ENO8’s Post

When we co-founded the Scale-up Masterclass a few years ago with Vlerick Business School, we did it because we had one goal: to help founders avoid mistakes. Because when founders face challenges, they learn the most from a network of like-minded peers so they can make better decisions to grow their startup. It has been a few years since I passed the torch to Vlerick Business School. And I'm super proud to see that they still successfully organise the Scale-up Masterclass once a year under the umbrella Scaleup Flanders. And now, they are organising it once again. In March 2025. As Simon from Stampix says: you have the opportunity to learn from other founders who are in the same phase as you. And that will help you avoid A LOT of mistakes. If you're a founder of a fast-growing startup, you do not want to miss this. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/e9_3RU7Y (Video made by com&co)

Startup life is full of unknowns—don’t go it alone. At StartupYard, gain guidance from founders, investors, and industry experts who’ve navigated the challenges you’re facing. Make better decisions with mentors who care. Join the StartupYard family.

The holiday season is fast approaching and gift-giving can be a daunting task. My strategy for gifts is simple: find an exceptional item and buy it for everyone. Last year, I bought everyone in my family the On Cloudsurfer sneaker and it was a huge hit. Speaking of…Alex Straton, Softlines Retail and Brand Analyst for Morgan Stanley Research, visited On at their Global HQ in Zurich to sit down with their CFO and Co-CEO, Martin Hoffman. Here are the takeaways: The Co-CEO model can be highly effective when leveraging complimentary skill sets. There is also a benefit to having a strong personal friendship. Using recycled or recyclable material only gets you so far. The ultimate goal is to close your own loop from a sustainability perspective. If you are entering a crowded market, the product must speak for itself to ensure that fans become fans for line. Simple business models win. Enjoy the craziness! Dream on! Watch the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/e8gfr9cS

Alex Bouaziz and Shuo Wang’s electricity and grit are infectious. Their impulse as immigrants to solve hard, labor-related problems was palpable in the early days - I was fortunate to have a front row seat through many twists and turns as their seed investor. Five years later, Deel’s story is one of cutting edge global technology, and a business and mission for the ages. Beyond thrilled for our session on outlier success with Dan Westgarth, their n-of-1 COO. The nuances behind how he navigates and helps realize an ambitious plan in uncharted terrain are remarkable. Mike Maples, Jr, legendary founder of Floodgate - and his spectacular partner, Arjun Chopra - will share deep insights and best-practices of dozens of top startups as well as expert detail from Mike’s new book, Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-ups Change the Future Join us on December 5 at 9 am PT. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/guhAndqZ This session is for founders, investors, and builders eager to understand how to disrupt industries, harness AI and SaaS, and scale globally. Don’t miss actionable insights and stories from one of the most remarkable journeys in tech. #startups #growth #globaltalent #futureofwork #SaaS #AI #scaleupsuccess #techinnovation

Come check out our CEO pitch!

Great interview with our General Partner, Llew Jury, about what it takes to build, scale and successfully exit a startup. Llew shares insights from his two founder-led exits and explains how founders can better prepare for capital raising, build investor-ready data rooms, and plan their exits from day one. Shout out to Emily Price for lining this one up! ▶️ https://lnkd.in/gsNwRsiP

New team alert! We’re thrilled to welcome a team, ProcessPlot, to the Elevator Startups Program! 🎉 ProcessPlot helps executives & team leads to put all your processes in one place, making it easier for employees to stay focused on delivering results. The platform helps organize, manage, and improve complicated workflows across teams. Here’s to creativity, collaboration, and success! 💡🤝

I'm reflecting on 2 recent pitches that went wildly differently. At a high level, both meetings were for infra startups raising Seed rounds, and both had the CEO and CTO co-founders in the meeting. In one startup pitch, the co-founders engaged quite thoughtfully. While the CEO drove most of the pitch, the CTO chimed in throughout when relevant and it made for an informative conversation. The best part is that a healthy co-founder dynamic seemed apparent based on their interactions. In the other, the CTO actively cut off the CEO and went on wild tangents unrelated to their core pitch. They were clearly not in sync, and it made us wonder how they operate together in building their company. This sounds obvious, but when co-founders pitch together it's critical to be in sync together. If there's a lack of rapport or respect for one another, it's an immediate negative signal about your ability to build and scale a company together.

With streamlined processes, this could be a prime time to start a company. However, increased accessibility has also heightened competition, making it harder to stand out. Our Flagship Accelerator aims to make navigating this new world a more efficient journey for the founders. We have supported over 900 startups, helping founders build strong commercial foundations and scale effectively. Through our accelerator, founders join a thriving community of builders, mentors, and partners with proven success. Clayton Bryan, Partner and Head of the Global Accelerator Fund, shares more on the new era for 500 Global’s Flagship Accelerator Program and how we are helping founders become global leaders. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eGCW52qH

We are LIVE! Join the conversation with Kristin H. Wilson of Spurt! and Joe Kinvi as they share insights on - Startups That Last: Key Indicators of Startup Longevity & Durability.