Laura Modiano, leading Startups EMEA at OpenAI, champions European founders to start building now. She shares powerful insights on leveraging the latest OpenAI tools like AgentKit and Sora 2 for innovation. Topics covered include how to swiftly go from idea to prototype in just a weekend and the importance of designing workflows to minimize complexity. Modiano emphasizes the potential of Apps in ChatGPT for reaching 800M users, the significance of metrics-driven AI integration, and advises founders on making informed choices between GPT-5-pro and cheaper models.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Weekend Path From Idea To Prototype
Build fast by researching on ChatGPT, prototyping in ChatGPT/Canvas, then moving to the API.
Use Codex to speed coding, refactor, and iterate your prototype into a product.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Integrate AI With Clear Outcomes
Always define a clear purpose and measurable metrics before adding AI to a product.
Work backwards from the final outcome and map how each workflow step affects it.
insights INSIGHT
ChatGPT As A New Distribution Channel
Apps in ChatGPT blend conversation with rich interfaces and surface at the right time.
Being in ChatGPT gives access to hundreds of millions of users and a new discovery channel.
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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
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