Marjorie Simon

#Germany's Funded Startups Directory. You can view the list of startups funded in #Germany whenever you need it. Access the directory here https://lnkd.in/dc9emGbb #startup #startups #vc #venturecapital #investmentbanking #privateequity #managementconsulting #b2b #founders #entrepreneurs

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Friday thoughts :: Capital intensive deeptech businesses tend to have debt leverage- 150M in debt can be a lot of lever, far more than possible with a B2C ecommerce business where cash burn is often tied to customer visibility and awareness. Germany needs to build the next generation of complex manufacturing businesses if it wants to have long term economic strength. Hardware product engineering is effectively in the DNA of this nation. It is naive to let that kind of capability just depend on the vagaries of private fund raising in an European setup where the capital markets are risk averse and often tend to play imitation with the American capital flows. I find the Lilium debates missing the point. When a aviation or space startup fails, the technology , the ecosystem, the skills live on for alternate uses. The investment ends up supporting a far more extensive set of skills. When a food delivery or a service platform fails, not much is lost for the nation. Complex hardware systems are very hard to build and scale. I hope common rational sense prevails. 150M Euro loan is not a lot for this developed nation. And anyone who compares this type of subsidizing with venture investing for social media trinkets, small business funding or food delivery ideas is just plain delusional. Please look at the competitive landscape of nations and how US and China subsidize high tech - State support is the reality. Food delivery, small businesses and other B2C service startups wont survive in a nation where the manufacturing backbone is broken.

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🙃 💸 Flink raised $1.5B... and is now valued at less than $1B Let's move beyond the snarky comments of how such a feat is possible. The German quick-commerce startup just raised an additional $150M. And that's actually quite interesting: 1️⃣ If valuation has been slashed (from a peak at $5B) to below $1B, it is a first sign of maturity. 2️⃣ There is a focus on profitability: the startup has broken even in its two main markets: Germany and The Netherlands. It wants to use the money to further strengthen its position there. Done are the days when startups were only focusing on growth and expansion. 3️⃣ That's the last European pure player operating in Europe (JOKR now only operates in Latin America). It is also among the last players operating at scale in developed economies. So, what it does and how successfully it can grow will be key to the future of quick-commerce. 📈 I am quite confident in the future of quick-commerce. It answers a consumer need, but it needs to be operated with care, notably in developed economies, due to high labour costs. 👉 : https://lnkd.in/gmpcNhNP #startup #commerce #grocery #delivery #foodtech

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List of Startups Receiving Funding in #Germany. Check out the list of #Germany-funded startups available for your reference at any time. View the list now https://lnkd.in/dpdZUJyi #startup #startups #vc #venturecapital #investmentbanking #privateequity #managementconsulting #b2b #founders #entrepreneurs

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Is the conventional wisdom about startup growth even close to the truth? Marc von Brockdorff challenges the status quo with insights drawn from his journey co-founding Hotjar, a SaaS powerhouse that reached a whopping €15M in ARR. One take that stands out: stop trying to solve problems you have no personal stake in. Too many entrepreneurs chase ideas because they look good on paper, neglecting the core of their own experiences and needs. A product must resonate with you, or it’s a tough uphill battle. Another point that deserves a spotlight is the distinction between building a product and running a business. Turns out, those two roles require entirely different skill sets. Many founders cling too tightly to their original vision while losing sight of essential business metrics. Understanding your CAC, churn, and LTV is not just a suggestion; it’s a necessity. If you think you can launch a product, sit back, and watch the profits roll in, think again. Feedback isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the lifeline of your growth. This isn't just theory; it's backed by lived experience. For those looking to navigate the rocky landscape of entrepreneurship, heed the lessons from someone who's made the climb. What do you think? Is it time to reconsider what we accept as startup gospel? https://lnkd.in/ev9u3atp

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List of Startups Receiving Funding in #Germany. Check out the list of #Germany-funded startups available for your reference at any time. View the list now https://lnkd.in/dc9emGbb #startup #startups #vc #venturecapital #investmentbanking #privateequity #managementconsulting #b2b #founders #entrepreneurs

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📣 Free founders-only event below! I often see founders get a lot of early traction in signing customers and then hit a wall when trying to scale that repeatedly. Why?? Maybe it's because: 1️⃣ that 1st group of customers came through warm intros from your accelerator batch 2️⃣ you've already combed through industry connections from your previous career 3️⃣ you're just good at brute-force selling but you're only one person 4️⃣ you are still narrowing in on product market fit Next week I'm hosting a free, founders-only candid discussion with two people who have had to break through this wall out of necessity and now coach countless founders on this. More on our speakers: 📈 Ian Illig took his 1st job out of college at a friend's startup (employee #1). He quickly found himself trying to sell a product that was still finding its market fit. Fast forward years later and Ian had completely built out the sales team and revenue, allowing the company to get acquired. And then he turned around and did the same thing again with the same founding team. 👀 Sonia Baschez was one of the 1st employees at Atmos, a consumer & builder-facing product for homebuilding. She developed early marketing channels & helped the company grow from Pre-seed to Series A. Sonia optimized product launches to reach the right customers, a challenging feat given their core customers are actively NOT in the tech bubble (aka Techcrunch and a thread on X are not going to do the trick). Whether they know it or not, both Ian and Sonia have been secret superpowers for me as I've grown The Council Fund and supported portfolio companies. I'm excited to share their playbooks & expertise with founders for FREE next Wednesday. Join us 12-1pm Pacific! Link to RSVP in comments below ;)

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🚀 Knowing your customer data is key to navigating startup challenges! 🎯 Accurate data collection can streamline operations and safeguard your financial strategy. Discover the top data points to track in the original post by Vanessa Kruze, CPA #StartupSuccess

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Learn from OpenAI’s playbook: Prioritizing key projects and empowering a mission-oriented team are essential for startups aiming to make a significant impact 👇 ➡ 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗲: Sam Altman, CEO at OpenAI and Brad Lightcap, COO at OpenAI 🔌 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿: Harry Stebbings, Founder at 20VC ✏ “20VC: OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Brad Lightcap on The Future of Foundation Models” ⭐ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲: "There are two strategies to build on AI right now: [...] (1) to assume the model is not going to get better and then you kind of build all these little things on top of it; [...] (2) to build assuming that OpenAI is going to stay on the same rate of trajectory and the models are going to keep getting better at the same pace." ⭐ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀: "At any given point in a company's life, there's only one to three things that really matter. And that spills over into how we run the team because [...] if we can align on what those things are, [...] then it helps me to translate down to the teams that I'm building." ⭐ 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: "I think people criminally underrate how important it is and how much return you really get on just giving people access to the technology. [...] Someone who used to spend two days doing something now spends two minutes doing it and is freed up to do 85 other things in their daily life." ⭐ 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆'𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: "I watched what has happened to other tech companies when they just become the place you want to work because it's a good resume item. [...] I think companies that lose their mission orientation and get taken over by mercenaries usually come to regret that." ⭐ 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀: "Find a way to make sure that there's this very flat and even playing field when it comes to how you look to the team for perspective, decision-making, judgment, and creativity." ───── 👉 Follow me, Alexander Small, for tactics and strategies for building startups from industry-leading Founders, Operators and Investors

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One of key mindsets we use to move fast within a startup / scale-up environment: “𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝." Most founders have a vision of what’s wrong in their sector, and what needs to change to solve it. They have a 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧, usually informed by personal/professional experience, data or being close to potential customers. This strong conviction is the energy force needed to bring new ideas into the world, to push through barriers and distractions. However, more often than not, there’s something wrong about this opinion. A piece of data that was missed, a nuance that was more fundamental than first realised, or, simply, the world has moved on since that opinion was formed. By ensuring those strong opinions are 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝., founders ensure that they are flexible to feedback, to change direction or incorporate new feedback as it surfaces. Strong opinions, weakly held - is a form of staying nimble, whilst going 100mph - ensuring you don’t just blindly crash into a brick wall that you didn’t see before you set off. It means we 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠. This framework was developed by Stanford Professor Paul Saffo, who said: "𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵… 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵. 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘵, 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵.” I think this not only applies to business, but a lot of experiences in life when you are just better off getting started, and figuring the rest out as you go along.. Hat tip to Alice Bentinck and Matt Clifford - this concept was drilled into us over and over again, as part of the Entrepreneur First programme - and still useful to us on a daily basis 10yrs later.

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Someone asked me: "As a founder, what do you do to mitigate the mental load" The most effective for me is to meet other founders. And one I like is Arnaud Rubeck. We go back 5 years and catch-up every now and then. Every time we chat we go right into some challenges we have and try to help each other. Yesterday was on sales overall and more specifically the challenges to nail your ICP. Many gurus will tell you "just experiment" - which is exactly how you know they don't know sh#t. In our Glorious industry it's certainly a lot of work to really know them, but that will be for another post. My point here is, only founders understand what it means to be a founder - and Arnaud is the best cockroach I know. Always bouncing back, always doing the work, you never see him but he's always there. Seriously, the stories he has to tell are a mix of absurd setbacks, timely miracles, and ridiculous persistence and grit. Our real, open, transparent chats as founders is priceless. PS: He's not really on Linkedin so let me help him out a bit: check out his new venture SansDebt, fresh out of the previous Iterative batch 💪🏻.

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Did you know this? Early stage investments are down 42% since 2021, this is a big reason why…. #unMBA One of the biggest challenges in early-stage funding is founders trying to follow outdated pitching formulas, like the old Sequoia method, which might have worked five years ago but feels forced and formulaic today. Investors have seen it all, and frankly, they're tired of founders "making stuff up" to fit a mold. Here's the truth: If you're raising less than $1M, the process is way more personal than flashy. It comes down to three things: 1️⃣ Can investors trust you? The first thing they're assessing is you. Who are you as a person? Are you someone they believe can navigate the chaos of a startup? Trust is your foundation—everything else is secondary. 2️⃣ Can you clearly pitch the idea and vision? Forget the perfect slide deck. Investors want to hear the gist. What's the opportunity? Why does it matter, who cares?!? If you can't articulate it simply and compellingly, no fancy pitch template will save you. 3️⃣ Are you transparent about risk? Investors know early-stage startups come with uncertainty—it's part of the game. What they don't want is surprises. Be upfront about what you know, what you don't know, and how you plan to de-risk the investment. This level of honesty is rare and makes you stand out. The move isn't to fake certainty; it's to show that you're thoughtful, honest, and prepared. Combine that transparency with a compelling story, and you'll build trust in a way most founders overlook. 🔑 Key takeaway: Investors aren't looking for perfection—they're looking for people they can believe in. Stop faking it. Start building trust by being real, clear, and upfront about the journey ahead. #startups #investors #entrepreneurship

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Marketplace trends I see in 2024: - Valuations in food delivery and quick commerce marketplaces have dropped to 0.24x GMV (gross merchandise volume). In 2019, it was 5x, so companies that built food delivery businesses back then were able to raise 21 times more money than in 2024. It's a bad time to start a food delivery business. - Marketplace customers are becoming poorer. They no longer prioritize convenience over speed; they are willing to wait longer for services if it means getting them cheaper. - Marketplaces aim to align with macroeconomic trends, which means they need to figure out how to make their services cheaper while still trying to reach break-even. They often subsidize their core use case pricing with revenue from selling brand ads. - Brand ads are becoming a huge part of the marketplace business model. In later funding rounds, VCs expect at least 1% of your revenue to come from ads. For reference, Instacart generates around 15% of its GMV through brand ads, while for Glovo, it is around 2-3%. - It is incredibly difficult to build a one-size-fits-all marketplace product for developed markets, which is why super apps are struggling. In the U.S. and the UK, there are five generations of people, each with different needs, preferences, and usage patterns. You need to decide who to focus on to avoid building a product no one wants. Thoughts? Do you see the same trends?

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This is insane! In Germany 🇩🇪, if your startup has closed a VC funding round a notary will read every single word of the docs out loud in front of founders 😳 I couldn't believe it, so I had to verify it. It's 100% true: "In Germany, a notary is required to read out the entire document aloud to all parties present during the notarization process, ensuring everyone fully understands the legal terms and implications before signing". It seems Germany isn't serious about startups... h/t Nathan Benaich for calling this out P.S. check out 🔔linas.substack.com🔔, it's the only newsletter you need for all things when Finance meets Technology. For founders, builders, and leaders.

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No big launch, no massive ad spend—just millions of users. How? By surprise. Command AI (fka CommandBar) is one of my favorite startup stories. They went from 0 to 25 million end users - within months 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🚀 ... all without a traditional go-to-market strategy. My 5 key learnings👇 1. Focus on solving one real problem - Their product started by solving one clear pain point for a single customer. - That focus led to a solution that resonated with millions. - It’s easy to get distracted, but simplicity wins. 2. Build for your customers, not just the market - CommandAI didn’t have a master plan to reach millions. - Instead, they got close to our users, listened, and adapted quickly. - When you build alongside your customers, growth follows. 3. Let word-of-mouth do the heavy lifting - CommandAI didn’t invest in big marketing campaigns. - But their users became advocates, spreading the word organically. - If your product truly solves a problem, people will share it. 4. Sometimes, speed beats perfection - CommandAI didn’t wait for the product to be perfect before launching. - By moving fast, they learned and iterated faster than competitors. - Progress over perfection is key, especially in the early stages. 5. Embrace the unexpected - The explosive growth was never part of the plan. - By staying agile, they rode the wave instead of fighting it. - You can’t predict everything—be ready to pivot. Want to know more about how they stumbled into success? Check it out on YouTube: 👉 www. youtube. com @enzoavigo (remove spaces) Special thanks to Command AI & James Evans for sharing his journey!

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💻 For all SaaS startups - this overview of 2,500 SaaS companies gives key findings. Founders, it's time to reflect. Steady growth, driven by a strong focus on client retention and expansion, might just be the new normal for the years ahead. Now, more than ever, it's crucial to prioritize and nurture your relationships 🤝with clients. More details👇🏼

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E-commerce is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have for equipment rental businesses. Quipli's first-party data and the American Rental Association report show that up to 25% of rental orders are now online—and that’s growing every year. What's next for improving the rental experience? AI gets all of the buzz. But customer portals are the immediate future. Customer portals are here to take 2025 by storm. Check out our latest article with the ARA to learn more! https://lnkd.in/gmPB8RUu 

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in recruiting, software value is already near zero. - companies switch ATS systems constantly - there is no feature differentiation. incumbents like lever/greenhouse just undercut each other on price to win deals - the market for recruiting services is 30x bigger than for recruiting software that's why dover's strategy for the past two years has been to make all our software free. looks like this strategy might work for more than just recruiting...

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