First Principle Thinking

From £0 to Global Deals: Deniz Oz on Law, Power & Business

This episode of First Principle Thinking features Deniz Oz — serial entrepreneur, corporate lawyer, and private equity expert — breaking down how he went from having no money in England to operating at the highest levels of business. He shares how he built businesses from scratch, why law became a strategic tool after a failed partnership, and how real deals happen through trust, relationships, and proximity to the right people. You’ll also learn why Dubai has become one of the most powerful environments for founders today—and what most entrepreneurs get wrong about motivation, discipline, and legal protection. ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction 02:04 Why Deniz chose law (after losing everything) 04:23 Business is built on trust & relationships 08:42 First business at 18 (security industry) 12:31 Attention = the real currency 14:48 Why he moved to Dubai 16:08 How to spot scammers (“Fugazi”) 19:55 Dubai vs the West (opportunities) 33:26 Stop waiting for motivation 36:45 The best deals come from friends 39:52 Discipline over motivation 41:13 Law as leverage in business 41:33 Why founders must secure legal protection early 🚀 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN • Why attention is the most valuable asset today • How to build real, high-level connections • The role of law in protecting and scaling businesses • Why Dubai is attracting top entrepreneurs globally • How to identify bad actors early • Why discipline beats motivation every time 🔑 KEY TOPICS Entrepreneurship, Private Equity, Corporate Law, Networking, Dubai Business, Startups, Discipline, Legal Strategy 📌 ABOUT THE PODCAST First Principle Thinking breaks down how people actually build—from zero to scale—without fluff, just real insights. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE for more episodes on business, startups, and first principles. #Entrepreneurship #Dubai #Startups #Business #PrivateEquity #CorporateLaw #Podcast #FirstPrinciples #Networking #Founder

How Paul Louis Kiesow Built HYTRA from Scratch and Raised €10M from Qatar | First Principle Thinking Ep. 03

In Episode 03 of First Principle Thinking, I sit down with Paul Louis Kiesow, founder and CEO of HYTRA, to talk about how he turned a vision for sustainable hydrogen logistics into a global company backed by €10 million in funding from Qatar. We explore his journey from idea to execution, how he met his co-founder, the challenges of building in deep tech, and what he learned along the way. Paul shares real stories about the early struggles, pivotal moments, and what it takes to scale a company working at the frontier of hydrogen transport. In this episode: * The founding story of HYTRA and its global mission * How Paul met his co-founder and built the founding team * Lessons from early setbacks, funding rounds, and scaling internationally * What €10M from Qatar means for HYTRA’s next steps * Insights for founders building in hard tech and clean energy Paul was recently featured in Forbes for his work with HYTRA and his perspective on the future of hydrogen. 🎧 Watch now and subscribe for more deep conversations about startups, technology, and thinking from first principles.

Food of the Future: yFood, Lab-Grown Meat and Mycelium Meals | First Principle Thinking Ep. 2

In this episode of First Principle Thinking, Kian and Bastian explore what the food of the future might look like, from lab-grown meat by companies like Good Meat to mycelium-based protein grown from fungi and complete meal replacements like yFood that turn nutrition into liquid form. They discuss how cloning technology could redefine farming, how synthetic foods might solve global hunger, and whether these innovations can actually taste good. Meanwhile, Bastian is deep in his keto phase, cutting out all carbs while testing how futuristic foods fit into his diet. This episode blends science, technology, and taste, asking one simple question: Is this the future of what we eat? Listen to First Principle Thinking, where Kian and Bastian break down the world’s biggest ideas using first principles. #FirstPrincipleThinking #FoodOfTheFuture #yFood #GoodMeat #Mycelium #Keto #FutureTech #BioTech

First Principle Thinking: Building from the Ground Up | Episode 1

In this first episode of First Principle Thinking, host Kian Konrad Tajbakhsh and co-host Bastian Volle dive deep into the mindset behind innovation — from OpenAI’s newest features like Pulse to the breakthroughs of Neuralink and SpaceX. They connect these stories to their own journey as founders, sharing how they started, what shocked them most, and how First Principle Thinking shaped their way of building from zero. If you want unfiltered insights on tech, startups, and the mental frameworks behind real progress, this episode sets the foundation for everything to come.