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Follow the Gradient

Follow the Gradient
Startups
Entrepreneurship
Leadership
Fintech
Venture Capital
Crisis Communication
Storytelling
Mental Health
Burnout
Product Market Fit
Customer Acquisition
Brite Payments
Startup Culture
European Startups
Team Performance
Delegation
Employee Engagement
AI Leadership
Startup Growth
Startup Founders

Insider knowledge and real stories about how to build a business from Europe while staying sane. Each week founders Melanie Gabriel and Christian Woese dive deep into one specific topic on a founder's or startup operator's mind and share how to solve the challenge together with an expert. Follow the Gradient and stay tuned. followthegradient.io/

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes81Founded2 years ago
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BusinessEntrepreneurship

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Artwork for Follow the Gradient

Latest Episodes

European pension funds allocate 0.1 percent to venture capital. American pension funds allocate 3 percent. That single number explains a decade of European tech.

In this episode of Follow the Gradient, Christian Woese and Melanie Gabriel sit down wi... more

What if every metric your product team is optimizing for is already a debt? Daily active users, monthly active users, weekly logins. They were all built for a world where humans were the primary users of software. That world is ending.

In this episo... more

What if the real inflation rate is not 2-3%, but 7-10%? And what if most of your investments are not even keeping up?

In this episode of Follow the Gradient, Melanie Gabriel and Christian Woese sit down with Pascal Hügli, crypto researcher, lecturer... more

What happens when the person allocating capital has never been told they don't belong? The founders who face the most barriers often carry exactly the traits investors say they're looking for.

In this episode of Follow the Gradient, Melanie and Chri... more

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Recent Guests

Andreas Schwarzenbrunner
General Partner at Speedinvest
Speedinvest
Episode: The best European VC category is compliance | Andreas Schwarzenbrunner, Speedinvest
Tony Beltramelli
Leader in AI product development; formerly involved with Pix2Code and founder-level work; led AI initiatives at Miro
Miro (AI product leadership)
Episode: 55 Employees, 3 Million Users, $0 Marketing Budget. Then a Miro Exit | Tony Beltramelli
Pascal Hügli
Crypto expert, lecturer, advisor
Zurich-based cryptography and finance expert
Episode: $14bn profit, 150 employees: stablecoins are the real business model | Pascal Hügli
Gülsah Wilke
Partner at DN Capital; advocate for migrant founders and diversity as ROI
DN Capital
Episode: Germany's vertical AI opportunity is bigger than anyone admits | Gülsah Wilke, DN Capital
Nicolas Autret
Investor and deep tech veteran, on the board of Graphcore and co-author of the 2026 European deep tech report
Walden Catalyst / Samsung Catalyst Fund
Episode: "We need 10 DeepMinds" | Nicolas Autret on what's missing in European Deep Tech
Max Buckley
Exa founder/CEO discussing why he left Google
Exa
Episode: Why I left Google after 12 years to compete against them | Max Buckley, Exa
Julia Bösch
Co-founder of Outfittery
Outfittery
Episode: Motherhood made me a stronger CEO | Julia Bösch, Outfittery
Lukas M. Ziegler
Robotics influencer and venture partner, global voice in robotics
Self-employed / media entrepreneur and investor
Episode: How Robotics Startups Actually Survive | #1 Robotics influencer Lukas Ziegler
Andreas Goeldi
Partner at B2 Venture; veteran technologist and investor
B2 Venture
Episode: The SaaS playbook is dead. What replaces it? | Andreas Goeldi, b2venture

Hosts

Melanie Gabriel
Host of the show; guides conversations with guests and co-hosts; frequent emphasis on practical insights and European startup dynamics.
Christian Woese
Co-host; drives interviews, challenges guests, and adds multiple perspectives to European tech topics.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 55 ratings
  • Highly recommended - insightful, real & refreshingly honest podcast

    “Follow the Gradient” is a gem for anyone building or working in a scaleup. Melanie and Christian bring not only insider knowledge but also real, relatable stories. It’s insightful, grounded, and genuinely helpful. I can highly recommend for founders, operators, and anyone curious about the startup / scaleup ecosystem.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Maushart13
    Switzerlanda year ago
  • Priceless start-up podcast!

    Melanie and Christian tell it like it is. The highs, the lows, and how to best manage start-up life. Every week they invite founders and leading experts, serving up invaluable tips and tricks, and brutally honest experiences, to help start-ups learn from their mistakes and also focus on what matters. Love it!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Alice the Malice 666
    Switzerlanda year ago

Listeners Say

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

Blunt, experience-driven discussions make complex topics approachable.
Founders and operators will get practical, honest takeaways they can apply next week.
Guests bring real-world lessons, not just theory.
Great mix of investors and practitioners offering actionable insights for scaling in Europe.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The best European VC category is compliance | Andreas Schwarzenbrunner, Speedinvest
Q: One thing European founders do better than American founders?
European founders tend to deliver results and execute rather than only talking about ideas; they turn plans into tangible outputs.
The best European VC category is compliance | Andreas Schwarzenbrunner, Speedinvest
Q: The single biggest waste of time in European startup bureaucracy?
Regulatory fragmentation and the lack of a unified, easily navigable framework that startups can understand and rely on, especially around GDPR and cross-border compliance.
The best European VC category is compliance | Andreas Schwarzenbrunner, Speedinvest
Q: One European portfolio company you think will be a global category leader in five years.
Many will be portfolio leaders; the point is that Europe can produce world-class leaders by leveraging hubs and strategically focused sectors, not by trying to be average across everything.
The best European VC category is compliance | Andreas Schwarzenbrunner, Speedinvest
Q: EU AI Act, necessary guardrail or an innovation break, in your opinion?
An innovation break that is manageable and clearly defined; there needs to be a balance where regulation protects but does not stop innovation, with a framework that is predictable enough for startups to plan.
55 Employees, 3 Million Users, $0 Marketing Budget. Then a Miro Exit | Tony Beltramelli
Q: What were the key cultural and organizational steps you took to integrate into a larger company like Miro?
Create a dedicated AI team to move fast and demonstrate value end-to-end, then gradually re-inject those capabilities into the broader organization, ensuring alignment with security/compliance and maintaining a European DNA within a multinational framework.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Follow the Gradient

What is Follow the Gradient about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A Europe-focused business podcast featuring candid conversations with founders, operators, and investors about building companies from the region while maintaining balance and sanity. Episodes center on pragmatic strategies for growth, funding, hiring, and operational scale, often through expert guests who share real-world lessons, challenges, and decision rationales. Notable throughlines include European capital dynamics, AI and deep tech in Europe, and the human side of leadership—from burnout and motherhood to executive support and team-building. It probably stands out for its blunt, experience-driven approach, practical takeaways, and a consistent emphasis on staying local in Europe while competing globally.

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How many listeners does Follow the Gradient get?

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Which podcasts are similar to Follow the Gradient?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Follow the Gradient:

1. FAST & CURIOUS
2. Lanz + Precht

How many episodes of Follow the Gradient are there?

Follow the Gradient launched 2 years ago and published 81 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 Follow the Gradient?

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What guests have appeared on Follow the Gradient?

Recent guests on Follow the Gradient include:

1. Andreas Schwarzenbrunner
2. Tony Beltramelli
3. Pascal Hügli
4. Gülsah Wilke
5. Nicolas Autret
6. Max Buckley
7. Julia Bösch
8. Lukas M. Ziegler

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.

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