Culture, Talent & Growth

Samira Ann Qassim and Indra Sharma join Paul Craven for an insightful discussion on the future of European venture capital. In this episode, we discuss insights on emerging technologies, the changing investment landscape, and leveling the playing field for underrepresented entrepreneurs. Learn how VCs can use their resources to break biases and drive positive change for underrepresented entrepreneurs. 

Here’s What We Discussed

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In this episode, Paul Craven sits down with Frank Hansen of Nordic Secondaries Fund, which was the first and only fund in the Nordics to exclusively invest in secondaries. They discuss the in's and out's of finding investors, maintaining deal flow, and the nature of secondary investments. Frank talks about how his company chooses the founders they invest in and the unique challenges faced when running a secondary fund. 

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In this episode, we sit down with a panel of growth experts that have cut their teeth scaling in foreign markets with hyper-growth companies. We learn that launching in a new market isn’t as simple as copy-pasting your strategies; Localization is critical and foreign markets need to be tailored to. 

We discuss the importance of localization, the best UA channels in Europe, how they differ from the US, strategies that didn’t transla...

In this episode, Estelle Reardon and Anish Shah sit down and talk about their organizations, Slingshot and Ruckus. Slingshot’s goal is to match startups with tech prodigies and is of the ethos that talent, not education or age, should dictate access to opportunity. Estelle and Anish discuss what makes the best hires for startups and why exceptional talent is not just found in good schools and big-shot companies.  

Here’s What We Di...

In this episode, we sit down with Angelo Sasso, the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Trade Coffee, to discuss his work with subscription-based companies and his three biggest lessons from working at Trade. He also shares the key characteristics that make a great marketing hire for startups.  

Here’s What We Discussed

• [00:27] Angelo talks about the red thread in his extensive and diverse backgro...

In the last decade, we have seen the perception of value of creators shift dramatically. As brands and companies begin to understand the power and influence creators have in culture and with their audiences, navigating how to establish lasting partnerships has never been more important.

In this episode, Avinash Gandhi, Founder at Partner with Creators, and former Head of Creator Partnerships at Patreon, sits down with Ruckus’ Sr. D...

How does the one of world’s most expansive, diverse, and enduring toy companies, Lego, continue to capture hearts through compelling storytelling? Most marketers have taken the approach of flooding their channels and seeing what sticks. But our screens are oversaturated with ads and offers. James Gregson, Creative Director for Lego’s internal agency, cuts through the noise with a fewer, bigger, and better approach to marketing.

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There’s no denying that Web3 and the Metaverse are the next big frontier in digital innovation. As early-adopters and skeptics alike watch the immersive and transformative technologies change the ways we interact with the world around us, we are also watching new companies and career paths shift the job market as we know it.

Whether you’re looking to hire or get hired, our panelists have been there. Join us live as we sit down with...

We had the chance to sit down and dive deep into what it takes to build lasting community in the wild world of SAAS. Laura Coscarelli, Account Executive at Higher Logic, Victoria Cumberbatch, Operations Specialist formerly at Osmosis, Kerri Williams, Community, Strategy & Engagement Manager at Workday, and Melanie Bond, Director of Community at Nanit shared the importance of setting clear expectations with community members and int...

Community-led growth marketers know that nothing drives customer acquisition, retention, and expansion like a community that is truly passionate about your product, especially in SAAS. Social proof from happy customers speaks for itself, a great referral program is the gift that keeps on giving, and launching your product with community that will provide you with honest feedback is invaluable as you scale.

In this episode, we sit d...

We sat down with three data-driven industry leaders and discussed best practices, how to pinpoint insights into customer behavior, and reflect on the ways we leverage data to enhance customer experiences. 

Here’s What We Discussed: 

• [00:17] Our experts introduce themselves and share their background 
• [03:05] How data can be leveraged for good and with more user transpare...

With more than 117 million monthly listeners in the United States alone, podcasting has officially become the next billion-dollar industry. For marketers, this means that podcast marketing has simultaneously become one of the most viable and exciting channels for growth. Last month, with that in mind, we brought together four of the industry leaders who have already established themselves as experts in this rapidly expanding space ...

Anthemos Georgiades is the Co-Founder and CEO of Zumper. At Zumper, based in San Francisco, Anth leads the company in its mission to make renting an apartment as easy as booking a hotel. Since 2012, Anth has grown Zumper to 200 employees, 80 million annual users, and raised $140 million in venture capital for the company.

Prior to his work at Zumper, Anth worked at the Boston Consulting Group in London and NYC and was an Economic A...

Over the last years, DTC businesses have been able to incorporate more comprehensive approaches to meeting the evolving needs and attention spans of their customers. We learned strategies, insights, and tips on how these growth leaders leverage channels beyond paid social to scale direct-to-consumer businesses.

In this episode, Jessica dives into Verb Energy’s focus on finding where their target market is hanging out through innova...

Ruckus and Taktical have brought together a panel of brand experts to discuss the art and impact of storytelling in growth. We’ll learn why messaging and storytelling are crucial components to building your brand’s momentum and pinpoint some of the key ways to leverage a resonant brand presence for scalable growth.

Here’s What We Discussed: 

• [02:40] How do you track the effectiveness of brand buildi...

Strong product leadership impacts every part of the organization and can help foster an overall culture of innovation and growth. But if you’re a product leader, you understand how difficult it is to find avenues for continuous growth and learning for both yourself and your team.

In this episode, we discuss the unique challenges and opportunities product leaders face on the path towards growth, with three industry leaders, Jeannie ...

We sat down with Linda Vermaat, Director of Innofest, a team dedicated to helping impact-driven startups test their prototypes at festivals. Due to COVID and festivals coming to a halt they’ve developed online methods to help startups kickstart their growth.

Most startups fail within the 5-year mark. According to Linda, this is due to 2 main reasons – These startups aren’t solving a big-enough problem, or they aren’t testing their ...

In this episode, we dive into strategies that help balance DTC and Wholesale as sales channels. We discussed the pros and cons of each channel, and our experts explain the different roles DTC and Wholesale play, how a good mix can help with brand awareness and customer acquisition,  and best practices to integrate into your channel strategy. 

Here’s What We Discussed: 

• [00:53] Our experts introduce ...

We sat down with Jack Gindi, Co-Founder at Cheeky, the affordable custom night guard service. Jack joins us to share his story, how Cheeky’s team created a subscription service around a personal need, and tips and tricks learned along the way.

Jack advises aspiring entrepreneurs to not be afraid of launching a product that still has the potential to get better. The fastest way to learn is to start, listen to your customer’s feedbac...