Founders, investors and builders share what they are building, the challenges they face and what they need from the people watching.
What we learned
1Never play safe.
2Every day an entrepreneur has three reasons to quit but four reasons to go on.
3Talk to your customers, and find both the reason to buy and the reason to use — they are two different things.
4Dare to do things, and talk to your lawyers for legal confidence.
5Channel disappointment into 'what next' — the connections made in those moments can beat the original plan.
People in this conversation
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Paula Perkusic Birger
Startup Founder · Miuna
Miuna builds immersive VR environments for mental health and addiction care, helping clinics and therapists run more effective sessions by simulating both the outer situations and the inner emotional world of the client.
Challenge
Getting the product out there as fast as possible, because the need behind mental health waiting lists is urgent.
Lesson
Never play safe.
Looking for
Clinics and mental health practices open to VR-supported therapy.
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Guido Brugman
Startup Founder · Hydrogenium
Hydrogenium makes a bio-based filter material from residual wood that removes PFAS — 'the asbestos of the new century' — from waterways, both cleaning surface water and preventing pollution at factory effluents.
Challenge
Scaling up production — choosing between toll manufacturing and building his own plant — plus the high cost of PFAS measurements in early pilots.
Lesson
Every day an entrepreneur has three reasons to quit but four reasons to go on.
Looking for
Investors to keep the research and development going.
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Antonio Quero-Diaz
CFO and Entrepreneur · ATA Mute
Antonio works as a CFO and entrepreneur, supporting startups on finance topics such as roadmaps, runway and venture building programs.
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Ab Advany
Startup Founder · Superchild
Superchild is an AI that helps autistic children go from development goals to acquired skills through gamified, research-based exercises personalised to each child — children using it progress 10-20 assessment points every six months instead of 3-5.
Challenge
Clinical validation: convincing a field of 200,000 practitioners who have worked for decades with almost no technology.
Lesson
Talk to your customers, and find both the reason to buy and the reason to use — they are two different things.
Looking for
Investors and connections to bring early intervention to a million autistic children.
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Gayk Ayvazyan LL.M
Legal Counsel · EMPIQ B.V.
A legal consultancy that supports startups and scaleups with packaged legal solutions for the recurring challenges of early-stage companies, locally and internationally.
Challenge
Founders increasingly rely on generic AI for legal answers — fixing flawed output like consultancy contracts that are really employment, or missing NDAs, before it causes damage.
Lesson
Dare to do things, and talk to your lawyers for legal confidence.
Looking for
Networking with startups, partners and clients that need legal support.
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Carolyn Langen
Startup Founder · Eunovus
Eunovus helps universities and technology transfer offices spot promising research and guide researchers past common pitfalls — like publishing before patenting — so their work reaches real-world impact beyond publication.
Challenge
Winning over hesitant, risk-averse academia and reaching the right people inside technology transfer offices while closing a first pilot.
Lesson
Channel disappointment into 'what next' — the connections made in those moments can beat the original plan.
Looking for
Introductions to universities and technology transfer offices.
