Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship | Technology

This week on Riding Unicorns, we're joined by Martin Kassing, founder and CEO of Upvest, one of Europe’s fastest-growing fintech infrastructure companies.Martin’s journey spans private equity, Rocket Internet, multiple startups, and now leading a company that powers investment products for the likes of Revolut and N26. In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore what it really takes to build an enduring infrastructure company in Europe.🎧 Topics covered include:The founding journey of Upvest and its pivot from blockchain to API investment infrastructureLessons from being a repeat founder (including early failures and a Klarna acquisition)Building a high-performance team and the hiring strategies that workThe challenges of finding product-market fit in fintechFundraising insights: raising from Bessemer, lessons from Series A and BHow Martin keeps himself motivated and structured as a high-pressure founderWhy he still does outbound hiring personally on LinkedInHis view on IPOs, partnerships, and what comes next for UpvestMartin shares candid reflections, hard-earned wisdom, and a rare glimpse into the emotional rollercoaster of building something meaningful. A must-listen for fintech founders, investors, and operators.

In this special Riding Unicorns episode, recorded live during London Tech Week and hosted at Cooley’s London HQ, we bring you two candid conversations from the frontline of startup building.🚀 First up: Yoann Pavy, a growth marketing veteran (ex-Deliveroo, Depop, Perkbox), shares why distribution-first thinking is flipping product development on its head. From testing product ideas with viral TikTok mockups to building multi-million ARR with a 3-person team, Yoann reveals:The real metrics that matter in growth todayWhy “building an audience” is deadHow vibe marketing and AI tooling are reshaping GTM🤖 Then: Oana Jinga, Co-Founder of Dexory, shares the raw truth behind building a robotics company in Europe. From early rejections to raising a Series B, she opens up on:Pivoting from home robots to warehouse intelligenceWhy VCs are finally backing robotics and hardwareThe unexpected edge UK robotics startups have over US peers💡 This is one for operators, investors, and anyone building at the edge of tech.

In this episode, we’re joined by Apostolos Apostolakis, the founder-turned-VC behind VentureFriends, a pan-European pre-seed and seed fund known for backing consumer and fintech breakouts like Plum, Blueground, Huspy, Carmoola and Instashop.Apostolos shares a remarkable story of resilience — from scaling a startup to €100M+ in revenue and 500 employees, to facing bankruptcy and rebuilding his career with a major exit, prolific angel track record, and eventually launching one of Greece’s most successful VC funds.We dive into:💥 Lessons from scaling fast… and failing hard 🏗️ Rebuilding after burnout and public failure 💡 Founding VentureFriends and filling Europe’s early-stage funding gaps 🌍 What it’s like running a distributed VC firm from Athens 🤝 How to support founders without overreaching 🎯 The evolution of his founder selection playbook 🔎 Why grit, clarity of thinking, and mission-driven ambition now matter most 🦄 His unicorn pick? Carmoola — and the story behind QED’s entryThis is a raw, thoughtful, and inspiring episode for anyone navigating the highs and lows of the startup world — whether you’re a founder, investor, or just deeply curious about the human side of VC.

In this episode, we’re joined by Deepka Rana, Principal at leading venture fund Northzone, early backers of Klarna, Truelayer, Spotify, iZettle, Kahoot, and Personio. Deepka shares her journey from physics at Imperial and investment banking to investing in some of Europe’s most exciting startups.We unpack:💸 What it’s like to operate a billion-dollar multi-stage VC fund🧠 How founders should assess the right type of capital for their journey🤖 Why AI is fundamentally changing the way software, search, and commerce work💡 The rise of agent commerce and tooling for AI-native discovery and transactions📈 Why resilience and adaptability are now non-negotiable founder traits🎯 What great board members actually do (and why most don’t measure up)🌍 The UK’s deep technical talent and what’s needed to unlock more entrepreneurshipThis episode is packed with hard-won wisdom for founders navigating today’s funding landscape, plus a fascinating look at what’s next in tech.

In this episode of Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by Carles Reina, Go-to-Market Lead at ElevenLabs, an AI Audio research and deployment company that tripled it's valuation to $3.3BN in January, after confirming a new $180M funding round. From starting out as a banker in Barcelona to scaling Uber’s first European team, and now investing in over 70 startups, Carles shares the hard-won lessons that drive startup success.We dive into:🔄 Career pivot: Leaving banking for Uber at 20 people and discovering the thrill of early-stage impact📈 Building GTM from scratch: Lessons from Tractable & ElevenLabs—experimenting on ICPs, pricing, and pitches 💼 Angel investing playbook: How to break in as an operator-investor, source top deals, and add value beyond capital🗣 Voice AI’s inflection point: Why high-quality speech models are the next frontier, and how ElevenLabs powers voice notes for surgery prep and on-demand customer support🤖 Robotics meets LLMs: The “GPT moment” in hardware, investing in companies merging industrial robotics with large language models✂️ Trimming strategies: Locking in gains (10–20%) at Series B/C while staying exposed to upside🌐 Scaling globally: Personalizing GTM across the US, Europe, Asia, and beyondThis is a must-listen for GTM leaders, startup builders, and aspiring angels looking to roll up their sleeves, experiment at speed, and back the next wave of unicorns.

In this episode of Riding Unicorns, we're joined by Romain Sestier and Guillaume Lebedel, the co-founders of StackOne, a rapidly growing startup that’s building the universal integration layer for modern SaaS and AI products. Hot off the back of their $20M Series A led by GV, the duo joins us to share their journey, insights, and lessons from the trenches.Romain and Guillaume have known each other for over a decade, having worked together across multiple companies before launching StackOne. Their deep co-founder chemistry and clarity of vision have helped them move fast and build credibility with customers and investors alike.We dive into:🔧 What StackOne does and why integrations are mission-critical infrastructure 🧠 How they approached finding a co-founder (and why that came before the idea) 🚀 Their path from idea to Series A, including early customer acquisition and GTM learnings 💼 Building a high-talent, low-ego team and making tough hiring decisions 💡 How to scale enterprise sales as a founder 🔥 The mindset shift required to build a venture-scale company 🧪 How they stay nimble while evolving the product and org structure 📣 Tips on empowering internal champions and structuring a sales process that scalesThis is a must-listen for any B2B SaaS or infrastructure founder looking to build something big, fast, and globally relevant.

Recorded live at the Capsule Scale-Up 50 event in London on 30th April 2025, this episode features a standout panel discussion moderated by our co-host James Pringle.The Scale-Up 50 is Capsule’s flagship celebration of the UK’s fastest-growing, most exciting scale-ups, recognising the founders, leaders, and investors driving the next generation of breakout success stories. Supported by Cooper Parry and HSBC Innovation Banking, the event brings together top-tier talent from across the startup ecosystem for a day of insight, inspiration, and connection.The panels features leaders from category-defining startups. Aidan Rushby (CEO, Carmoola), Tamara Orlova (CFO, Flo Health Inc.), Alexandra French (CEO, Xampla), Nikola Mrkšić (CEO, PolyAI) - these founders share their journeys in achieving product-market fit and building strong team cultures. In this episode, you will:🛒 Learn how PolyAI found product-market fit amidst the AI revolution. ♟️ Discover the unique strategies Carmoola used to disrupt the car finance industry. 🏆 Understand the significance of team culture and feedback at Xampla in maintaining growth. 🤝 Explore the dynamics of investor relations and the importance of board composition. 🤖 Hear insights on the role AI tools play in different operational areas within a business.Tune in for a discussion featuring leading entrepreneurs as they share practical wisdom, strategic lessons, and real-world experiences you can apply directly to your own business journey.

In this episode of Riding Unicorns, James Pringle is joined by Raffi Salama, Co-Founder & CEO of Passionfruit, a fast-growing marketing OS used by the world’s most ambitious brands to orchestrate campaigns across resourcing, planning, execution, and tracking.Raffi shares his journey from launching David Beckham’s Inter Miami football club to scaling Passionfruit across London, Lisbon, and now New York. What started as a freelance marketplace has evolved into a full-stack platform for marketing teams in the AI era, already used by the likes of PepsiCo, L’Oreal, Motorway, and Klaviyo.We explore:🛠 The evolution of Passionfruit from talent marketplace to vertical SaaS 🎯 Why every marketing campaign is like launching a mini business 🤖 How AI and voice tooling are changing workflows inside enterprises 🧠 Dogfooding, distribution, and why Passionfruit must walk the talk 🎥 Creators as employees — and the future of influencer equity 📊 Why distribution is the biggest challenge of the AI age ⚖️ The 3 hiring principles that drive Passionfruit’s culture and velocity 📈 Raffi’s personal evolution as a founder from “glorified intern” to visionary CEO 🍽 His dream dinner guests (with a little NFL chat thrown in)This is a must-listen for anyone building in B2B SaaS, marketing, or the future of work, or simply curious about what a next-gen startup looks like under the hood.

Mike Jones, Managing Partner at Science Inc., has a wealth of experience in building and scaling consumer brands like Dollar Shave Club and Liquid Death. He discusses his transformation from founder to VC, emphasizing effective leadership styles and the crucial role of consumer insights. Mike unveils the secrets behind Dollar Shave Club's viral marketing and shares hard lessons from unsuccessful ventures. The conversation also covers AI's impact on investment strategies and exciting consumer trends, making it a vital listen for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Subscribe to the Reading Unicorns newsletter here.Follow Riding Unicorns on LinkedIn here.Subscribe to the Riding Unicorns YouTube channel here.In this episode of Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by legendary repeat founder Dylan Collins, known for building and exiting three companies—including SuperAwesome, acquired by Epic Games.Dylan takes us on a fascinating journey from founding middleware for Call of Duty at university, to building tools that made the internet safer for kids, and now backing the next generation of Gen Z and Gen Alpha startups through his investment company, LFG Holdings.We dive deep into: 🎮 The early days of multiplayer gaming infrastructure📱 Building SuperAwesome and why kids’ digital safety became his mission⚡️ Emotional fuel: why desperation and revenge can drive great founders🧠 Survivorship bias and staying sharp as a repeat entrepreneur📈 Why most VCs still don’t understand M&A—and why that’s about to change💸 How the next wave of liquidity will be unlocked in venture🌍 Why today’s 20-year-olds live in a completely different world from 30-year-olds🧪 His bullish take on agent middleware and the future of AI-powered interfacesThis episode is a masterclass in longevity, startup psychology, and identifying generational shifts before anyone else. Dylan brings humour, honesty, and razor-sharp insight throughout.Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns podcast on your favourite platform and stay connected with us on social media for more inspiring episodes! 🎙️🦄