Quick Coffee

Welcome to this week's Quick Coffee! Have you ever wondered what it is like to consider your colleagues friends? In this week’s episode, we will explore the numerous benefits of working in a close-knit team. Communication takes center stage in such an environment, and we'll delve into the pivotal role it plays. How does open and effective communication contribute to a harmonious work culture among friends? Additionally, we'll address the challenge of integrating new members into this unique friendship-based culture. How can teams maintain their close-knit dynamics while ensuring a smooth onboarding process for newcomers? If you're curious to learn more about the benefits of working in a team of friends, grab a coffee and listen in! Our episode overview (00:00:00) Special summer break announcement (00:09:15) Why the people you surround yourself with matter (00:14:18) Should colleagues become friends? (00:15:50) Creating a safe, open space for communication (00:17:50) What it takes to successfully work and collaborate with friends (00:19:08) The great privilege of working with friends (00:22:22) Shoutout to the Blossom & Sonic teams Want to connect with us? We look forward to hearing from you on Twitter at @QuickCoffeeVC or at https://quickcoffee.vc. Find Pat on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickhaede/ https://twitter.com/patrickhaede Find Felix on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haasfelix/ https://twitter.com/fhaasj

In this week’s Quick Coffee, we are revisiting the topic of leadership but this time from a different angle. We are reflecting on our encounters with leaders over the years and the negative leadership styles we observed in the process. What attributes are characteristic of a negative leadership style? How do these attributes come about? And what can one do to overcome them? Grab a coffee and listen in as we unpack the leadership development process and discover what one should and should not do to become a great leader. Our episode overview (00:06:00) Podcast hacks and “Power of Design” event at the Blossom Studio (00:09:20) Change in the leadership philosophy at Airbnb (00:12:53) Poor leaders fail to combine honest and transparent communication with keeping control (00:15:28) Self-management is key to being a good leader (00:17:49) The fundamental misunderstanding of leadership (00:21:49) Leadership is a development process “Power of Design” event registration (25.05 @ Blossom Studio): https://www.idealab.io/power-of-design Coffee table link: https://www.vitra.com/de-de/product/occasional-table-ltr Want to connect with us? We look forward to hearing from you on Twitter at @QuickCoffeeVC or at https://quickcoffee.vc. Find Pat on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickhaede/ https://twitter.com/patrickhaede Find Felix on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haasfelix/ https://twitter.com/fhaasj

Welcome to this week's Quick Coffee, where we are diving into the topic of leadership. Get ready to join us as we explore what leadership truly means and whether there are ways to measure good leadership. We will also be delving into the key attributes that can turn a good leader into a great one. Is it possible to be a great leader without being friendly and human at the same time? Are leaders born or made? And most importantly, how can you improve your own leadership style? If you're passionate about all things leadership and want to learn how to become a better leader, then grab a cup of coffee and tune in! Our episode overview (00:04:17) Impact of weather and sports on energy levels (00:07:50) The uncertain startup environment requires strong leadership (00:11:08) Measuring great leadership (00:14:50) Transparency and honesty are fundamental to positive leadership (00:16:50) Leading with a vision and building excitement in a team (00:20:15) The difference between leadership and management (00:20:15) Use feedback to iterate on your leadership style Want to connect with us? We look forward to hearing from you on Twitter at @QuickCoffeeVC or at https://quickcoffee.vc. Find Pat on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickhaede/ https://twitter.com/patrickhaede Find Felix on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haasfelix/ https://twitter.com/fhaasj

In this week’s Quick Coffee we are once again talking about the subject of finding product market fit. While we have previously focussed on the required mindset for doing so, in this episode we want to focus on how to operationalise finding product market fit. Looking at our founding journeys, what were the key learnings we have had? How can you build an operational engine which will carry you towards finding product market fit? And which stakeholders should be involved in the process? If you are looking for some actionable insights on how you can accelerate your journey towards finding product market fit, grab a coffee and listen in! Our episode overview (00:06:13) Welcome and sharing our experience with the Quick Coffee podcast (00:08:25) Understanding and validating the problem is at the core of finding product market fit (00:11:24) Building an operational engine towards finding product market fit (00:15:20) Involving the whole team in the process is key (00:18:40) How to document, structure and filter user feedback (00:21:36) Learning what to build is as important as learning what not to build Want to connect with us? We look forward to hearing from you on Twitter at @QuickCoffeeVC or at https://quickcoffee.vc. Find Pat on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickhaede/ https://twitter.com/patrickhaede Find Felix on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haasfelix/ https://twitter.com/fhaasj

In this week's Quick Coffee, we are discussing what role having a clear vision plays in building a successful company. Some of the questions we will be reflecting on are: Should a company's vision aim for positive impact beyond financial success? What are the key building blocks of a vision as a source of inspiration? Can a vision evolve over time and still be effective? If you're a startup founder, investor, or someone curious about the importance of vision in building a great company, grab a cup of coffee and tune in! Our episode overview (00:00:00) Welcome back and reflection on the Sonic Offsite & Cape Town trip (00:07:30) Can a successful company be built without a vision? (00:12:10) Should a a company's vision aim for positive impact beyond financial success? (00:17:22) Excitement as the driving force behind a compelling vision (00:19:50) A company's vision can evolve over time (00:19:50) Great visions act as sources of inspiration Want to connect with us? We look forward to hearing from you on Twitter at @QuickCoffeeVC or at https://quickcoffee.vc. Find Pat on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickhaede/ https://twitter.com/patrickhaede Find Felix on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haasfelix/ https://twitter.com/fhaasj

In this week’s Quick Coffee we are celebrating a major milestone - our 30th episode of the podcast. We'll be sharing some insights into the early days, when we started out and the expectations we had for this project. But more than that, we'll be acknowledging all the unexpected, beautiful things that have come out of it. And of course, we'll be sharing what Quick Coffee has turned into today, with both investments and the podcast. We've had the opportunity to work with some amazing founders and support them on their product and design journey - it’s been truly exciting for us. So, if you're looking for some motivation to start your next initiative or just want to learn more about our journey, grab a cup of coffee and tune in! Our episode overview (00:00:00) Celebrating Quick Coffee’s 30s episode (00:05:40) The power of starting a small initiative (00:09:30) Side-projects incentivise learning and connecting with others (00:17:20) The potential and joy of combining investments with product / design support (00:21:45) Special announcement: 2 Week Quick Coffee break Want to connect with us? We look forward to hearing from you on Twitter at @QuickCoffeeVC or at https://quickcoffee.vc. Find Pat on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickhaede/ https://twitter.com/patrickhaede Find Felix on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haasfelix/ https://twitter.com/fhaasj

The podcast discusses the journey towards finding product market fit. They define product market fit and share tips on how to achieve it. They emphasize the importance of focusing on customers who love the product and adopting a customer-centric mindset. They also discuss how to realize when product market fit has been achieved and the importance of transparency with the team.

In this week’s Quick Coffee we are talking about the importance of finding the “right” investor. Why is this decision important? What are the key investor attributes one should look out for? Why are humbleness and open communication two of the most important traits to consider? Looking back on our experience as both founders and angel investors we aim to discuss the issue from two angles. If you are excited to hear what our ideal investor would look like, grab a coffee and listen in! Our episode overview (00:00:00) New starters at Sonic and new blossom office in Berlin is taking shape (00:04:05) The importance of finding a “fitting” investor (00:06:50) Choosing an investor is choosing the right person to work with (00:09:35) Humbleness as an important investor trait (00:10:35) Look for an investor’s brand, what is the one thing they are really good at (00:13:35) The best investors communicate openly, balancing disagreeing and committing (00:19:30) Personal relationships matter, look at investors as co-founders Want to connect with us? We look forward to hearing from you on Twitter at @QuickCoffeeVC or at https://quickcoffee.vc. Find Pat on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickhaede/ https://twitter.com/patrickhaede Find Felix on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haasfelix/ https://twitter.com/fhaasj

In this week’s Quick Coffee we are talking about the fundamental principles of fundraising. When is a good time to start a fundraising process? Who are the ideal investors? Why is it crucial to fully understand the end to end fundraising process before starting conversations with investors? We are super excited about this episode, and are sharing some of our most valuable lessons that we have learned over the past few years. You’ll find everything about the interaction with investors all the way down to closing your first funding round. As always let us know what you think and we are looking forward to receiving your feedback and thoughts. Our episode overview (00:00:00) Pat in his off week and Felix about his upcoming Cape Town trip (00:03:40) Kicking off the episode, introduction to principles of fundraising (00:06:02) The things we learned the hard way about working with investors (00:10:30) Choosing the right people as investors (00:14:10) How has our perspective on fundraising changed? (00:19:32) How to get in touch with new investors? (00:23:30) Summary of the most underestimated principles Want to connect with us? We look forward to hearing from you on Twitter at @QuickCoffeeVC or at https://quickcoffee.vc. Find Pat on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickhaede/ https://twitter.com/patrickhaede Find Felix on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haasfelix/ https://twitter.com/fhaasj

In this week’s Quick Coffee we are talking about difficult times as a startup team or startup founders. How do we think about failure? What are examples from our past in which we went through difficult times? And what would we recommend a struggling startup team from today’s perspective? Grab a coffee and listen in! Our episode overview (00:00:00) Updates from Pat, Felix, Sonic and Blossom (00:03:30) Kicking off the episode, why it relevant to talk about this topic? (00:05:00) Defining failure in the startup environment (00:09:30) Talking about difficult times at Mapify as an example (00:13:10) Being honest to yourself and the team as a founder (00:16:31) Our recommendations to a struggling startup team (00:19:20) What it means to uphold values and be a great leader in difficult times (00:22:40) Wrapup and see you next week Want to connect with us? We look forward to hearing from you on Twitter at @QuickCoffeeVC or at https://quickcoffee.vc. Find Pat on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickhaede/ https://twitter.com/patrickhaede Find Felix on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haasfelix/ https://twitter.com/fhaasj