March 18, 2026
Ep 15 - Adriana Ignat - COO of Pulsate and Founder of VEKT AI
In this episode, Adriana Ignat (COO of Pulsate and Founder of VEKT AI) unpacks what it actually looks like to build a startup alongside a full-time executive role. From late nights and weekend sprints to creative ways of funding a business without chasing big VC rounds, she shares a candid view on discipline, trade-offs, and redefining success as a founder.
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Hi, welcome to the Founders and
funding podcast.
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I'm your host, Philip Smith.
On the podcast, I'll be
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interviewing founders,
investors, startup advisors on
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how to fund the journey of your
startup and some tips and advice
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they have for you along the way.
This podcast is sponsored by
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Perfect Technologies and Late.
Enjoy the episode.
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Hi, Adriana, welcome to the
Founders and Funding podcast.
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Hi Philip, thank you so much for
having me.
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Thank you so much for coming on.
To start us off, Adriana, could
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you just tell us about your
company and your role?
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Yeah, sure.
I am currently in a role of CEO,
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Chief Operations Officer at a
company called Pulsate.
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It is an Irish native company
that provides martech solutions
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for orchestrations for online
banking in the US.
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Fantastic.
And you're also an entrepreneur?
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Yes, I've been.
I've been lucky enough to spend
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a lot of time being both an
entrepreneur and an
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entrepreneur.
And I have dabbed into the world
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of founders and investors.
And I have, I suppose, bird the
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bird the brunt of of trying to
build up my own company last
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year.
And at the same time, I have
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made an intentional effort to
sustain my career as a senior
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leader in product and
engineering departments.
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Fantastic.
You know, I think that's really
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smart.
I think if my own experience of,
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of starting a company and, and
trying to balance out with work,
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you know, I went into my own,
uh, founding a journey too
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early, looking back now years
ago.
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So I think keeping the job
there, uh, keeping a stable
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income, uh, well, allowing
yourself to still work on the
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business as well.
I think is is is actually a
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really smart way to do it, yeah.
It's, umm, it's, it's smart,
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yeah, it's for sure it's Mars.
And I think it's a, it's a
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privilege.
It's, it's really hard, I would
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say.
And it's a, it's a test of
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resilience.
Definitely harder in my
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experience, to be an
entrepreneur and to try and
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build something from scratch.
I think when you are an
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entrepreneur and especially, you
know, when you have a career in
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in, in that that that has
decades behind you, I guess you
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can avail of support from good
teams.
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You know, you have processes to
follow.
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You have resources, you have
people to ask to you have
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constant support around you,
which if you want to try
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something on your own with, you
can possibly leverage with in,
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in the limits of compliance, of
course.
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And I think that this has been
my own journey and it has been
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really beneficial for me to try
and do both at the same time.
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Yeah, fantastic.
Well, I hear that a lot because
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from the founders they have met
that do both often they get
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their first customers through
their relationships they've
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built in their network from
their career.
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So you know, I don't think it's,
I think it's a positive and a
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great help and to to look at I
suppose you know, things now.
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So what?
What does an average day look
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like right now?
Oh gosh, yeah.
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So, um, let me just start by
saying that since I started this
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role in Pulse age, which has
been absolutely incredible, it
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is my first C level role.
Um, I am working with an amazing
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team here at pulse 8.
We have a very globally
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distributed team.
Um, it whole state is one of
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those places that keeps the
enthusiasm of a startup and the
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pace of a startup, but it is
somewhat far more mature than a
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startup in terms of operations
and I suppose rigor to process.
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And I guess in doing that, I
have as of late, I'm, I'm only
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in the role six months, but I,
you know, my, my journey as a
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founder has taken a step back,
obviously, but I have had
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experiences of working
experiences where I have done
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them both at the same time.
And to be honest with you,
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evenings would have been very
much focused on a wild mix
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between family and dinner and
kids and my role as a mom and a
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partner with, with answering
emails from fellow founders or
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potential investors or even, you
know, clients and prospects
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which trying to build my own
social media online.
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And then during the day, I would
just be, you know, focusing on
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OK Rs and on my teams and I
would be meeting with clients in
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my normal day-to-day job.
So it's true that when you do,
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you know, when you do both at
the same time, you have to be so
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incredibly disciplined with both
your days and probably your
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early mornings and your
evenings.
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I am not someone who glorifies
the grind or, you know, what is
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often said as, you know, the
5:00 AM entrepreneur or, you
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know, it's not a, it's not a
sustainable way to life, but you
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can bring a lot of success
temporarily.
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And it is something that I
really wanted to do myself.
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It was very intentional.
I didn't just fall into the
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situation.
I knew I wanted to try and do
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both really well.
It is possible.
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I think the one thing that
probably founders need to keep
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in mind is that there are
limitations to how far you can
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go as a founder when you also
have a job.
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There are limitations of how far
you can go in your career when
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you want to push the pedal on
your founder journey.
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In addition to that, I think I
couldn't have done both of them
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at the same time in my previous
career if I didn't have a very
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supportive home system.
And and you know, you simply
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cannot do your you, you can't do
it all.
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You have to have priorities for
a certain amount of time and you
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have to have a very good
agreement at home as well that
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that that is possible.
Yeah, absolutely.
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I know I think it really is
it's, it's very difficult to
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juggle both like there's pros
and cons to us, you know, it's,
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it's, it's great to have the,
uh, the, the income and the
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network and everything as well.
And, and it's less stressful in
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some ways, but certainly it was
time.
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Uh, you do only have so many
hours in the day and especially.
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You, you'll get the weekends as
well.
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And sometimes at the weekend I
would spend far more time on my
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business and, you know, I would
start, I, I knew that the
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weekend was a quiet time for
business in general, but it's
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not a quiet time for early stage
founders.
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And we do a lot of LinkedIn
work.
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We do a lot of community work.
We do a lot of proposals.
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We do a lot of e-mail scheduling
of post scheduling.
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You do a lot of training that
that is required for you to be
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able to be part of these
communities in showface and, you
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know, put together a pitch.
You could also be engaged at the
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weekend in programs like New
Frontiers, for example.
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And I think the weekends were
typically the time that I would
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be far more more focused on what
I wanted to do at Vect.
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Yeah, absolutely.
Well, look, I, I, I fully agree.
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And I think as mentioned before,
they're like, there's, I think
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the 5:00 AM, you know, trying to
work 20 hours in a day, I think
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is just a quick way to get burnt
outs.
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I think the balance is really
important.
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And to look at then Morris on
the funding aspect, Adrian, how
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has your company funded its
journey to date?
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Oh God, I think it was a massive
test of creativity, obviously.
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So Vex was born from from a
desire to build my own AI
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company after being the vice
president of product and design
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at a startup and I started the
company sometimes in April.
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I've had really good success
with the company early on and
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some intake of clients that
supported that supported the
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business through a couple of
months in my living.
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But it you quickly run into, you
quickly run into this conflict
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around how much can I do?
So at the time I was working
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full time as a founder.
I started becoming obsessed
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with, you know, going to events
and probably spending my time
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more so around making a splash
out of the name of action.
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What I wanted to do back at that
time was an AI transformation
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consultancy.
It's still it's still an AI
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transformation consultancy.
And I am now looking to see, you
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know, ways to, to bring that
closer to a product company with
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time.
I think right now my focus is
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definitely my career, but that's
what I would, that's the
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ambition I would like to have
for, for my entrepreneurship
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journey.
In relation to funding sources
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at in the beginning, you know, I
just accepted I will probably
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run on very little money because
this was something that I, I
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really wanted to do and I didn't
have a certain client.
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And so I want to be honest and I
want to say that I had some
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savings for, for us as a family
to be able to exist with the,
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with the single income format
where my husband was the only
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one working.
And I realized very quickly that
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if you're not clear and
disciplined with your timeline,
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you can run out of gas in within
weeks because there is a lot of
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distraction for early stage
founders in relation to events
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and summits and.
Please follow.
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And I think it, you know, you're
so driven to that also from from
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a pace of learning and you want
to connect with those people.
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And it's a necessary step to do
so.
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But at some point, discipline
has to kick in and you have to
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be very scarce with your, your
time and really focus on how
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you're going to bring the cash
in because you're just going to
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become, you know, a circus
constantly on display in places
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where maybe, you know, it's
fruitless.
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And so I started to become
really intentional with the
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sources of money that I was
going to have.
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And I knew that, you know, as a
consultancy, I could have really
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scaled above 10 maybe
interactions a week.
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And so I started to really work
towards securing those 10
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interactions a week, which was
the capacity that I had at the
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time.
And started to really calculate
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how much would I need to feel
comfortable for, you know, to
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fund myself and the business to
to go with this 10 a week.
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Now in the beginning, I because
of the effort I had to go to
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these events and meet people,
which is absolutely necessary.
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It went really well and I was
able to secure more than 10
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consultations a week to my
surprise.
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But I think as I stopped doing
the marketing, you know, it's a
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constant, it's a constant effort
that is a time fruitless, but it
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needs to be done in order to
sustain the business.
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So what I have done in the past,
I've come up with very creative
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ways to secure funding and help
from the Leos and from other
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state help.
I know in entrepreneurship
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literature in Ireland can be a
little bit negative around how
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much the state is doing for
early startups and I don't think
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it's not true.
But it I've had a very different
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experience.
And I have to say, as a Romanian
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national who's been in Ireland
for 16 years, I've been blown
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away with the amount of support
I have received personally to,
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you know, even for small things
like buying a computer or going
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to a free class or learning how
to do, I don't know your taxes
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for free.
And there's so many things that
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exist here and I think we're
taking for granted and, or maybe
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they're very normalized, but
they don't exist in other
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places.
And I think it's always
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important to aspire in one more.
And that's true.
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But I also think for me
personally, it's been a great
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help and a source of income.
One other thing that I've done
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to fund my time at the end of
the day was to exchange
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knowledge with other founders or
other SM ES at the time where I
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would give something for free, a
talk or our training and then I
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would receive something for free
from from fellow fellow
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entrepreneurs at my stage.
And that has been really helpful
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because I think in the beginning
I wasn't necessarily lacking
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money per SE, but I was lacking
the knowledge and I was lacking
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the network and I was lacking
the brand.
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And, and that is also an
incredibly important cost to an
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early stage founder.
And it's often often overlooked.
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We tend to be very focused on
money hitting our accounts, but
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these are all invisible costs
that take time and at the end of
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the daytime is our biggest
currency. 11 important element
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of funding for me was also to
start writing on sub stock and
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get money from publishing.
I've been in, I've been in
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Google for a really long time
and I worked with publishers and
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in, in my time as a, as a leader
for Google Ads and Google Ads.
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And I've seen both, you know,
both ends of the spectrum, both
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on how you could bring money as
an advertiser and as a
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publisher.
And I learned very quickly that
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if there's something, something
that I would like to do to
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secure my funding is to become a
publisher of content.
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And so I started publishing
content left and right and it's
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really helped bring, you know,
maybe 500 euros, €600.
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And I think it may sound odd.
That's really, really, really
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little, uh, but it did help me,
that helped me support my, uh,
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living and that of my family.
While I chose not to jump
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straight into another job and
focus on building something at
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fact because at the end of the
day every every every penny
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counts as they say when you are
doing this for the first time.
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Absolutely.
And what is the?
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You've partly answered this
already, but what is the best
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way to fund a startup strength
in your opinion?
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00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:53,640
I guess it's really depends on
what your goals are.
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Look at I'm, I'm going to be
very honest, I think my goals
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00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:01,400
started to be more and more
ambitious as I started realizing
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that some of this felt
achievable to me.
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First started I was like, well,
if I can get I don't know, €6000
239
00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:15,920
a month from this, I will be so
happy because I think my only
240
00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:20,080
benchmark for comparison was I
don't know a good salary that I
241
00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:23,480
would like to have maybe working
for a company.
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And I gave myself these smaller
goals to achieve.
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And then when I started
achieving them and maybe, you
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know, threefold achieving them,
I, I realized that I, well,
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00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:38,440
maybe I should be far more
ambitious when it comes to not
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only how I make money, but but
also how I fund the company.
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I think it's OK to start small.
I think many fund founders start
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very big and they are crushed
under the weight of, you know,
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funding rounds of being investor
ready.
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And they focus so much time on
researching and rerunning pitch
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decks left and right.
Meanwhile, you know, maybe they
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have missed opportunities for
partnering up with other
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founders or missed opportunities
for going for dinner with the
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potential client, or they have
missed opportunities to go to a
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00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:19,400
training that, you know, are
like the government might have
256
00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:22,440
might have put up for for for
them.
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And I think it's important to
allow yourself to start small
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unless you have an incredible
idea.
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00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:33,600
And I think it's also important
to remember that the best way to
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fund yourself is to have a good
team.
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00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:41,680
Very rarely, it's been my
experience anyway, we're very
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rarely that I've had the
conversation with an investor or
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00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:49,400
a network of Angel investors or
even VC money or even, you know,
264
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grants from Enterprise Ireland
or the Leos.
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00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,000
Very rarely.
They focused on the idea.
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The idea was great.
And as long as it wasn't a
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really bad idea, they were happy
to continue talking.
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But they were really focused on,
OK, who are you and who are you
269
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doing this with?
Who are you doing this for?
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And I think the credentials that
you are able to bring to the
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table will unlock the best
avenues for you to get funded.
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In more practical terms, for me,
I've done really creative things
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in the beginning.
I remember, I remember, you
274
00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,960
know, talking to an accountant
where I could register the
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00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:31,640
company in a different county so
that I could possibly go to the
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00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:35,480
Leo's in that particular county.
So I couldn't be, you know, it
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00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:40,240
was, it was, it was easier for
me to go to Kildare or I'm based
278
00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:42,680
in Dublin.
And I know that the Leo, the Leo
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00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:46,880
folks in Dublin are so swamped.
And I just, I just needed advice
280
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right away.
And it was difficult sometimes
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to get from their calendars.
Now that has changed since.
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00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:58,360
But just, yeah, I think the
first place to go to is
283
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definitely the Leo's.
Well, I don't know for, for the,
284
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for the ambitions that I had at
that point in time.
285
00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:07,480
I think if your goal as a
founder or maybe you find
286
00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:11,480
yourself at your third startup,
your 4th startup, you're maybe
287
00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:16,920
more tenured, you have good ties
in VC and maybe you want to go
288
00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:21,480
to the Y Combinator or Antler,
you know, other international
289
00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:24,040
avenues.
It really depends on the scale
290
00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:26,600
of your dream and your team and
your idea.
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00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,920
I wasn't in a position where I
wanted, where I had ambitions
292
00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:33,400
for millions of dollars in
investment.
293
00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:37,000
So I just went from a place of
OK.
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00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:42,680
I spent, I spent almost 15 years
in corporate.
295
00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:47,520
I had a massive network in
corporate.
296
00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:51,880
I didn't really know the, the
start up scene and I didn't
297
00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:58,320
really felt feel equipped in
April of 2025 to go in and say
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00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:01,800
hello, you know, I've done this.
I'm a great leader.
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00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:05,080
I, you know, here's my CV.
Can I have $5,000,000?
300
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I just didn't think that was
enough.
301
00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:11,800
So I had to adjust my
expectations as a founder to
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00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:14,840
where I was and meet me myself
where I was.
303
00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:19,080
And I think that was a good
thing because I just then
304
00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:23,440
started going to the places or
to the people who could help me
305
00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:26,800
with the money that I needed or
with the knowledge that I could
306
00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:31,000
receive at that point in time.
And I think you, as a founder,
307
00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:36,640
you are often exposed to content
that celebrates an incredible
308
00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:39,040
amount of money or, you know,
huge.
309
00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:40,920
Yeah.
Huge funding, Very true.
310
00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:46,960
It's, you know, it's very, it's
very, I think, I think it can
311
00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:53,360
put you in a place of delusion
and take away from your, from
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00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:56,680
your, from your founder energy.
And I think we have to remind
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00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:59,040
ourselves that there are
founders, we're starting from
314
00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,680
zero, both in terms of money and
network.
315
00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:07,240
And I suppose the process and
the knowledge to to do something
316
00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:10,640
like this.
It is not impossible to start
317
00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:12,520
very small.
And if there's anything I could
318
00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:16,280
tell to people wanting to start
their own businesses now is to
319
00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:20,240
start with communities.
And I think tech founder is an
320
00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:23,080
incredibly community for women
founders, but there's.
321
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:27,320
Other communities who are there
for business owners who want to
322
00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:32,840
scale up and maybe are looking
for really big money now, and
323
00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:36,000
one of those is Kella again for
women, which has helped me
324
00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:42,520
incredibly an incredible
community for me to secure more
325
00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:45,760
connections in getting from
people who mattered.
326
00:20:46,120 --> 00:20:49,280
Now there's obviously a lot of
communities specifically geared
327
00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:53,720
towards tech founders and you
know, you could go to AY
328
00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:57,920
Combinator or you could go to
Antler for for pristine advice
329
00:20:57,920 --> 00:20:59,800
and then you'll probably get
some grants there.
330
00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:02,400
Or you could go to the New
Frontiers if you've done the
331
00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:06,160
Leos and you can get some equity
free grounds there.
332
00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:09,520
Or you could just simply go to
the European Union and see what
333
00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:13,440
programs they have specifically
to your industry and to who you
334
00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,560
are as a team and apply for
those grants, which are now very
335
00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:20,960
accessible.
So there's many ways to sustain
336
00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:26,760
yourself.
I think for the first few toe
337
00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:29,680
dips in the in the in this
waters.
338
00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:33,520
If you are someone who's coming
like myself from corporate where
339
00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:38,120
you've done really, really well
but have no idea what what to do
340
00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:42,040
when you are out of this world
and you are faced with a
341
00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:45,560
possible Ave. to become a
founder, you have a really good
342
00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:48,560
idea and you don't know.
Just adjust your expectations
343
00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:52,760
that you're probably not going
to be talking to a Shark Tank in
344
00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:56,000
two weeks and get, I don't know,
5 million in found funding.
345
00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:57,360
And that should not be your
goal.
346
00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,360
You know, start small, go with
the grants that you can sustain
347
00:22:02,360 --> 00:22:05,400
yourself.
Essentially at this early stage
348
00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:10,000
is it is a mastery of
discipline, bootstrapping,
349
00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:14,480
trying to take advantage of the
networks and the governmental
350
00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:18,040
health that exists out there.
And just really allow yourself
351
00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:22,200
to have more of an internship as
a founder rather than try to
352
00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:26,360
identify as, you know, a tenured
funder who is now looking to
353
00:22:26,360 --> 00:22:30,000
build the next million users
technology.
354
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,800
Let's just just, it just doesn't
happen that easily.
355
00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:37,960
And I think acknowledging that
and acknowledging that you don't
356
00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:40,960
need to have access to millions
and millions and 1,000,000 right
357
00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:46,400
away is, is going to help you in
the long in the long run.
358
00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:48,960
Yeah, absolutely.
I think there's some really good
359
00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:51,960
points made there, Adriana.
And it is so true as well.
360
00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:55,160
Just to highlight, and you said
about, you know, all that
361
00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:57,320
there's all these stories of
founders who've raised, you
362
00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:00,000
know, 10s of millions or they're
doing hundreds of millions
363
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:05,600
annual, uh, AIR.
But you know, for, for start up
364
00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:07,840
founders or just starting off,
it's extremely intimidating.
365
00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,560
And it's also misleading as
well, you know, because there
366
00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:14,240
are all sorts of, uh, types of
companies and startups that, uh,
367
00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:17,040
will operate at different levels
and that still need to be
368
00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:19,200
supported and, and, uh, you
know, get to where they need to
369
00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:21,800
get to as well.
And so I think that's a really
370
00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:24,520
good point.
Measure of success, I will say,
371
00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:28,400
you know and umm, I think we are
often talk about that as the
372
00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,720
measure of success with your,
this company raised 10 million
373
00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:33,960
and this company raised it must
be successful.
374
00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:39,520
And I think I think it's
important to know that a lot of
375
00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,560
years went into that moment in
time that is being celebrated
376
00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:47,160
and a lot of generations of
teams that that founder might
377
00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:51,360
have gone through to be able to
secure the trust for investors
378
00:23:51,360 --> 00:23:53,640
to put down such a large amount
of money.
379
00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:58,520
It didn't happen overnight.
And these founders also have
380
00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:03,920
started small at some point, you
know, it's, it's and have gone
381
00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:07,880
through the frustrations of, I
don't know, having to talk for
382
00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:10,840
free to places and having to
give their knowledge and their
383
00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:14,920
IP for free and having to have
doors lanced in their nose.
384
00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:21,440
And I think, I think it's a, we
rarely talk about that or we
385
00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,480
glance over it and then we're
like, well, how can I get $10
386
00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:27,240
million, which is, you know,
great.
387
00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:34,160
But I think that feels great.
But I think it's important to to
388
00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:37,880
acknowledge that we live in a
country that supports early
389
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:44,640
stage founders beyond money with
with, with, with knowledge and
390
00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,360
with specialists who are
provided by the government.
391
00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:52,440
I know again, there is a lot of,
you know, negativity around the
392
00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:54,560
fact that we're just low and
we're not keeping up.
393
00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:57,880
And I think, I think it could be
true in some state, in some in
394
00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:02,400
for some, for some companies and
the experience of founders.
395
00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:05,720
But in general, it's been
incredible for me to be
396
00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:10,320
surrounded from the get go.
I remember it was the first time
397
00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:15,000
that I was being chased for by
by folks in Enterprise Island or
398
00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:20,400
Leos for things that didn't feel
like I was owing them something.
399
00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:23,520
Like it was just them wanting to
give me the support because
400
00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,960
typically you were chased by the
government to pay your taxes or
401
00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:28,040
something.
Yes, yes.
402
00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:30,560
Wait, do you want to give me
things?
403
00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:33,880
And I, it just felt so
empowering and it just felt so
404
00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:38,760
encouraging to also be OK with
the thought that hey, I'm only
405
00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:40,640
one person here for the time
being.
406
00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:48,440
I have maybe 6-7 hours a day you
don't I, I need maybe 3K to
407
00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:51,160
survive here.
I need some mailbox money and
408
00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:55,560
that would be great for me to to
gain back some time if I could,
409
00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:57,920
if I could get you know these
helps.
410
00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:04,520
And 1st, to focus on the story,
to focus on meeting clients, to
411
00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:08,640
focus on posting up things, to
focus on going to events and
412
00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:12,760
showing phase, to focus on
getting mentorship and all of
413
00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:15,160
that stuff that happens during
the week.
414
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,040
It doesn't happen at the
weekend.
415
00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:20,920
That's so true.
And to look at the founding team
416
00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:23,640
of Adriana, like what?
What skills do you think should
417
00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:30,080
new founders possess?
Oh gosh, yeah.
418
00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:38,800
I mean, look, one of the people
that I've, one of the people who
419
00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:43,160
I've met in this journey told me
that, you know, resilience,
420
00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:46,960
resilience and, and, and I think
that's true.
421
00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:52,200
It is a level of resilience and
it is a level of picking
422
00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:54,880
yourself back up in the morning
and thinking, well, I don't know
423
00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,880
where this is going, but you
know, I'm just going to push
424
00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:02,920
through here.
And, and I think one of the
425
00:27:03,360 --> 00:27:09,120
maybe resilience is an outcome,
but the skill for me is, is the
426
00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:16,640
ability to stay high energy and
open to anything and just to
427
00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:21,280
kind of almost like dissociate
yourself for for a little while
428
00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,800
from a potential disastrous
outcome.
429
00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:27,600
And to say, Hey, look, that I've
tried.
430
00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:34,480
And I think that it comes with,
with an ability to have a lot of
431
00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:38,280
mental clarity.
And it's, it's, it's
432
00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:40,280
essentially, yeah, it's mental
strength.
433
00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:44,240
It's like how strong your mind
can push your you, how strongly
434
00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:48,040
it can push you forward and
propel you forward regardless of
435
00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:49,880
the outcome.
And knowing that you're going to
436
00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:55,200
do your your best.
I think also another scale or
437
00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:59,840
maybe quality that I found in
successful, successful founders
438
00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:07,200
who I actually worked with as a
founder myself is an ability to
439
00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:14,600
be ruthless in a kind way.
Nobody likes crabby people.
440
00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:19,280
And I think you'll often find
very difficult to talk to people
441
00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:24,440
at the top of companies that are
being formed and, you know,
442
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:28,760
very, very peculiar or, or
difficult with their time or,
443
00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:33,160
you know, little words to say
nothing essentially.
444
00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:35,960
And I think it's a it's a
protection mechanism to their
445
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:38,960
time.
But I think what has helped me
446
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:44,960
is, is that kind of you can
still be somewhat ruthless with
447
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:48,320
your time and very clear and
intentional, but preserve a
448
00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:53,160
level of kindness that is
magnetic in this in this field
449
00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:57,400
Because I think there's a lot of
support left and right for early
450
00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,040
stage founders.
But you will get at the certain
451
00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:03,160
point where it's becoming really
difficult to find kindness
452
00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:08,560
extended to.
And I think that has helped me.
453
00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:13,200
And where I have found kindness,
I have stayed in touch with
454
00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:17,360
those people and I have helped
or I, I received help beyond
455
00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:22,320
words.
And yeah, just saying that being
456
00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:26,760
ruthless with your time, but
intentionally kind with with the
457
00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:30,640
people around you is probably
one of the most unique skill
458
00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:33,120
sets that I think the founder
should, should have.
459
00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:38,080
And then also the ability to be
a good reader of people.
460
00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:43,000
You'll often find, at least in
my field, founders who are
461
00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:46,280
incredibly smart, geniuses,
brainiacs.
462
00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:49,800
You know they are, they are
people of, of great thought,
463
00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:55,960
outspoken true believers in
their craft, almost to the point
464
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:58,720
of obsession with their idea.
But they're not really good
465
00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:02,560
readers of people and they're
not really good mirrors.
466
00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:06,320
They, you know, it's, it's like
they're very self-centered
467
00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:10,240
because the idea is coming from
them and it is, it is their
468
00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:13,440
engine.
And I think a founder should be
469
00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:19,480
very aggressively considering
the people around them in a way
470
00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:22,480
that is assimilating to the
idea.
471
00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,160
So, you know, it's not just
about yourself.
472
00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:28,200
We all know about the founder
conflict, right Where where you
473
00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:30,360
know, you're kind of like, it's
becoming really difficult to
474
00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:34,080
remove yourself from the idea.
And yes, any companies fail
475
00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:36,960
because of that.
And I think it's important for
476
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:42,880
the founder to become in that
kindness, almost selfless and to
477
00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:47,160
allow the team that is a very
well curated team and reflects
478
00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:52,040
on the qualities of the founder,
on the values of the idea to
479
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,040
take to take over.
So it has to be a selfless
480
00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:57,800
exercise.
I think not a lot of founders
481
00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:03,320
possess selflessness, which
which is great in this early
482
00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:08,200
stages of aggressive money
raising, you know, punchy slides
483
00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:13,640
and strong lines and stuff like
that, which is it's great to
484
00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:18,800
have someone who is confident
and, you know, shines bright and
485
00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:21,440
it's very driven.
And then later on, you know,
486
00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:24,520
you'll see that they hold on to
money and they never spend it on
487
00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:26,680
people and they never grow their
businesses.
488
00:31:26,680 --> 00:31:29,760
And they're like in the loop of
like years and years and years
489
00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:32,680
of trying to define what they're
doing because they're in their
490
00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:36,800
heads.
So, So yeah, these are some of
491
00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:41,760
the qualities that I think are
important for founders to, if
492
00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:45,880
they don't have them, to
cultivate them and and realize
493
00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:48,240
that if they don't have them,
they need to acquire them.
494
00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:52,240
Yeah, I think that's that's
that's some great skills and
495
00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:54,040
they're important for every
founder to have a Jenna.
496
00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:56,320
And before we finish it, Jenna,
if there's one key piece of
497
00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:58,720
advice to share and phone in the
setup, what would it be?
498
00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:04,400
Oh my God, I have so many things
to say here, but I know we're
499
00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:11,600
short in time.
Look, I'll say this, the moment
500
00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:16,400
of technology where we are right
now and the doors are being open
501
00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:20,960
for us as founding population or
even people having jobs and
502
00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:23,240
thinking, you know what, I would
like to do something for myself.
503
00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:27,840
The technological moment that's
being open to us right now is
504
00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:30,400
incredible.
And if there's one piece of
505
00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:33,920
advice that I would give anyone
who's trying to see whether they
506
00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:38,600
could go into consultancy for AI
where and and hey, I'm only
507
00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:40,480
talking about my field.
I don't know about other
508
00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:42,800
industries, right?
Yes, that's all we can do.
509
00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:46,800
Go and do yeah, maybe they want
to go into consultancy for AI or
510
00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:50,800
have an idea about AI or they
would like to, you know, build
511
00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:54,400
something with AI.
There's so easy now to just see
512
00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:58,760
your your idea come to life with
something like a lovable or a
513
00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:06,440
clod or just truly do it.
It's not going to be like this
514
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:10,360
forever.
It's actually the window is is
515
00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:13,840
open now, but it will start to
close because there will be some
516
00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:21,480
early starters there and get
your data around what you want
517
00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:25,320
to achieve, have achievable
outcomes.
518
00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:30,040
Don't start thinking you want a
$10 million idea pitch to
519
00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:34,240
Silicon Valley VC companies that
is completely within reach.
520
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:39,240
But have realistic outcomes for
you if you are an early stage
521
00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:47,520
founder like I was and gets gets
sporty around failing, you know,
522
00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:50,760
if, if, if something didn't go
exactly to a plan, get sporty
523
00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:52,440
around that and practice it
again.
524
00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:56,040
Maybe you maybe you needed to
have a better connection
525
00:33:56,040 --> 00:33:58,600
somewhere, or maybe you needed a
nicer slide.
526
00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:02,600
Or maybe the word the, the, the
name of your business is not
527
00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:05,040
rolling off correctly from
people's tongues and that's a
528
00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:09,000
problem.
So get sporty around identifying
529
00:34:09,679 --> 00:34:13,679
early on the things that are not
working and and improving them
530
00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:18,400
more so than you would get
around trying desperately to
531
00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:20,920
land.
I know 5 million in the bank.
532
00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:25,760
When you start on your own for
the first time, there are so
533
00:34:25,760 --> 00:34:28,400
many things to be done, so many
jobs to be done.
534
00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:32,560
A piece of advice that I would
have, it's easier now than it
535
00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:37,440
than it was even six months ago.
Work with AI to build your
536
00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:40,040
company.
Work with agents to build your
537
00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:44,199
company.
Talk to AI to build your company
538
00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:46,920
and ask it to be your biggest
critic.
539
00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:52,360
I think, I think it, I think
what we are experiencing now in
540
00:34:52,360 --> 00:35:00,680
terms of the solitary founder
experience is incredible and it
541
00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:03,960
used to be impossible, just
absolutely possible today.
542
00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:08,400
And that's some really great
advice to finish on.
543
00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:11,600
Adriana, thanks so much for
pointing the podcast You shared.
544
00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:15,280
I think a lot of really great
takeaways and a lot of different
545
00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:19,760
areas for founders to take and
to learn lessons from as
546
00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:21,080
Adriana.
Thank you for coming on.
547
00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:23,800
Thank you so much, Phil.
Thank you for.
548
00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:25,640
My pleasure.
My pleasure.
549
00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:28,960
Thanks, Adriana.
Hi.
550
00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:31,680
Thanks for listening to this
week's episode of the Founders
551
00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:34,160
and Funding Podcast.
If you like to be a guest or
552
00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:36,240
have a guest suggestion, please
get in touch.
553
00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:37,320
Thank you.
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,480
Hi, welcome to the Founders and
funding podcast.
2
00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:06,080
I'm your host, Philip Smith.
On the podcast, I'll be
3
00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:09,840
interviewing founders,
investors, startup advisors on
4
00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:13,520
how to fund the journey of your
startup and some tips and advice
5
00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:17,120
they have for you along the way.
This podcast is sponsored by
6
00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:20,600
Perfect Technologies and Late.
Enjoy the episode.
7
00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,960
Hi, Adriana, welcome to the
Founders and Funding podcast.
8
00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:28,760
Hi Philip, thank you so much for
having me.
9
00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,040
Thank you so much for coming on.
To start us off, Adriana, could
10
00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,440
you just tell us about your
company and your role?
11
00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:41,760
Yeah, sure.
I am currently in a role of CEO,
12
00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,080
Chief Operations Officer at a
company called Pulsate.
13
00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:50,320
It is an Irish native company
that provides martech solutions
14
00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:53,640
for orchestrations for online
banking in the US.
15
00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:58,080
Fantastic.
And you're also an entrepreneur?
16
00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:05,360
Yes, I've been.
I've been lucky enough to spend
17
00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:09,080
a lot of time being both an
entrepreneur and an
18
00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:12,840
entrepreneur.
And I have dabbed into the world
19
00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:16,920
of founders and investors.
And I have, I suppose, bird the
20
00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:21,160
bird the brunt of of trying to
build up my own company last
21
00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,720
year.
And at the same time, I have
22
00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:29,280
made an intentional effort to
sustain my career as a senior
23
00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,000
leader in product and
engineering departments.
24
00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:34,560
Fantastic.
You know, I think that's really
25
00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:37,000
smart.
I think if my own experience of,
26
00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,920
of starting a company and, and
trying to balance out with work,
27
00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:44,040
you know, I went into my own,
uh, founding a journey too
28
00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:46,160
early, looking back now years
ago.
29
00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:49,920
So I think keeping the job
there, uh, keeping a stable
30
00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:52,560
income, uh, well, allowing
yourself to still work on the
31
00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:54,480
business as well.
I think is is is actually a
32
00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:59,160
really smart way to do it, yeah.
It's, umm, it's, it's smart,
33
00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:02,640
yeah, it's for sure it's Mars.
And I think it's a, it's a
34
00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:07,120
privilege.
It's, it's really hard, I would
35
00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,639
say.
And it's a, it's a test of
36
00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,120
resilience.
Definitely harder in my
37
00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:17,080
experience, to be an
entrepreneur and to try and
38
00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:19,720
build something from scratch.
I think when you are an
39
00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:23,840
entrepreneur and especially, you
know, when you have a career in
40
00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:28,440
in, in that that that has
decades behind you, I guess you
41
00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:31,120
can avail of support from good
teams.
42
00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,240
You know, you have processes to
follow.
43
00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,960
You have resources, you have
people to ask to you have
44
00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:42,120
constant support around you,
which if you want to try
45
00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:47,000
something on your own with, you
can possibly leverage with in,
46
00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,400
in the limits of compliance, of
course.
47
00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:54,960
And I think that this has been
my own journey and it has been
48
00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:59,120
really beneficial for me to try
and do both at the same time.
49
00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:02,040
Yeah, fantastic.
Well, I hear that a lot because
50
00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,560
from the founders they have met
that do both often they get
51
00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,000
their first customers through
their relationships they've
52
00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,360
built in their network from
their career.
53
00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:15,040
So you know, I don't think it's,
I think it's a positive and a
54
00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:19,480
great help and to to look at I
suppose you know, things now.
55
00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:21,040
So what?
What does an average day look
56
00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:23,720
like right now?
Oh gosh, yeah.
57
00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,640
So, um, let me just start by
saying that since I started this
58
00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:32,280
role in Pulse age, which has
been absolutely incredible, it
59
00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:37,040
is my first C level role.
Um, I am working with an amazing
60
00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:39,600
team here at pulse 8.
We have a very globally
61
00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:43,320
distributed team.
Um, it whole state is one of
62
00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:46,440
those places that keeps the
enthusiasm of a startup and the
63
00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:50,840
pace of a startup, but it is
somewhat far more mature than a
64
00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:55,360
startup in terms of operations
and I suppose rigor to process.
65
00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:02,280
And I guess in doing that, I
have as of late, I'm, I'm only
66
00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:05,320
in the role six months, but I,
you know, my, my journey as a
67
00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:09,520
founder has taken a step back,
obviously, but I have had
68
00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,280
experiences of working
experiences where I have done
69
00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:17,880
them both at the same time.
And to be honest with you,
70
00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:24,000
evenings would have been very
much focused on a wild mix
71
00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,120
between family and dinner and
kids and my role as a mom and a
72
00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:34,720
partner with, with answering
emails from fellow founders or
73
00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:38,200
potential investors or even, you
know, clients and prospects
74
00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,000
which trying to build my own
social media online.
75
00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:45,160
And then during the day, I would
just be, you know, focusing on
76
00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:49,280
OK Rs and on my teams and I
would be meeting with clients in
77
00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:53,440
my normal day-to-day job.
So it's true that when you do,
78
00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,320
you know, when you do both at
the same time, you have to be so
79
00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,880
incredibly disciplined with both
your days and probably your
80
00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,680
early mornings and your
evenings.
81
00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:07,280
I am not someone who glorifies
the grind or, you know, what is
82
00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:11,840
often said as, you know, the
5:00 AM entrepreneur or, you
83
00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:15,560
know, it's not a, it's not a
sustainable way to life, but you
84
00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:19,680
can bring a lot of success
temporarily.
85
00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:23,280
And it is something that I
really wanted to do myself.
86
00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:26,760
It was very intentional.
I didn't just fall into the
87
00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:29,600
situation.
I knew I wanted to try and do
88
00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:32,360
both really well.
It is possible.
89
00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,600
I think the one thing that
probably founders need to keep
90
00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:38,800
in mind is that there are
limitations to how far you can
91
00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,160
go as a founder when you also
have a job.
92
00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:44,960
There are limitations of how far
you can go in your career when
93
00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:47,800
you want to push the pedal on
your founder journey.
94
00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:52,360
In addition to that, I think I
couldn't have done both of them
95
00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:55,800
at the same time in my previous
career if I didn't have a very
96
00:05:55,800 --> 00:06:00,360
supportive home system.
And and you know, you simply
97
00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:04,840
cannot do your you, you can't do
it all.
98
00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:07,640
You have to have priorities for
a certain amount of time and you
99
00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:10,040
have to have a very good
agreement at home as well that
100
00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:13,320
that that is possible.
Yeah, absolutely.
101
00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,080
I know I think it really is
it's, it's very difficult to
102
00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:18,680
juggle both like there's pros
and cons to us, you know, it's,
103
00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:21,760
it's, it's great to have the,
uh, the, the income and the
104
00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:25,280
network and everything as well.
And, and it's less stressful in
105
00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:27,000
some ways, but certainly it was
time.
106
00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:31,360
Uh, you do only have so many
hours in the day and especially.
107
00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:33,760
You, you'll get the weekends as
well.
108
00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:37,440
And sometimes at the weekend I
would spend far more time on my
109
00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:41,160
business and, you know, I would
start, I, I knew that the
110
00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:44,040
weekend was a quiet time for
business in general, but it's
111
00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:46,560
not a quiet time for early stage
founders.
112
00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:49,040
And we do a lot of LinkedIn
work.
113
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We do a lot of community work.
We do a lot of proposals.
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We do a lot of e-mail scheduling
of post scheduling.
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You do a lot of training that
that is required for you to be
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able to be part of these
communities in showface and, you
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know, put together a pitch.
You could also be engaged at the
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weekend in programs like New
Frontiers, for example.
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And I think the weekends were
typically the time that I would
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be far more more focused on what
I wanted to do at Vect.
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Yeah, absolutely.
Well, look, I, I, I fully agree.
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And I think as mentioned before,
they're like, there's, I think
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the 5:00 AM, you know, trying to
work 20 hours in a day, I think
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is just a quick way to get burnt
outs.
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I think the balance is really
important.
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00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:42,200
And to look at then Morris on
the funding aspect, Adrian, how
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has your company funded its
journey to date?
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Oh God, I think it was a massive
test of creativity, obviously.
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00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:57,000
So Vex was born from from a
desire to build my own AI
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company after being the vice
president of product and design
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at a startup and I started the
company sometimes in April.
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I've had really good success
with the company early on and
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some intake of clients that
supported that supported the
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business through a couple of
months in my living.
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00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:27,280
But it you quickly run into, you
quickly run into this conflict
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around how much can I do?
So at the time I was working
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full time as a founder.
I started becoming obsessed
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00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:38,159
with, you know, going to events
and probably spending my time
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00:08:38,159 --> 00:08:42,919
more so around making a splash
out of the name of action.
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00:08:42,919 --> 00:08:46,400
What I wanted to do back at that
time was an AI transformation
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consultancy.
It's still it's still an AI
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transformation consultancy.
And I am now looking to see, you
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know, ways to, to bring that
closer to a product company with
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time.
I think right now my focus is
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definitely my career, but that's
what I would, that's the
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ambition I would like to have
for, for my entrepreneurship
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journey.
In relation to funding sources
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at in the beginning, you know, I
just accepted I will probably
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run on very little money because
this was something that I, I
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00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:27,440
really wanted to do and I didn't
have a certain client.
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00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:31,120
And so I want to be honest and I
want to say that I had some
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00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:35,640
savings for, for us as a family
to be able to exist with the,
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00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:39,920
with the single income format
where my husband was the only
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one working.
And I realized very quickly that
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if you're not clear and
disciplined with your timeline,
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00:09:46,680 --> 00:09:52,360
you can run out of gas in within
weeks because there is a lot of
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00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:57,440
distraction for early stage
founders in relation to events
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and summits and.
Please follow.
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00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:04,680
And I think it, you know, you're
so driven to that also from from
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00:10:04,680 --> 00:10:07,600
a pace of learning and you want
to connect with those people.
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And it's a necessary step to do
so.
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But at some point, discipline
has to kick in and you have to
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be very scarce with your, your
time and really focus on how
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you're going to bring the cash
in because you're just going to
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become, you know, a circus
constantly on display in places
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where maybe, you know, it's
fruitless.
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And so I started to become
really intentional with the
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sources of money that I was
going to have.
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00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:36,920
And I knew that, you know, as a
consultancy, I could have really
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scaled above 10 maybe
interactions a week.
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And so I started to really work
towards securing those 10
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interactions a week, which was
the capacity that I had at the
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time.
And started to really calculate
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how much would I need to feel
comfortable for, you know, to
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fund myself and the business to
to go with this 10 a week.
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Now in the beginning, I because
of the effort I had to go to
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these events and meet people,
which is absolutely necessary.
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It went really well and I was
able to secure more than 10
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consultations a week to my
surprise.
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00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:22,880
But I think as I stopped doing
the marketing, you know, it's a
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00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:26,800
constant, it's a constant effort
that is a time fruitless, but it
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needs to be done in order to
sustain the business.
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So what I have done in the past,
I've come up with very creative
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ways to secure funding and help
from the Leos and from other
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00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:43,640
state help.
I know in entrepreneurship
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00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:48,160
literature in Ireland can be a
little bit negative around how
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00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:53,040
much the state is doing for
early startups and I don't think
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00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:56,320
it's not true.
But it I've had a very different
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00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:59,640
experience.
And I have to say, as a Romanian
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00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:02,960
national who's been in Ireland
for 16 years, I've been blown
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00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:06,800
away with the amount of support
I have received personally to,
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00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:11,800
you know, even for small things
like buying a computer or going
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00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:17,120
to a free class or learning how
to do, I don't know your taxes
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00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:20,640
for free.
And there's so many things that
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00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:23,680
exist here and I think we're
taking for granted and, or maybe
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00:12:23,680 --> 00:12:26,800
they're very normalized, but
they don't exist in other
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00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:28,040
places.
And I think it's always
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00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:31,800
important to aspire in one more.
And that's true.
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00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:34,720
But I also think for me
personally, it's been a great
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help and a source of income.
One other thing that I've done
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to fund my time at the end of
the day was to exchange
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knowledge with other founders or
other SM ES at the time where I
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00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:50,960
would give something for free, a
talk or our training and then I
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00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:54,720
would receive something for free
from from fellow fellow
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00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:59,160
entrepreneurs at my stage.
And that has been really helpful
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00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:03,240
because I think in the beginning
I wasn't necessarily lacking
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00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:07,760
money per SE, but I was lacking
the knowledge and I was lacking
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00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:09,880
the network and I was lacking
the brand.
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00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:15,200
And, and that is also an
incredibly important cost to an
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00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:18,000
early stage founder.
And it's often often overlooked.
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We tend to be very focused on
money hitting our accounts, but
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00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:25,880
these are all invisible costs
that take time and at the end of
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00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:32,320
the daytime is our biggest
currency. 11 important element
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00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:36,440
of funding for me was also to
start writing on sub stock and
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00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:39,760
get money from publishing.
I've been in, I've been in
216
00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:42,920
Google for a really long time
and I worked with publishers and
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00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:51,160
in, in my time as a, as a leader
for Google Ads and Google Ads.
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00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:55,480
And I've seen both, you know,
both ends of the spectrum, both
219
00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:57,720
on how you could bring money as
an advertiser and as a
220
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publisher.
And I learned very quickly that
221
00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:02,600
if there's something, something
that I would like to do to
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00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:06,360
secure my funding is to become a
publisher of content.
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00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:10,520
And so I started publishing
content left and right and it's
224
00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:14,480
really helped bring, you know,
maybe 500 euros, €600.
225
00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:16,920
And I think it may sound odd.
That's really, really, really
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00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:21,640
little, uh, but it did help me,
that helped me support my, uh,
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00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:25,520
living and that of my family.
While I chose not to jump
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00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:29,240
straight into another job and
focus on building something at
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00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:32,680
fact because at the end of the
day every every every penny
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00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:35,800
counts as they say when you are
doing this for the first time.
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00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:39,840
Absolutely.
And what is the?
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00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:42,120
You've partly answered this
already, but what is the best
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00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:43,960
way to fund a startup strength
in your opinion?
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00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:53,640
I guess it's really depends on
what your goals are.
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00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:58,640
Look at I'm, I'm going to be
very honest, I think my goals
236
00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:01,400
started to be more and more
ambitious as I started realizing
237
00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:05,120
that some of this felt
achievable to me.
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00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:11,080
First started I was like, well,
if I can get I don't know, €6000
239
00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:15,920
a month from this, I will be so
happy because I think my only
240
00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:20,080
benchmark for comparison was I
don't know a good salary that I
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00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:23,480
would like to have maybe working
for a company.
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00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:28,720
And I gave myself these smaller
goals to achieve.
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00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:31,160
And then when I started
achieving them and maybe, you
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00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:35,000
know, threefold achieving them,
I, I realized that I, well,
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00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:38,440
maybe I should be far more
ambitious when it comes to not
246
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only how I make money, but but
also how I fund the company.
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00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:46,840
I think it's OK to start small.
I think many fund founders start
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00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:53,160
very big and they are crushed
under the weight of, you know,
249
00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:56,680
funding rounds of being investor
ready.
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00:15:56,680 --> 00:16:01,320
And they focus so much time on
researching and rerunning pitch
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00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:03,760
decks left and right.
Meanwhile, you know, maybe they
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00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:07,680
have missed opportunities for
partnering up with other
253
00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:11,360
founders or missed opportunities
for going for dinner with the
254
00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:16,240
potential client, or they have
missed opportunities to go to a
255
00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:19,400
training that, you know, are
like the government might have
256
00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:22,440
might have put up for for for
them.
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00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:25,960
And I think it's important to
allow yourself to start small
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unless you have an incredible
idea.
259
00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:33,600
And I think it's also important
to remember that the best way to
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fund yourself is to have a good
team.
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00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:41,680
Very rarely, it's been my
experience anyway, we're very
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rarely that I've had the
conversation with an investor or
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00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:49,400
a network of Angel investors or
even VC money or even, you know,
264
00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:51,800
grants from Enterprise Ireland
or the Leos.
265
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Very rarely.
They focused on the idea.
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The idea was great.
And as long as it wasn't a
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really bad idea, they were happy
to continue talking.
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00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:05,240
But they were really focused on,
OK, who are you and who are you
269
00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,040
doing this with?
Who are you doing this for?
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And I think the credentials that
you are able to bring to the
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table will unlock the best
avenues for you to get funded.
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00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:21,480
In more practical terms, for me,
I've done really creative things
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00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:24,720
in the beginning.
I remember, I remember, you
274
00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,960
know, talking to an accountant
where I could register the
275
00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:31,640
company in a different county so
that I could possibly go to the
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00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:35,480
Leo's in that particular county.
So I couldn't be, you know, it
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00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:40,240
was, it was, it was easier for
me to go to Kildare or I'm based
278
00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:42,680
in Dublin.
And I know that the Leo, the Leo
279
00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:46,880
folks in Dublin are so swamped.
And I just, I just needed advice
280
00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:49,760
right away.
And it was difficult sometimes
281
00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:53,520
to get from their calendars.
Now that has changed since.
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00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:58,360
But just, yeah, I think the
first place to go to is
283
00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:01,200
definitely the Leo's.
Well, I don't know for, for the,
284
00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:03,960
for the ambitions that I had at
that point in time.
285
00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:07,480
I think if your goal as a
founder or maybe you find
286
00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:11,480
yourself at your third startup,
your 4th startup, you're maybe
287
00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:16,920
more tenured, you have good ties
in VC and maybe you want to go
288
00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:21,480
to the Y Combinator or Antler,
you know, other international
289
00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:24,040
avenues.
It really depends on the scale
290
00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:26,600
of your dream and your team and
your idea.
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00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,920
I wasn't in a position where I
wanted, where I had ambitions
292
00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:33,400
for millions of dollars in
investment.
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00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:37,000
So I just went from a place of
OK.
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00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:42,680
I spent, I spent almost 15 years
in corporate.
295
00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:47,520
I had a massive network in
corporate.
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00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:51,880
I didn't really know the, the
start up scene and I didn't
297
00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:58,320
really felt feel equipped in
April of 2025 to go in and say
298
00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:01,800
hello, you know, I've done this.
I'm a great leader.
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00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:05,080
I, you know, here's my CV.
Can I have $5,000,000?
300
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I just didn't think that was
enough.
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00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:11,800
So I had to adjust my
expectations as a founder to
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where I was and meet me myself
where I was.
303
00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:19,080
And I think that was a good
thing because I just then
304
00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:23,440
started going to the places or
to the people who could help me
305
00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:26,800
with the money that I needed or
with the knowledge that I could
306
00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:31,000
receive at that point in time.
And I think you, as a founder,
307
00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:36,640
you are often exposed to content
that celebrates an incredible
308
00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:39,040
amount of money or, you know,
huge.
309
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Yeah.
Huge funding, Very true.
310
00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:46,960
It's, you know, it's very, it's
very, I think, I think it can
311
00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:53,360
put you in a place of delusion
and take away from your, from
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00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:56,680
your, from your founder energy.
And I think we have to remind
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00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:59,040
ourselves that there are
founders, we're starting from
314
00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,680
zero, both in terms of money and
network.
315
00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:07,240
And I suppose the process and
the knowledge to to do something
316
00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:10,640
like this.
It is not impossible to start
317
00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:12,520
very small.
And if there's anything I could
318
00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:16,280
tell to people wanting to start
their own businesses now is to
319
00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:20,240
start with communities.
And I think tech founder is an
320
00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:23,080
incredibly community for women
founders, but there's.
321
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:27,320
Other communities who are there
for business owners who want to
322
00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:32,840
scale up and maybe are looking
for really big money now, and
323
00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:36,000
one of those is Kella again for
women, which has helped me
324
00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:42,520
incredibly an incredible
community for me to secure more
325
00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:45,760
connections in getting from
people who mattered.
326
00:20:46,120 --> 00:20:49,280
Now there's obviously a lot of
communities specifically geared
327
00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:53,720
towards tech founders and you
know, you could go to AY
328
00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:57,920
Combinator or you could go to
Antler for for pristine advice
329
00:20:57,920 --> 00:20:59,800
and then you'll probably get
some grants there.
330
00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:02,400
Or you could go to the New
Frontiers if you've done the
331
00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:06,160
Leos and you can get some equity
free grounds there.
332
00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:09,520
Or you could just simply go to
the European Union and see what
333
00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:13,440
programs they have specifically
to your industry and to who you
334
00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,560
are as a team and apply for
those grants, which are now very
335
00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:20,960
accessible.
So there's many ways to sustain
336
00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:26,760
yourself.
I think for the first few toe
337
00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:29,680
dips in the in the in this
waters.
338
00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:33,520
If you are someone who's coming
like myself from corporate where
339
00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:38,120
you've done really, really well
but have no idea what what to do
340
00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:42,040
when you are out of this world
and you are faced with a
341
00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:45,560
possible Ave. to become a
founder, you have a really good
342
00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:48,560
idea and you don't know.
Just adjust your expectations
343
00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:52,760
that you're probably not going
to be talking to a Shark Tank in
344
00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:56,000
two weeks and get, I don't know,
5 million in found funding.
345
00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:57,360
And that should not be your
goal.
346
00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,360
You know, start small, go with
the grants that you can sustain
347
00:22:02,360 --> 00:22:05,400
yourself.
Essentially at this early stage
348
00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:10,000
is it is a mastery of
discipline, bootstrapping,
349
00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:14,480
trying to take advantage of the
networks and the governmental
350
00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:18,040
health that exists out there.
And just really allow yourself
351
00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:22,200
to have more of an internship as
a founder rather than try to
352
00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:26,360
identify as, you know, a tenured
funder who is now looking to
353
00:22:26,360 --> 00:22:30,000
build the next million users
technology.
354
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,800
Let's just just, it just doesn't
happen that easily.
355
00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:37,960
And I think acknowledging that
and acknowledging that you don't
356
00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:40,960
need to have access to millions
and millions and 1,000,000 right
357
00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:46,400
away is, is going to help you in
the long in the long run.
358
00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:48,960
Yeah, absolutely.
I think there's some really good
359
00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:51,960
points made there, Adriana.
And it is so true as well.
360
00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:55,160
Just to highlight, and you said
about, you know, all that
361
00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:57,320
there's all these stories of
founders who've raised, you
362
00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:00,000
know, 10s of millions or they're
doing hundreds of millions
363
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:05,600
annual, uh, AIR.
But you know, for, for start up
364
00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:07,840
founders or just starting off,
it's extremely intimidating.
365
00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,560
And it's also misleading as
well, you know, because there
366
00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:14,240
are all sorts of, uh, types of
companies and startups that, uh,
367
00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:17,040
will operate at different levels
and that still need to be
368
00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:19,200
supported and, and, uh, you
know, get to where they need to
369
00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:21,800
get to as well.
And so I think that's a really
370
00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:24,520
good point.
Measure of success, I will say,
371
00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:28,400
you know and umm, I think we are
often talk about that as the
372
00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,720
measure of success with your,
this company raised 10 million
373
00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:33,960
and this company raised it must
be successful.
374
00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:39,520
And I think I think it's
important to know that a lot of
375
00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,560
years went into that moment in
time that is being celebrated
376
00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:47,160
and a lot of generations of
teams that that founder might
377
00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:51,360
have gone through to be able to
secure the trust for investors
378
00:23:51,360 --> 00:23:53,640
to put down such a large amount
of money.
379
00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:58,520
It didn't happen overnight.
And these founders also have
380
00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:03,920
started small at some point, you
know, it's, it's and have gone
381
00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:07,880
through the frustrations of, I
don't know, having to talk for
382
00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:10,840
free to places and having to
give their knowledge and their
383
00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:14,920
IP for free and having to have
doors lanced in their nose.
384
00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:21,440
And I think, I think it's a, we
rarely talk about that or we
385
00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,480
glance over it and then we're
like, well, how can I get $10
386
00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:27,240
million, which is, you know,
great.
387
00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:34,160
But I think that feels great.
But I think it's important to to
388
00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:37,880
acknowledge that we live in a
country that supports early
389
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:44,640
stage founders beyond money with
with, with, with knowledge and
390
00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,360
with specialists who are
provided by the government.
391
00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:52,440
I know again, there is a lot of,
you know, negativity around the
392
00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:54,560
fact that we're just low and
we're not keeping up.
393
00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:57,880
And I think, I think it could be
true in some state, in some in
394
00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:02,400
for some, for some companies and
the experience of founders.
395
00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:05,720
But in general, it's been
incredible for me to be
396
00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:10,320
surrounded from the get go.
I remember it was the first time
397
00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:15,000
that I was being chased for by
by folks in Enterprise Island or
398
00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:20,400
Leos for things that didn't feel
like I was owing them something.
399
00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:23,520
Like it was just them wanting to
give me the support because
400
00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,960
typically you were chased by the
government to pay your taxes or
401
00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:28,040
something.
Yes, yes.
402
00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:30,560
Wait, do you want to give me
things?
403
00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:33,880
And I, it just felt so
empowering and it just felt so
404
00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:38,760
encouraging to also be OK with
the thought that hey, I'm only
405
00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:40,640
one person here for the time
being.
406
00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:48,440
I have maybe 6-7 hours a day you
don't I, I need maybe 3K to
407
00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:51,160
survive here.
I need some mailbox money and
408
00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:55,560
that would be great for me to to
gain back some time if I could,
409
00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:57,920
if I could get you know these
helps.
410
00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:04,520
And 1st, to focus on the story,
to focus on meeting clients, to
411
00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:08,640
focus on posting up things, to
focus on going to events and
412
00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:12,760
showing phase, to focus on
getting mentorship and all of
413
00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:15,160
that stuff that happens during
the week.
414
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,040
It doesn't happen at the
weekend.
415
00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:20,920
That's so true.
And to look at the founding team
416
00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:23,640
of Adriana, like what?
What skills do you think should
417
00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:30,080
new founders possess?
Oh gosh, yeah.
418
00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:38,800
I mean, look, one of the people
that I've, one of the people who
419
00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:43,160
I've met in this journey told me
that, you know, resilience,
420
00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:46,960
resilience and, and, and I think
that's true.
421
00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:52,200
It is a level of resilience and
it is a level of picking
422
00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:54,880
yourself back up in the morning
and thinking, well, I don't know
423
00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,880
where this is going, but you
know, I'm just going to push
424
00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:02,920
through here.
And, and I think one of the
425
00:27:03,360 --> 00:27:09,120
maybe resilience is an outcome,
but the skill for me is, is the
426
00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:16,640
ability to stay high energy and
open to anything and just to
427
00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:21,280
kind of almost like dissociate
yourself for for a little while
428
00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,800
from a potential disastrous
outcome.
429
00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:27,600
And to say, Hey, look, that I've
tried.
430
00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:34,480
And I think that it comes with,
with an ability to have a lot of
431
00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:38,280
mental clarity.
And it's, it's, it's
432
00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:40,280
essentially, yeah, it's mental
strength.
433
00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:44,240
It's like how strong your mind
can push your you, how strongly
434
00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:48,040
it can push you forward and
propel you forward regardless of
435
00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:49,880
the outcome.
And knowing that you're going to
436
00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:55,200
do your your best.
I think also another scale or
437
00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:59,840
maybe quality that I found in
successful, successful founders
438
00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:07,200
who I actually worked with as a
founder myself is an ability to
439
00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:14,600
be ruthless in a kind way.
Nobody likes crabby people.
440
00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:19,280
And I think you'll often find
very difficult to talk to people
441
00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:24,440
at the top of companies that are
being formed and, you know,
442
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:28,760
very, very peculiar or, or
difficult with their time or,
443
00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:33,160
you know, little words to say
nothing essentially.
444
00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:35,960
And I think it's a it's a
protection mechanism to their
445
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:38,960
time.
But I think what has helped me
446
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:44,960
is, is that kind of you can
still be somewhat ruthless with
447
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:48,320
your time and very clear and
intentional, but preserve a
448
00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:53,160
level of kindness that is
magnetic in this in this field
449
00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:57,400
Because I think there's a lot of
support left and right for early
450
00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,040
stage founders.
But you will get at the certain
451
00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:03,160
point where it's becoming really
difficult to find kindness
452
00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:08,560
extended to.
And I think that has helped me.
453
00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:13,200
And where I have found kindness,
I have stayed in touch with
454
00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:17,360
those people and I have helped
or I, I received help beyond
455
00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:22,320
words.
And yeah, just saying that being
456
00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:26,760
ruthless with your time, but
intentionally kind with with the
457
00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:30,640
people around you is probably
one of the most unique skill
458
00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:33,120
sets that I think the founder
should, should have.
459
00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:38,080
And then also the ability to be
a good reader of people.
460
00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:43,000
You'll often find, at least in
my field, founders who are
461
00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:46,280
incredibly smart, geniuses,
brainiacs.
462
00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:49,800
You know they are, they are
people of, of great thought,
463
00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:55,960
outspoken true believers in
their craft, almost to the point
464
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:58,720
of obsession with their idea.
But they're not really good
465
00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:02,560
readers of people and they're
not really good mirrors.
466
00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:06,320
They, you know, it's, it's like
they're very self-centered
467
00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:10,240
because the idea is coming from
them and it is, it is their
468
00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:13,440
engine.
And I think a founder should be
469
00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:19,480
very aggressively considering
the people around them in a way
470
00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:22,480
that is assimilating to the
idea.
471
00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,160
So, you know, it's not just
about yourself.
472
00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:28,200
We all know about the founder
conflict, right Where where you
473
00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:30,360
know, you're kind of like, it's
becoming really difficult to
474
00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:34,080
remove yourself from the idea.
And yes, any companies fail
475
00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:36,960
because of that.
And I think it's important for
476
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:42,880
the founder to become in that
kindness, almost selfless and to
477
00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:47,160
allow the team that is a very
well curated team and reflects
478
00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:52,040
on the qualities of the founder,
on the values of the idea to
479
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,040
take to take over.
So it has to be a selfless
480
00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:57,800
exercise.
I think not a lot of founders
481
00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:03,320
possess selflessness, which
which is great in this early
482
00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:08,200
stages of aggressive money
raising, you know, punchy slides
483
00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:13,640
and strong lines and stuff like
that, which is it's great to
484
00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:18,800
have someone who is confident
and, you know, shines bright and
485
00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:21,440
it's very driven.
And then later on, you know,
486
00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:24,520
you'll see that they hold on to
money and they never spend it on
487
00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:26,680
people and they never grow their
businesses.
488
00:31:26,680 --> 00:31:29,760
And they're like in the loop of
like years and years and years
489
00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:32,680
of trying to define what they're
doing because they're in their
490
00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:36,800
heads.
So, So yeah, these are some of
491
00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:41,760
the qualities that I think are
important for founders to, if
492
00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:45,880
they don't have them, to
cultivate them and and realize
493
00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:48,240
that if they don't have them,
they need to acquire them.
494
00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:52,240
Yeah, I think that's that's
that's some great skills and
495
00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:54,040
they're important for every
founder to have a Jenna.
496
00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:56,320
And before we finish it, Jenna,
if there's one key piece of
497
00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:58,720
advice to share and phone in the
setup, what would it be?
498
00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:04,400
Oh my God, I have so many things
to say here, but I know we're
499
00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:11,600
short in time.
Look, I'll say this, the moment
500
00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:16,400
of technology where we are right
now and the doors are being open
501
00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:20,960
for us as founding population or
even people having jobs and
502
00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:23,240
thinking, you know what, I would
like to do something for myself.
503
00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:27,840
The technological moment that's
being open to us right now is
504
00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:30,400
incredible.
And if there's one piece of
505
00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:33,920
advice that I would give anyone
who's trying to see whether they
506
00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:38,600
could go into consultancy for AI
where and and hey, I'm only
507
00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:40,480
talking about my field.
I don't know about other
508
00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:42,800
industries, right?
Yes, that's all we can do.
509
00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:46,800
Go and do yeah, maybe they want
to go into consultancy for AI or
510
00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:50,800
have an idea about AI or they
would like to, you know, build
511
00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:54,400
something with AI.
There's so easy now to just see
512
00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:58,760
your your idea come to life with
something like a lovable or a
513
00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:06,440
clod or just truly do it.
It's not going to be like this
514
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:10,360
forever.
It's actually the window is is
515
00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:13,840
open now, but it will start to
close because there will be some
516
00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:21,480
early starters there and get
your data around what you want
517
00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:25,320
to achieve, have achievable
outcomes.
518
00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:30,040
Don't start thinking you want a
$10 million idea pitch to
519
00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:34,240
Silicon Valley VC companies that
is completely within reach.
520
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:39,240
But have realistic outcomes for
you if you are an early stage
521
00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:47,520
founder like I was and gets gets
sporty around failing, you know,
522
00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:50,760
if, if, if something didn't go
exactly to a plan, get sporty
523
00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:52,440
around that and practice it
again.
524
00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:56,040
Maybe you maybe you needed to
have a better connection
525
00:33:56,040 --> 00:33:58,600
somewhere, or maybe you needed a
nicer slide.
526
00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:02,600
Or maybe the word the, the, the
name of your business is not
527
00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:05,040
rolling off correctly from
people's tongues and that's a
528
00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:09,000
problem.
So get sporty around identifying
529
00:34:09,679 --> 00:34:13,679
early on the things that are not
working and and improving them
530
00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:18,400
more so than you would get
around trying desperately to
531
00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:20,920
land.
I know 5 million in the bank.
532
00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:25,760
When you start on your own for
the first time, there are so
533
00:34:25,760 --> 00:34:28,400
many things to be done, so many
jobs to be done.
534
00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:32,560
A piece of advice that I would
have, it's easier now than it
535
00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:37,440
than it was even six months ago.
Work with AI to build your
536
00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:40,040
company.
Work with agents to build your
537
00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:44,199
company.
Talk to AI to build your company
538
00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:46,920
and ask it to be your biggest
critic.
539
00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:52,360
I think, I think it, I think
what we are experiencing now in
540
00:34:52,360 --> 00:35:00,680
terms of the solitary founder
experience is incredible and it
541
00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:03,960
used to be impossible, just
absolutely possible today.
542
00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:08,400
And that's some really great
advice to finish on.
543
00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:11,600
Adriana, thanks so much for
pointing the podcast You shared.
544
00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:15,280
I think a lot of really great
takeaways and a lot of different
545
00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:19,760
areas for founders to take and
to learn lessons from as
546
00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:21,080
Adriana.
Thank you for coming on.
547
00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:23,800
Thank you so much, Phil.
Thank you for.
548
00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:25,640
My pleasure.
My pleasure.
549
00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:28,960
Thanks, Adriana.
Hi.
550
00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:31,680
Thanks for listening to this
week's episode of the Founders
551
00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:34,160
and Funding Podcast.
If you like to be a guest or
552
00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:36,240
have a guest suggestion, please
get in touch.
553
00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:37,320
Thank you.