Innovantage Podcast

If you are building a startup, this episode might save you from expensive mistakes. In this new Innovantage Podcast episode, we talk with Thijs Verheul, Co-founder of United Wardrobe, acquired by Vinted. Thijs is now an Angel Investor and author of Thrift to Triumph. We focus on execution: how to build the right team, launch fast, find distribution, manage burn, and make decisions when the runway is shrinking.

What you will learn:

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Building a startup is a series of tests you don’t see coming until you fail one. In this episode, Max sits down with Povilas Žinys, Director of Plug and Play tech center in the Baltics, working with startups from Pre-Seed to Series B and helping founders prepare for the realities of venture-scale growth. They unpack what separates scalable companies from “busy” startups that never break through — the 2026 landscape founders are wal...

What if creativity isn’t about “expressing yourself”, but about understanding yourself? In this episode, Max sits down with Fredrik Härén, the Creativity Explorer who has spent decades traveling the world to understand how humans create — and the truth he’s uncovered will challenge everything you assume about creativity.

This episode goes straight into the uncomfortable, the surprising, and the transformative parts of creativity mo...

In this episode of The Innovantage Podcast, Max sits down with Jerome Cloetens, Co-founder & CEO at Palau, Sustainability Tech Entrepreneur, to unpack what it really takes to build and scale a startup in today’s AI-driven world. From bootstrapping with almost no runway to signing major enterprise clients, Jerome shares the hard realities, clever strategies, and mindset shifts that kept his company alive and growing even when a ...

What happens when technology outpaces democracy? In this episode, Max sits down with Mathieu Michel — Belgian politician, State Secretary for Digitalization, and advocate for digital identity, trust, and responsibility in the online world. He has played a leading role in shaping Europe’s digital identity standards and initiatives such as eIDAS 2.0 and the Declaration of Leuven, with a strong focus on protecting democracy, empowerin...

In this episode of The Innovantage Podcast, host Max sits down with Gytenis Galkis, Partner at Superhero Capital and venture capitalist with over a decade of experience investing across the Baltic and Nordic startup scenes. From evaluating 600 startups a year to spotting the elusive “founder–market fit,” Gytenis shares what really separates great founders from good ones — and why luck, timing, and conviction all matter more than mo...

In this episode of The Innovantage Podcast, host Max sits down with Dennis van Bregt, Head of Data Analytics & AI at allnex, a global leader in materials science. With over 30 years of experience in data, analytics, and AI, Dennis has witnessed the evolution of data from dusty spreadsheets to intelligent, self-learning systems, and shares how mastering “data literacy” is the key to thriving in the AI era.

Together, they explore...

In this episode of the Innovantage Podcast, Max dives into the intersection of defense, security, and innovation with Edvinas Kerza – Managing Partner at Scalewolf and former Vice Minister of Defense of Lithuania. Edvinas brings decades of experience in cybersecurity, defense planning, and strategic innovation to the conversation, offering a rare insider perspective on how military needs drive technological breakthroughs.

Together,...

In the new episode of the Innovantage Podcast, host Max had a pleasure to speak with Professor Rudy Aernoudt, a venerated author, speaker, founder of EBAN, and political activist with a vast range of expertise. From economics and politics to education and technology, they explore how business meets tech to give you a competitive edge.

Professor Aernoudt shares his unique perspective on what truly drives innovation. We unpack the ...

In this episode of the Innovantage Podcast, Martynas Kairys — General Manager at ZEDGE (formerly Director of AI Strategy & Development at Shift4), AI-driven growth leader, and international keynote speaker — shares how to turn AI from scattered experiments into an operational advantage across a complex, regulated business. With 20+ years across military, logistics, real estate, investment banking, and tech, Martynas blends stra...

In this episode of the Innovantage Podcast, Thibaud De Keyzer — CEO of Mobilexpense, Board Advisor at TechWolf, and Strategic Advisor at Fortino Capital — joins us to share a CEO’s playbook for leading AI transformation.

From boardrooms to AI task forces, Thibaud is at the center of how leaders can move beyond buzzwords and turn artificial intelligence into a competitive edge. Under his leadership, Mobilexpense is evolving into an ...

In this episode of the Innovantage Podcast, Max Golikov sits down with Aušrinė Armonaitė — former Lithuanian Minister of Economy & Innovation and now Head of Investor Relations at prop-tech crowdfunding leader InRento. Disclaimer: Investing involves the risk of losing some or all of the amount invested, so it is recommended to diversify your investments and evaluate them responsibly. From parliamentary debates to startup bo...

In this episode of the Innovantage Podcast, Max Golikov sits down with Denis Leysen — Co-Founder at noah., AI adoption strategist, and former enterprise consultant with deep roots in family entrepreneurship. Together, they dive into what it really takes to implement AI in real-world organizations — especially when you're bootstrapping, not burning VC cash.

Discover how to:

➡️ Build AI solutions that SMEs actually want (and can a...

In this episode of the Innovantage Podcast, host Max Golikov sits down with Adriana Grüschow — Industry Lead Business Development Manager at Zühlke Group and a seasoned expert in smart connected solutions, complex innovation, and sustainability in the industrial sector. Together, they explore what it really takes to bridge hardware with AI — and how IoT is reshaping not just products, but entire business models.

Discover how to:

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In this episode of the Innovantage Podcast, host Max Golikov sits down with Remco Janssen — founder of Silicon Canals, one of Europe’s leading tech media outlets, and a tireless advocate for European innovation, startups, and smart tech policy. Together, they unpack how Europe can tell its own story — and why now is a critical moment for startups to get strategic about media, policy, and AI.

Discover how to:

➡️ Avoid the most comm...

In this episode of the Innovantage Podcast, host Max Golikov is joined by Dominique De Cooman — Founder, CTO, and co-CEO of Dropsolid, a leading Digital Experience Company based in Ghent, Belgium. Get ready for an insightful conversation as Dominique takes us through the evolution of Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs) and how AI is shaping the future of digital ecosystems.

Discover how to:

➡️ Understand the shift from tradition...

In this episode of the Innovantage Podcast, host Max Golikov sits down with Stijn Staes — Founder of Stappen met Stijn, trusted transformation counselor, and podcast host — for an eye-opening conversation on leadership, diversity, and the evolving partnership between humans and agentic AI. Whether you’re navigating your first leadership role or driving transformation at scale, this episode is packed with practical insights and tho...

In this episode of The Innovantage Podcast, host Max Golikov interviews Thiago de Faria, Senior Solutions Architect at AWS and a recognized Team Topologies expert, to discuss how organizations can modernize their architecture, scale engineering teams effectively, and implement AI strategies that actually work. Whether you're a CTO, software architect, DevOps lead, or tech-savvy founder, this episode offers actionable advice on how ...

In this episode of The Innovantage Podcast, host Max Golikov explores the science and art of pitching with Robin De Cock — Professor of Entrepreneurship at Antwerp Management School and author of Mastering the Pitch. Whether you're a startup founder, investor, or just want to level up your storytelling, this episode delivers powerful, research-backed advice to help you win hearts and minds in milliseconds.

Discover how to:

➡️ Make ...