EUROPE BUILDS by BORRN

What does it take to scale a start-up from garage mode to a global superpower, with clients ranging from the US Department of Defense to Toyota?This week we are joined by Haris Pylarinos, Founder and CEO of Hack The Box. Born initially as a passion project for Harris, Hack The Box has grown to become the world’s leading cybersecurity performance center, providing millions of users with a human-first platform to create and maintain high-performing cybersecurity individuals and organizations. The platform stands out for its innovative gamification approach, making cybersecurity learning more accessible, engaging, effective and fun, and it is used today by clients ranging from Deloitte to the University of South Florida.We discuss how a community of users evolved into an impressive global clientele, strategies to understand a proper product-market fit, the transformative power of gamification in education and explore the question of Europe’s position in the cybersecurity ecosystem.🖲️Watch a video interview of Haris discussing how he turned his passion into Hack The Box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsDSGsR8Wpo🔨 Learn more about EUROPE BUILDS: https://byborrn.substack.com/p/does-europe-build-real-innovation

How can a startup help companies and corporate leaders redefine how they approach coaching and people management?This week, we are joined by Hilary Klassen, Founder and CEO of Bestselfy, a platform whose mission is to help people be their best self at work. Drawing on modern insights from coaching, psychology, and people development, the Bestselfy app helps managers coach their team via key insights, connect with their team’s personal and professional goals, and go beyond daily managing to engage on a whole new level. Hilary was previously the founder of Kowhog, the first open-source HR/recruitment consultancy and has founded a number of other ventures.We discuss lessons from Hilary’s serial entrepreneurial journey and the challenges women entrepreneurs face, cultural differences in approaching sales, the art of building an MVP and the future trends of leadership coaching.💪Listen to a podcast episode where Hilary discusses strengths-based leadership: https://www.bestselfy.com/post/run-with-hilary-episode-33-strengths-based-leadershipLearn more about EUROPE BUILDS: https://byborrn.substack.com/p/does-europe-build-real-innovation

How does one build the largest micromobility fleet in Europe? And how can partnerships, mergers and acquisitions help a company soar to new heights?This week we are joined by Maxim Romain, President and Co-founder of Dott, who is on a mission to change mobility for good. With over 250,000 vehicles after joining forces with TIER, the company today directly employs over 1,900 people and operates shared e-bikes and e-scooters in 400+ cities across Europe and the Middle East. We discuss navigating complex negotiations, lessons from Dott’s journey with integration, and the future of the micromobility industry in Europe.🚲Read an article by Reuters documenting how Tier and Dott set out to form Europe's largest e-scooter rental firm https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tier-dott-form-europes-largest-e-scooter-rental-firm-2024-01-10/ Learn more about EUROPE BUILDS: https://byborrn.substack.com/p/does-europe-build-real-innovation

How do great ideas spin from academia into entrepreneurship? And how can a company revolutionize the robotics industry by giving robots a sense of touch? On our latest episode of EUROPE BUILDS, we are joined by Klajd Lika, Founder and CEO of Bota Systems, a company based in Zurich with a vision for robots to work and move safely and as natural and free as humans. As a developer and manufacturer of multi-axis force-torque sensors, Bota Systems and its team of robotics, software and mechanical engineers continually develops highly-integrated and advanced sensors to support a wide range of applications. We discuss Klajd’s leap from the ETH research labs to a fully fledged company with successful commercialization strategies, the recent partnership between Bota Systems and Kinova, the latest trends in robotics and the main differences in robotics adoption between the EU and the US. 🧑‍💻Read more about how Bota Systems partnered with Kinova to add sense of touch to AI robotics https://www.therobotreport.com/bota-partners-kinova-robotics-add-sense-touch-ai-robotics/  Learn more about EUROPE BUILDS: https://byborrn.substack.com/p/does-europe-build-real-innovation

How can AI empower non-native English speakers to communicate with confidence?  In this episode, we sit down with Anada Lakra, the Founder and CEO of BoldVoice, an innovative ed-tech app that uses AI to help non-native English speakers improve their accents, communication skills, and confidence. Anada shares how her experiences as an immigrant in the U.S. inspired BoldVoice and shaped its mission to make effective communication accessible to all. We delve into how AI is leveraged to adapt to the nuances of human speech, explore the development of the app’s new viral feature—a tool that predicts and detects a user’s accent—and discuss how it’s driving BoldVoice’s global expansion. Anada also provides valuable insights into building a thriving user base, the challenges and rewards of a B2C model, and the differences in fundraising and scaling in Europe versus the U.S. 🧑‍💻Read more about the Accent Oracle, the new tool by BoldVoice that can accurately detect your accent using AI https://www.msn.com/en-ca/technology/artificial-intelligence/discover-the-artificial-intelligence-website-that-accurately-detects-your-accent/ar-BB1r9ZRs  Learn more about EUROPE BUILDS: https://byborrn.substack.com/p/does-europe-build-real-innovation

What does it take to build and scale successful tech teams? And how can leaders overcome the fear of failure and embrace growth in a fast-paced industry? In this episode, we are joined by Michael Petychakis, the former CTO of ORFIUM, a global leader in providing software, data, and licensing solutions to the entertainment industry, and the current CTO of Dialectica. Michael shares the unorthodox start of his entrepreneurial journey, the lessons learned from multiple pivots, his insight on the evolution of AI, and his experience leading tech teams through successful mergers and acquisitions. We dive into his strategies for scaling teams, fostering innovation, and creating an environment where failure is a stepping stone, not a roadblock. Tune in for an insightful conversation on leadership, adaptability, and thriving in the ever-evolving world of tech. 🧑‍💻Listen to Michael’s TED talk about building a better future with AI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_go6hqPRcg 🔨Learn more about EUROPE BUILDS: https://byborrn.substack.com/p/does-europe-build-real-innovation

What does it take to innovate at the crossroads of technology and life sciences?  This week we are joined by Dimitris Skaltsas, Co-Founder and CEO of Intelligencia AI, an innovative company applying AI and machine learning to de-risk drug development. Intelligencia AI aims to bridge the gap between innovation and risk reduction with an interdisciplinary team of software engineers, AI practitioners, scientists, and drug developers, with the ultimate goal of bringing novel therapies to patients faster. Dimitris shares insights into balancing innovation with regulation, releasing AI tools at the right moment, and fostering trust-based relationships to bridge the gap between risk and discovery. 🚀Listen to Dimitris discuss how to think fast and slow in start-up culture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDLq4kdMy9o Learn more about EUROPE BUILDS: https://byborrn.substack.com/p/does-europe-build-real-innovation

Self-awareness, equanimity and adaptability are essential traits for founders - especially if they’re on a mission to redefine how companies around the world create healthy and fulfilling cultures. On this episode, we are joined by Andreas Konstantinou, Founder of Rethink Culture, a venture that is on a mission to help businesses audit their culture and build cultures people love to work for. Previously, Andreas founded SlashData and grew it into the leading developer analyst firm, helping the likes of Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Facebook understand developers through data. He has also held various leadership positions at Entrepreneurs Organisation, and is also an educator and podcaster. We discuss the key components of quantifying and improving company culture, and why it’s an effort that should begin with the CEO and not be shafted on to HR. We also delve into how to overcome challenges as a second-time founder, and discuss the value of candor, openness and Andreas’ purpose to be “a multiplier for multipliers”. Learn more about EUROPE BUILDS: https://byborrn.substack.com/p/does-europe-build-real-innovation  🪴Listen to Andreas talk about how to create trust and growth with the right insights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzQbc_oefSg

How much passion and ambition does it take to build the intelligence of the robots of today and tomorrow? On this episode we are joined by Minas Liarokapis, Co-Founder and CTO of Acumino, a world leading Robotics and AI company working on next generation, foundation robot models for the execution of highly dexterous tasks. Acumino is headquartered in the US and has operations in New Zealand and Greece, and its solutions empower robots' capabilities to perform complex tasks to diverse real-world environments and with high reliability, tapping into what Minas calls “a trillion dollar opportunity”. Minas breaks down how Acumino increases the penetration of robotics-based automation in factories today, how it develops its commercialization strategies in robotics, and how it builds hardware agnostic solutions for the robots of today and tomorrow. We also discuss the leap from academia to entrepreneurship, the importance of risk in decision making, and the potential of Europe’s role and value in the future of robotics and AI. Learn more about EUROPE BUILDS: https://byborrn.substack.com/p/does-europe-build-real-innovation 🤖 Watch Minas discuss a new approach to robot skill learning at the MARS 2024 conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aUyMAEH_xA 

How much vision and grit does it take to become a global pioneer in influencer marketing and insights? On our fourth episode, we are joined by Jenny Tsai, Founder and CEO of WeArisma, a leading earned influencer analytics company that works with companies like Marc Jacobs, Westfield and Polaroid to help them measure and grow their influencer marketing. Founded in 2015, way before the influencer phenomenon took off, today WeArisma is used by over 40 global brands, including some of the world’s most valuable luxury and Fortune 500 brands. Join us for a discussion on the strategies that help a start-up build strong relationships with leading brands, the evolution of influencer marketing, the importance of adaptation, and the role of AI or cultural nuances in scaling up a global influence analytics company.  Learn more about EUROPE BUILDS: https://byborrn.substack.com/p/does-europe-build-real-innovation Read an interview by Jenny on how We Arisma transforms influencer marketing, social media ranking and building brand affinity with Gen Z: https://www.maddyness.com/uk/2023/08/09/knowing-and-growing-your-influence-with-wearsima/