European startup podcasts are proliferating at a time when the future of media is still a matter of debate. We all know about social media’s potential to spread information and disinformation. Luckily, quality digital channels have found ways to grow using paywalls and advertising. And platforms like Substack are allowing independent journalists to monetise their own mini outlets. Certainly, the traditional publishing model doesn’t cut it for most journalists to make a decent living.
The availability of quality recording hardware on laptops and phones and tools like Riverside and Podimo are lowering the cost of entry for new podcasts, allowing new entrants to emerge in every thinkable niche, industry, and geography. There is so much content out there for people who want to learn! There is a certain intimacy in podcast conversations you can’t get from written articles; distances between sources and audiences are reduced, and the message is received in its purest form. In the ever-changing and fast-evolving world of startups, there is nothing like being able to hear directly from those that have already climbed the mountains of startup growth, fundraising, hiring and more.
Of course, podcasts can serve an important image and PR function. We promise to cover the role of podcasts in PR for another time. For now, without further ado, here are the top podcasts to follow in 2022 for people in startups.
The Twenty Minute VC / 20VC
Is it a podcast? Is it a fund? Is it a virtual course on startups? Well, you could say it’s all of those! But the core remains the action-packed podcast conversations that started many years ago with Harry Stebbings looking to make a name for himself in the startup world.
The fascinating thing about the 20VC pod is that it proves the trend of businesses blending with media. Like Gary Vaynerchuk says. “Every single company out there, whether they know it or not, is a media company in addition to the business or product they specialize in.” And this one, perhaps, is the ultimate example of how modern technology, combined with ambition, curiosity, and hard work, can help anyone build something successful and valuable for the community.
But let’s get back to the podcast itself. In 2022 Harry doubled down on quality, and actionable insight. Episodes are now categorised depending on the value the guests bring (sales, growth, VC). Guests are always from among the most successful companies, big names or super fast-growth scaleups. Guests from Miro, Shopify, Yahoo, HubSpot, Asana, Bumble, Calendly, lots of top VCs and even Gary V himself will make you feel FOMO if you ever miss an episode.
With more than 900 episodes starting with Guy Kawasaki in January 2015, 20VC is one of the longest-standing audio libraries of insights by top startup performers that shouldn’t be missing on anyone’s Spotify favourites. Our number one European startup podcast for 2023.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/twentyminutevc
Website: https://thetwentyminutevc.com/
The Pursuit of Scrappiness
Two Latvian guys host startup, corporate, and other top business performers from all over. They share their insights on building and improving businesses. The scrappier, the better – “actionable insight for anyone” is the top priority at The Pursuit of Scrappiness. However, atmosphere and humour are also essential here. Sometimes, the show feels like the equivalent of a whiskey conversation between friends (no smoke, though), a more relaxed, authentic approach that works well. The guys deliver a realistic conversational pace.
The pod launched in March 2021 by co-hosts Uldis Teraudkalns and Janis Zeps initially with an emphasis on Baltic startup founders and business leaders, and it has recently expanded its focus more broadly across Europe but doesn’t exclude notable global guests. Including the founder of Mindvalley Vishen Lakhian or even Intel’s CFO David Zinsner. Baltic unicorns such as Bolt and Pipedrive have been represented, as well as up-and-coming startups like Jeff and Fractory. Investors, in particular VC and angel investors investing in Eastern Europe, can be frequently found on the pod. The pod has also done episodes around themes like PR for startups, featuring Marek Unt formerly of WISE and Bolt.
This Baltic-based startup podcast pod is an instant classic in Eastern Europe and a role model for how other startup leaders should approach the podcast format. Since we know of no similar English-speaking format in other countries, we look forward to The Pursuit of Scrappiness broadening their geographic scope.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScrappinessPod
Website: https://www.pursuitofscrappiness.co/
Innovators Can Laugh
Did you know that innovatores can actually laugh? Not every podcast is bragging about metrics or management hacks. There’s also the human side to startupping.
American host Eric Melchor, based in Bucharest, Romania, chats with Europe’s visionary founders, sharing their inspiring stories, and innovative solutions that are making a positive impact on the world. “Like the Tonight Show of entrepreneur related podcasts.”
Website: https://www.innovatorscanlaugh.com/
The European VC – euvc
As the name suggests, euvc is all about VCs in Europe. Co-hosts David Cruz e Silva and Andreas Munk Holm talk to General Partners (often, founding GPs) to dissect their thinking about startup investment and extract their insights and opinions of the European startup scene.
Having started in December 2020, there are over 100 episodes. What we love about euvc is that there is a great geographic representation, with funds from across European countries, giving access to ways of thinking and ecosystem insights that are not always reflected as equitably in most startup outlets. The hosts aim to be contrarian and even provocative to bring deeper insights to the table. This means conversations are more authentic and a more perfect way to understand the logic behind their thinking. It’s probably one of the best European startup podcasts for startup founders to listen to in order to get the best out of a conversation with VCs while fundraising.
At The European VC, they have more going on than the podcast. The European VC runs a community and syndicate, as well as a couple of other podcasts. Check out their site for more info about those.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_euvc
Website: https://www.eu.vc/
Sifted podcast
Backed by the Financial Times, having invested in a young team of ambitious journos and in-depth as well as broad startup reporting, Sifted keeps iterating and evolving to lay claim to the European startup media throne.
At the end of 2021, Sifted also launched a podcast to go even more in-depth into the stories of startup Europe. Hosted by editor Amy Lewin and deputy editor Eleanor Warnock, the episodes are centered around the biggest stories of the week and tend to include different team members each week to give insight into stories they researched and covered. This gives startup aficionados a chance to get the most important news in a compact way as well as complement the written articles by getting an additional layer of depth and that spontaneous conversational insight and opinion.
Website: https://podcast.sifted.eu/
The All-In Podcast
The All-In pod has exploded like no other in the world of business. Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks and David Friedberg ‘star’ in this mostly guest-less pod in which the four talk about a diverse range of topics – from politics and macroeconomics to startup leading and investment – but all from the point of view of the economic actor that is the venture investor.
Each episode tends to centre around the biggest topics of the week globally and in the US, notably, topics discussed in 2022 were: Elon’s move to (not) buy Twitter, the Sri Lankan economic collapse, crypto collapse, Roe vs Wade. The Ukraine war, the energy crisis and the pandemic and its global effects have been recurring topics. We don’t always agree with the views expressed there (especially with one particular individual there), but the pod gives unusual insights by joining the dots between economic, social and (geo)political trends to startup and business issues in a (not always) laid back way. There’s some joking around, but with very serious takes on what’s wrong in Washington, Silicon Valley and the world.
In addition to the notable startup investments, the pod has also discussed startup topics in depth such as VC metrics, investment cycles, and things that make successful founders. Not every pod can claim to have billionaires among their hosts, and the All-In pod has more than one. Therefore, a lot of their commentary is not just based on observation, but on hands-on experience having played the startup venture game themselves (and still playing it). All-In also does their own summit event and has a syndicate, meaning you can join the ‘besties’ in investing in startups, you can find out more about that on their website.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theallinpod
Website: https://www.allinpodcast.co/
Masters of Scale
Masters of Scale continues to deliver in 2022 with episodes focused on the people that built great companies within compressed timelines. The format is somewhat similar to Acquired, except that it more closely follows the timelines of the leaders behind the companies, and puts emphasis on providing actionable insights from the lessons they learned.
In many cases, these leaders contributed to the episode with recorded answers to questions. Notable companies include Impossible Foods, GoPuff, AWS, Canva, Y Combinator. But also great leaders such as Barack Obama, Bill Gates and companies outside of the modern typical startup world, such as Dell, Ford, Motorola or Moderna.
There are episodes dedicated to synthesising the best lessons from guests and even from the podcast itself. For the 100th episode, Masters of Scale did a special on the lessons that matter the most. The podcast was quick to react to the war in Ukraine, incorporating several episodes discussing the issues, highlighting some of the key people working to improve conditions there.
Unlike some of the other pods we’ve listed, Masters of Scale places a lot of emphasis on the production and narration, instead of conversation, making it less personable and spontaneous and more of a pre-packaged story. But it’s difficult to beat the insights.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mastersofscale
Website: https://mastersofscale.com/
Acquired
In the last few years, Acquired reached legendary status for its super in-depth approach to telling the stories of some of the biggest startup-turned-scaleup-turned-public company successes. Co-hosts Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal have studied companies such as Facebook, Twitter, SpaceX, Tesla, Netflix, Alibaba, and other goliaths.
In 2022, Acquired has looked at Amazon, Walmart, Nvidia, and SONY, but also at unique themes – “American dynamism” with a16z, “capital efficient growth” with Zoom’s Eric Yuan, and a special episode with a playbook from more than 200 company stories (performed live at Capital Camp conference).
Who in the business world could resist learning about the origins of such giants? These companies have a tremendous impact on our world today; some were built slowly over many decades, while others took the world by storm in only a few years. The podcast format is also a welcome variation that allows for longer periods of switching off and immersion, the closest equivalent to reading a book.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/acquiredfm
Website: https://www.acquired.fm/
More noteworthy podcasts for startuppers:
Startups Magazine – Cereal Entrepreneur pod
