Episode 6: Marija Ilić: Scaling Gaming Startups Globally, TwoDesperados Founder, Startup Mentorship

Ep 9 - Mikhail Chernyshev: Purpose-driven marketing & scaling unicorns

In this episode, we sit down with Mikhail Chernyshev, Global Brand Director at InDrive, the ride-hailing unicorn reshaping emerging markets. Mikhail shares his journey from growing Dodo Pizza into an international franchise to leading brand at VK and now InDrive. We dive into: * How to build purpose-driven marketing that actually converts * What it takes to sell your vision to a CFO and secure brand budgets * Why founders need personal brand marketing—and how to do it right * What growing a global brand from Russia really looked like * Lessons from scaling Dodo Pizza beyond borders * The mindset shift from startup to unicorn Whether you're building a brand, pitching for budget, or figuring out how to grow with purpose — this episode is packed with insight.

Ep 8- Sandra Idjoski: Getting to first 10k users

Co-founder of Collabwriting, Sandra Idjoski shares how are they growing their startup in real-time.  Collabwriting is a Serbian startup founded in 2021 by Sandra Idjoski and Ivan Ralic, boasting over 6,000 weekly active users. Startup offers a browser extension designed to enhance online research and collaboration by allowing users to highlight, comment on, and organize content from the web. Additionally, it features an AI assistant called "Research Copilot" to help locate research papers on various topics. In April 2024, Collabwriting raised €1.1 million in a seed funding round led by SMOK Ventures, with participation from Underline Ventures, Credo Ventures, Startup Wise Guys, and angel investor Xenia Muntean from Planable. They also received a €300,000 grant from the World Bank-backed Katapult Accelerator.

Vukasin Vukosavljevic: From Consultant to CMO at HeyReach & Scaling Lemlist to $13.5M ARR

In this episode, Vukasin, shares his extensive experience in growth marketing, particularly his journey with Lemlist, where he was the first hire and played a crucial role in scaling the company to $13.5 million in ARR. He also touches on his most recent transition from growth consultant to CMO at HeyReach, highlighting the evolution of outbound marketing strategies. He discusses the importance of community, customer feedback, collaboration between marketing, sales, and customer support and organic growth strategies in building a successful brand.  Takeaways * Growth marketing is directly tied to revenue KPIs. * Brand building starts from day one, even in early stages. * Customer support plays a vital role in brand perception. * Community feedback is essential for product development. * Organic growth strategies can outperform paid advertising. * Content distribution is key to user acquisition. * Building a lean marketing team allows for flexibility and efficiency. * Inbound marketing is generally more effective than outbound due to lower effort in lead conversion. * Understanding your unique value proposition is crucial for effective marketing. * Founders who understand marketing can significantly impact their startup's growth. Chapters 00:00 Understanding Growth Marketing 07:09 The Lemlist Journey 19:27 Community as a Growth Engine 28:40 Transitioning to New Ventures 30:49 The Evolution of Lead Generation Tools 32:15 Transitioning to CMO at HeyReach 37:05 Building a Lean Marketing Team 38:52 Inbound vs. Outbound: The Lead Generation Debate 44:31 The Importance of Founders in Marketing 48:43 Mentorship and Growth: Learning from Experience 53:19 Key Strategies for Startup Growth 57:25 Trends in B2B Marketing 01:01:43 Rapid Fire Questions: Quick Insights

Episode 6: Marija Ilić: Scaling Gaming Startups Globally, TwoDesperados Founder, Startup Mentorship

In this episode, we have one of the most prominent executives, founders, and advisor in the gaming industry - Marija Ilic. She is a mentor at Google for Startups Accelerator, previously co-founded TwoDesperadors gaming company, and President of the board at the Serbian Gaming Association. She discusses the challenges of product development in gaming, the 60-30-10 rule for game design and explains the significance of creating a vertical slice for testing. She delves into the complexities of self-publishing in the gaming industry, the importance of user retention and analytics, and the value of user feedback in improving game design. Finally, she discusses the important role of mentorship in supporting founder and startup growth.  Takeaways - The 60-30-10 rule for game development. - Creating a vertical slice is essential for testing. - Emotional detachment is important as a founder for decision-making. - Understanding user behavior is key in gaming. - User retention is crucial for the success of a game. - User feedback is essential for understanding player behavior. - The first indicator of a founder's potential is their coachability. - Failing fast is better than seeking textbook answers. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Maria Ilic and Her Journey 03:01 Transition from Service-Based to Product-Based Business 06:05 The Challenges of Game Development 09:07 The Importance of Metrics in Gaming 12:08 Going All In: The Decision to Focus on Gaming 14:58 The 60-30-10 Rule in Game Development 17:57 Building a Vertical Slice for Game Testing 21:03 Self-Publishing in the Gaming Industry 28:54 Going to Market: The Self-Publishing Journey 34:16 Understanding User Retention and Analytics 42:13 The Importance of User Feedback 44:34 Advising Founders: Insights from Experience 51:24 Rapid Fire: Key Decisions in Entrepreneurship

Ep 5: Raiffeisen Bank & PandaDoc - Building Products People Want, Customer Retention & Loyalty

In this episode, we hosted Kseniya Strelnikova, Product Director at Raiffeisen Bank, who went from being a teacher to one of the best product experts in fintech. We discussed how to build products people actually need and how to use customer loyalty to grow revenues. Ksenia discusses the challenges faced in a regulated environment, strategies for global expansion, and the critical nature of customer retention as a growth driver. Together we dig into effective loyalty programs (hint, these are not what you expect) for reducing customer acquisition costs and enhancing customer retention. Furthermore, we explore the importance of customer support in product development and the need for deep customer understanding. Takeaways - Product managers must connect the vision of founders, investors, and customers. - Understanding customer needs is crucial for product success. - In regulated environments, creativity and adaptability are key to overcoming challenges. - Customer retention is more cost-effective than acquiring new customers. - Loyalty programs can drastically reduce customer acquisition costs. - Retention metrics should focus on active users, not just logged-in users. - Customer support teams provide invaluable insights for product development. - Segmentation of customers is key to understanding their needs. Sound Bites "You have to know your customer really, really well." "You should never describe your product." "You have to be very thorough with the market research." "The cost of acquiring a new customer is so high." "You need to have a very strong brand offering." "Retention is number one." "Customer support is the voice of the market." Chapters 00:00 Identifying a Good Product 00:52 The Journey from Teaching to Product Management 03:01 The Role of a Product Manager 06:02 Understanding Customer Needs 08:55 Building a Successful Product 12:01 Navigating Challenges in FinTech 15:02 Mindset in a Regulated Environment 17:46 Prioritizing Product Features 21:00 Effective Customer Conversations 23:59 Global Expansion Strategies 26:51 Customer Retention as a Growth Driver 31:23 Understanding Customer Acquisition Costs 34:19 Building Effective Loyalty Programs 36:51 The Importance of Brand Trust 39:57 Merchandising as a Brand Strategy 43:27 Measuring Retention and Success 49:38 Increasing Revenue Without New Customers 55:46 The Role of Customer Support in Product Development