This Much I Know - The Seedcamp Podcast Carlos Espinal

The latest episode of This Much I Know is an in-depth exploration of leadership, personal growth, and the transformative power of understanding one's own history and motivations. Carlos's guest, Jerry Colonna, Co-founder and CEO of Reboot, shares his journey from being a venture capitalist to becoming an executive coach, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and human connection in business and personal development.

His reflections on the challenges and complexities of leadership are interwoven with personal anecdotes, and the painful but enlightening process of self-discovery he experienced.

Carlos and Jerry discuss the societal implications of leadership decisions, the moral and ethical responsibilities of leaders in today's world, and the potential for venture capital to contribute positively to societal challenges.

Central to the conversation is the concept of "Reunion," derived from Jerry Colonna's eponymous book, highlighting the necessity for leaders to confront their own pasts and the "othering" that divides people, to foster more empathetic and effective leadership.

Show Notes:
Jerry Colonna linkedin.com/in/jerry-colonna-reboot
Carlos Espinal – linkedin.com/in/carloseduardoespinal

Reboot - reboot.io
Seedcamp - seedcamp.com

Jerry Colonna's new book Reunion: Leadership and the Longing to Belong - reunion.reboot.io

In the newly launched "Startups in Focus" series, our Managing Partner Carlos Espinal chats with Johannes Keienburg, co-founder and CEO of Cakewalk.

Their conversation revolves around the importance of access control, visibility, and security in organizations. Johannes shares insights on the need for access management processes from the early days of an organisation, the challenges of data security, the evolution and future of access controls.

Show notes:
Johannes Keienburg - linkedin.com/in/johannes-keienburg/
Carlos Espinal – linkedin.com/in/carloseduardoespinal


Cakewalk getcakewalk.io
Seedcamp seedcamp.com

In a new episode of This Much I Know, Carlos's guest is Chris Tottman, General Partner at Notion VC, one of Europe's top-tier VC firms.

Chris shares insights on:
- his journey as an entrepreneur and Venture Capital investor
- the evolution of venture capital in Europe
- how founders can become successful in company building.
- the role of mentorship in the VC industry.

He also highlights the significance of founder-led sales, strategic pricing, understanding customer needs, fundraising challenges, and more.

Show Notes:
Chris Tottman - linkedin.com/in/chris-tottman
Carlos Espinal – linkedin.com/in/carloseduardoespinal

Notion VC - https://www.notion.vc/
Included - https://included.vc/

Seedcamp - seedcamp.com

Chris's Book 'THE GO TO MARKET HANDBOOK FOR B2B SaaS LEADERS' - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CJ45462M?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_CBFYWJN41F41CBK033SA

In a follow-up to their Seedcamp Firsts conversation on data, our Venture Partner Devin Hunt and Candice Ren, Founder of analytics agency 173Tech and a member of the Seedcamp Expert Collective, dive deep into A/B testing and good data science practices.

With new and exciting AI technology emerging around recommendation engines, how can product leads evaluate which solution is better and how to really measure a “better recommendation”?

Focusing on a specific case study - a furniture marketplace, Candice, who worked on A/B testing and recommendation engines for Bumble, Plend Loans, MUBI, Treatwell and many others, shares her thoughts on:
- the intricacies of setting up and analyzing an A/B test experiment focused on comparing two different recommendation algorithms
- how you set your hypothesis
- the best way to segment your user basis
- how to select what you are controlling for (e.g. click-through rate)
- how to interpret test results and consider broader business metrics impact.

Candice and Devin also emphasize the importance of granular testing, proper test design, and documentation of test results for informed decision-making within a company's testing framework.

In a new Seedcamp Deep Dive, Carlos's guest is Di Cook, AI Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), research affiliate at the Center of the Study for Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge, and a doctoral candidate in war studies at King's College in London. Her research interests lie at the intersection of defense, intelligence, and AI.

Their conversation revolves around the societal and security implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI), from the existential risks that AI could create, to the role of AI in national and international security. They also explore how AI technologies, and especially synthetic media, are augmenting and exacerbating societal and ethical issues and discuss potential initiatives and policies that can help to address these issues.

They also examine the risks, potential misuses, and opportunities presented by AI, especially in the field of open-source intelligence (OSINT).

Last but not least, they delve into different stakeholder's roles in re-establishing societal trust.

Show Notes:
Di Cooke - linkedin.com/in/dcooke34/
Carlos Espinal – linkedin.com/in/carloseduardoespinal

Centre for Strategic and International Studies - csis.org
Seedcamp - seedcamp.com

In the latest Seedcamp Deep Dive, Carlos is joined by Kyran Schmidt, co-founder of Outverse, a community-first solutions platform; Jonathan Reimer, co-founder of crowd.dev, a developer data platform; and our Partner Sia Houchangnia. 

They discuss:
- the importance of community-building for tech startups;
- why intentionality and fostering a sense of belonging in community development are essential;
- types of communities namely product and practitioner communities;
- challenges, and strategies in creating and managing communities; 
- the community tech stack and specific tools (e.g., Discord, WhatsApp); 
- key success metrics and budget management considerations; 
- and more.

Overview:

00:38 - Introduction to the Power of Communities
06:47 The Role of Community in Product-Led Growth
18:02 Defining Community and Its Importance
26:28 Managing Community Dynamics: Heroes vs Nutters
28:50 The Importance of Community Culture
29:43 Building, Designing and Scaling Community 
33:49 Community Segmentation and Success Metrics
37:49 The Role of Founders in Community Building
57:47 Community Building: Tool Stack and Budgeting
1:05:31 Concluding Thoughts on Community Building

Show Notes:
Jonathan Reimer - linkedin.com/in/jonathimer
Kyran Schmidt - linkedin.com/in/kyran-schmidt
Sia Houchangnia - linkedin.com/in/siahouchangnia
Carlos Espinal - linkedin.com/in/carloseduardoespinal

crowd.dev - crowd.dev
Outverse - outverse.com
Seedcamp - seedcamp.com

Resources: 
How to build a developer community: a step-by-step guide‍
CrowdDev's blog (includes many articles about community building)
[Seedcamp Firsts] How to create and scale an iconic community. Lessons from Sorare – Features Dan O’Kelly, an early Community - - Lead at Seedcamp-backed fantasy sports unicorn Sorare in conversation with our Partner Sia Houchangnia 
Appwrite's community and blog [appwrite.io]