Zygimantas Zabieta

Freemium Building in Public - part III - The fastest tool on the market. First impression counts. How you onboard matters. 🚀 At Corma, we know that the first experience can make or break a user's journey with our product. This is especially true for our developing Freemium offer. Here’s how we ensure a smooth onboarding process: Self-Service Excellence: - Our product is fully self-service. Users can get started without contacting us, saving time and reducing friction. ⏱ Step-by-Step Guidance: - Given our product's complexity, we developed a detailed guide. This includes key integrations and connections to deliver value quickly. 📘 Close Monitoring: - We closely monitor product metrics to see where users are active and where they struggle. These insights help us remove barriers and improve the user experience. 🔎 The result? A seamless onboarding experience that delivers value right from the start. The fastest tool on the market. 💫 What’s your go-to strategy for improving user onboarding? #CustomerSuccess #TechInnovation #Onboarding

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We’ve closed the same in the last 22 working days than we did in our first 2.2 years in business, and we’re 3.5 years old. Serac’s best month by quite a bit. Product market fit? A term loved by the world of startups. In simpler terms it’s the result of - we’ve figured out what we’re good at and allocated our resources to that. Figured out who wants to buy our products and how to deliver. Figured out how to hire great people and maintain great productivity. Figured out our very particular niche and position in the market. We’ve figured this out by learning from each other - there’s no manual to this all. Planda being delivered to our waiting list of customers is now a number of days away. It’s all easy when things are done right. That doesn’t mean growing is seamless. It’s all hard work. Trial, error and fix - mess up very quick, learn quicker, minimise exposure. Team blue won rounders🚀

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Startups are high-stakes gaming. How do you master the art of the bet? (Day 84). I'm not a gambler. I never understood why people bet when they know that the odds are in favor of the house. And yet, here I am, running a startup. The entrepreneurial casino has 2 types of bets: > The Stupid gamble > The Smart gamble Let's start with the odds of the "Stupid" gamble. Out of 1,000 Startups: > 900 fail > 25 return less than invested > 25 return 1-3x > 25 return 3-10x > 15 return 10-30x > 9 return 30-100x > 1 returns 100x+ The math ain't mathing. If you're at a casino, knowing these odds, would you bet your life savings and a decade of your life? That's why it's the "Stupid" gamble... but there's a good reason people make it. When Jeff Bezos quit his cushy Hedge Fund job to start Cadabra (renamed to Amazon), he said that you have to be crazy enough to believe that you can beat the odds. He also said: "I knew that if I failed, I wouldn't regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying." The stupid gamble doesn't make sense, but it feels right... and sometimes you do hit the jackpot. So, what's the "Smart" gamble? Remember: When you enter the race, you start with literally no thing. Everything you build, add, buy, sell, hire is a decision with uncertain outcome and in uncharted territory - a bet. This builds your entrepreneurial "scar tissue". It's like counting cards, because the track record of your bets' outcomes helps you make more educated bets, slowly improving your odds. This whole dynamic is what makes it frightening yet exciting at the same time. When I was a consultant, we'd often come in if a company was losing money because costs > revenue, and we were tasked to fix it.  > Downsize an inefficient org? > Prioritize a bloated product lineup? > Improve your messaging with marketing/rebrand? > Spur growth with bold moves? We'd figure because we had data. Early-stage startups don't (yes, that's why the "MBB / banker" fares much better as employee at scale-ups). Often, you navigate with little more than a hunch and a prayer. The biggest bets at startups are: > Do we need more time to finetune (persist) or do we pursue something else we had traction in (pivot)? > Am I doing this thing that seems to make a lot of sense (low hanging fruit) or do I stick to what I believe in (why you started)? Spoiler #1: No one has the answer. Spoiler #2: There's no such thing as a low-hanging fruit. Spiler #3: Forget about sunk costs for goodness' sake (note to self). So, what's the takeaway? Welcome to the casino, baby: > Every decision is a bet. > Indecision kills - so does waffling. > Trust your gut but question your biases. > To play the game, get comfortable rolling the dice. > Be prepared to fold when the odds turn against you. > Remember why you sat down at this table in the first place. What are your thoughts on all this? Any war stories? // 100-day challenge of daily #RealTalk

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🚀 'Weekly funding round-up! All of the European startup funding rounds we tracked this week (Sept. 30 – Oct. 4)' 🔥 A must-read for investors and founders looking to level up! 🌱 Check it out here: www.blog.pitchndeal.com" 🔥 https://lnkd.in/eBZmNPrF 🚀 Whether You're an Investor or a Startup, Discover Game-Changing Insights! Check Out Our Blog. #Leadership #Innovation #Marketing #Technology #Entrepreneurship

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𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟰𝟬𝟬 𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 😇 If you are building an AI startup, it's the BEST time to raise funds. And Angel Investors are usually the first step in your fundraising journey. But the process can be tedious and is about researching and reaching out to lots of investors. So I've got this nugget here for you - Top 400 most prolific AI Angel Investors. This list includes: - Name - Twitter - Job Title - Country - LinkedIn - Company - Description - # of Investments The list is compiled in folk CRM, so it's easy to duplicate and start editing it. Like, comment and send me a connection request with "AI Angels" (if we are not connected) - and I'll DM you the list 😊 ✅ Start Your Project: 👉 Book a discovery call at https://lnkd.in/eN9d5kuj

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My startup died for a minute and a half due to unexpected copyright issues. But we're back—with a moonshot plan to revive it and 10x the scope at the same time! 👀 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁, Omnai is a news platform for internationals, distributing summaries of current news in many different languages. A year in, we found ourselves in a legal grey area due to EU copyright laws, and decided to pause all operations rather than risk non-compliance. To continue—without any doubt about compliance now and in the future—we need partnerships with the media outlets whose content we want to distribute. But here’s the question: Are they interested in collaborating? 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻. He saw opportunity in our struggle. He’s spent a lot of time researching and connecting with media leaders, exploring how to solve the financial challenges facing many outlets today (at least in Denmark). The reality is that 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁, 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗱. This isn’t great for the media, nor is it good for consumers. We believe in the potential of a truly independent, responsible, and sustainable media that serves everyone—except bad actors. But to get there, we need new ways to 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀. Relying on social media and search engines for distribution and advertising for revenue creates toxic incentives that corrupt most things. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺: Most media outlets are stretched thin. They can't afford to invest millions in new tech, and any risk to their existing business is an existential threat. But there’s a unique opportunity here: The international audience we serve is not part of their core customer base. So we’re in a position to propose a risk-free win-win-win partnership: 📰 Media outlets provide us with content rights. 🛠️ We build the tech to distribute it. 💡 Internationals stay informed and engaged in society. If we can do this in Denmark, we can expand across the EU and significantly grow the market for national news—while keeping risk minimal for media outlets. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁: A 1-2 year pilot project to solve two critical questions: 1️⃣ What centralized business models best support selling news? Subscriptions, usage-based pricing, micro-payments—or something new? 2️⃣ How do we fairly share value with the media outlets and journalists to create a viable revenue stream? We’re looking for a commercial partner to help us scale—ideally, one with development resources and access to a large number of non-Danish-speaking employees. Novo Nordisk, A.P. Moller - Maersk, and the LEGO Group are top of our list. Know anyone at these companies? An introduction could help us make Denmark the model for independent, fair media distribution across Europe. 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰. ✨ 🙏

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How to Establish a Success Path for Founders in Furniture Industry? Most businesses struggle to survive their first year, and those "overnight success" stories are often just fiction. As a founder, it's essential to think long-term, not short-term. Here are some strategies to increase your business's chances of success: ✅ Adopt 3D visualization: Boost user engagement by up to 85x with 3D furniture visualization on your website and landing pages. ✅Integrate across platforms: Use 3D product visualizations in ads, marketplaces, and more to drive higher-quality traffic. ✅Leverage virtual try-ons: AR-based product trials act as 24/7 sales agents and improve conversion rates. ✅Reduce returns: AR-driven purchase decisions lead to 15-20% fewer returns, positively impacting revenue. ✅Gain a competitive edge: 3D and AR provide an unfair advantage, fostering a loyal customer base for repeat business. Success comes from playing the long game! For more information contact us at www.marvinxr.com

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📢 Exciting news! Our portfolio company PatronGo has been selected as a finalist in the Global Startup Awards, the largest startup competition with 28,000 nominations and over 200,000 votes. In the past, even 14 unicorns 🦄  like UiPath and Grab have been part of this competition. Best of luck to PatronGo 💪 To learn more click on the article in the comments.

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How to Estimate the Valuation of Your Startup (very personal post 😎 ) We are currently in the fundraising stage with Grechka Buckwheat Super Grain. Earlier this year, we had extensive negotiations with investors, but we couldn't agree on the strategy. I learned a lot from that experience, which I shared earlier. I'll put the link to that old post in the comments. Valuing an early-stage startup is a blend of personal ambition, your background, market opportunity, traction, and peers' cases. It’s not a simple mathematical equation, which is what makes it so challenging. This summer, we received new interest from investors, and the main topic was, of course, valuation. I had a gut feeling about our valuation—something that resonated with me, reflecting our potential, vision, and achievements. But how to estimate it more formally? That’s when we got invaluable advice from Sam Simpson at FounderCatalyst, who provided a straightforward approach to valuation (link in the comments). Their method made everything so clear, and you know what? My intuition was right—the valuation I had in mind matched exactly what we arrived at after the discussion with Sam. So, yes, valuing an early-stage startup can be tricky, but there are methods that align with your values, inner voice and give you confidence. If you’re a founder, what has been your experience with early-stage startup valuations? I’d love to hear your thoughts! P.S. Ha-ha! My dog Kuki just got tired of me working so hard on building the buckwheat revolution 😆 #femalefounder #startup #fundraising

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Bolt has joined forces with 13 European ride-hailing platforms, tech innovators, experts, and drivers associations calling on the EU to modernize ride-hailing regulations. Today, 1 in 4 Europeans relies on ride-hailing services, but outdated regulations mean that 50% of ride requests in cities like Rome, Athens, and Dublin go unserved. The open letter, Ride to the Future, outlines a vision for accessible, sustainable, and innovative urban mobility. The coalition—which includes tech enablers such as TomTom, and driver associations—urges EU leadership to: Establish consistent, modern regulations. Foster fair competition and innovation. Unlock the full potential of shared mobility across Europe. Together, let’s build a Single Market for Mobility that benefits drivers, passengers, and cities. Read more about the coalition’s vision and proposals at sharedmobilityeurope.org, link in the comments.

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💡 Opportunity of the day YEP Accelerator is kicking off a new acceleration batch for ambitious founders with innovative tech products aiming to transform the world: 💰 Non-equity investments up to $25k  💲 150+ meetings with VC funds from Ukraine, Europe, and the US during office hours 🧑‍💻 Perks for partner services up to $50k – from email newsletters to cloud infrastructure 🤝 200+ hours of individual and group mentoring sessions 🎤 Meetings with founders of successful Ukrainian startups 🥳 Community meetings for informal communication ...and much more! The program will consist of two phases: 1️⃣ The first is for all those who are selected by applications and interviews 2️⃣ The second is for those who show great results during the first phase Apply here by October 20: 👉 https://bit.ly/3TDyoCF  📌 The YEP Acceleration is supported by the Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund, which supports initiatives to promote reforms in Ukraine and transformational projects. Program partners: Ukrainian Startup Fund, Cisco, Genesis Tech, LIFT99 Kyiv Hub.

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I have always wondered if you can build A tech company with £0 to billions. Until now. Yes, It’s possible to build a tech company With no money To an impressive $8bn valuation The youngest-ever founder Of a billion-dollar European company Markus Villig Is living proof of that. If you’ve traveled across Europe, you’ve probably used Bolt A taxi service giving Uber a run for its money. What you might not know is how Markus Turned a $5k loan from his parents Into an $8bn company. It’s an inspiring story for anyone building a business Especially in a David vs. Goliath industry. Here are three key lessons I learned from Bolt’s journey: 1️⃣ Think outside the box for funding When traditional VCs said no, Bolt secured capital from an unlikely source—a real estate firm in Estonia. Even at $25M ARR, they were turned down by top investors. 2️⃣ Expand efficiently Bolt targeted underserved regions like Africa and Latin America, scaling rapidly with minimal resources. Their data-driven approach identified high-potential cities and kept costs lean. 3️⃣ Operate lean, always Even after raising millions, Bolt stuck to a resourceful mindset—avoiding overhiring and overspending while prioritizing operational efficiency. As early-stage founders, This story resonates deeply with our journey We’re bootstrapping Taking smart bets And staying committed to following a path Like Bolt’s to create something extraordinary. The odds may be against us But we’re all in. If you’re an ambitious founder Remember: You can start small and still build BIG. What’s holding you back from starting? #Startups #Entrepreneurship #TechFounders #Ambition #Innovation #Bootstrap #Scaling #investablefounder #Raising

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My last post was two months ago, so it's time for an update. As a founding developer or a developing founder, you always run out of time—either for development or all the other stuff. After two months in coding mode, it’s time to share an update. The articles by Stefan Grasmann, covering his interview with Jón Egilsson from Monerium, the commentary by Dr. Sven Hildebrandt on recent developments at Deutsche Bundesbank, and Jakob Bosshard's post about Janus Henderson Investors exploring on-chain asset management have led me to the conclusion that I should speak up again. Why? Monerium has always been a pioneer in bringing EURO e-money to the blockchain. Monerium was the first to achieve compliance with EU regulations, and they did it well—especially for us developers who need a way to bring cash on-chain. They’ve delivered excellently. If you want to leverage the possibilities of a Turing-complete money execution machine, there is no better way. For non-developers: this is HUGE! Dr. Sven Hildebrandt spoke about Deutsche Bundesbank because the bank is explicitly searching for someone to operate its platform in a private, hybrid public environment. The latter is important. While there are arguments for private blockchains, I believe in public ones. The reason is simple—there were arguments for intranets as well, and while they still exist, it was the internet that made the difference. I believe it will be the same with private vs. public blockchains. We now have a protocol for value transfer. Do we really want to limit it to in-house transactions or just for a set of institutions in Germany? Sure, we can imagine exporting our private tech to the whole world, but let’s be honest—the probability is tiny. Do we really want to be a gated financial community while everyone else plays without us? (Hint: BlackRock deployed their BUIDL fund on the public Ethereum blockchain!) Jakob Bosshard mentioned Janus Henderson Investors, a $360B asset manager, taking its first steps into blockchain by partnering on a tokenized treasury fund, joining industry giants like BlackRock. This is amazing. Every asset manager will move on-chain in the next ten years. That’s my prediction. Why? The technologies mentioned above will streamline the process of setting up funds, monitoring investments, and investing in funds in an unprecedented way. Our proof of concept shows how you can set up a fund infrastructure, including a payment channel and product pipeline, in minutes—obviously without BaFin approval (that takes a bit more time 😉). All transactions are transparent, secure, and verifiable because we use public blockchains. We use Enzyme for the fund infrastructure, Cashlink for issuing eWpG-compliant fund shares, and Monerium for achieving settlement times of 30 seconds. Check out our One-Pager if you want to learn more: https://shorturl.at/uJct6 What is your take on this?

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Two main failures that BOD in Startups often encounter Mistake 1: BOD thinks they have the position and experience to intervene deeply in the short-term operational direction of the Startup Leading to conflicts with the CEO and the Board of Management (BOM). It also does not help the CEO develop personally. They should only provide guidance and support to help the CEO and BOM develop capabilities, rather than giving directions to intervene in their operations. Mistake 2: BOD often does not discuss important issues with the Startup. Startups often have investment fund partners (Venture Partners) or associates sitting on the BOD. In many cases, these individuals lack practical experience in operations, management, and vision. They only have dry analytical skills. The directions that have been successful in one Startup do not necessarily lead to success in another Startup. This leads to directing the Startup's focus on unimportant issues. Example: A Startup we supported had an investment fund pouring capital into it. They requested a seat on the BOD. And appointed a member to occupy that seat. They asked us to pay a fairly high salary, while the experience of this person was quite normal. Our Startup wondered why this person, who is only suitable for middle-level personnel of the Startup and doesn't contribute much, should have the stature to sit in the BOD seat to guide and train the CEO. The BOD seat for this investment fund was rejected because it did not meet the BOD criteria. Conclusion: BOD is an important resource; carefully choose members to sit on the board. If a BOD member does not contribute much, replace them immediately, even if they are from the investment fund in your Startup. #Fundraising #StartupFounder #BODJob

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Is networking important for early-stage, first-time founders? Extremely important ❗ I believe that it is not possible to succeed without knowing the right people. How do you build your network? 1️⃣ Networking events and conferences 2️⃣ LinkedIn - find relevant people, connect, and meet with them. 3️⃣ Join communities and attend their events. In London, we have a few great founder communities such as Female Founders Rise and Connectd, where you can meet fellow founders and investors. In Silicon Valley, there are also remarkable communities such as Femigrants Foundation. If you are in the Bay Area, you should follow Mariane Bekker, who posts about the great events going on. I have attended their events and can confirm that I've made amazing connections. However, it should not be about connecting with as many people as possible. It should be about building quality relationships. #founders #networking #femalefounders #startups

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Startups tend to think about competative advantage as a static thing: we got X , which is better by far than market.  in reality competitive advantage is an ongoing innovation pipeline , We got X, Next year we will have Y and the year after that Z.  This means you have competitive north start metric, one that guides you towards staying the leader of your market segment over many years through product generations.

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In 13 years of entrepreneurship, I have been involved in the Board of Directors (BOD) of 9 early-stage startups. There are excellent BODs, and there are terrible ones. However, the role of the BOD is always crucial in the development of startups, especially after they have received funding from investors. The series "BOD Job" will be a sharing of my practical experience, helping startup founders understand the importance of the BOD and how to create an effective one. The first article will revolve around the topic: "Why does a startup need a BOD?" 1)Within the framework of startups, the most significant issue to address is fundraising. Founders can use personal funds or raise money from family and close friends, which is relatively easy. However, it becomes challenging when they seek capital from experienced angel investors or venture capital funds. At this point, founders will need experienced individuals on the Board to help them: -Establish a professional financial structure for the startup. -Reframe the vision and development strategy for the real market. -Plan product development and recruitment. -Utilize the BOD's relationships and reputation to connect and persuade customers, partners, and investors. -Resolve major conflicts of financial interest among co-founders and investors. Detail Link: https://lnkd.in/gRh7uDsh

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Confused between pre-seed and seed funding? Discover key differences in our latest article to guide your startup's next move. Ready to transform your approach to funding? 🚀 Read more now!

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