The Recursive Podcast

The Recursive Media

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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.

6H AGO

Do VCs Secretly Care About Being Popular?

Last week Dilan Sisu, VC (e2vc) and Etien Yovchev, Co-founder (The Recursive) met in Sofia and decided to film a conversation that turned into a thoughtful discussion about the role of media and influence in venture capital.The discussion jumped from whether VCs secretly care about popularity (and why visibility can be a strategic asset, not vanity) to where the next unicorn founder is more likely to appear: through an AI recommendation 🤖 or at a small, well-curated party 🍸.🎙️ They also explored whether age really matters for founders, whether early-stage teams should invest more in founder personal brands or company brands, when media relations should become a priority for startups, and why more investors are launching podcasts.And then the question every investor quietly wrestles with: how do you distinguish strong founder conviction from pure delusion?Running through all of this is a broader theme: visibility, social influence in venture capital, how VC brands are built, and how meaningful relationships actually form — both online and offline.

29 min
JAN 30

Why Raising Too Late Kills Startups | The Recursive Roundtable

Why Raising Too Late Kills Startups? In this episode of the Recursive RoundTable, we unpack one of the most misunderstood topics for founders: fundraising strategy — not just the “how,” but the when, the why, and the who.GUESTS: Iliya Valchanov, Co-founder & CEO @ JumaKonstantin Bezuhanov, Co-founder & CEO @ EvrotrustStoil Vasilev, Co-founder & CEO @ Paypercut They share: 💡 why starting your fundraising too late is the #1 mistake seed-stage companies make 💡 how to structure your investor outreach like a sales funnel 💡 what separates “feature AI” from true AI-powered competitive advantage 💡 how to choose the right investor — not just the one with the biggest check 💡 terms, valuation, control and the long game of capital You’ll hear real stories about: 👉 outreach strategy and KPIs (77 conversations ≈ 1 deal) 👉 managing rejection and staying confident 👉 the importance of building relationships long before you need capital 👉 why a bad partner can be worse than no partner 👉 practical negotiation lessons and term-sheet wisdom Whether you’re gearing up for your first round or planning Series A+, this episode gives you the mental model and playbook you need to approach fundraising with clarity and confidence.

1h 6m
JAN 15

AI Will Break Companies Before It Saves Them | The Recursive Roundtable

In this episode of The Recursive Roundtable, we explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping work, companies, and the global economy — and whether today’s AI boom mirrors the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s. More than 50% of recent venture capital investment has flowed into AI, raising inevitable comparisons to the dot-com era, when capital rushed into internet startups before real value was fully proven. We discuss what history can teach us, why hype cycles are rooted in human psychology, and how this time may be both similar — and fundamentally different. The conversation examines what’s actually changing today: ☑️ why enterprise AI adoption is harder than expected; ☑️ why many pilots never reach production; ☑️ why AI is boosting individual productivity faster than it can transform whole teams or organizations. We also unpack the growing impact on hiring, junior talent, and the future of technical education.🎙️ GUESTS: Svetozar Georgiev, General Partner at Eleven VenturesRaya Yunakova, Investor at LAUNCHub VenturesTsvetan Tsvetanov, Lead Software Engineer, Co-Owner at Camplight Chapters:0:43 AI in Everyday Life: Storytime & Beyond1:45 Is AI the Next Dot-Com Bubble?5:42 AI Changes Teams, Not Just Individuals6:11 Why Enterprise AI Pilots Fail8:05 The Myth: “Everyone Is a Developer Now”9:51 AGI Won’t Arrive in a Single Moment11:27 China vs US: Competing AI Strategies12:25 Why AGI Obsession Hurts Real Products19:33 AI Is Reshaping Jobs & Hiring21:03 No Juniors Today = No Seniors Tomorrow23:34 Vibe Coding vs Production Reality24:24 AI Failures Are Coming (2026–27)25:32 Fear Is the Biggest AI Bottleneck31:56 Why AI Regulation Is So Hard36:34 AI Is Already Everywhere

42 min
12/10/2025

Cybersecurity Mistakes That Leave Companies Exposed ft. AMATAS (E123)

Can companies really stay safe in a world where attackers only need to be right once? In this episode of The Recursive Podcast, we sit down with Miroslav Naydenov, a cybersecurity expert at Amatas, who has spent years on the front lines of digital crisis management — restoring breached systems, outsmarting attackers, and preparing businesses for threats they don’t even know exist. We talk about why most companies misunderstand their risk, how attackers operate like sophisticated businesses, and why AI and deepfakes are about to trigger an identity crisis unlike anything the digital world has seen. What you’ll learn: 🛡️ Why preparation decides everything, and why companies still wait for regulations before taking security seriously. 👥 The real weakest link: people — how employee behavior, misconfigurations, and remote access open the door to attackers long before any technical vulnerability does. 🤖 How AI and deepfakes are rewriting cybercrime — and why distinguishing real from fake will become one of the next decade’s biggest challenges. 🔗 The silent danger of supply chain attacks — why trusted partners can become your biggest vulnerability overnight. 🧠 This episode is a must-watch for founders, operators, IT leaders, and anyone building a digital-first business, especially those navigating remote work, sensitive data, or regulated industries. Timestamps: 0:00–1:00 – Introduction 1:00–2:30 – Explaining cybersecurity simply & overview of AMATAS role 2:30–5:22 – Cybersecurity landscape in Bulgaria and the region 5:22–8:23 – Talent shortages and early education 8:23–11:14 – Incident patterns, importance of preparation 11:14–16:00 – Why companies get breached 16:00–20:21 – Cybercriminals operating as businesses 20:21–23:02 – How companies should start with cybersecurity 23:02–30:00 – Human factor, deepfakes, and phishing evolution30:00–36:04 – Most frequent and damaging attacks 36:04–39:05 – High-impact cases 39:05–45:03 – Biggest misconceptions 45:03–48:30 – Final advice

49 min
11/15/2025

Beyond the Ego: Why Your Business Needs External Eyes ft. VEDA Works (E122)

Can founders really scale without letting go? In this episode of The Recursive Podcast, we sit down with Boyan Stoyanov, an entrepreneur and operations strategist with a decade of experience building and running teams across Europe & Southeast Asia. After leading recruitment and people operations for digital-first companies, Boyan now helps organizations scale sustainably under the VEDA brand — uniting operational design with accounting, payroll, and financial strategy to help founders move from working in the business to working on the business. We talk about his journey from Asia back to Bulgaria, why most companies get stuck small, and how VEDA’s merger with Hireworks is designed to solve the scaling problem end to end. What you’ll learn: 🏗️ The hardest founder shift: delegating not just tasks but decision-making, and how to build the infrastructure to do it safely. 🏝️ How Southeast Asian business culture compares to Eastern Europe: trust-first relationships, indirect “no,” negotiation norms, and why you need boots on the ground. 📈 Why hiring can hurt capacity in the short term, and how onboarding, process, and performance loops must improve across the whole funnel to truly scale. ⚖️ The case for fractional operational leadership vs. a full-time hire, common mistakes with consultants, and how VEDA’s integrated ops + finance approach accelerates growth. This episode is a must-watch for first-time founders, scaling operators, and leaders eyeing international expansion, especially those considering fractional services as a smarter path to senior expertise. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 01:39 Boyan's Journey to Startup Founding 04:29 The Crossroads of Employment vs. Entrepreneurship 05:07 Business Culture: East vs. West vs. Southeast Asia 09:49 Hard-Learned Lessons in Asia 15:11 Operational Shift: Moving from Asia to Bulgaria 19:27 The VEDA Merger 25:37 Market Focus and Complementary Networks 26:33 The Future of VEDA and Bulgarian Brands 28:10 Scaling a Company and the Core Team 31:01 Advice for First-Time Founders and the Value of Fractional Services 39:27 Common Mistakes When Using External Services Subscribe to The Recursive for more founder stories and practical playbooks from the CEE tech ecosystem! Learn more about VEDA and Boyan: https://www.veda.works/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/veda-works/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/boyan-stoyanov/

44 min
11/02/2025

Are We Losing Our Professional Identities in the Age of AI? | The Recursive Roundtable

In this episode of The Recursive Roundtable, three practitioners unpack where AI truly adds value — and where it doesn’t. They focus on practical implementation, human judgment, and the guardrails needed to keep quality high. We examine how to start with AI the right way (individual productivity tools vs. team-wide process changes vs. building ML products, and why not every problem is a fit), how to protect human intent and quality in content and decision-making (avoiding generative sameness, using clear context and strong first drafts), and what AI can and can’t do in product design/UX. GUESTS Zamina Ahmad, AI & ML Product Leader, CEO @ shades&contrast Ioana Teleanu, Founder & Design Consultant, ex-Miro & UiPath @ AI-R Design Studio, ex-Miro Andrew Mende, Senior Product Manager Machine Learning @ Booking.com CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet the Guests! 03:07 AI's Role in Content Creation 04:27 Navigating Role Changes with AI 08:28 AI Implementation for Companies 10:50 Is AI a Good Fit for Every Problem? 11:34 The Hybrid Approach to Content Generation 14:28 Addressing AI Slop 17:16 AI-Generated Designs in the Industry 20:55 Utilizing AI Assistants 24:56 Thoughts on AGI 30:07 The Critical Need for AI Literacy and Education in Companies 32:45 Navigating AI: Regulations, Critical Thinking, and Human Uniqueness 35:29 The Power of Intuition and Metacognition in the Age of AI

37 min
10/16/2025

From Bulgaria to Greece: Fibank’s Hyper‑Personalised Banking (E121)

Fibank’s Chief Digital Officer Vladimir Ikonomov talks about the bank’s digital‑only expansion into Greece and the innovative services it’s bringing to customers. Learn how a traditional bank is positioning itself alongside fintechs and what the future of banking looks like. ☑️ 24/7 localized customer support with native Greek speakers ☑️ Real‑time payments, instant loan approvals and AI‑driven hyper‑personalization ☑️ MyFibank app perks: permanent 1% interest on current accounts, up to 2% on term deposits, and cashback on card transactions ☑️ Competitive strategy against fintechs and plans for further regional growth ☑️ Vision for the next 5‑6 years: voice‑command assistants, instant product issuance, and the evolving role of physical branches 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:47  Vladimir’s role, background and experience at Fibank. 00:03:09  Traditional Banking Embraces Digital 00:04:38  Current Digital‑Banking Trends 00:08:15  24/7 Live Support as a Competitive Edge 00:10:24  Expansion Into Greece 00:12:05  Creating a Local Value Proposition & Competing with Fintechs 00:14:58 FinTech‑Style Benefits from a Traditional Bank 00:16:21  The Critical Role of Localization 00:18:07  Targeting Greek Millennials 00:19:34  Debunking the “Traditional Banks Are Slow” Myth 00:20:21  Addressing Money‑Anxiety 00:21:16  Lesson from Western Europe 00:22:13  AI & Data Science in Practice 00:23:25  Future Outlook: Voice‑Activated Banking & Instant Products

25 min
10/01/2025

10 Years Later: Balkan Startups’ Biggest Wins and Hardest Lessons | The Recursive Roundtable

In the first episode of The Recursive Roundtable series we celebrate the 10‑year anniversary of Endeavor Bulgaria! Dilyana Haralanova, COO of The Recursive, was joined by Jack Thorogood (CEO of Serbian scale-up Native Teams, Milena Milić (Manager of startup community Garaza), and Max Gurvits (VC investor and partner at Vitosha Ventures) to discuss how the Balkan startup scene has evolved and where it’s headed. What you’ll learn: ⭐ The biggest hurdles CEE founders faced 10 years ago vs. today ⭐ How EU membership and early government‑backed funds jump‑started regional ecosystems ⭐ The role of diaspora talent and returning emigrants in accelerating growth across the Balkans ⭐ Success stories shaping the region – from early unicorns to emerging AI‑driven scale‑ups ⭐ Future outlook: regional collaboration, emerging specialisations, and the surge of new venture capital funds

56 min

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

129
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© The Recursive Media
Show Website

The Recursive Podcast