The Startup Journey Interviews

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The Startup Journey Interviews

Raising $3.3M Pre-Launch & Completing Y Combinator to Bridge Europe & Africa’s Financial Chasm (Founder Story)

When it comes to the startup world, every entrepreneur has a unique journey filled with ups, downs and a whole lot of learning. One of the big decisions along the way is whether to join a startup accelerator. A choice that isn’t just about funding. It’s about tapping into a reservoir of resources, mentorship, and a network that could significantly shorten the steep learning curve that most entrepreneurs face. Today, I’m sharing an open conversation I recently had with Bilal Dahlab, an entrepreneur who tackled the decision firsthand and went on to take part in Y Combinator. Bilal’s path shifted from financial consulting to launching Moneco, a fintech startup aimed at easing the process of setting up a bank account and making international money transfers for the African diaspora living in Europe. In this candid chat, Bilal shares his experiences with Y Combinator. He talks about why he chose this path, the doors it opened, and the community he became a part of. His story is a blend of ambition, learning, and the power of a supportive network. Bilal also dishes out some solid advice for aspiring entrepreneurs considering the accelerator route. Through his narrative, we get a glimpse into the real-world […]

Jamie Russell-Curtis

The Startup Journey Interviews

The Startup Journey Interviews

How Y Combinator Taught me What Really Matters When Building a Startup [Founder Story]

Being a software development agency that works with entrepreneurs to help them build their startups, our whole marketing strategy is focused on creating valuable resources to help them turn their visions into reality. Recently, our team was working on one of those resources – an article explaining the benefits entrepreneurs can gain from going through startup accelerator programs like Y Combinator and 500 Startups. And although that article was fantastic from a theoretical perspective, I felt like we needed some information in that article from people who had experienced it. So I started reaching out to alumni from Y Combinator and other major accelerators who had gone on to successfully build a startup. I asked them to sit down with me for 15 minutes to share their experiences and the story behind their startup journey. Gary Lin was one of the many entrepreneurs who were more than happy to sit down with me. He’s worked as a software engineer with some of the biggest tech companies in the world, including Facebook and NVIDIA. Now, he’s built Airwork, a platform that allows workers in Canada to pick up shifts at local businesses and get paid the same day. He was accepted into the […]

The Startup Journey Interviews

The Startup Journey Interviews

Applying the Startup Mindset to Big Corp & Losing Half Your Your Staff in the Process [CEO Interview]

Making the difficult decision to move away from a traditional corporate structure and transforming a company’s culture to that of a Silicon Valley startup is a huge undertaking. An undertaking that Reed Taussig, an entrepreneur, business leader and VC with over 35 years of experience faced firsthand. He’s spent that time leading, advising and investing in tech corporations and startups. Notably managing Callidus Cloud from inception all the way to IPO and spearheading ThreatMatrix from pre-product launch through to acquisition by Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions. And, most recently, heading up Outseer as CEO, carving it out from RSA Security to make it a stand-alone company. He was brought in to revolutionise the way Outseer operates – reinventing the core values and processes of the company, moving from a more traditional corporate environment to that of a lean startup. I sat down with Reed to learn about his journey as CEO of Outseer and get some advice on the most effective ways to adopt startup culture into your own business. Contents The Difference Between Startup & Corporate Culture Rui: Reed, thank you so much for being here. Let’s dive straight into it. Based on your experience, what would you say are the key differences between a corporate and startup culture? Reed: The […]

The Startup Journey Interviews

The Startup Journey Interviews

How This Unicorn Startup Founder Built an Airline Out of Necessity

Two minutes into our latest startup founder interview – the ninth in the Startup Journey series – and I knew I was in for a treat. Just check out my face! It was during those first two minutes that Wade Eyerly shared a significant part of his background, like how he: Built an airline that pioneered subscription-based flying (that’s also a unicorn startup that just completed a successful IPO) Worked at the Pentagon as an Economist Served a tour in Iraq Built an innovative fintech product to solve a national crisis Throughout our conversation, Wade shared incredible lessons and insights from his startup experience. I mean, building an airline from scratch because his little brother needed a job? Moving away from a stable high-paying job in a company about to go public to create a completely disruptive fintech product? From his passion in explaining his new project (which every startup founder should take as an inspiration when creating a pitch deck), to his explanation of why curiosity is his definitive superpower, this is a conversation every entrepreneur should read at least once. Contents About Wade Eyerly Rui: Wade thank you once again for agreeing to share your story. Can you tell us a […]

The Startup Journey Interviews

The Startup Journey Interviews

How a Startup Accelerator Catapulted my Entrepreneurial Journey (Founder Interview)

Recently, my co-founder Paolo released an article on the 50 best startup accelerators in the US. In it, he shared an in-depth process of how to apply for the top 10 on that list and included reviews of each. One of those reviews came from 500 Startups Alumni, Bethany Stachenfeld. She’s the co-founder and CEO of Sendspark, a startup that’s revolutionising how companies connect with their customers using video communication. In just three years, her and her co-founders have raised over $1 million in funding, and Sendspark has quickly grown to over 10,000 users. So I reached out to Bethany, to see if she would mind sitting down with me to discuss her time at 500 Startups, and how it helped her find success, Luckily, she was able to take some time out of her busy schedule to do just that. The result is an interview that takes a peek behind the curtain at what it’s like to be part of 500 Startups. Bethany also shared some great tips for applying to an accelerator as well as valuable startup advice any founder can benefit from. About Bethany Stachenfeld & Sendspark Rui: Bethany, thanks for sitting down with me today to share your […]

The Startup Journey Interviews

The Startup Journey Interviews

From Struggling to Buy a TV to Getting Acquired by a $7.5B Fintech Monster

Throughout this series of interviews, I’ve talked to several non-tech entrepreneurs who’ve shared their insights and tips on building a startup. So, in this interview – the 10th in The Startup Journey series – it was great to sit down with a technical founder – Adarsh Jain. Besides that, it never ceases to amaze me the incredible stories we find in each of these conversations. Picture this. Your parents need a new TV. You go to an online store and try to order a shiny new set. Problem is, fraud is a big thing in your country. Some of these e-commerce platforms weren’t delivering to entire zip codes because of the number of fraudulent orders in some areas. But your parents had nothing to do with that. How’s this fair? Entrepreneurial moment #1: you decide there must be a better way to solve the problem. You know a thing or two about tech and you approach a former colleague to talk about a potential solution. Fast forward a couple of years and you’ve been the first acquisition of one of the fastest-growing fintechs in the world, RazorPay, just recently valued at – $7.5B. Not only that, but RazorPay’s CEO is saying this about you: The team […]

The Startup Journey Interviews