Timestamps:
6:38 The birth of Cradle
21:36 Convincing Skeptics and Finding Product-Market Fit
28:29 Raising Capital and Choosing the Right VCs
35:21 Europe’s missed opportunities (and how to fix them)
Episode Summary:
Stef Van Grieken, CEO and Co-founder of Cradle, the AI biotech startup helping scientists design better proteins in record time and pioneering the intersection of AI and biology, re-imagining how humans create life-changing molecules. Stef holds a MSc in Industrial Engineering from the University of Groningen .
In this episode, Stef shares his journey from policy activism and Silicon Valley engineering to founding one of Europe’s most ambitious deep-tech companies. We discuss how Cradle turned AI models into a tool for biologists, the hard early days when investors said “this is impossible,” and why the team literally paid its first customers to prove value before revenue followed.
Stef also opens up about raising over $100 million, the three hypothesis you need to prove to create a disruptive startup (feasibility, value, monetization), navigating the gap between US and European venture cultures, and why Switzerland has everything needed to lead Europe’s next innovation wave.
This episode was sponsored by infinity.swiss, Switzerland’s most advanced AI accounting tool. Save 25% by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.
The cover portrait was edited by Smartportrait.
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