Entrepreneurial Realities

TUM Venture Labs
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Entrepreneurial Realities is everything about Entrepreneurship that you absolutely need to know but you cannot learn at any university. Entrepreneurial Realities is a TUM Venture Lab Podcast. Presenting interesting stories from leading and promising entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and other thought leaders within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. tum-venture-labs.de

  1. # 86 - Oleksii Markhovskyi, on the reality of being a DefTech entrepreneur in Ukraine

    1D AGO

    # 86 - Oleksii Markhovskyi, on the reality of being a DefTech entrepreneur in Ukraine

    This episode is part of our special series during the Munich Security Conference, where we explore the entrepreneurial realities behind defense and dual-use innovation. Dariia Rekun speaks with Oleksii Markhovskyi, co-founder of Ukrainian defense tech company Frontline Robotics, and Alina Kizlevych, who works on partnerships at Darkstar and brings deep experience working with defense startups. The conversation explores what it takes to build a defense tech startup in Ukraine: how teams develop and test products in real battlefieldconditions, what “product market fit” means during wartime, and the mainchallenges Oleksii has faced as a founder, from operations and hiring tofundraising and executing fast. Together, they discuss what building a company in Ukraine looks like today, the challenges founders face in high-stakes environments, and how Frontline Robotics’ cooperation with Quantum Systems gave rise to e a new German-Ukrainian joint venture strengthening European security.

    42 min
  2. # 85 - Agile DefTech: Artem Moroz from Brave 1 on Ukraine's 3-Month Development Cycles

    3D AGO

    # 85 - Agile DefTech: Artem Moroz from Brave 1 on Ukraine's 3-Month Development Cycles

    This episode is part of our special series during the Munich Security Conference, where we explore the entrepreneurial realities behind defense and dual-use innovation. Anastasia Lala⁠, pipeline manager at the TUM Venture Lab Aerospace and Defense, speaks with Artem Moroz ⁠, Head of Investments at Brave 1⁠ — a Ukrainian government initiative designed to fast-track DefTech solutions through asymmetric innovation. Together, they discuss the transition of civilian entrepreneurs into defense founders, the high-stakes reality of development cycles where technology often only has a three-month lifespan on the front line, and how Ukraine is building a sustainable defense ecosystem to support NATO and long-term European security. Do listen to this conversation to understand how agile startups are redefining modern warfare and creating the future of defense technology

    29 min
  3. # 84 - Building Europe's Defense Tech, One Hackathon at a Time, Benjamin Wolba Co-Founder of EDTH

    FEB 11

    # 84 - Building Europe's Defense Tech, One Hackathon at a Time, Benjamin Wolba Co-Founder of EDTH

    This episode is part of our special series during the Munich Security Conference, where we explore the entrepreneurial realities behind defense and dual-use innovation. We speak with Benjamin Wolba, co-founder of the EuropeanDefense Tech Hub . Benjamin co-created what has become Europe's largest network of defense tech hackathons — bringing together engineers, students, researchers, and early-stage founders across cities including Munich, Berlin, Copenhagen, Paris, London, and more importantly, Lvyv and Kyiv. Each event gives participants 48 hours to prototype real solutions to challenges sourced directly from frontline partners in Ukraine and NATO allies, with the explicit goal of continuing toward deployment after the weekend ends. What started as a single event with 150 participants has grown into a movement on track to run over twenty hackathons in 2025 alone, with each edition producing ten to twelvestartups. Together, we explore what it takes to build an efficient grassroots innovation movement in defense, how hackathons can serve as an on-ramp for civilian technologists entering the sector, and what Benjamin has learned about the gap between ideation and real battlefield deployment — and how to close it. And for those that want to attend the Demo Day on Sunday in Munich, the link is here.

    24 min
  4. #83 – From Consulting to AI Startups: Execution, Reality & Building in Europe

    FEB 4

    #83 – From Consulting to AI Startups: Execution, Reality & Building in Europe

    Former BCG consultants and now founders Benedikt Wiechers and Michael Spira share an honest, behind-the-scenes perspective on their transition from consulting to entrepreneurship — and what it really takes to build AI-driven companies in Europe. The conversation explores the realities of leaving a secure consulting career, why execution quickly matters more than strategy once you start building, and what makes Europe — especially Germany — a viable place to build AI startups. They also discuss how to think about talent, curiosity, and continuous learning in fast-moving AI fields, and why founders need to cut through startup hype to focus on solving real problems. Hosted by Claire Schwarz, former member of the Software / AI Lab and now consultant at BCG.

    37 min
  5. #82 - Building Computers That Run on Light: Samarth Vadia’s Deep Tech Journey

    JAN 14

    #82 - Building Computers That Run on Light: Samarth Vadia’s Deep Tech Journey

    AI’s energy hunger is exploding — but can photonic computing unlock a sustainable future for AI? Samarth Vadia, CEO & Co-founder of Linque, shares his path from quantum research to founding a deep tech start-up, tackling one of AI’s biggest challenges: exploding energy use in data centers. Discover how computers that run on light could transform data centers, make AI more energy-efficient and sustainable. Hosted by Lucia Lara from our Climate / Circular Lab.

    23 min
  6. #81 - From Founding to Exit in 18 Months: CareMates’ Success Story

    12/31/2025

    #81 - From Founding to Exit in 18 Months: CareMates’ Success Story

    Can a start-up really go from founding to a successful exit in just 18 months? Dylan, founder of CareMates, proves it is possible. In this special end-of-year episode, Antoine and co-host Magnus dive deep into Dylan’s journey — from bootstrapping and rapid scaling to navigating unexpected challenges and achieving a successful exit. This episode covers: How to draft a winning EXIST application How B2B SaaS pricing is really determined What it takes to bootstrap and scale a tech company

    45 min
  7. #80 -Impact investing in Kyiv - A conversation with Ryan Grant Little

    12/10/2025

    #80 -Impact investing in Kyiv - A conversation with Ryan Grant Little

    Please meet Ryan Grant Little. Ryan reaches out from Kyiv where he has moved to support Defence startups in the country where it really matters. Do join us for an inspiring presentation to better understand the dynamics of Defence Technology, why this really matters to us all in Europe and hear how Ryan has genuine impact. Ryan and I met beginning of this month at the first Defence Hackathon organised by EDTH in Kyiv. For all of us in Munich, the TUM Venture Lab and Europe Defense Tech Hub will organise a Hackathon in February 2026. Details are here. Do join us.

    24 min

  8. 11/26/2025

    #79 -Supporting startups from the Arab Diaspora - A conversation with Fadwa Ouardani and Omar Hedeya

    We are joined today by two Venture Capitalists, Fadwa Ouardani and Omar Hedeya. Fadwa and Omar explain what brought them to the world of venture capital and also the initiative of "Habbitis" to support founders from the Arab Diaspora.

    31 min
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About

Entrepreneurial Realities is everything about Entrepreneurship that you absolutely need to know but you cannot learn at any university. Entrepreneurial Realities is a TUM Venture Lab Podcast. Presenting interesting stories from leading and promising entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and other thought leaders within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. tum-venture-labs.de

Information

  • Creator
    TUM Venture Labs
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    87
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © TUM Venture Labs
  • Show Website
    Entrepreneurial Realities