STARTUP STRUGGLES

Andrew White
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  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Welcome to Startup Struggles - the podcast for founders who need to hear they're not alone. If you're new here, this is the show where we dive deep into the REAL challenges founders face building their companies. You'll hear stories you won't find in typical success-focused podcasts. 🎯 What You'll Get: • Raw, honest conversations about entrepreneurial struggles • Real founder stories beyond the highlight reel • Lessons from startup failures, pivots, and dark moments • A community for founders who feel alone in the journey We believe every struggle tells a story. 📅 New episodes weekly 🎙️ Host: Andrew White 💬 For founders, by founders TOPICS WE COVER: Startup failures | Founder mental health | Funding struggles | Pivoting strategies | Entrepreneurial burnout | Building resilience | Startup recovery stories

Episodes

  1. 6 MAR

    €3.5M Startup Founder: The Truth About Self-Made Success

    Do you want to know how someone with zero university education can raise millions and build multiple companies before age 23? Sebastian Hjärne exposes the brutal reality of self-made success, why traditional education failed him, the exact strategies he used to convince elite VCs to invest in a teenager, and the dark truth about managing other people's money when you're barely old enough to vote! Sebastian Carl-Olov Hjärne is the founder and CEO of Talentium, an AI-powered recruitment platform that raised €3.5 million from EQT Ventures and Klarna's CEO. Born in South Sudan and raised in Sweden, he skipped university entirely and built his first startup Invies which was acquired in just 7 months. At 22, he's now managing millions in investor capital while building a global AI company. He explains: ◼️ The exact pitch strategy that convinced elite VCs to invest in a teenager with no credentials ◼️ How to teach yourself technical skills and AI without formal education ◼️ Why quitting your job out of pure frustration can be your biggest breakthrough ◼️ The brutal mental challenges of managing millions before you're 25 ◼️ Why starting "imperfect" and evolving beats waiting for the perfect business idea 00:00 - Introduction: Why self-made success isn't what you think 03:45 - The promotion that never came (and sparked everything) 07:20 - Building my first startup out of pure frustration 11:30 - How I taught myself AI and technical skills 15:45 - The tennis ball recycling idea that opened doors 19:30 - Why I skipped university (and how family reacted) 23:15 - Pitching €3.5M to VCs as a 22-year-old with no credentials 27:00 - The brutal truth about managing millions before you're 25 30:45 - What success actually means to me Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe for more raw founder stories: https://youtube.com/@startup-struggles-podcast Follow Sebastian: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-hjärne-4445961a4/ Company - https://talentium.ai The Startup Struggles Podcast: ◼️ Subscribe - https://youtube.com/@startup-struggles-podcast ◼️ Follow Andrew - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-white-ai/ Sponsors: bloggingmachine.io - https://bit.ly/40IGBs7 Ship effective blog posts daily without writing a word. Stop wasting your time and money on keywords research, content planning or posts writing. Not just another GPT wrapper. Our workflows research, optimize and publish content that shows up when people actually search for your product.

    32 min
  • 1 Episode

About

Welcome to Startup Struggles - the podcast for founders who need to hear they're not alone. If you're new here, this is the show where we dive deep into the REAL challenges founders face building their companies. You'll hear stories you won't find in typical success-focused podcasts. 🎯 What You'll Get: • Raw, honest conversations about entrepreneurial struggles • Real founder stories beyond the highlight reel • Lessons from startup failures, pivots, and dark moments • A community for founders who feel alone in the journey We believe every struggle tells a story. 📅 New episodes weekly 🎙️ Host: Andrew White 💬 For founders, by founders TOPICS WE COVER: Startup failures | Founder mental health | Funding struggles | Pivoting strategies | Entrepreneurial burnout | Building resilience | Startup recovery stories

Information

  • Creator
    Andrew White
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Andrew White
  • Show Website
    STARTUP STRUGGLES