Startup Pass-port

Startup Pass-port
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Investing
  • Updated weekly

The Startup Pass-port by Frontwalker podcast series will serve as a platform to spotlight the inspiring stories and insights of ecosystem partners in leading startup communities. Each episode promises to offer valuable perspectives and expert advice, further enriching our understanding of this thriving ecosystem.

  1. 6 hr ago

    A scale-up here is a startup there

    Season 07 of Startup Passport by Frontwalker continues with Episode 26 – Bernadeta Karpavičiūtė, Scale Up Lead at Up! Rotterdam. Bernadeta Karpavičiūtė, Scale Up Lead, at Up! Rotterdam, discusses Upstream's separation from Up!Rotterdam and why the festival needed "the freedom that independence brings" to serve its target audience of founders and continue evolving. She explains how being part of the municipality brought benefits but also restrictions, and why the festival needs to be able to adapt and move forward. She also shares her perspective on entrepreneurship in Rotterdam, where support organizations and partners are available but "it's still really tough work to build a company that lasts." Bernadeta discusses the changing meaning of "scale up" in Europe, differences between European and US startup culture around risk and failure, and why building a startup is "a process of figuring all of it out as you go."  Bernadeta also talks about why getting the right contact can still be difficult in Europe and the work needed to make those connections easier for founders. She closes with a personal reminder that "you can become your own source of motivation" and "your own source of inspiration," finding it within yourself rather than always looking elsewhere. This new season brings conversations with founders, innovators, investors, and ecosystem leaders shaping the future of entrepreneurship, in partnership with Erasmus Enterprise and the NL Startup Competition. These conversations are powerful, inspiring, and game-changing, and we can't wait for you to hear them. Stay tuned! New episodes dropping soon! #Frontwalker #podcast #StartupPassport #rotterdam #ErasmusEnterprise #NLstartupecosystem

  2. 2 days ago

    Qonto builds all-in-one financial software for startups

    Season 07 of Startup Pass-port by Frontwalker continues with Episode 25 – Remco Molendijk, Account Executive at Qonto. Remco Molendijk, Account Executive at Qonto, explains why starting entrepreneurs are where the French fintech makes "most impact." Invoices, a bank account, debit and credit cards all land on a founder in the first months of a company, and Qonto puts them in one place so there's "an overview and a cash flow in one cockpit." He describes what that replaced: the bank on one side, the accounting software on the other, and something that "had to match at the end of the month." Qonto now serves around 600,000 customers across eight European markets, with what Remco calls "a laser focus on software that actually works" for SMEs. He also talks about Qonto's first year in the Netherlands, spent localising the product rather than launching it, and why brand awareness is the challenge now that the product is live. Drawing on his own years as a freelancer, he explains how knowing the frustration first-hand helps him "relate to the customer's pains." And on the biggest financial mistake early-stage startups make, his answer was immediate: taking on "too many subscriptions at the same time that are irrelevant." This new season brings conversations with founders, innovators, investors, and ecosystem leaders shaping the future of entrepreneurship, in partnership with Erasmus Enterprise and the NL Startup Competition. These conversations are powerful, inspiring, and game-changing, and we can't wait for you to hear them. Stay tuned! New episodes dropping soon!

  3. 4 days ago

    Fastned builds fast charging stations across Europe

    Season 07 of Startup Pass-port by Frontwalker continues with Episode 24 – Bart Lubbers, Co-founder of Fastned. Bart Lubbers, Co-founder of Fastned, describes building a European network of fast-charging stations in years when, as he puts it, there were hardly any customers. He explains how Fastned handled the "chicken and egg problem" - "no chargers, no cars, no cars, no chargers" - by winning long-term contracts on good highway locations through government and toll road tenders, then building stations "independent from the number of cars or customers." He also walks through how Fastned is funded: retail investors buying bonds, a stock exchange listing, and, since this year, a bank loan. He puts the network at around 420 stations at the time of filming, roughly half of them in the Netherlands, with a goal of 1,000 across Europe around 2030. On staying the course, Bart says he does not believe in pivoting: "Stick to your strategy, if you believe in it." He also explains why that is not enough on its own, because "if nobody follows you, it doesn't work." Plus what he watches inside a growing company: cash and culture. This new season brings conversations with founders, innovators, investors, and ecosystem leaders shaping the future of entrepreneurship, in partnership with Erasmus Enterprise and the NL Startup Competition. These conversations are powerful, inspiring, and game-changing, and we can't wait for you to hear them. Stay tuned! New episodes dropping soon!

  4. 28 Aug

    Individual AI To Team AI: How emaho Helps People Work Better Together

    Season 07 of Startup Pass-port by Frontwalker continues with Episode 23 – Paul Musters, Founder of Emaho. Paul Musters, Founder of Emaho, discusses how the company helps people and teams work better with AI by combining personality profiles, AI usage and personalised AI agents. He explains why becoming more effective with AI is not only about individual productivity, but also about understanding yourself, your communication style and how you work with others. Paul also reflects on why individual AI efficiency does not necessarily translate into better team performance, the importance of communication as everything moves faster, and how "the right AI for the right person" can help teams work more effectively. Drawing from his entrepreneurial experience, he shares his belief in courage, curiosity and collaboration, the importance of diversity in solving complex problems, and why founders should carefully consider their reasons for choosing a co-founder.  He closes with his view on the future of teams working with AI: "knowing yourself", followed by knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses. This new season brings conversations with founders, innovators, investors, and ecosystem leaders shaping the future of entrepreneurship, recorded at the Upstream Festival in Rotterdam in partnership with Erasmus Enterprise. These conversations are powerful, inspiring, and game-changing, and we can't wait for you to hear them. Stay tuned! New episodes dropping soon!

  5. 26 Aug

    Generic advice to gut data: Inside MicroHealth

    Season 07 of Startup Pass-port by Frontwalker continues with Episode 22 – Arezoo Shajiei, Founder of MicroHealth. Arezoo Shajiei, Founder of MicroHealth, discusses how the company is developing an AI-powered preventive health platform that combines microbiome functionality with lifestyle information to provide personalised guidance on diet, sleep, stress, exercise and supplementation. She explains how MicroHealth uses a database covering 160,000 individuals, with the microbiome part of the database covering around 10,000 individuals, to train its AI model on lifestyle, habits, exercise and microbiome functionality.  Arezoo also discusses why current health advice is often generic, how the microbiome is "very dynamic", and how MicroHealth combines data, an LLM and scientific literature to generate science-backed personalised advice. She shares that the company is reaching MVP and preparing for its pilot, while reflecting on her founder journey and advising founders to "not accept all advices" and choose their own route.  This new season brings conversations with founders, innovators, investors, and ecosystem leaders shaping the future of entrepreneurship, in partnership with Erasmus Enterprise and the NL Startup Competition. These conversations are powerful, inspiring, and game-changing, and we can't wait for you to hear them. Stay tuned! New episodes dropping soon! #Frontwalker #podcast #StartupPassport #rotterdam #ErasmusEnterprise #NLstartupecosystem

  6. 24 Aug

    Scaling culture and leadership :The story of My Jewelry

    Season 07 of Startup Pass-port by Frontwalker continues with Episode 21 – Vilmar Bliekendaal, Co-founder of My Jewelry. Vilmar Bliekendaal, Co-founder of My Jewelry, discusses how the company entered the traditional jewelry industry through direct-to-consumer e-commerce and benefited from the rapid growth of the online market. He reflects on how the business adapted as e-commerce became more competitive, moving into offline retail while maintaining a strong online channel, and how continuously reinvesting profits and adopting new marketing technologies supported the company's growth. He also shares how revenue grew from around €1.5 million to €5 million, giving them confidence that they were onto something. Vilmar also discusses building the company with a complementary co-founder, where each brought a different perspective and strength. He explains how the people a company needs change as it grows, moving from generalists to specialists and later managers, and shares his biggest lesson for founders: "hire slow and fire fast." He also emphasizes being more selective when hiring, saying, "you rather speak to 20 persons instead of two." This new season brings conversations with founders, innovators, investors, and ecosystem leaders shaping the future of entrepreneurship, recorded at the Upstream Festival in Rotterdam in partnership with Erasmus Enterprise. These conversations are powerful, inspiring, and game-changing, and we can't wait for you to hear them. Stay tuned! New episodes dropping soon!

  7. 21 Aug

    The Port of Rotterdam's startup advantage

    Season 07 of Startup Pass-port by Frontwalker continues with Episode 20 – Jouke Goslinga, Program Manager at the Port of Rotterdam. Jouke Goslinga, Program Manager at the Port of Rotterdam, discusses how the Rotterdam Makers District, formed by RDM and M4H, is creating an environment where young talent and startups can develop solutions for a more sustainable port. He explains how the district provides fertile ground for companies to experiment, develop prototypes and processes, before they are ready to enter the port and scale their solutions.  Jouke also reflects on why the Netherlands cannot compete on price alone and needs to focus on high-end innovation, why he sees sustainability as an opportunity, and why developing local talent is important. He shares his 10-year vision for the Port of Rotterdam to become "an inspiring forefront on sustainability", with the innovation district helping put the port on the map as a major business opportunity in the region.  This new season brings conversations with founders, innovators, investors, and ecosystem leaders shaping the future of entrepreneurship, in partnership with Erasmus Enterprise and the NL Startup Competition. These conversations are powerful, inspiring, and game-changing, and we can't wait for you to hear them. Stay tuned! New episodes dropping soon!

  8. 19 Aug

    Some health problems are harder to discuss

    Season 07 of Startup Pass-port by Frontwalker continues with Episode 19 – Jaap de Bruin, Founders Associate at Mila Health.   Jaap de Bruin, Founder Associate at Mila Health, discusses how digital healthcare can work alongside the existing GP system, offering a complete service from medical intake and doctor consultation to prescription and delivery, supported by 24/7 customer care. He explains how the service also addresses health concerns that some people may prefer not to discuss with their own GP.   Jaap also shares how Mila Health has already treated 18,000 patients and has around 9,000 active subscriptions, while highlighting the challenge of maintaining the same quality as the company scales. He discusses the need for investment in software development, AI solutions and brand awareness, the company's current search for private investors, and its plans for international expansion. Looking ahead, he hopes Mila Health can become a frontrunner for digital healthcare in Europe.   This new season brings conversations with founders, innovators, investors, and ecosystem leaders shaping the future of entrepreneurship, in partnership with Erasmus Enterprise and the NL Startup Competition.   These conversations are powerful, inspiring, and game-changing, and we can't wait for you to hear them. Stay tuned! New episodes dropping soon!

See All (109)

Ratings & Reviews

About

The Startup Pass-port by Frontwalker podcast series will serve as a platform to spotlight the inspiring stories and insights of ecosystem partners in leading startup communities. Each episode promises to offer valuable perspectives and expert advice, further enriching our understanding of this thriving ecosystem.

Information

  • Creator
    Startup Pass-port
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    109
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    Startup Pass-port