Podcast
Scaling Europe
Hosted by Sebastian Johnson · ENGLISH
Every week Seb Johnson sits down with 5 of Europe's best builders and investors to talk about what's going on in European Tech.
Prior guests include the founders of Lovable, Cleo, Voi an Zilch, as well as top VCs from 20VC, Index, Balderton and Creandum.
231episodes
Episodes
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Michael Bajwa, CEO and Co-founder of Zaro: BREAKING: Zaro just raised $5.1m pre-seed
Jun 900:20:07Tap to summarizeAI agents are becoming more capable, but most companies still rely on software built for a different era. Zaro just raised a $5.1 million pre-Seed round led by Cherry Ventures to build infrastructure designed specifically for the agentic era.Michael Bajwa is CEO and Co-founder of Zaro. Following the sale of Convergence to Salesforce, he believes enterprises have not yet had their ChatGPT moment, and that the next generation of software will be built around AI agents rather than traditional applications.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel. Check them out here:https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europeChargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeuropeTimestamps:0:00 - Introduction0:14 - Zaro’s $5.1m pre-Seed round2:47 - Lessons from Convergence and Salesforce5:23 - Making AI agents accessible8:54 - Coming out of stealth11:11 - Creating a new category of software13:25 - Compressing startup timelines16:01 - Building a category-defining company17:49 - Hiring battle-tested operators19:15 - The future of AI-native software
Transcribe →Hadrien Canter, CEO and Co-founder of Alta Ares: BREAKING: Alta Ares just raised $50m
Jun 900:20:26Tap to summarizeCheap drones are changing modern warfare, creating demand for new air defence systems that can operate at scale. Alta Ares just raised $50 million to help countries defend against emerging aerial threats.Hadrien Canter is CEO and Co-founder of Alta Ares. Drawing on his experience working in Ukraine and the Middle East, he believes Europe has a unique opportunity to build a stronger defence ecosystem and reduce its reliance on external security guarantees.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel. Check them out here:https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europeChargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeuropeTimestamps:0:00 - Introduction0:09 - Alta Ares’ $50 funding round1:24 - Why cheap drones are changing warfare3:08 - Combining hardware, software and AI5:26 - Building a defence company from Ukraine7:51 - NATO, Europe and defence sovereignty11:37 - Operating on the ground in Ukraine13:20 - Mission, pressure and attracting talent15:44 - Resilience, failure and company culture17:45 - Raising $50m for Alta Ares20:05 - The investors behind the round and the future of European defence
Transcribe →Jordi Romero, Founder and CEO at Factorial: Factorial raised $150m at a $2.5b valuation
Jun 300:21:44Tap to summarizeFactorial just raised $150m from General Catalyst at a $2.5bn valuation as the company enters its next phase as an AI-native business. The new capital will be used to accelerate growth through acquisitions across Europe.Jordi Romero is Founder and CEO of Factorial, which recently turned 10 years old. He believes AI is changing how software companies serve their customers and sees Europe as one of the best places in the world to build a technology company.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel. Check them out here:https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europeChargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeuropeTimestamps:0:00 - Introduction0:21 - General Catalyst invests $150m in Factorial1:10 - Why raise capital now?2:28 - The relationship with General Catalyst3:55 - How the Customer Value Fund works5:24 - From HR software to AI-native workforce operations9:00 - Leading AI transformation inside a company11:18 - Why Europe is a great place to build13:16 - Barcelona’s startup ecosystem15:52 - Lessons from Silicon Valley18:21 - Building a company for the long term19:57 - What Factorial looks for when hiring
Transcribe →Oliver Molander, Founding General Partner of Inception Fund: Europe needs to build indispensable technology.
Jun 200:24:33Tap to summarizeEuropean investors are moving faster, while global funds are becoming increasingly active across the Nordics. As competition for the best founders intensifies, technical talent is attracting more attention than ever at the earliest stages.Oliver Molander is Founding General Partner of Inception Fund, which recently expanded to €30 million. Drawing on his experience as both a founder and investor, he believes technical founders build the biggest outcomes, and that Europe should focus on creating indispensable technologies rather than simply talking about sovereignty.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel. Check them out here:https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europeChargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeuropeTimestamps:0:00 - Introduction0:18 - Why Inception Fund was created1:42 - Backing technical founders at inception2:25 - Why European investors need to move faster4:17 - The rise of a new generation of European funds5:25 - Working with Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia and Lightspeed7:08 - Building the LP base behind Inception Fund9:31 - Convincing LPs to back a first-time fund manager12:02 - Why Inception invested in Recursive15:42 - Stockholm, Finland and the future of Nordic tech20:52 - EQT and the €5 billion European scale-up fund22:20 - Why Europe should focus on indispensability, not sovereignty
Transcribe →Alex McCracken, Head of Venture Capital Relationships, EMEA at J.P.Morgan: European AI startups are raising bigger rounds than ever
May 2800:21:06Tap to summarizeEuropean AI startups are raising billion-dollar rounds, while defence and deep tech companies are attracting far larger rounds than the market was seeing a few years ago.Alex McCracken is Head of Venture Capital Relationships, EMEA at J.P. Morgan, where he is seeing US investors move into Europe earlier and more technical AI founders raise capital across the market.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel. Check them out here:https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europeChargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeuropeTimestamps:0:00 - Introduction0:16 - The biggest shifts in European venture0:48 - Billion-dollar AI seed rounds2:45 - Why mega rounds are increasing in Europe3:55 - The impact of large AI rounds5:37 - Where capital is flowing in deep tech6:43 - Defence, space and European resilience8:20 - Why defence investment is accelerating9:49 - The rise of US investors in Europe12:25 - How European VCs are adapting14:43 - Growth at all costs vs sustainable growth18:24 - New financing structures for deep tech
Transcribe →David Helgason, Co-founder at Transition Ventures: Raising $150m Fund II
May 2700:20:36Tap to summarizeTransition VC raised a new $150m fund to back highly technical founders building the next generation of energy, compute and industrial companies.David Helgason, Co-founder at Transition VC, says AI is increasing demand for compute, power and industrial systems at a time when venture is moving beyond traditional software. The new fund will focus on companies building across energy, hardware and industrial infrastructure.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel. Check them out here:https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europeChargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeuropeTimestamps:0:00 - Introduction0:22 - Transition VC’s new $150m fund0:58 - Backing founders rebuilding industrial systems2:01 - Climate tech, AI and resource constraints3:47 - Raising Fund II6:09 - Investing in photonics chip company Olix9:16 - The founders the firm wants to back10:26 - Nuclear, hardware and industrial innovation12:47 - Why venture is moving beyond traditional SaaS14:00 - Europe vs the US for deep tech15:45 - Building the investment team18:13 - What makes a great founder
Transcribe →Ashley Paulus, VP of Revenue (UK & EEA) at Checkout.com: Checkout.com reached 78% growth in the UK and 60% in Europe
May 2600:20:13Tap to summarizeCheckout.com is one of Europe’s leading payments companies, powering transactions for some of the world’s biggest digital businesses.Ashley Paulus, VP of Revenue (UK & EEA) at Checkout.com, is leading the company’s growth across two of its most important markets after 78% growth in the UK and around 60% growth in Europe last year. As merchants look for better acceptance rates, global coverage and faster access to capital, Checkout.com is becoming a bigger part of how companies grow across borders.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel. Check them out here:https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europeChargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeuropeTimestamps:0:00 - Introduction0:16 - Checkout.com’s growth in the UK and Europe1:51 - Why major merchants choose Checkout.com3:40 - Scaling payments across global markets5:12 - Growth targets for 20267:01 - New merchants and existing customers8:14 - Europe vs Southeast Asia in payments10:16 - AI in payments infrastructure13:50 - Using AI in revenue teams16:26 - Agentic commerce18:04 - Stablecoins and faster merchant settlement
Transcribe →Philipp Schröder, Co-founder and CEO at 1KOMMA5°: Delivering the cheapest and cleanest electricity in the world
May 2100:50:27Tap to summarize1KOMMA5° is working to deliver the cheapest and cleanest electricity in the world, at a time when energy is becoming one of the biggest questions behind the AI boom.Philipp Schröder, Co-founder and CEO at 1KOMMA5°, has grown the company from home electrification into one of Europe’s most important energy players. It is already managing one gigawatt of capacity, with a much larger ambition: making millions of homes part of the energy infrastructure Europe now needs.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europeChargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeuropeTimestamps:0:00 - Introduction0:28 - 1KOMMA5°2:27 - Business model5:30 - Subscription model13:11 - Virtual power plant16:27 - One gigawatt of managed capacity21:11 - IPO plans24:38 - Energy and AI27:21 - Europe vs NASDAQ29:32 - International expansion33:25 - Building from Germany36:03 - Entrepreneurs and politics39:08 - Taking pushback41:24 - Energy abundance in Europe43:41 - What governments are missing47:38 - Lessons from Tesla48:54 - The future of energy companies
Transcribe →Jonathan Low, CEO at Scope: BREAKING: Scope raised $20m
May 1900:20:18Tap to summarizeScope is building AI for the people who inspect the physical world, from factories and industrial equipment to the assets companies rely on every day.Jonathan Low is CEO at Scope, and the company has just raised $20m led by Index Ventures after growing more than 10x since relaunching last year. Much of this work still runs on pen, paper, Word and Excel, and Scope is turning inspection work into usable data about the physical world.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europeChargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeuropeTimestamps:0:00 - Introduction0:25 - The inspection industry1:34 - How Scope works2:20 - Scope’s $20m round3:08 - Growing more than 10x5:08 - Scaling to $15m ARR8:14 - Why inspection is ready for AI10:06 - Building close to customers13:13 - International expansion18:48 - Hiring talent in London
Transcribe →Manuel Silva Martinez, GP at Mouro Capital: BREAKING: Mouro Capital closed $400m fund
May 1900:20:28Tap to summarizeMouro Capital is a fintech-focused venture firm investing at the intersection of financial services and technology.Manuel Silva Martinez is a GP at Mouro Capital, and they just announced a new $400m fund backed by Banco Santander, giving the firm more capital to back fintech entrepreneurs across the US, Europe and Latin America. Mouro’s thesis has stayed close to financial services, but the opportunity now looks much broader as AI pulls more horizontal companies into the category.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europeChargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeuropeTimestamps:0:00 - Introduction0:28 - Mouro Capital’s new $400m fund0:52 - The history of Mouro Capital2:33 - How AI fits into fintech4:04 - Raising from Banco Santander5:55 - Liquidity and exits8:15 - Creating liquidity in Europe11:00 - Growth in fintech13:10 - InsurTech15:55 - New markets in financial services17:49 - The next generation of fintech founders19:18 - Mouro Capital’s portfolio
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