One of the first lessons all founders learn is that it takes more than a good product to build a company. For example, there are a lot of confusing legal documents that startups need to get off the ground. Fortunately, Capbase is around to help founders who can’t afford a high-priced lawyer with the legal side of starting a company. Capbase CEO and co-founder Greg Miaskiewicz joined Roland Siebelink on this week’s episode of the Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast. Greg shared how he discovered the need for a service like Capbase, as well as important lessons for all founders. Why a service like Capbase can delay the need for a startup to hire a lawyer. How Greg learned the hard way that having the best technology doesn’t always equal sales. Why having a distribution secret is just as important as having a great product. How Capbase has been able to build trust among its target group. The most important milestones in the lifecycle of a startup. Why the ability to test hypotheses can make or break a startup. To know more about Capbase, click here.

Silicon Valley Momentum

Capbase Co-Founder and CEO Greg Miaskiewicz: "The Best Technology Does Not Equate to Big Sales"

Some estimate as many as 75 billion new devices will come online in the next five years. This is where tech startup Latent AI enters the equation. Latent AI is helping developers build AI models, specifically ones that can be used on edge devices. Latent AI co-founders Jags Kandasamy and Sek Chai joined Roland Siebelink on this week’s episode of the Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast. In addition to talking about Latent AI’s technology and market, they discussed all of the ways they’ve tried to set themselves up for success. How to identify talent and find team members that fit the company’s needs. Why building a network within your given industry can be critical for new startups. The need to educate partners even before you can close any business deals. The role of advisors in Latent AI and how to find them. The importance of CEOs understanding “the four quadrants of me” and how to discover the “unknown unknowns.” To know more about Latent AI, click here. 

Latentai Co-Founders Jags Kandasamy and Sek Chai: ”Create an Ecosystem Where Everybody Wins”

They say that slow and steady wins the race, but how many tech startups succeed with a patient approach? Cash management startup Neo is a shining example of slow and steady winning the race. While waiting two years for regulatory clearance, Neo built a huge customer base before they could even sell. Now they are poised to reap the rewards. CEO Laurent Descout and Chief Product Officer Emmanuel Anton, joined startup coach Roland Siebelink on this week’s episode of the Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast. They discussed how Neo used those two years to its advantage and shared other insights into the young company’s keys to success. How Neo gained insight into the pain points of its core customers.  The formula for keeping all four co-founders on the same page. The right time to do away with generic roles and give team members clear roles. The importance of listening to potential clients to create the right product. Why trust within a founding team is an essential part of success. To know more about Neo, click here.

Neo Founders Laurent Descout & Emmanuel Anton: “Talk to as Many People as You Can—and They Will Help You”

If you’re a fan of sci-fi, you’ll expect robots will one day rule the world. Thanks to tech startup Mobot, we’re a little closer to that day. The young company is changing QA for mobile apps by using robots to test apps in ways that imitate the way that humans actually use those apps. Mobot founder and CEO Eden Full Goh joined startup coach Roland Siebelink on the latest edition of the Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast. Eden shared the inspiration for Mobot, the secret sauce that makes the company special, and lessons she has learned since founding the company in 2018. Reflecting on Eden’s choice to drop out of college to accept a Thiel Fellowship. Why Mobot’s pricing resembles a cell phone plan. How Mobot is learning about the dynamics of different teams working together. Building a company culture at Mobot in Eden’s image. Why you shouldn’t be disqualified from doing something just because you haven’t done it before. The lens through which founders should take advice. To know more about Mobot, click here.

Mobot CEO & Founder Eden Full Goh: “Hire People Smarter Than You to Solve Problems”

The pandemic has been terrible for the restaurant industry. But that hasn’t stopped tech startup Superb or its founder and CEO Zaedo Musa. Superb is a guest experience management platform that created the first OS for restaurants. Despite this being a tough time for restaurants, Superb has found great traction and is being used by restaurants worldwide. Zaedo joined mid-stage startup coach Roland Siebelink on the latest edition of the Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast. They discussed Zaedo’s history in the restaurant industry and how that experience has helped him make headway with restaurant-based software during a difficult time for the industry. How Superb improves the guest experience and drives repeat business for restaurants. Why having a brand in mind from the start is essential for startup success. Why doubling-down on their roadmap was the right move for Superb when the pandemic hit. Superb’s journey to becoming a market leader in a new category. How niching down and starting small is the right move for companies with big aspirations. Why money should not be the most important criteria in the search for investors. To know more about Superb, click here.

Superb Founder & CEO Zaedo Musa: “To Be Successful, First Niche Down”

The growth of the Internet has been nothing but amazing. Since I sent my first email from a unix terminal in 1992 (using ‘vi’!), we’ve seen the Internet over 50 billion (!) new “things” connect. With people using so many IoT devices and facing cyber-security threats, it’s more important than ever for networks to be properly managed. That’s where Milan-based tech startup Tanaza comes in. They provide a smarter and cheaper alternative for network solutions, empowering both internal and external IT departments with their software. Tanaza CEO and founder Sebastiano Bertani joined Roland Siebelink on the Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast this week. The two discussed Tanaza’s journey, the company’s multiple pivots, and many of the challenges it has faced, as well as those that are still ahead: Why Tanaza considers itself the Android of networking while the bigger companies are Apple. How distinguishing between short-term and long-term goals can impact how you approach customers. Why avoiding distractions from the core of the company is Tanaza’s biggest challenge. Why it’s okay not to play it safe and not be afraid of being the idiot in the room. The importance of building a team that has chemistry and not just the best individual for a role. To know more about Tanaza, click here.

Tanaza Founder & CEO Sebastiano Bertani: “If You Play it Safe, You Never Win”

Scaling operations is the biggest challenge any business will ever face. With so many things changing, it helps to have automation tools that you can control. That is precisely the pain point being solved by Alessio Alionco and his startup Pipefy. Unlike other workflow software, Pipefy is lightweight and geared toward non-technical users. It helps manage requests from stakeholders and make individual contributors more efficient. As Alessio puts it: “empower the doer.” Alessio joined midstage startup coach Roland Siebelink on this week’s episode of the Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast. The two discussed Pipefy’s huge success trajectory, as well as the company’s learnings and challenges along the way: Why it’s essential for leaders to “Go to the Gemba,” which is where value is created. Recognizing that changes take longer to implement as a business grows. Why a lot of competition is actually a positive and how to respond to it. Pipefy’s commitment to being a people-first company and what that looks like in practice. What it means to take care of the things “you don’t know that you don’t know.” To know more about Pipefy, click here. 

Pipefy CEO Alessio Alionco: “Commit to the customer segments that are still unsatisfied.”

Think about how easy it is to send a text message compared to making a phone call or sending a letter via snail mail. Well, what if text messages could be used by consumers to pay bills or companies to converse with customers who owe money? That’s precisely the use case addressed by startup Everyware. Using technology originally developed to help hotels and resorts communicate with travelers, Everyware is now making bill-paying as simple as sending a text message. Everyware founder and CEO Larry Talley joined the Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast this week to speak with Roland Siebelink. The two discussed Everyware’s origins, the startup’s ambitions, and everything in between: Why targeting ISVs was Everyware’s ticket into different verticals. How Everyware was able to create a win-win proposition for potential partners. Everyware’s key to competing with internal IT departments and convincing dev teams to give up control. The impact of Everyware’s goal of being a unicorn has on its fundraising needs. Why Larry prefers to stay away from hiring people who have worked for a big corporation. To know more about Everyware, click here.

Everyware CEO Larry Talley: “Set Out to Build a Unicorn”

On the surface, there doesn’t appear to be a close connection between farming and modern technology. But Milan Dobrota and his startup Agremo are starting to change that. Agremo uses AI technology to analyze aerial imagery as a method to help in crop production. Agremo’s technology can be used for any crop and addresses a huge lack of data that is useful for crops and agriculture. Milan spent time this week speaking with Roland Siebelink on the Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast. They spoke about how the agriculture industry can benefit from Agremo’s technology in multiple ways and some of the reasons for Agremo’s early success: Why some of Agremo’s best customers are ones that have already tried similar solutions. Why Agremo’s focus has nothing to do with competing companies. The best way to approach customers when selling a new technology. How creating partnerships has been an integral part of Agremo’s growth. Why it’s so critical for startup founders to keep learning so that they can be better than they were yesterday. To know more about Agremo, click here.

Agremo CEO Milan Dobrota: “Remove All Complexity for the Customer”

It’s always great to talk about startup success stories. But what about those startups that have great potential but are still struggling to get on track and find a path to success? There is still a lot to learn from startups like Knowable, an audio-first learning program that launched in 2020. While Knowable has big goals and strives to make a meaningful impact on the world, it is still in the process of making inroads. Knowable CEO and co-founder Warren Shaeffer spoke with scaleup ally Roland Siebelink on this week’s episode of the Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast. As a veteran founder of multiple startups, Warren had a lot to say about his current company and advice he’d like to pass on to other founders: What he learned about an advertisement-supported business model from his previous startup. Why the best leaders are willing to be vulnerable and admit to their mistakes. What is the difference between selling vitamins and selling painkillers? Why feeding off one another’s energy has created a good partnership between Warren and his co-founder Alex. The importance of establishing relationships with other founders and using their experience to help on your journey. To know more about Knowable, click here.

Knowable Founder Warren Shaeffer: “Vulnerability is the Highest State of Confidence”

Blockchain technology continues to change the world in new ways. Tech startup Data Gumbo is one of the latest examples of that. Data Gumbo uses blockchain technology to create a network of smart contracts for industrial companies to automate their vendor management. By doing so, Data Gumbo vastly reduces supply chain friction while also bringing trust into an area severely lacking it. Date Gumbo CEO Andrew Bruce sat down for a conversation with startup ally Roland Siebelink this week on the Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast. Andrew explained why blockchain technology provides the perfect solution for this particular use case. He also shared the steps Data Gumbo has taken on its road to success: How the idea for Data Gumbo came from companies that didn’t trust each other. Why business sponsorship was a better fit for Data Gumbo than venture capital investing. The importance of looking at what investors can bring to the table outside of money. Andrew’s strong opinion on the evil of pilot projects. How a structured operating system played a key role in Data Gumbo’s growth. Why establishing the company value of “comfortable with chaos” has been critical for Data Gumbo. To know more about Data Gumbo, click here. 

Data Gumbo CEO Andrew Bruce: “Sell Projects not Pilots. Pilots are Lethal.”

For most startups, creating one product, finding the right market for it, and turning it into a profitable business is hard enough. But what if you were doing the same thing simultaneously with two different products? That’s the challenge for the co-founders of Greendeck, who created a price optimization engine for retailers and are now working on a platform called Cliff.ai that tracks all business metrics. Fortunately, all three of Greendeck’s co-founders are developers with a passion for building products that make an impact. Greendeck CEO Aayush Jain and COO Aditya Joshi are Roland’s guests on this week’s Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast. They discuss the roots of their co-founder partnership, the unique journey from an India-based healthcare company to a startup that serves European fashion retailers, and all of the challenges they’ve met along the way: How learning from customers can be helpful in finding your niche. How three co-founders with similar backgrounds each found their right role to play. Why experimenting and learning from mistakes is such a critical part of finding the right answer. The challenge of managing two products that have a different go-to-market approach. How just showing up every day and being persistent will eventually lead to success. To know more about Greendeck, click here.

Keep Attacking the Same Problem—but with Multiple Solutions with Greendeck Co-founders Aayush Jain & Aditya Joshi

It can be a beautiful thing when new technology coming to the market creates opportunities for startups to do something useful with the data and resources available to them. That is exactly what founder Jakob Muus and his startup Tracks are doing. Tracks uses the telematics systems inside trucks all across Europe to measure the cost of CO2 and look for ways that drivers and fleet owners can be more efficient with their use of CO2. Jakob joined Roland Siebelink on this week’s edition of the Silicon Valley Momentum podcast. He discussed how Tracks can make it easier to make the right decision, the challenges his startup faced during the pandemic, and the long-term vision he has for Tracks: How Airbnb’s business model became the inspiration for Tracks. The best way to approach things when you have a two-sided market. Why it was a mistake for such a small startup to approach big companies at the beginning. How Tracks can succeed without being the driver of the ecosystem. Why the best investor for any startup is actually the customer. To know more about Tracks, click here.

Tracks CEO Jakob Muus: “Your Best Investor is the Customer”

Do you play the games you like best—or the ones that have been marketed to you the hardest? This is a huge problem in the gaming world. FRVR is hoping to fix a broken system by helping gamers play the games they’ll enjoy the most while also helping game developers reach their audience better.  FRVR co-founders Brian Meidell and Chris Benjaminsen joined Roland Siebelink on this episode of the Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast. In addition to discussing how FRVR is moving things beyond the traditional app store, the two entrepreneurs shared a variety of thoughts on the gaming industry and their keys to startup success. How modern gamers don’t have a preference in technology, opening the door to distribute games in different ways. How FRVR is able to manage multiple products across multiple geographies. The importance of one co-founder being good at the things that the other co-founder is bad at. Why it’s not true that a product has to be good before it’s used. A new methodology created by FRVR called the four “ates.” To know more about FRVR, click here.

Validate, Replicate, Formulate, Automate. FRVR’s Formula For Startup Success with Brian Meidell & Chris Benjaminsen of FRVR

Are you satisfied with modern voice technology as we move into 2021? Otto Söderlund, the CEO and co-founder of Speechly, still sees a lot of shortcomings in the technology. That’s why his startup has developed technology that performs speech recognition and natural language understanding in real-time. In other words, Speechly is doing things with voice technology that the big players in that space have yet to do. Otto was a guest on the Silicon Valley Momentum Podcast this week with Roland Siebelink. In addition to talking about Speechly’s incredible technology, Otto shared his vision for the future of voice technology and who stands to benefit the most from Speechly’s core technology: How product and development teams can integrate Speechly into their products. Why being tech-oriented has allowed Speechly to reduce its focus on marketing. How serving as a development shop was key in Speechly ultimately finding product-market fit. Why Otto believes that mutual trust is the biggest key to a successful co-founder relationship. Otto’s belief that co-founders are a family and their company is their “baby.” 

Finding Product-Market-Fit by Acting as a Developer Shop with Otto Söderlund of Speechly

Roland Siebelink talks all things tech startup and bring you interviews with tech founders across the world.