E382 | Robin Haak (Robin Capital) & Jerome Ternynck (SmartRecruiters): Building teams and scaling impact

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas talks with Robin Haak, the solo GP behind Robin Capital, and Jerome Ternynck, founder of SmartRecruiters and a new initiative called Rypples.

Together, we explore the evolution of recruiting, why "you are who you hire," and how AI is reshaping talent acquisition. Jerome brings insights from decades in HR tech, while Robin adds the investor’s perspective on navigating and succeeding in competitive markets.

We’ll dig into Jerome’s journey with SmartRecruiters and the problem-solving mindset that’s driven his work for the past 30 years. We'll also uncover Rypples—his new mission to combine sustainable impact and financial return by investing in ocean-positive startups—and why sustainability is the next big business frontier.

Go to eu.vc to read the core take-aways.

Chapters:
02:10 Jerome's Journey and Smart Recruiters
03:39 Core Expertise: HR and Hiring Success
03:45 Scaling a B2B SaaS Company
03:57 The Founder Perspective on Raising Money
04:06 Jerome's New Mission: Rypples
15:54 The Evolution of Recruiting and AI
16:34 Metrics for Hiring Success
26:31 Purpose-Driven Business and Reverse Recruiting
32:23 Reflecting on Past Mistakes
32:52 Challenges of Scaling a SaaS Company
34:25 Optimizing Sales and Marketing
35:23 Balancing Growth and Retention
38:50 Navigating VC Relationships
41:17 The Role of the CEO in Scaling
46:13 Fundraising Strategies and FOMO
55:13 Building a Sustainable Business
55:40 Introducing Rypples: An Ocean Investment Firm
01:02:17 Final Thoughts and Farewell