The Recursive Podcast

The Recursive Media

0.0 (0)
Entrepreneurship

The Recursive podcast is your weekly wander inside the minds of innovation leaders across SouthEast Europe. Each week our hosts cozy up with a digital economy champion and dive deep into their life philosophy, values, leadership style, and personal development. Join us for inspirational stories on how to grow, learn and think big.

Aug 26

Why Founders Should Work Together ft. Jonas Bartasius

In this special episode of The Recursive Podcast, recorded live at Latitude59 in Tallinn, we sit down with Jonas Bartasius, co-founder of Lithuania-born Based Collective, to explore a question Europe’s startup ecosystem has been wrestling with for years: what should it learn from Silicon Valley, and what should it build differently? For Bartasius, the answer goes beyond more capital, accelerators, or unicorns. What Europe needs is stronger, denser networks of founders who actively help one another build companies. Key topics covered in this recording: The origins of BaseSpace and the transition from a physical hacker house to the pan-European Base Collective.Why traditional VC and accelerator models often fail to provide the support founders actually need.An assessment of the "New Nordics" ecosystem and the current gaps in pan-European talent distribution.The dangers of over-glamorizing fundraising.Jonas's personal background in serial entrepreneurship, from selling flowers at 13 to navigating post-startup depression.
Jul 11

What's Left of a Brand in a Chatbot Answer? | The Recursive Roundtable

AI can generate logos, colors, taglines, and entire visual identities in seconds. But can it build a brand people actually remember? In this episode of The Recursive Roundtable, we explore one of the biggest questions facing founders, marketers, and designers today: what does branding look like in the age of AI? Joining us are three branding experts with decades of experience building companies across technology, consumer products, and global markets: • Zlatina Petrova — Founder & Creative Director, Brandly • Plamen Motev — Creative & Operational Director, Fontfabric • Kiril Hadjidinev — Brand Strategist & Marketing Advisor The episode is hosted by Etien Yovchev, Co-founder and CGO, The Recursive. ☑️ Why the strongest brands shape identity, not just recognition ☑️ How design, typography, and marketing create emotional connection ☑️ Why AI-generated brands often struggle to build authenticity ☑️ What happens to local brands in a world shaped by global AI models ☑️ How founders can preserve cultural identity while building for global markets ☑️ Whether AI can truly understand local language, heritage, and aesthetics ☑️ What remains of a brand when customers discover products through AI assistants Whether you're building a startup, launching a product, working in marketing, or simply curious about how AI is changing creative work, this conversation offers practical insights into what still requires human judgment, and why great brands are built through relationships, not prompts. 👉 Check the full conversation and join the discussion. 🎧 Follow us for more episodes of The Recursive Podcast.
Jul 7

Can AI Revive the Super App?

In this episode of The Recursive Podcast, we sit down with Rakuten Viber CEO Ofir Eyal to discuss how the company is evolving beyond messaging through its partnership with OpenAI, the rise of AI-powered communication, and the long-term vision behind building a "super app." The conversation explores how the company approaches privacy and responsible AI adoption, and why Europe has yet to embrace the super app model seen across Asia. Ofir also reflects on his own journey from product manager to CEO, the leadership lessons he learned while navigating one of Viber's most challenging periods after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. In this episode: ☑️ Why Viber partnered with OpenAI ☑️ The future of AI inside messaging apps ☑️ Can Europe build a successful super app? ☑️ Privacy, security, and responsible AI adoption ☑️ How Viber makes money beyond messaging ☑️ Leadership lessons from scaling a global platform ☑️ Rebuilding after losing 40% of the business overnight 🎙️ Subscribe to The Recursive Podcast for conversations with the founders, investors, and technology leaders shaping the future of innovation across Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.Í
Jun 28

What Really Happens When You Live With a Humanoid Robot? ft. Emily Kate Genatowski

Can We Safely Live with Humanoid Robots? 🤖 In this fascinating episode of The Recursive Podcast, we sit down with Emily Kate Genatowski, an AI PhD candidate, historian and domestic robotics researcher who provides a unique, hands-on perspective on our future with machines. Unlike most researchers who work in controlled labs, Emily lives full-time with a humanoid robot named Tova (a Unitree G1) in her apartment in Vienna. As the founder of PSL (Proportional Stake Liability), an insurtech startup bridging the liability gap in robotics, Emily’s career is dedicated to uncovering the practical, legal, and social friction points that arise when AI gains a physical body. She moves beyond the "AI hype" to explore how humanoid robotics will realistically intersect with our legal regulations, physical infrastructure, and the daily fabric of our communities. 🧠 Why Watch? Whether you’re a tech optimist, a skeptic, or someone worried about the future of work, this conversation offers a grounded, practical look at the challenges ahead. Emily moves the needle from philosophical fear to practical empowerment, showing us that we are still the architects of the future we want to see. 🔔 Subscribe to The Recursive for more deep-seated stories at the intersection of technology, society, and the European startup ecosystem. Find out more about Emily & her work: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilykategenotovsky/ https://www.therecursive.com/emily-kate-genatowski-tova-humanoid-robot-laws-regulation-liability/
Jun 19

Why Most Companies Are Measuring AI Success Wrong ft. Karol Przystalski, Exadel

What does AI engineering actually look like inside modern enterprises — and how close are we to truly autonomous software development? In this episode of The Recursive Podcast, we sit down with Karol Przystalski, Chief Data and AI Officer at Exadel, to explore how organizations are moving beyond AI experimentation and into AI-native operations. We discuss the evolution from AI copilots and coding assistants to fully orchestrated engineering systems, why many companies are measuring AI success incorrectly, and how enterprise leaders should think about ROI, productivity, and organizational change in the age of autonomous engineering. Karol also shares insights into Exadel Colleague — an AI-powered engineering teammate designed to support entire software teams—and explains why the future of AI isn't about replacing humans, but helping them focus on higher-value work. In this episode we discuss: 🔹 Why AI adoption is shifting from experimentation to real business value How enterprises have moved beyond AI proof-of-concepts and are now focused on productivity, efficiency, and measurable outcomes. 🔹 The difference between AI-enabled development and AI-native engineering Why coding assistants are only the first step—and how autonomous systems are transforming entire software development lifecycles. 🔹 How to measure AI ROI beyond token usage The metrics that actually matter, including productivity gains, human-equivalent hours saved, accuracy, and business impact. 🔹 The future of autonomous engineering and the role of humans Why AI won't replace software engineers, but will fundamentally change how teams work and what skills will matter most. 🧠 Whether you're an engineering leader, CTO, product executive, or simply curious about the future of software development, this conversation offers a practical look at where enterprise AI is headed next. 🔔 Follow The Recursive for more stories at the intersection of tech, society, and startup ecosystems.
Jun 13

Where Is Your Old Smartphone? Rethinking the Way We Buy Tech Ft. Kilian Kaminski, Refurbed

In this episode of The Recursive Podcast, we sit down with Kilian Kaminski, the co-founder of Refurbed, the Vienna-based marketplace that has become a powerhouse in the European circular economy. Kilian shares insights from his transition from Amazon to entrepreneurship and the ongoing battle to establish refurbishment as a standardized global consumption category. A former head of Amazon’s Certified Refurbished program in Germany, Kilian left the corporate giant to revolutionize how we consume. Today, Refurbed has surpassed €2 billion in sales, proving that "rethinking new" is not just a sustainable choice, but a massive business opportunity that sits at the intersection of consumer trust and environmental impact. What we discussed in this episode: ♻️ The limitations of corporate sustainability and the origins of Refurbed’s marketplace model. ♻️ Overcoming the "chicken and egg" problem of acquiring sellers and building consumer trust in non-new products. ♻️ The critical need for standardized European legal definitions and quality criteria for refurbishment. ♻️ Cultural differences in consumption habits and the untapped "gold mine" of 600 million unused devices in European households. ♻️ The impact of the "Right to Repair" directive and the role of the European Refurbishment Association (EUREFAS) in policy lobbying. --- This episode was shot in Vienna, during CEE Forum 2026. Big thanks to wexelerate for hosting us in their hub, which was also the first home to Refurbed team as well. Make sure to check their website to learn more about other events they host and the community they are building 👉 https://wexelerate.com/ --- 🧠 This episode is a must-watch for entrepreneurs interested in marketplace dynamics, sustainability advocates, and anyone curious about how the "Right to Repair" legislation will impact the gadgets we use every day. 🔔 Follow The Recursive for more stories at the intersection of tech, society, and startup ecosystems.
Jun 6

Is Your Hiring Strategy Holding Your Ambitions Back? ft. Deel

Is Your Hiring Strategy Holding Your Ambitions Back? In this episode of The Recursive Podcast, we dive deep into the evolving talent landscape of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with Ivan Valev, Sales Manager for CEE & the Baltics at Deel. Deel is a global payroll and HR giant that has scaled from a small tool to a $7 billion powerhouse, helping over 40,000 companies navigate the complexities of hiring and paying talent across 150 countries. Ivan, a SaaS veteran and GTM expert, shares his unique perspective on how CEE has transitioned from a "low-cost destination" to a premiere hub for world-class technical skills and the next generation of global unicorns. We discuss: 🎙️ How the region moved from being an offshore destination to an established ecosystem home to over 50 unicorns and 12,000 startups. 🎙️ Why shoving compliance under the rug is a business-killer and how to avoid the legal traps of international hiring. 🎙️ Deel’s latest hiring data and the emergence of entirely new roles that didn't exist two years ago. 🎙️ How founders can test new markets in days rather than months, and why speed is the ultimate currency for snagging top-tier talent. 🎙️ Moving away from "boring" admin and Excel spreadsheets to focus on culture, leadership, and human-centric growth. ✨ This episode is a must-watch for startup and SME founders, HR leaders, and anyone looking to scale a distributed team without the regulatory headaches. 🔔 Subscribe to The Recursive for more stories at the intersection of tech, society, and the CEE startup ecosystem. This episode was shot in Vienna, during CEE Forum 2026. Big thanks to wexelerate for hosting us in their hub! Make sure to check their website to learn more about other events they host and the community they are building 👉 https://wexelerate.com/ Connect with Ivan & Deel: Website: https://www.deel.com/Ivan Valev on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanvalev/Deel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/deel/
Jun 2

Europe Has MIT-Level Talent. So Why Are We Losing It? | The Recursive Roundtable

Is Central and Eastern Europe becoming the next global cybersecurity hub, or are we still exporting our best talent abroad? In this episode of The Recursive Roundtable, recorded in Vienna and hosted by Elevator Ventures, we bring together leading voices from the cybersecurity ecosystem to discuss Europe's biggest opportunities and challenges in cybersecurity, AI, digital identity, talent retention, venture capital, and digital sovereignty. Our guests explore whether Europe can compete with the US in building global cybersecurity champions, how AI is transforming both cyber defense and cyber attacks, and why keeping top technical talent in Europe may be one of the most important strategic challenges of the decade. We also dive into: ☑️ The cybersecurity talent advantage in Central & Eastern Europe ☑️ Brain drain and the race for top engineers ☑️ Why European startups struggle with Series A and Series B funding ☑️ AI-powered cyber attacks and autonomous defense systems ☑️ Europe's dependence on foreign cloud and security providers ☑️ Digital sovereignty and the future of European cybersecurity ☑️ Scaling cybersecurity companies from Prague, Vienna, and beyond Featuring: Maximilian Schausberger, Managing Director (Elevator Ventures) Petr Dvorak, Founder & CEO (Wultra) Rene Heinzl, CTO (CyberTrap) 💡 Key takeaway: Europe has world-class technical talent and cybersecurity expertise. The question is whether it can create the capital, ecosystem, and strategic vision needed to keep that talent, build global leaders, and secure its digital future. 👇 What do you think? Can Europe become a global cybersecurity leader, or will talent and innovation continue to flow elsewhere? Share your thoughts in the comments. 👉 Watch the full conversation and join the discussion. 🎧 Like and subscribe for more episodes of The Recursive Podcast. Chapters: 00:00 Europe's Cybersecurity Wake-Up Call 02:00 Can Europe Become a Cybersecurity Superpower? 06:00 The Brain Drain Crisis 08:55 Why Europe Struggles to Scale 13:20 Cybersecurity Cannot Be Outsourced 16:25 The Global Demand for European Cybersecurity 19:08 AI Is Already Attacking 23:42 The Startup Trust Problem 30:30 Why Cybersecurity Is So Hard 31:52 What If AI Was Smarter Than Your Team? 33:22 Quantum Computing Changes Everything 40:40 Europe's Opportunity to Lead

The Recursive podcast is your weekly wander inside the minds of innovation leaders across SouthEast Europe. Each week our hosts cozy up with a digital economy champion and dive deep into their life philosophy, values, leadership style, and personal development. Join us for inspirational stories on how to grow, learn and think big.

Creator

The Recursive Media
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

142
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© The Recursive Media
Show Website

The Recursive Podcast