Follow the Gradient

Olivier Gaudin is the co-founder of SonarSource, the developer tooling company that quietly became a global force, without raising a cent in its first years. Built out of frustration with bad code quality, SonarSource started as a side project among three friends and grew into a 800-person company powering millions of developers worldwide.In this episode we talk about:•⁠ ⁠Why staying “use case focused” beats being “customer obsessed”•⁠ ⁠How to scale a culture without adding managers—until you absolutely have to•⁠ ⁠Why open source was the smartest product decision they ever made•⁠ ⁠How SonarSource expanded into the U.S. by trusting intuition over playbooksA conversation about intentional scaling, deep product convictions, and the silent compounding of community trust.For more from Olivier - including early decisions that unlocked adoption and how SonarSource stayed aligned across continents - subscribe to our newsletter at followthegradient.io.

Andy Yen built Proton after realising that the business model of the internet was heading in a direction that could undermine democracy, privacy and long-term freedom.In this episode he talks about how growing up Taiwanese next to China shaped his worldview, why Europe has become a digital colony, and what it takes to build products that stay independent when your competitors own the operating systems and set the rules.We also break down Proton’s rare hybrid structure, why the company moved under a Swiss non-profit foundation, and what tech sovereignty means for founders and operators who are building in Europe today.Recorded during Open-i in Zurich.For more from Andy check out our newsletter at followthegradient.io.

Jonas Muff is the founder of Vara, a deep tech health startup - and a rare founder willing to dissect the emotional cost of ambition. After facing over 100 rejections during a critical fundraising round, he experienced a breakdown that forced him to confront the hidden engine behind his drive: fear. What followed was a years-long journey through therapy, meditation, and rethinking what it means to lead.In this episode we talk about:•⁠ ⁠Why being “driven” is often just fear in disguise•⁠ ⁠How to spot when your inner narrative is sabotaging your startup•⁠ ⁠What “thinking in bets” really means for founder decision-making•⁠ ⁠How to rewire overthinking loops with meditation, journaling & intentionA conversation about ego, identity collapse, and the difference between chasing performance and building from purpose.For more from Jonas - including his essays and reflections on founder psychology - check out our newsletter at followthegradient.io.

Thomas is a veteran angel investor and board member with 40+ startup deals under his belt—and a front-row seat to what makes early-stage companies thrive or fall apart. He’s also the president of SICTIC, Switzerland’s largest angel network, and someone who’s seen the European startup scene evolve from local coffee chats to global Zoom deals.In this episode we talk about:•⁠ ⁠Why most first-time angels invest too soon—and too big•⁠ ⁠How founders can spot the difference between a project and a real business•⁠ ⁠What makes a healthy cap table at seed (and what absolutely breaks it)•⁠ ⁠How to activate angels after the wire hits—without burning yourself outA conversation about pattern recognition, post-wire dynamics, and the slow art of building trust between founders and funders.For more on early-stage investing and startup strategy, subscribe to our newsletter at followthegradient.io.

Kitty Mayo, CEO and co-founder of Project Europe, discusses her thrilling journey in launching a pan-continental initiative for under-25 founders. She reflects on the cultural barriers young entrepreneurs face in Europe and the need for 'cultural permission' to pursue bold ideas. Kitty emphasizes spotting the superpower of 'earnestness' in talent and shares insights on building a no-HQ founder movement based on trust. Her candid stories of navigating the fast-paced startup world reveal the emotional chaos behind entrepreneurial ambition.

Elvis Nava, co-founder and CTO of Mimic Robotics, transitioned from academia to entrepreneurship after his PhD at ETH Zurich. He discusses the journey of turning dexterous manipulation research into a successful $60M startup. Key topics include the challenges of adapting hardware for real-world applications, the chaotic fundraising phase, and the innovative use of imitation learning in robotics. Elvis also shares insights on building effective teams and why ecosystem initiatives, like hackathons, are crucial for attracting talent in deeptech.

Fabienne Doerig is a former CFO and COO turned advisor, with 15+ years of experience helping companies - from pre-seed startups to public enterprises - scale their finance and ops. She’s led through hypergrowth, driven restructuring, and now helps founders automate the operational backbone of their business using AI.In this episode we talk about:•⁠ ⁠Why clarity, not code, is the first step in automation•⁠ ⁠How to build a 13-week cash forecast that updates daily•⁠ ⁠When to build, buy, or copy automation tools•⁠ ⁠What founders get wrong about scaling their back officeA conversation about the hidden power of finance operations, the messy reality of AI adoption, and why the biggest wins often come from the most “boring” use cases.For more insights from Fabienne—including practical examples that didn’t make it into the episode—check out our newsletter at followthegradient.io.

Noa Perry Reifer is the Chief People Officer at Neko Health, where she’s helped scale the team from 100 to over 500 in just five months. Before that, she spent nearly a decade helping build the culture and people systems at On, one of Europe’s most iconic consumer brands.In this episode we talk about:•⁠ ⁠Why culture is the most misunderstood scaling tool•⁠ ⁠How to build orgs that are bold, fast—and still deeply human•⁠ ⁠Why AI-native hiring needs both automation and judgment•⁠ ⁠What founders get wrong about org design in hypergrowthA conversation about leadership in the AI era, building cultural glue across wildly different teams, and how to design companies that don't just move fast—but move with meaning.For more insights from Noa - including examples that didn’t make it into the episode - check out our newsletter at followthegradient.io

What do robots, risk, and resilience have in common? In this episode, Roman Hölzl, founder and CEO of RobCo, shares how he went from elite freestyle skier to building one of Europe’s most capital-efficient robotics startups.We get into what it takes to sell robots to people who don't want to buy robots, how to say no to average and build a Champions League culture, and move hardware at software speed – all while staying sane under extreme pressure.And yes, we unpack that one night in 2012 that still shapes how Roman leads today.🟢 And before you go, subscribe to our free newsletter at ⁠⁠followthegradient.io⁠⁠. Twice a week, we break down startup and tech news, share exclusive insights from our podcast guests, highlight top job openings from European startups, and provide food for thought you won’t find anywhere else. 🟡

Christian Woese was one of Yokoy’s first employees and the architect behind its entire customer success organization. His philosophy is to transform post-sales from a support function into a strategic growth engine — connecting sales, marketing, and product around one goal: delivering real customer value.In this episode, we talk about:What customer success really is (and isn’t)When founders should hand over customer relationshipsHow to align sales, marketing, and product around the client journeyWhy AI will redefine customer success — but never replace the human touchA conversation about building sustainable growth through retention, turning clients into advocates, and staying sane while scaling fast.For more insights from Christian that didn’t make it into the episode, check out our newsletter at followthegradient.io