Follow the Gradient

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

What does it really take to build ambitious companies in Europe when the system feels stacked against you? Is the problem a lack of talent, or the quiet friction founders are expected to accept as normal?Follow the Gradient sits down with Andreas Klinger, technical founder turned investor at Prototype Capital and one of the driving forces behind EU Inc. Andreas has built and backed companies across Europe and the US, and now finds himself working to remove the structural constraints that quietly slow European founders down.This conversation is less about policy details and more about how systems shape ambition, how founder energy gets wasted, and what changes when a community decides to stop treating friction as inevitable.We talk about:Why European founders lose momentum not from lack of ideas, but from repeated legal and operational dragHow EU Inc reframes incorporation as an acceleration problem rather than a compliance exerciseThe hidden cost of notaries, fragmented rules, and last minute investor dropoutsWhy ambition is a product of environment, not personalityHow small, intense founder circles outperform large but diluted ecosystemsWhat Europe could unlock by thinking in cross regional hubs instead of national bordersThis episode is an exercise in zooming out. Instead of chasing tactics, it explores how incentives, defaults, and shared beliefs shape what founders attempt in the first place, and why changing the system may matter more than motivating individuals.Our biggest takeaways, including Andreas’s view on what founders misunderstand about ambition and structural constraints:https://followthegradient.io/p/andreas-klinger-podcast —Where to find Andreas Klinger:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreasklinger/—🎙 Follow the Gradient: conversations about building a business from Europe while staying sane.Follow us:Melanie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniexgabriel/ Christian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-woese/ Subscribe to our channels:Newsletter: https://www.followthegradient.io YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@followthegradient LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/followthegradient/ X: https://x.com/followgradient Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/followthegradient/

In this episode, Nicole Büttner - investor, entrepreneur, and political leader - shares why Europe has all the ingredients for AI leadership, but still struggles to scale its breakthroughs into global companies.From navigating corporate partnerships without falling into “POC limbo” to reframing courage as a core leadership trait, Nicole breaks down the mindset shifts and structural changes founders need to succeed. She also shares candid reflections on the weight of responsibility leaders carry and how to sustain energy in the long run.You’ll learn:How to build collaborations that actually move the needle with corporatesWhy speed and courage matter more than perfection in scaling startupsHow to create defensibility in AI by going deep into real-world workflowsWhy European founders must shed local ambition and aim global from day oneNicole’s insights are a playbook for founders who want to build enduring, globally relevant companies out of Europe.Get bonus insights from Nicole that didn’t make it into the episode at ⁠followthegradient.io⁠.

In this episode, Jake Bornstein — executive coach to founders and co-founder of Studio Medis — shares how personal growth and leadership frameworks can unlock scale when startups hit the limits of chaos.From reframing coaching as a billion-dollar investment to building minimum viable structures that keep teams aligned, Jake breaks down what every founder needs to know to stop being the bottleneck.You’ll learn:How to measure the ROI of coaching in real business termsWhy trust is the non-negotiable ingredient in choosing the right coachHow to use radical responsibility to shift from blame to transformationWhat minimum viable structure looks like in practice — and why it drives speedJake’s insights are a playbook for founders who want to scale not just their companies, but themselves.Get bonus insights from Jake that didn’t make it into the episode at ⁠followthegradient.io⁠.

In this episode, Simone Rüschenberg - finance leader behind Gorillas, SoundCloud, and TIER - shares how she helped scale some of Europe’s fastest-growing startups by building finance teams that actually enable growth.From ditching Excel at the right moment to avoiding ERP nightmares, Simone breaks down what every founder and CFO needs to know to stay sane while scaling.You’ll learn:How to scale your finance function across Series A, B, and CWhy the first three finance hires are absolutely pivotalHow to avoid painful financial cleanups (and investor panic)What it means to lead with strategy - not just spreadsheetsSimone’s story is a playbook for modern finance leaders navigating speed, scale, and change.Get bonus insights from Simone that didn’t make it into the episode at followthegradient.io.