Aurore Pinon-Jacques has built and let go of things twice over. She shut down her first company after a co-founder partnership fell apart. Four years into Goodvest, she stepped back from the CMO title she'd held since day one. And in between, she had to grieve an entire era of the company itself — the 10-person "family" that a €12M Series B and a 40-person team have now replaced. This episode is about what that letting go actually costs a founder, and what it makes possible. Aurore is co-founder of Goodvest, a French sustainable investment platform reimagining wealth management for people who want their money to do good, not just grow — now with a sharpened focus on founders who've exited or are about to. Her path there wasn't a straight line: a childhood dream of becoming a war journalist, a detour into luxury marketing, then a first company — sustainable, recycled-fiber tights — built and lost alongside a close friend. Every step forward came with something she had to release. Whatever stage you're at as a founder, this conversation will feel familiar: the version of your company you're currently grieving, and the one you haven't grieved yet. 🔑 In this episode, we talk about:Why "Goodvest" trips up almost every non-native English speaker (and how Aurore turned that into an icebreaker)What Goodvest actually does, and why it's now built specifically for exited and exiting foundersGrowing up wanting to be a war journalist, then chasing the glamour of luxury marketingFounding — and shutting down — her first company, a sustainable fashion label using recycled fibersWhat she learned about mixing friendship with business after her first co-founder splitRunning two companies and planning a wedding at the same timeHow Goodvest's three co-founders handle conflict, and the compatibility questionnaire she wishes she'd used the first timeScaling from a 10-person "family" to a 40-person team after a €12M Series B — and grieving what got left behindRecruiting, bias, and onboarding once you're past the early "generalists who can do five things" stageWhy she stepped back from her CMO role to write a graphic novel about sustainable financeWhy branding gets more valuable, not less, in the age of AIThe real problem Goodvest exists to solve, and why sustainable investing is a rational bet, not just an ethical one 🧠 Key Takeaways:Shared vision isn't enough. Compatibility in values and working style matters just as much as agreeing on the mission — and a simple written questionnaire can surface a mismatch before it costs you a company.Similarity between co-founders is its own risk. When communication feels effortless, you stop working at it. Real differences force you to build transparency deliberately, from day one.Odd numbers of co-founders break ties. Two people can only push and pull; three (or four) can actually resolve a disagreement.Shutting a company down isn't failure — it's an experience. Giving yourself a hard deadline (Aurore gave hers a year) protects you from staying in a broken partnership on hope alone.Scaling means grieving what worked before. The intimacy of a small founding "family" has to be let go, on purpose, for the company to grow past it.Your value shifts from doing the work to building what outlasts you. Legacy — not daily tasks — is what lets a founder step back and start something new.Recruiting bias is real and unconscious. We default to people who feel familiar — same background, same communication style. Naming that bias is step one to hiring well, not just comfortably.AI raises the floor on brands, which raises the ceiling on authenticity. When anyone can generate a "clean" brand, the human, personal ones become the ones people actually choose. 🗣️ Sound Bites:"Once you tell yourself my value is not in my everyday tasks anymore, my value is in what I gave as a legacy, you can move on and do other projects." "It's not sufficient to share the same vision. It's not sufficient to have good communication. You also have to be compatible on some levels." "You can't do lazy branding with AI. People are going to give value to that." "In let's say 10, 20 or 30 years, do you think you will be happy that you invested in oil companies?" "The more personal an experience, the more universal it becomes." 📍 Chapter Highlights:00:04 – Kicking off, and getting "Goodvest" pronounced correctly04:55 – What Goodvest does, and its 2026 focus on exited/exiting founders06:24 – The emotional weight of an exit, and why founders need somewhere to turn09:51 – Childhood dreams of becoming a war journalist11:04 – The pivot into luxury marketing, and The Devil Wears Prada pull of it14:02 – Why the luxury job stopped fitting her values14:34 – Founding her first company: recycled-fiber sustainable tights15:38 – The co-founder conflict that ended it, and the hard lesson on friendship + business16:58 – Why being too similar to a co-founder is its own risk18:41 – Running two companies and planning a wedding at once27:02 – How Goodvest's three co-founders resolve conflict30:09 – The co-founder compatibility questionnaire she wishes she'd used sooner33:22 – The €12M Series B, and scaling from 10 people to 35–4036:59 – "Grieving" the early, family-like team culture38:37 – Protecting culture through hypergrowth with transparency43:27 – What role branding plays as you scale past your first customers45:39 – Why AI raises the bar for brands, and the return of "love brands"50:38 – Writing a graphic novel about sustainable finance54:04 – Stepping back from the CMO role, and finding value in legacy over daily tasks57:54 – Why recruiting is the hardest part of scaling, and staying aware of bias1:01:53 – Goodvest's onboarding process1:07:00 – The core problem Goodvest exists to solve1:10:36 – Her pitch to a founder deciding what to do with exit capital1:12:19 – Challenging the unicorn obsession1:14:00 – Her forecast for how brands need to evolve over the next 12 months1:19:08 – Closing thoughts on imperfection, oversharing, and authenticity as a founder's edge 🔗 Links & Resources:Goodvest — https://www.goodvest.frAurore Pinon-Jacques on LinkedIn — https://fr.linkedin.com/in/aurore-jacquesGoodvest's €12M Series B coverage (Tech.eu) — https://tech.eu/2025/09/24/goodvest-raises-eur12m-to-expand-economic-and-social-impact-offerings/Aurore's graphic novel on sustainable finance — extended edition currently in progress with a publisher; release date not yet public 🏢 Companies / Organisations Mentioned:Goodvest — sustainable investment platform for individuals and, increasingly, exited/exiting foundersSERIOUS.BUSINESS — host Helga Osk's company, referenced in the co-founder-count discussion 🧡 Why You'll Love This Episode:This one goes places most founder interviews don't. Aurore names something most founders feel but rarely say out loud: that growth isn't just building — it's a string of small losses you have to let yourself grieve, from a co-founder partnership to a 10-person "family" to a title you built with your own hands. If you've ever wondered whether letting go of a version of your company is a failure or the thing that finally lets it grow, this conversation will stay with you. 📣 Connect with UsThis podcast is brought to you by SERIOUS.BUSINESS. If you're scaling fast but your messaging, your story, your brand haven't caught up—let's fix that 👉 Apply for your FREE Brand Masterplan 🦄
