diving, Doctors | Thursday Afternoon Monday Morning Podcast 10-2-25

Monday Morning Podcast

Tour Dates, Mascots, and Parenting Tips

The AI-powered Podcast Player