Explore Podcast | Startups Founders and Investors Hugo Rauch

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎
Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast on Spotify/Apple podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏
Thank you OpenVC for keeping this content free for our listeners.
What is OpenVC? It’s a free fundraising platform used by 10,000 founders and 5,000 investors (VCs, angels, family offices). OpenVC provides a fundraising CRM, AI pitch deck analytics and open rate tracking. Use the code: "EXPLORE” to upgrade to OpenVC Premium and get a 20% discount. 📈🔥
In this episode I sat down with Guillermo Flor, a venture capital at GoHub Ventures, a venture capital fund based in Spain that focused on B2B seed and Series A.
In this episode Guillermo shares his journey from studying law and working in consulting firms to founding a startup called Tueri, a legal tech company. He discusses the challenges and lessons learned from his entrepreneurial experience, including the importance of building a must-have product, having patience, and making sure to have a strong team. Guillermo also provides insights into his current role in venture capital, the criteria he uses for investments, and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. The discussion covers the venture capital market, the significance of product-market fit, and the importance of coming well-prepared when seeking investment. 🚀
If you’re an entrepreneur, this will boost your chance of getting funded. 📈
Have a great episode! 
Listen on 🟢Spotify.
Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.
Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 
Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Guillermo, GoHub, and Product-market fit.
Timestamps: 
00:00 Introduction
01:00 Guillermo's Early Education and Career
03:03 Transition to Entrepreneurship
03:45 Founding Tueri: The Legal Tech Startup
06:02 Challenges and Learnings from Tueri
08:43 Finding Co-Founders and Building the Team
11:03 Business Model and Market Fit
14:50 Lessons from Startup Failure
18:30 Would You Do It Again?
19:45 Closing the Startup and Investor Relations
21:03 Launching the Product Market Fit Newsletter
23:09 Journey into Venture Capital
25:30 Understanding Venture Capital
38:05 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Closing


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎
Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏
Thank you to OpenVC for support this podcast. 🤝
What is OpenVC? It’s a free fundraising platform used by 10,000 founders and 5,000 investors (VCs, angels, family offices). The platform provides features such as a fundraising CRM, AI pitch deck analytics and open rate tracking.
Through the premium membership, you can raise 5 times faster. With the code: "EXPLORE” you can upgrade to OpenVC Premium and get a 20% discount. 📈🔥
In this episode I sit down with Paul Barnes-Hoggett, a repeat fintech founder and multiple times CTO that became a startup mentor.
Paul shares his journey, from his early days studying architecture to his role at Adobe and his ventures into entrepreneurship. He discusses his transition from technology to starting a meal kit service, the journey of developing Alice Financial, and his recent mentorship roles. Paul provides insights on building and scaling startups, understanding product-market fit, the CTO's role in fundraising and how to approach product partnerships. 🚀
If you’re an entrepreneur, listen to this to increase your chances of raising money. 📈
Have a great episode! 
Listen on 🟢Spotify.
Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.
Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 
Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Paul.
Timestamps: 
00:00 Introduction
01:35 Paul's Early Career and Education
03:44 Transition to Freelancing
06:58 Joining Adobe and Key Learnings
11:16 First Entrepreneurial Venture: Meal Kit Subscription
18:05 Founding Alice Financial
25:30 Role of CTO in Fundraising
32:54 Life After Daylight
34:41 Advice for Startup Founders
41:45 Conclusion and Farewell


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎
Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏
Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership. 🔥
In this episode I sat down with Lauri Kokkila, a partner at Inventure, a venture capital fund focused on seed and Series A investments across the Nordics and Baltics.
In this episode we discussed Lauri’s journey from an intern to partner at Inventure. Lauri details the various stages of his role, from sourcing and evaluating new deals to portfolio management and internal fund operations. He provides valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and investors on building relationships, the importance of trust and transparency, and understanding market timing. Lauri also discusses the unique characteristics of Baltic founders, the significance of sustainability in investments, and his outlook for the 2024 market. 🚀
If you’re an entrepreneur, listen to this to increase your chances of raising money. 📈
Have a great episode! 
Listen on 🟢Spotify.
Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.
Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 
Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Lauri and Inventure.
Timestamps: 
00:00 Introduction
01:10 Meet Lauri Kokkila: From Student to Venture Capital Partner
03:47 The Journey from Sales to Supporting World-Changing Entrepreneurs
06:09 Climbing the VC Ladder: From Intern to Partner
08:18 The Intricacies of Venture Capital Work
10:32 Decoding the VC Investment Process
12:55 Inventure's Investment Focus and Process
21:09 The Baltic Market: A Hub for Resourceful Founders
23:01 Investment Success Stories and Market Timing
25:39 Looking Ahead: Investment Trends for 2024
27:38 Sustainability in Startups: A Growing Focus
29:24 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Investors
31:52 Closing Thoughts and Resources


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎
Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏
Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership. 🔥
In this episode I sat down with Alex Brees, the co-founder and CEO at un:hurd, a music marketing startup supporting artists with their music promotion
We discussed Alex’s journey from tech to Universal Music and launching un:hurd. We covered everything from how he came up with the idea, to his initial revenue-led model as a consultant, and developing the iOS app to be ahead of competitors while supporting artists on their existing devices. We discussed un:hurd’s business model from adopting a membership model for monetization to developing partnerships and integrating AI into their product. Alex shares the impact un:hurd already has on the music industry as well as some advices for entrepreneurs! 🚀
Have a great episode! 
Listen on Spotify.
Listen on Apple Podcast.
Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 
Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Alex and un:hurd.
Timestamps: 
00:00 Introduction
01:15 Sponsor Spotlight: OpenVC
02:00 Alex Brees: From Science Student to Music Marketing
05:09 The Birth of Breezebox and Picasso Events
06:42 A Brief Stint at Universal Music
10:48 Embracing Entrepreneurship with Keakie
12:14 Launching Un:hurd - The Mission and Vision
14:27 Data-Driven Music Marketing: A Game Changer
22:40 Building Relationships in the Music Industry
25:24 Bootstrapping and Fundraising Journey
28:30 Strategic Investments and Market Expansion
31:06 Product Evolution: From iOS to Desktop
34:19 Crafting the Product Roadmap
36:15 Technical Challenges and Team Dynamics
38:04 Leveraging Partnerships for Growth
39:49 Measuring Impact in the Music Ecosystem
41:53 Unveiling the Business Model
46:01 Future Aspirations and AI Integration
47:58 Entrepreneurial Advice: Patience and Personal Growth


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎
Thank you for tuning in and for the amazing support. I wanted to let you know that the best way to support this show is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars on your podcast platform. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏
This episode is unique and does not fit our series of founders interview.
Today, I sit down with Peter Walker the head of insights at Carta, a cap table management software providing unique features. Carta has more than 43k startups on its platform which makes it uniquely positioned to gather insights.
In this episode, we are talking about data driven insights in the fundraising market such as fundraising trends, valuations, shutdowns, equity splits, compensations, revenue-lead versus venture backed startups, AI companies.. the list is long!
This is “Fundraising 101” - everything the data tell us to help you get started! 📈
Have a great episode! 
Listen on 🟢Spotify.
Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.
***** 
Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! 🔥Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.
Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 
Learn more about Peter and Carta⁠⁠⁠, sign up for Carta’s free offer.
*****
Timestamps: 
00:00 Introduction and Background
02:00 Transition from Health to Startup
04:04 Experience at Carta
08:39 Carta's Product and Role in the Ecosystem
12:09 State of the Fundraising Market
16:21 Startup Shutdowns and Valuations
21:10 Bootstrapping vs Venture-backed Startups
23:26 Considerations for Fundraising
24:47 The Gap in Funding for Growing Companies
26:04 Fundraising for the First Time
29:30 Angel Round and Equity Distribution
32:06 Valuation and Funding Trends
36:41 AI Companies and Industry Trends
40:06 Timeline Between Fundraising Rounds
42:39 Headcounts and Employment in Startups
46:02 Forecast for 2024
49:08 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎
Thank you for tuning in and for the amazing support. I wanted to let you know that the best way to support this show is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars on your podcast platform. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏
This episode is unique and does not fit our series of founders interview.
Today, I sit down with Dallas Price from Forum Ventures, a venture studio based in North America and focusing on B2B SaaS companies.
In this episode, we are exploring the concept of venture studio. We cover everything from defining what a studio is, why it is different from accelerators and incubators, understanding the financial model for GP and for founders, the role of the founder and the relationship with the studio, the startup life cycle, the equity split structure, the investment amount and support from the studio, product development, sales cycle, defining ICP, benefits and drawbacks for founders.. the list is long!
This episode is venture studio 101 - everything you need to know to get started! 📈
Want to become an entrepreneur but don’t know to start? This episode is for you! Want to join a studio as an employee? This is also for you!
Have a great episode! 
Listen on 🟢Spotify.
Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.
***** 
Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! 🔥
Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.
Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 
Learn more about Dallas and Forum Ventures⁠⁠⁠.
*****
Timestamps: 
00:00 Introduction to Venture Studios
03:45 Defining Venture Studios
08:27 Founder's Role and Equity
10:35 Venture Studios and External Programs
13:27 Venture Studio Life Cycle
21:02 Generating Ideas
23:39 Market Research and Validation
26:27 Venture Studio Thesis
28:54 Finding a Founder
31:36 Geographic Location of Founders
33:06 Office Space for Portfolio Companies
34:09 Defining the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
36:35 Timeline for Product Development
38:03 Roles and People in a Venture Studio
42:19 Business Model of a Venture Studio
44:47 Success Rate of Venture Studio-backed Startups
47:49 Compensation for Venture Builders
49:42 Ventures Built and Launched by Dallas
51:20 Advice for Entrepreneurs


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com