Top VC Reveals All: How Startups Now Scale from 0 to €26M in 9 Months

About this episode

Simon Schmincke, General Partner at Creandum, has witnessed radical transformation in the venture capital landscape over recent years. In conversation, he explains why growth and competition have reached entirely new levels and what this means for founders, investors, and the European tech ecosystem.

The New Reality: Speed as a Survival Factor

The VC and startup world is changing at record speed. What used to take years now happens in months. Schmincke observes startups growing from zero to €26 million in revenue in just nine months – a pace that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

This transformation demands a constant learning curve from all participants. Investors must continuously adapt their strategies while founders need to act faster and more precisely than ever before.

New Founder Profiles: Technical Know-how Becomes Essential

The profiles of successful founders have fundamentally changed. Today, technical understanding and a global perspective are no longer optional but crucial for success. Team structures are becoming leaner and more efficient while requirements for speed and precision continue to rise.

Schmincke sees a clear evolution: founders must think internationally from day one and design their products for global markets. The days of becoming successful locally first and then expanding are over.

Go-to-Market and Sales: New Strategies for New Times

How startups bring their products to market has changed dramatically. Traditional sales strategies often no longer work; instead, innovative go-to-market approaches are needed that combine speed with efficiency.

Proper market positioning plays a crucial role here. Startups must not only grow quickly but also build and consider their competitiveness from the very beginning.

Product-Market-Fit: Harder to Achieve Than Ever

Finding product-market-fit has become more complex today. Schmincke explains that the bar is higher and requirements have increased. Startups must prove that their product doesn't just work but actually builds a truly defensible market position.

Defensibility – the ability to defend one's market position – becomes a critical success factor. Without solid moats, even rapidly growing startups have no long-term chance.

Efficiency and New Organizational Models

A fascinating trend: teams are getting smaller while simultaneously becoming more productive. New organizational models enable startups to achieve more with fewer resources. This efficiency gain isn't just a nice-to-have but vital for survival in an increasingly competitive market.

Flight to Quality: Concentration on the Best

Schmincke observes a "flight to quality" – a concentration on the best funds and startups. Larger funds increasingly dominate the market, bringing both opportunities and challenges.

This development leads to more global competition where only the strongest players can survive long-term. For startups, this means higher standards but also better opportunities for those who meet these standards.

IPOs, Secondaries, and Exit Strategies

The exit landscape is also changing fundamentally. IPOs and secondary markets play a different role than before, and Schmincke provides insights into current developments and what they mean for portfolio companies.

Europe vs. USA: Capital Markets in Transition

Schmincke pays particular attention to the differences between European and American capital markets. Europe is catching up, but structures and opportunities still differ significantly.

The Most Exciting Time for Tech and Innovation

Despite all challenges, Schmincke is convinced: we're in the most exciting time for tech and innovation ever. The opportunities have never been greater, but neither have the requirements.

For founders, this means: those who understand the new rules and learn quickly can achieve extraordinary success in this environment. Speed, technical know-how, and global perspective are the three pillars of success.