Rephonic
Artwork for Beginner's Mind

Beginner's Mind

Christian Soschner
Venture Capital
Europe
Entrepreneurship
United States
Nuclear Energy
Eleva Biologics
Precision Oncology
Secondaries
Unity
Pattern Breakers
Leadership
European Investment Bank
Climate Change
Last Energy
Biotechnology
Teams and Judgment
Cell Therapy
One Clear Goal
Discipline
Marathons

Blueprints for Builders and Investors

Hosted by Christian Soschner

From pre-seed to post-IPO, every company—especially in deep tech, biotech, AI, and climate tech—lives or dies by the frameworks it follows.

On Beginner’s Mind, Christian Soschner uncovers the leadership principles behind the world’s most impactful companies—through deep-dive interviews, strategic book reviews, and patterns drawn ... more

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes228Founded7 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EntrepreneurshipBusinessInvesting

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Beginner's Mind

Latest Episodes

A seed investor at Novo Holdings would rather read your rough idea than your finished pitch deck.

Most founders spend a year building the deck, forming the team and waiting until the story holds together. By the time it is ready the science has move... more

YouTube

What does it mean when the most respected adviser in Silicon Valley tells you that you are the best chief executive he works with, while your company is heading straight into a wall?

Bill Campbell said exactly that to Ben Horowitz. Campbell was advi... more

YouTube

What do you do on the morning when there are no good moves left?

In March 2001, Ben Horowitz took Loudcloud public in the middle of the dot-com collapse. The bankers cut the price from ten dollars a share to six in the week of the offering. The day ... more

YouTube

What happens when the moment a company finally succeeds is the moment it becomes most likely to be destroyed? Most founders assume the market rewards the better product and protects what they built. The legal reality runs the other way. The dominant ... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Ben Horowitz
Co-founder of Loudcloud/Opsware; author
Andreessen Horowitz
Episode: #181 - When Things Fall Apart: 3 Lessons from Ben Horowitz on Leading Through the Struggle (Part 1 of 2)
Eric Ries
Founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, creator of Lean Startup, author of Incorruptible
Incorruptible / Lean Startup
Episode: EP 180: Eric Ries | Why Good Companies Go Bad After Success
Alberto Chalon
Co-founder of Giano Capital; investor focusing on single-asset secondaries in digital and tech
Giano Capital
Episode: EP 177: Alberto Chalon | Liquidity Before the IPO Window Opens
Stefanie Schubert
Professor of Economics, University of Heidelberg; negotiation advisor; keynote speaker; coach
University of Heidelberg
Episode: EP 175: Stefanie Schubert | Why Smart People Lose Negotiations Before They Start
Wanwipa Siriwatwechakul
Chemical engineer trained at MIT and Princeton; former professor; venture partner at Vector Capital focusing on climate and bio innovation
Vectors Capital
Episode: EP 174: Wanwipa Siriwatwechakul | Funding the Next Industrial Era
Bret Kugelmass
Founder and CEO of Last Energy
Last Energy
Episode: EP 173: Bret Kugelmass | The West Bet on the Wrong Energy Future
Björn Cochlovius
CEO of Eleva Biologics
Eleva Biologics
Episode: EP 171 - Björn Cochlovius: Why Brilliant Biotech Breaks at Manufacturing
Jim Pulcrano
Professor of Entrepreneurship at IMD Business School, Free Time Founder, Operator, Investor
IMD Business School
Episode: EP 170 - Jim Pulcrano: Why Most Venture Capital Fails And What Europe Still Gets Wrong
Fabrizio Conicella
Speaker referenced in episode discussing discipline and execution
Episode: EP 169 - Why New Year’s Goals Fail by February - Even for Disciplined People

Host

Christian Soschner
Host of Beginner's Mind; focuses on leadership frameworks for scaling deep tech, biotech, AI, and climate ventures.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 20 ratings
  • Fantastic

    Christian brings an extremely intelligent mind and deep curiosity to the podcast. When he interviews his guests he digs deep to not only glean the business gems they have to offer but who, as a person, they are as well. It brings a level of humanity to an excellent podcast. Highly recommend.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Smurfteer
    United States4 years ago
  • A great resources for life science entrepreneurship

    If you want to be an entrepreneur in life sciences this podcast is a great way to get started. Christian knows the field well and brings on experts to help you learn.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    mherschberg
    United States4 years ago
  • Mr

    Insightful! Thanks for the interesting discussion about a fascinating topic.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Alex_Schwartz_Vie
    Austria5 years ago
  • Awesome!

    One of my new fav podcasts!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Trevor Oldham
    United States5 years ago
  • Great show!

    Christian, host of the podcast, highlights all aspects of inspiration, entrepreneurship and more in this can’t miss podcast! The host and expert guests offer insightful advice and information that is helpful to anyone that listens!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    malfoxley
    United States5 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests are credible leaders across biotech, tech, and policy, providing broad context for builders
Host asks sharp, thoughtful questions that reveal core drivers of success and failure
Strong mix of founder and investor perspectives that translate well to real-world execution
Consistently high-quality conversations with deep, practical takeaways

Top Entrepreneurship Podcasts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

EP 177: Alberto Chalon | Liquidity Before the IPO Window Opens
Q: Can you shine more light on what secondary investments are?
Secondary investments are purchases of existing equity stakes in private companies, often before an exit. Giano focuses on single-asset secondaries in digital and tech, rather than buying diversified portfolios; the aim is to acquire a well-defined asset with due diligence and access to management, enabling a faster, more informed path to liquidity for LPs and founders.
Alasdair Milton, KPMG | Why Precision Medicine Still Fails Patients (SPARK20 – 168)
Q: What practical steps can early‑career researchers take to become translators who drive real-world impact?
Learn the industry through podcasts, books, and courses; connect with people across R&D, regulatory, and commercialization; seek mentors from outside one's own field to gain diverse perspectives and guidance.
Alasdair Milton, KPMG | Why Precision Medicine Still Fails Patients (SPARK20 – 168)
Q: What is your blueprint for translating complex science into business value for investors and executives?
You must translate science into market opportunities by building bridges between the lab and the business world, simplifying risk and return, and continuously learning about the industry to communicate effectively with decision-makers.
Alasdair Milton, KPMG | Why Precision Medicine Still Fails Patients (SPARK20 – 168)
Q: Tell me about the island that shaped your mindset and how that background informs your approach to leadership.
Growing up on a tiny Scottish island taught me resilience, adaptability, and the value of long-term focus. It instilled a belief that doors close and new ones open, which translates into tenacity in finance and consulting where careers pivot, recover, and then thrive in new environments.
EP 171 - Björn Cochlovius: Why Brilliant Biotech Breaks at Manufacturing
Q: What three takeaways should busy investors and executives remember about Eleva in the next hour?
First, if CHO struggles with a protein, consider alternative platforms as a viable option; second, Eleva's moss-based system is not meant to replace CHO but to salvage projects that would otherwise fail; third, a disciplined approach to risk, partnerships, and a strong, loyal investor base can sustain long-term progress even through difficult phases.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Beginner's Mind

What is Beginner's Mind about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show centers on leadership, strategy, and execution frameworks for building breakthrough tech companies, with a heavy emphasis on deep tech, biotech, AI, and climate tech. Episodes typically feature founders, investors, and operators who dissect how to translate science into scalable businesses, navigate capital markets, and lead teams through long product cycles. A standout pattern is the blend of practical frameworks, personal narratives, and cross-industry comparisons that illuminate how durable value is created, from pre-seed to IPO. The show often highlights disciplined decision-making, market-shaping perspectives, and governance as levers for long-term impact, making it a valuable listen for founders, operators, and investors seek... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Beginner's Mind?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Beginner's Mind. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Beginner's Mind and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Beginner's Mind get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Beginner's Mind, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Beginner's Mind?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Beginner's Mind, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Beginner's Mind have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Beginner's Mind has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Beginner's Mind?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Beginner's Mind:

1. The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance
2. All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
3. Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy
4. The Daily

How many episodes of Beginner's Mind are there?

Beginner's Mind launched 7 years ago and published 228 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Beginner's Mind?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Beginner's Mind?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Beginner's Mind from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Beginner's Mind?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Beginner's Mind. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Beginner's Mind?

Recent guests on Beginner's Mind include:

1. Ben Horowitz
2. Eric Ries
3. Alberto Chalon
4. Stefanie Schubert
5. Wanwipa Siriwatwechakul
6. Bret Kugelmass
7. Björn Cochlovius
8. Jim Pulcrano

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days