Runway Podcast

🚀 We’ve (finally) officially landed on LinkedIn! 😎 Welcome to The Runway Podcast’s LinkedIn page, a place where you will find a healthy dose of startup wisdom, insider advice, and expert insights across the startup journey. Here, we’ll be sharing highlights from our interviews. Hosts Julija (JJ) Jegorova and Mauro Battellini will be chatting with specialists in sales, marketing, PR, venture capital, product development, and more. Whether you’re a founder, investor, or startup enthusiast, you’ll find something here to accelerate your growth. Each episode, we dive deep with top minds who have been there, done that. 🎙️ From actionable strategies to behind-the-scenes stories, we cover what it really takes to build and scale a successful startup. 🔔 Follow us for advice, guest spotlights, and more content! #startups #entrepreneurship #podcast #RunwayPodcast #sales #marketing #PR #founders

Talking about startups? Yeah, we never do that… 🤥 except when we do — nonstop. Andra Bagdonaite joined the 🎧 Runway Podcast alongside hosts Julija (JJ) Jegorova and Mauro Battellini for a 💬 chat about: 🟣 What startups can expect in 2025 🟣 Tips on raising from LPs and collaborating with other VCs 🟣 The Baltic startup scene: is Lithuania ready to take the crown from Estonia? 🟣 FIRSTPICK’s journey and why branding matters for VCs 🟣 A behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of a venture capitalist Full episode 🔗 link in the comments. #FIRSTPICK #vc #startups #trends #podcast

🚀 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭: Andra Bagdonaite 𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭! 🎙️ Ever wondered what it takes to spot a “cockroach”🪳 founder, build a standout VC brand, or help an entire ecosystem thrive? 🌱 In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Andra Bagdonaite, Partner at FIRSTPICK, who shares: ✨ Her journey to becoming a VC and backing scrappy, resilient founders in the Baltics 🤝 What makes a great founder (spoiler: it might have some things in common with cockroaches) 💰 Raising from LPs - how it works in comparison to raising from VCs 💡 The FIRSTPICK story, its origins, how it looks at brand and marketing, and how to get in their good graces when pitching 🌐 The trends shaping 2025—including AI’s unprecedented growth 🇱🇹 🇪🇪 Will on-the-rise Lithuania catch up with early bloomer Estonia? 🎧 This one is unmissable! Link in the comments! 👇

🗓️ 🎄 👀 The year is almost over... but the Runway pod is not done yet! (We care about your podcast needs over the break! 🫂 ) 🥁🥁🥁 And we have another amazing guest to present.... Andra Bagdonaite, Partner at FIRSTPICK! Join us on the next episode as we explore: 🔷 The origins story of FIRSTPICK 🔷 Marketing and branding as a VC fund, and FIRSTPICK's unique approach 🔷 What does a typical day look like for a VC? 🔷 Raising from LPs and collaborating with other VCs 🔷 Zooming in on the exciting Baltic startup ecosystem (is Lithuania catching up to Estonia? 👀) 🔷 What we can expect in 2025 in European VC and startups All this and more, next week! Stay tuned... 📻

🎙️ Selling to Enterprise as a Startup Founder: Insights from Zoltan A. Vardy from the Pod! Selling as a startup founder? You should look for specific advice. It's a completely different game compared to selling with the backing of a big company’s established reputation and resources. Zoltan breaks it down: 💼 Large company sales: You rely on brand recognition and infrastructure to close deals. 🚀 Startup sales: As a founder, you are the brand. You’re selling your vision, your solution, and yourself. Customers aren’t buying a logo. They’re buying your expertise and the value you bring. While it’s a challenge for founders, as Zoltan says, it’s also deeply rewarding. Successfully closing deals isn’t about inherited resources. It’s about personal impact and solving real problems for your customers. How do you approach enterprise sales as a founder? Do share your thoughts with us! For more from Zoltan, check out the full episode on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dp3u5cFd

𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡, 𝐀𝐈 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 In episode 3, veteran marketer from Silicon Valley, Gregory Kennedy, VP of Marketing at Alembic Technologies, shared fascinating insights on the evolving search landscape and the role of AI chat. 🤖 AI chat delivers a different type of answer: Generative AI is transforming how users get information, and platforms like Google are doubling down on AI-generated responses. 🔍 A shift in strategy: Traditional search and SEO might not have the same impact as before. Driving cheap traffic through search used to be easier, but it’s become more challenging over time—and this trend is likely to continue. 🚀 The challenge for startups: Established players with resources will thrive in this new era, but for early-stage companies or innovative efforts, it could be harder to break through. 🌀 Behaviour is changing: As AI chat becomes more integrated, user behaviour will shift. The focus may move toward generative engine optimisation—a new frontier for marketers to explore. What’s your take on how AI is reshaping search? Have you noticed any effects on your business?

🧠 🖊️ 𝐎𝐩-𝐞𝐝𝐬: 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 Jake Meth, opeds expert and founder of Opinioned, shares a crucial insight to make the most of your op-ed strategy: draft the piece before you pitch it. Here’s why: ✍️ Clarity upfront: Writing the draft helps you refine your argument and showcase the quality of your piece. 📤 Efficiency: If one outlet passes, you can pitch it elsewhere—no time wasted starting from scratch. ❌ Avoid single-outlet dependency: Don’t rely on one publication. From the start, your piece should be able to attract interest from more than one outlet. Having the draft ready lets you adapt and maximize opportunities. Jake’s approach saves time and increases your chances of getting published. 🎧 Whether you're looking to enhance your thought leadership, work in PR and help leaders with opeds, you can't miss Jake's episode! Link in the comments. #thoughtleadership #pr #opeds

🎙️ Building a Brand? Start with Questions 👀 In one of our previous episodes, Adam Jennings shared great advice when it comes to branding: when joining a company without a clear brand, the first step is asking lots of questions— both internally and externally. Here’s a quick breakdown of his approach: 🔍 Inside the company: Understand the culture, values, and what makes the organisation unique. Why do people join? What truly matters to them? 📊 With your audience: Run surveys to uncover how your brand is perceived externally. There’s often a gap between how the company sees itself and how the audience experiences it. 💡 Key insight: Brands should be worked on fluidly. Like a website, a brand isn’t something you create and forget. It needs constant attention, iteration, and learning to stay alive and relevant. 📣 Engage your audience: Talk to them, understand their needs, and adapt. It’s easy to treat branding like a one-way street, but brands thrive when they reflect real conversations and insights. What’s your approach to "brand"? Let us know in the comments! #branding #startupinsights #podcast

This podcast gets personal! Over the years, I’ve been interviewed dozens of times, but I’ve rarely opened up about my own journey in B2B sales.  This time it’s different... Click and listen.👇

🎙️ Thank you Mauro and Julija (JJ) Jegorova for having me on your very awesome podcast!! 🦖❤️🦄 Listen to me and Mauro talk about tech PR in the games industry, and the evolving, fragmented media and communications landscape - see link in Runway Podcast 👈🏽