Europe’s AI Billion-Dollar Founder Who Never Wanted to Be an Entrepreneur – Nikola Mrkšić

Nikola Mrkšić didn’t grow up dreaming of building a $500 million AI company. He wanted to be a neurosurgeon, or a diplomat. Instead, he co-founded Europe’s leading AI platform, PolyAI, a company handling over 100 million customer calls a year, backed by NVIDIA, and reshaping how we interact with machines.

In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Nikola reveals:

• Why he never planned to be an entrepreneur, and how he got “accidentally” rich.
• The real reason AI startups get funding with no product, no revenue, and no customers.
• How his childhood during the Yugoslav wars shaped his obsession with seizing opportunity.
• The stress, pressure, and burnout behind building a billion-dollar company with two toddlers at home.
• Why Europe is broken for tech and what he’d do differently if starting today.
• His brutally honest take on success, motivation, and why some people should never start a company.

This episode cuts through the hype and tells the truth about what it takes to succeed in AI, and why most people are chasing the wrong dream.

🎧 Listen now to hear the story behind one of Europe’s most exciting AI founders.

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