Deal Makers (& Fakers)

From Academic Research at UCL to Raising €4.5M Capital

The wellness industry is growing rapidly, with unique sensory innovations now leading the way in sleep health. In this episode, Niclas Schlöpsna, Managing Partner at spectup, sits down with Dr. Emanuela Maggioni, CEO of Hynt Labs, to discuss how a sophisticated lab project secured €4.5M in total capital. Emanuela, an expert with 20 years of experience in olfactory science and neuroscience, shares her journey from researching at Sussex and University College London (UCL) to leading a high-growth deep tech company. We explore how Hynt Labs utilises real-time scent interventions to optimise sleep stages by integrating via APIs with established wearables like Oura, Samsung Watch, and WHOOP. What You Will Learn: * The €4.5M Funding Strategy: Hynt Labs' €3.4M equity and €1.1M grant strategy for global scaling. * The Pivot to Sleep Tech: Why moving from general sensory widgets to targeted sleep intervention was the key to commercial success. * Davos & Global Marketing: How demonstrating technology at the World Economic Forum acted as a massive growth multiplier. * Lab to Boardroom: Overcoming the academic mindset to embrace B2B licensing and business clarity. * Deep Tech Landscape: Navigating the differences between European and US investment risks About spectup: High-stakes capital advisory for founders scaling their impact. We drive fundraising strategy, ensure investor readiness, and manage outreach to VCs, family offices, and angels. Learn more: spectup.com [https://spectup.com]

She raised €4.5M in AI-powered Sleep Tech

In this episode, Niclas Schlopsna sits down with Dr. Emanuela Maggioni, founder of Hynt Labs, to explore how wearable data is being transformed into real-time sensory interventions tech for better sleep. Dr. Maggioni reveals how Hynt Labs integrates data from Oura, Samsung Watch, and WHOOP to optimize human rest through neuroscience and AI sleep technology with API integrations. This conversation bridges complex deep tech innovation with practical consumer wellness solutions. KEY TOPICS: * Hynt Labs' €3.4M equity and €1.1M grant strategy for global scaling.  * Wearable API integration for personalized interventions * Strategic partnerships with major global corporations About spectup: Neo-investment bank for comapnies raising from institutional investors (family office, VC, private equity) and for GPs raising a new fund and need intros to Limited partners Learn more: www.spectup.com [https://www.spectup.com]

From a $45M Exit to Raising $5M on a Weekend

Raising millions at record speed is often portrayed as luck, but for serial founders, it's a calculated play of leverage, unit economics, and deep-tech infrastructure. In this episode of Deal Makers (& Fakers), Niclas Schlopsna sits down with Kirk to break down the transition from corporate leadership at Mastercard to navigating the Death Valley of fintech startups. Kirk shares his journey of leveraging a $45M exit to bypass the standard fundraising cycle, closing a $5M round in a single weekend. He also shared why he believes your unit economics matter infinitely more than a flashy UI. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: * The $5M Weekend: How to leverage a previous exit to bypass the standard 6-month fundraising grind. * Fintech Economics: Why today's investors are pivoting away from "shiny" apps toward deep-tech infrastructure. * Stealth Mode vs. Hype: When (and why) to keep your billion-dollar ideas quiet to protect your competitive advantage. * Corporate to Founder: The raw reality of moving from a C-suite office to the startup trenches. If you're a founder building in fintech, navigating regulatory compliance, or trying to master the art of the fast raise, this episode reveals the strategic blueprint behind the capital. WHO IS KIRK DONOHOE? Kirk is a serial entrepreneur and former Mastercard executive with a track record of high-stakes exits. He is currently focused on Grand, solving the deep-seated inefficiencies in global financial infrastructure. He previously founded WhenThen (acquired by Mangopay) and held leadership roles at Mastercard. He is a veteran of the fintech space, specializing in global payment infrastructure. WHO SHOULD LISTEN? * Fintech founders looking to scale beyond the "app" layer. * Serial entrepreneurs planning their next big exit. * Investors tracking the shift from B2C to B2B infrastructure. Visit spectup.com for more insights on fundraising strategy and startup growth.

He raised $400M for Biotech, an MIT PhD and a secret to Roche deal

🚀 EPISODE 8: ARMON SHAREI Founder of Portal Bio and Former CEO of SQZ Biotech ---------------------------------------- THE EPISODE What happens after a biotech startup goes public and raises $400M in venture capital? In this episode, Niclas Schlopsna sits down with Armon Sharei to discuss scaling cell therapy, closing billion-dollar pharma deals, and building back from failure. From MIT PhD under Robert Langer to leading a publicly traded company and navigating the "biotech nuclear winter," Armon shares the unfiltered reality behind the headlines—including the death spiral that led to his next venture, Portal Bio. ---------------------------------------- WHAT YOU'LL LEARN * How to raise a Seed Round with no track record * The secret to closing partnerships with Big Pharma (Roche & Pfizer) * Why public markets might be better than private equity for biotech * Red flags in venture capital investors * The future of cell therapy and global healthcare innovation ---------------------------------------- WHO IS ARMON SHAREI? Founder of Portal Bio and former CEO of SQZ Biotech. PhD from MIT. Recognized by Scientific American as one of the "10 World Changing Ideas" for his work in cell therapy. Now focused on making cell therapy accessible worldwide. ---------------------------------------- WHO SHOULD LISTEN? * Deep tech & biotech founders scaling ventures * Entrepreneurs transitioning from scientist to CEO * Investors exploring the future of cell therapy ---------------------------------------- ABOUT THE PODCAST Deal Makers (& Fakers) is a spectup podcast where founders and operators reveal what actually works in fundraising, investor outreach, and building companies, plus the "fakers" moments nobody posts about on LinkedIn. Visit spectup.com [https://spectup.com] for more insights on fundraising strategy and startup growth. 🔔 Subscribe for deep dives with world-class entrepreneurs and investors.

€75 MRR and 3 Customers, and then Figma Pivoted Him to €1.2M.

€75 MRR, 3 paying customers and 15,000 signups going nowhere. Then a startup pivot changed everything. I sat down with Florian, co-founder of Weavely, on the latest episode of Deal Makers (& Fakers). He walked me through the exact mechanics of raising €900K as a four-person team from Brussels and then going on to raise €1.2M total. No warm Silicon Valley network. Just a founder who treated fundraising the way he treated products as a researcher. Methodically. The numbers that forced the pivot: * €75 monthly recurring revenue * 3 paying customers * 15,000 signups, but only 400 monthly actives What happened when Weavely pivoted? 30% of users were using a Figma design tool for forms — nobody asked for it. Florian followed the signal. That wrong usage became the entire company. They pivoted, rebuilt and raised €1.2M total. The capital raising grind: * 60 investor conversations → 15 pitches → 3 angels → 1 VC said yes His investor update secret: Florian sends quarterly updates to EVERY VC he's spoken with — even the ones who said no, especially when the numbers are bad. If you only share wins, investors don't trust you. One VC said the market was too competitive and he had no moat. Florian's response: "You're right. The moat is thin. But this team built a product-led growth engine that works. And we're still here." That closed the deal. The market most founders are overlooking: $700M–$800M in 2026, expected to grow to $1.9B by 2035. AI-native forms and workflows — massive and still early. If you're building in a crowded niche or still trying to educate users instead of listening to them, this episode will change how you think. I'm Niclas, building spectup into a new kind of capital advisory. We connect high-potential companies with the right investors. Reach out → spectup.com [https://spectup.com]