The Recursive Podcast

Csongor Biás is the Managing Director of Startup Hungary, an initiative dedicated to accelerating the growth of Hungary's startup ecosystem. With extensive experience in the startup scene, he is an active angel investor and has worked with venture capital firms and accelerators. Csongor also played a key role as Country Manager in launching Vacuumlabs’ operations in Budapest. Now, alongside 12 startup founders, Csongor focuses on strengthening Hungary’s entrepreneurial landscape. In his conversation with Irina Obushtarova, he talks about: * Hungarian startup ecosystem and its opportunities and challenges; * the importance of telling the success stories; * funding and the effect of the political climate; Timestamps 0:00 Trailer 1:52 The development of the Hungarian startup ecosystem7:53 Startup Hungary’s mission15:44 Challenges that founders encounter in Hungary21:42 How to measure success31:30 Funding and finding the right investors37:05 Investing in early stage startups 42:30 Strengthening the ecosystem

Ivett Angyal brings experience from multiple industries. Currently, as Operations Lead for EDIHs at EIT Digital, she supports digital innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe by managing key processes, reporting KPIs, and ensuring impactful results. In 2018, Ivett co-founded and served as a CEO of a tech startup, a marketplace for pre-loved products. In her conversation with Irina Obushtarova, she talks about: * career transition and social reactions; * overcoming intimidation and self-confidence; * personal development and gratitude. Timestamps 0:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXP1R07IV3g&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=5] Trailer 1:28 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXP1R07IV3g&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=5&t=88s] The function of European Digital Innovation Hubs14:11 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXP1R07IV3g&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=5&t=851s] The challenges of digital transformation for SMEs15:58 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXP1R07IV3g&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=5&t=958s] The success stories of the initiative 16:52 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXP1R07IV3g&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=5&t=1012s] Growing up in entrepreneurial family and starting a venture19:52 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXP1R07IV3g&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=5&t=1192s] Sustainability and consumers23:53 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXP1R07IV3g&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=5&t=1433s] Lessons learned: failure and success43:40 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXP1R07IV3g&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=5&t=2620s] Shifting priorities and prospects

In this episode of The Recursive Podcast, visionary entrepreneur Sergiu Negut shares his journey and insights on business growth, international markets, and fundraising. As the co-founder of FintechOS, one of the region's fastest-growing companies, Sergiu brings a wealth of experience, including raising a $60M Series B+ round this year. Beyond leading a tech company, he is an angel investor, founding partner at the healthcare-focused Cleverage VC, Board Member of Romanian Business Leaders and a professor of entrepreneurship at the Bucharest International School of Management. Together with Irina Obushtarova, they explore: * Why Central and Eastern Europe needs to unite as a region. * Strategies for creating more success stories and driving systemic change in the region. * The intersection of tech entrepreneurship and politics. Tune in for an inspiring deep dive into Eastern Europe’s entrepreneurial pulse! Timestamps 00:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmutEFQ0Pk&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=6] Trailer 2:01 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmutEFQ0Pk&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=6&t=121s] Intro 4:45 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmutEFQ0Pk&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=6&t=285s] Why CEE needs to stand together at a region 9:25 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmutEFQ0Pk&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=6&t=565s] The halo effect of UiPath 13:45 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmutEFQ0Pk&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=6&t=825s] How to create more success stories and systemic change 19:18 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmutEFQ0Pk&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=6&t=1158s] Is there a place for tech entrepreneurs in politics? 23:07 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmutEFQ0Pk&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=6&t=1387s] The American dream leaves in Eastern Europe 27:45 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmutEFQ0Pk&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=6&t=1665s] Why Sergiu Negut decided to go into entrepreneurship and his experience of living abroad 40:51 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmutEFQ0Pk&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=6&t=2451s] What does failure look like? 56:17 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmutEFQ0Pk&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=6&t=3377s] How does Sergiu deal with wearing more hats? 1:11:19 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmutEFQ0Pk&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=6&t=4279s] Next things in Sergiu’s career 1:23:46 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmutEFQ0Pk&list=PLc_KQCnirJ_gyJUCRZhrIVJEgB7cfFGUf&index=6&t=5026s] Outro

In this episode of The Recursive Podcast, Mihnea Craciun shares his expertise and journey from media to banking, investing, and entrepreneurship, offering a comprehensive view of Romania’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Together with Elena Vrabie, they explore: * The evolution of Romanian entrepreneurship: challenges, opportunities, and the unique profile of local founders. * The role of global networks and Endeavor Romania in fostering high-impact entrepreneurs. * Strategies to attract foreign capital and strengthen connections between Romania’s diaspora and local ecosystems. * Predictions for the future of entrepreneurship in Romania and the broader CEE region. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the factors shaping Romania’s entrepreneurial landscape!Timestamps00:00 Trailer 1:36 Intro 3:01 Mihnea’s experience with entrepreneurship and the theory of the lobster13:34 Why was Romania slow to move into entrepreneurship? 18:14 The profile of the Romanian entrepreneur20:21 The “sexy” part about entrepreneurship 26:12 The story of Endeavor Romania 40:07 Strategies to attract more foreign capital in Romania 47:00 How to build bridges between diaspora and local ecosystems? 50:25 Increased collaboration in CEE 53:07 How will entrepreneurship look in the future 59:09 Outro

György Simo is a Managing Partner at Day One Capital Fund. He began his career as a journalist before joining the Magyar Telekom Group, where he played a key role in launching [origo], Hungary’s leading internet portal. In 2003, György became the CEO of T-Online Hungary and took on executive roles at Magyar Telekom, overseeing media acquisitions, growth initiatives in media, e-commerce, and data services. He also founded the company’s innovation hub, Kitchen Budapest. In his conversation with Irina Obushtarova, he talks about: * media and misinformation; * the US elections and their impact on Europe; * the economic models we need to adopt; Timestamps0:00 Trailer 5:31 Alternative journalism and mainstream media23:18 Media, identity and community36:10 Trump’s presidency affecting the CEE tech ecosystem46:40 Data is the center of everything1:15:35 Startup founders and problem solving1:30:18 The future solutions______________Follow György and Day One Capital:https://www.linkedin.com/in/gyorgysimo/https://www.dayonecapital.com/Follow The Recursive Team! https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recursive/Irina Obushtarova! https://www.linkedin.com/in/irina-obushtarova/ If you would like to find out more about these topics…CHECK OUT 🟣 https://therecursive.com/ OR SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTERS 🟣 https://join.therecursive.com/signup🎆Get our 2024 AI report!🎆 https://therecursive.com/future-of-ai-in-cee-market-report/