Laura Raggl’s Post

We are 💪🏼 gearing up for the Demo Day, a crucial milestone in our startup‘s journey at Startup Lisboa Incubation Program! On June 14th, while celebrating my 2nd week as a summer intern, I had the pleasure of co-hosting this week‘s Rocket Sessions. David Carpe joined us for a session that provided valuable insights on How to Hire a Top Talent Team, where with the contribution of the founders, there were these conclusions: 🌟 Look for consistent top performers; 🔧 Focus on product engineering for your first hires; 🛑 Be cautious about when to hire a salesperson, as the best person to sell your product is you (the founder); ⚖️ Understand that hiring is about leverage - decide where you should focus your efforts; 💼 Balance giving equity or cash to your first five hires. The 2nd topic of the day was Raising Money as a Founder, with insights from speakers Michelle Martin from Maka Health (techstars ‘23) and João Guimarães from Intuitivo, both from Startup Lisboa‘s community, a roundtable moderated by João Nunes Rosado. Main Takeaways: 👀 Know who you have inside your board and manage the decision power; 📌 Learn from investors and mentors; don‘t over-prepare for fundraising; 💰 See where you are good at. Remember that VCs must de-risk their investment and create a thesis around your company. I‘m truly excited about the next few months and the opportunities to delve deeper into the startup ecosystem. The knowledge and experiences we gain will undoubtedly fuel our growth and success. Ricardo Viegas, Summer Intern at Unicorn Factory Lisboa #startuplx #startup #incubation #incubationprogram #incubator #community #founder #rocketsessions

Today marks a significant milestone as we launch our first accelerator cohort, showcasing 20 dynamic startups, each with a unique story and founded by passionate refugee and immigrant entrepreneurs. Discover these inspiring businesses and learn more about their journeys on our website: https://lnkd.in/eZkS37AU The excitement doesn't end there - we are also creating opportunities for over 100 students to dive into the startup world through internships, fostering a collaborative space for learning and real-world experience. If you're passionate about entrepreneurship and have wisdom to share, we’re on the lookout for mentors to support these incredible startups. Please reach out to discuss how you can be part of this transformative journey! Cheers to innovation, collaboration, and the powerful journey that lies ahead with these inspiring founders and dedicated students! #DREAMVentureLabs #StartupAccelerator #RefugeeEntrepreneurs #ImmigrantFounders #Internships #Mentorship #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

Stepping into the enigmatic world of startups, I remember the excitement that bubbled within me a year ago when I began my journey working with a stealth startup. This summer, I took a daring plunge, embracing a world as vibrant and picante as any I've known. As a GTM intern, every day unfurled a new challenge. Beneath the vast sea of market dynamics, I embarked on deep-dives into data research, seeking patterns and insights that others might overlook. The true magic, however, was in transforming these insights into actionable marketing strategies. Crafting compelling narratives, targeting niche audiences, and employing a mix of digital and traditional tactics became my day-to-day. And amidst all this hustle, I discovered the heart and soul of entrepreneurship: the ability to see beyond the immediate, to envision possibilities where others saw none, and to foster resilience and adaptability in the face of ever-changing market tides. Now, meet the rock stars I had the pleasure to learn from. Sam Pasupalak, for starters, is the genius co-founder of Maluuba, and if you're curious how Microsoft's AI got so darn smart, he’s one of the people to thank. Then there’s Sumit Pasupalak and Jacqueline Chan, whose success story with Ubiq demonstrates their expertise in the startup world inside and out. Each of them didn't just impart skills; they inspired a mindset. A mindset that believes in overcoming obstacles, that understands the intricate dance between data and intuition, and that recognizes the power of a compelling story in the world of entrepreneurship. Reflecting on this summer, it wasn't just about acquiring skills; it was about evolving. Evolving as a marketer, analyst, as an entrepreneur, and, most importantly, as a thinker who’s ready to challenge and change the status quo. To Sam, Sumit, and Jackie: your mentorship has been my North Star. You've not only shaped my summer but ignited a passion that I'll carry forward. As the next chapter for this picante and slaying startup unfolds, I have no doubt you'll continue to inspire and innovate. Here's to every challenge you'll overcome and every peak you'll conquer! #InternshipAdventures #StartupJourney #SlayingIt #PicanteSummer 🌶🚀🌟

Your post Florent, reminded me of the leap of faith it requires to get a company started. And then there is a couple of things to be said about timing and experience when I look at my own journey starting Nordija back when you didn’t call it a “startup”. Having experience is a great platform to start from, but it can also make you stop before you get going. Sometimes it best just to get started instead of worrying about the monumental effort that lies ahead. Timing. I have heard that the timing is important and it might be that I am not great at timing since my first startup was just when I started having kids. Two very time consuming elements combined. And then there is market timing. At business school we learn about asking ourselves “why now?”. Honestly, I have always answered that with whatever I could retrofit into a reasonable explanation. I like the other reminder in your post Florent and that is perseverance. Every can get a good idea, but the follow through and constant fight off doubt and obstacles is in my view the secret sauce. Best timing is now and now. Thank you for the reminder, Florent. Always good to sync up with you when I am in the Bay Area. 🙏

Embrace uncertainty. How I founded my first venture in 2005 and took a leap of faith 10 years later… 🔥 As an entrepreneur, uncertainty is not a variable. It’s a constant unknown in your entrepreneurial equation and it fuels the ups and downs of your roller coaster ride. 🎢 I remember a few moves I made that turned out into pivotal times of my life: In 2005, I studied business in Lille (France) and I booked a flight to San Francisco interviewing for a summer internship. This was a bold move considering that I initially just had 1 interview scheduled. But once “on-site”, recruiters were eager to have a chat. Eventually, I got an amazing offer at a software company with an unbelievable stipend. During my week-long stay in the San Francisco Bay Area, I crashed at my friend’s Ned Tozun and we bounced a few ideas based on a software he developed. A few weeks later, we decided to start-up together. I turned down the internship offer and stepped into the unknown of entrepreneurship. I chose the most uncertain path but it was the most thrilling experience of my young career. 🤩 In 2015, I lived in Paris and had a very enjoyable life. But everything became too predictable. After completing an Executive MBA, I seized the opportunity to extend my US student Visa for 1-year with a work permit. Somehow, I convinced my wife to say goodbye to our friends and family, quit our jobs, sell our place in Paris to move to San Francisco 🇺🇸. We had 2 luggages each. It was tough to settle with a precarious Visa. I drove Uber 🚘 from 7.00am to 9.30am (had a 4.99 rating with 500+ rides) to “do” something. It was not before I got my green card through a self-petition process that things started to open up. I worked at a few startups, got a leadership role at Tesla and eventually co-founded a VC backed venture. I’m now a dual-citizen and happily living in San Francisco with my wife and daughter. None of this would have happened if I had not embraced uncertainty in the first place. Entrepreneurship is a mindset. Embrace uncertainty. You are missing out if you don’t. 🚀 #entrepreneurship #startup #skema #tesla #vcfunding #columbiabusinessschool #londonbusinessschool

Hey Florent, Your post really struck a chord with me. Embracing uncertainty is the heart of deep tech entrepreneurship, and your journey embodies this spirit perfectly. From one interview to co-founding a startup with Ned Tozun in 2005, you've shown that the boldest leaps often lead to the most thrilling experiences. Your story is a testament to the power of embracing the unknown. Entrepreneurship is a mindset, a way of life. Your story reminds us that greatness often lies beyond our comfort zones. Thanks for sharing your inspiring journey, Florent. Here's to more uncharted paths and exciting chapters ahead!

My proudest achievement since joining Jumpstart? That's easy. Building and growing our Mentorship Scheme. Why? At Jumpstart we don't just match early careerists with top UK startups. After they land their role we train, support and guide our Jumpstart Alum throughout their entire careers. One of the best ways to help people grow 👇 Mentorship We've already matched over 40 Jumpstart Alum with a pool of startup innovators and operators, all willing to share their knowledge and pay it forward 🧠 Jumpstarters are already learning a wealth of industry knowledge, up-skilling, gaining confidence and growing at pace under the guidance from our incredible pool of existing mentors. But, we want to do more! We’re looking to double our mentor pool for our next Mentorship matching round kicking off in early September. What do Mentors get out of it? 🌟 Fresh perspectives! Mentoring early careerists hones your managerial skills and strengthens your leadership capabilities. It's a two-way street of growth and learning. 🤝 A chance to give back. Most successful entrepreneurs have had a conversation at one point from someone higher up to help guide, focus and motivate them. Why not give someone else that eureka moment? Interested? Sign up today to Mentor the start-up stars of the future 👉 https://lnkd.in/eS-9D_Fd More info here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eFfZP3FH Massive shoutout to all our incredible Mentors already involved 👏 Rowan Lennox, Alice Ivanoff-Boardman, Robert Van Den Bergh, Rayan Bannai, Iris Chang, Amelia Wallace-Scott, Charlie Leggate, Pablo Simko, Claire Williams, Ed Whelpton, Svetlana Zedgenidzeva, Hannah Gladman, Eliza Elliott, Dylan Burke, Aliya Brijnath, Nina Mirtaheri, Georgia Kandunias, Gabrielius Glemža, Kit Logan, Simone Werzberger, Calum Slowther, Marta Avillez Pereira #mentorship #mentoring #startups #payitforward

Transitioning into a startup role can feel intimidating, so to help shed some light on what it's ACTUALLY like, we sat down with some Jumpstarters and chew the fat...   Stella Buhalis joined Gaia after working as an investor in a VC firm 💳 Tom Cockbain was on a General Management graduate trainee scheme before joining Zero Gravity 📈    Edward Anders joined Compose after gaining some consulting experience 💻   The common themes on what it's really like moving into a startup? 🚀🚀   🌍 High-levels of autonomy: you can often be dealing with customers in week one, or leading on projects independently! This clearly isn’t for everyone but if you do like w 🎨 Room for creativity: unlike corporates, startups don’t have a tried and tested playbook of how to do sales, marketing etc. which means you have a lot more leeway to try out new things and see what works! 🎯 Real-world impact: I worked in consulting for ~4 years and there really is nothing worth than working on a 100 page PowerPoint for 100 hours a week only to see it gather dust on a clients proverbial shelf…at a startup there simply isn’t time for anything which isn’t building product or traction…and there is nothing more satisfying than seeing your work direct lead to a sale or building a product feature that customers love! 📈  High-performance environment: In big established companies you can hide or take 6+ months to get to grips with stuff, in a startup there isn’t anywhere to hide…the flipside is that you can progress super fast, and much faster than the yearly review processes in corporates   As Tom summarised: "The challenges are immense but it's very exciting"   Working in a startup definitely isn't for everyone but for the right person, it can be an incredibly rewarding high-growth career where you get to have an impact from day 1.    If you think you fit the bill – check out Jumpstart today 👇👇!  https://lnkd.in/eU_B_X2G

Slow down to speed up. Here's a great quote from Eric Koester to help you frame the topic: "Be Smartly Impatient In my office hours right before the holidays, I was asked about my life and career philosophy. And I shared the simple idea that I'd learned the power of being Smartly Impatient. Have you ever felt stuck in a holding pattern, waiting for the 'right time' to make your move? Well, 2024 is your year to shake things up with a concept I love: being "Smartly Impatient." Let me share a story about a student of mine, Rahul Rana.  - He faced rejection from 15 top schools - He was told it would take years to achieve his goals.  But we switched gears – instead of waiting, we focused on creating a project that showcased his skills and passion. Fast forward a year, and Rahul not only secured an internship at Lux Capital, one of the top venture capital firms, but also was named one of the top 29 Gen Z venture capitalists globally! The key 🔑 takeaway? Stop waiting for the perfect time or the perfect opportunity. The power of being "Smartly Impatient" lies in taking proactive steps NOW. If you're eyeing a career shift, aiming for a promotion, growing your business, or launching a new venture in 2024, it's time to act. Start by picking a project 🌟. This project should not only connect you with key people in your field but also serve as tangible proof of your abilities, interests, and enthusiasm. Remember, it's not just about being impatient; it's about being strategic and purposeful with your impatience. Use it to fuel your journey forward, not to rush blindly." I felt that was great, because similar to how Rahul got his internship at LUX Capital, I got my internship at my first VC fund, RV. Slowing down, yet also remaining impatient, was one of the keys to my success in 2023. I cover some more lessons here if you missed it: https://bit.ly/41KWj60 --- Don P.S. If you like AR/VR, you'll love my weekly newsletter (free, duh). Weekly insights to help you pitch AR/VR investors, and more. Join 5,000+ subscribers here: https://bit.ly/48ggBGB

Last week, I attended YC @ Harvard, where Jared Friedman and Diana Hu from Y Combinator talked about founding startups and shared success stories from YC founders during the 3-month program. We also heard from Harvard alum Devi Jha, part of the YC Summer 2023 batch, and learned how she and her co-founder Jianna Liu turned an idea from a summer internship into Leafpress! Here are my 3 main takeaways: 1. Find a co-founder - Validate and refine startup ideas with a partner for strong support and to make the intimidating realm of startups a more rewarding experience! 🎉 2. Master end-to-end building- Becoming excellent at coding is a crucial skill to develop concepts from start to finish, bringing ideas into fruition. 💻 3. Have optimism - Instead of dwelling on startup failure statistics, focus on learning and aiming to be the best. 💡 Thank you to Jared, Diana, and Devi and I can’t wait to see all of the amazing companies that are going to be helped by #YC!