I had an interesting conversation about building and investing in startups with Espen A. Poulsen and his Venture Capital in Scandinavia. Some of the things we talked about (taken from Espen’s episode description).
- The biggest takeaways from building startups—and how they apply to venture capital
- Why top talent should still choose startups as a career path, even in a tough macroeconomic climate
- How being an operator shapes the way he evaluates founders and companies
- What makes an ideal early-stage team in terms of skills and background
- Key differences between the startup ecosystems across the Nordic countries
- How angel investing varies between Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark
- How to think about and structure your cap table—and the pros and cons of each.
- Why acting quickly is one of the most powerful (free) tools a founder can use
- What do founders worry about too much in the early stages of their journey?
