Start to Scale
67 episodes listed below
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Showcasing the vibrant Dutch entrepreneurial ecosystem - and our journey to support the startup and scale-up founders responsible. Hosted by Lars Crama, edited by Lisette Braakenburg.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Founder stories become clear operating lessons about fundraising, profitability, scaling infrastructure and knowing when leadership needs to change.
"Start to scale. Startup and Scale-up Founder Stories." turns founder interviews into practical examinations of how companies secure capital, build workable economics and grow through uncertainty.
A brick factory's mouthpiece becomes your unexpected lesson in scaling oyster reefs.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A founder story where sustainability, scaling, and parenthood all pull on the same thread.
The conversation presents Josephine Groot as a co-founder and CEO whose route from national boxing champion to scale-up builder gives Qlayers a practical, grounded edge.
Hands-free charging becomes a founder story about timing, capital, and building across continents.
Hands-free charging is framed as a founder story about timing as much as technology: which niche can survive long enough for the market to catch up.
A founder profile about Bitcoin, BlockRise, and the challenge of balancing innovation with proof.
Jos's path comes through with clarity: he registered his first business at 15, got involved in Bitcoin in 2013, studied cryptocurrency, and built BlockRise around crypto asset management with a promise of giving clients complete control over digital assets.
A startup comeback story that treats bankruptcy as a chapter, not an ending.
Joeri Schoemaker’s Peter Pott story reads as a founder comeback built on real business stakes, moving from growth to acquisition, bankruptcy, and a restart funded through crowdfunding.
A practical look at making circular sneaker retail work commercially.
Wear co-founder Pim Roggeveen gives the conversation a clear business spine, following how a refurbished sneaker platform is trying to make circular fashion both commercial and scalable.
A founder story about mushroom-based coffins, company-building, and a 2 million crowdfunding step.
Bob Hendricks' story presents Loop Biotech as a founder interview set against a difficult market, where mushroom-based coffins turn an unusual idea into a working business.
A founder story about UMob, with Dutch mobility, fundraising, and practical networking advice in focus.
Bibi Jorissen's path from General Motors and Greenwheels into UMob gives the episode its center. It is a founder story, but the business details matter too: UMob's push to bring the three eMoped operators in the Netherlands onto one platform, and the more than $8 million it…
A cargo-bike founder story that treats mobility and financing as one practical challenge.
Urban mobility is treated as a startup problem with hard logistics underneath it. Suren Arakelyan, founder and CEO of Buckme, is presented as building the first company globally to offer a free-floating shared cargo bike service, and the setting near Rotterdam Airport fits the…
Rob Walling on bootstrapped SaaS growth, plateaus, and exits — with founders who lived them.
Abbey Ashley's playbook for turning your job skills into a virtual assistant business.
Naval Ravikant on epistemology, startups, and crypto, from David Deutsch to Vitalik Buterin.
Alex Theuma interviews SaaS founders and investors on scaling to $10M-plus ARR.
Guy Raz traces founders' origin stories and fields live advice-line calls from entrepreneurs.
Alex Blumberg interviews guests like Megan Phelps-Roper and Shane McAnally about failure and reinvention.
Koen, co-founder of PolarSteps, shares his journey from early web projects to building a travel app with 10 million users, discussing growth strategies, fundraising challenges, and his personal burnout during COVID.
The staffing story starts with accounting.
Joost Wouters, founder of The Seaweed Company, shares his journey from corporate life to pioneering sustainable seaweed farming.
Suren Arakelyan, founder and CEO of Buckme, says his company is the first globally to offer a free-floating shared cargo bike service, and he frames the episode around urban mobility, bootstrapping, and venture capital.
Niels Verweij, founder of Deckbed Discounter, shares his journey from a risky €1.4 million TV ad deal to achieving 3,800% growth in four years.
Bob Hendrikx, founder of Loop Biotech, discusses creating the world's first living coffin from mycelium, his journey from design to entrepreneurship, and scaling the business with recent crowdfunding.
In this special Philips Innovation Award episode, Hauke Blij shares how Respire uses bioreceptive concrete to grow moss on buildings, making cities greener.
Key insight from segment 5
Plants Technologies co-founder Berend de Klerk says the company is using ultrasonics to measure what is happening inside crops and turn that data into information for growers.
In this special season finale, hosts Lars and Lisette reflect on Rotterdam's startup ecosystem growth, revealing a 280% increase in market value.
Kiki Lauwers, CEO of nuclear energy startup Thorizon, discusses her journey from corporate roles to leading a deep-tech company that builds molten salt reactors to reuse nuclear waste.
Joeri Schoemaker, founder of packaging-free online supermarket Peter Pott, discusses the company's journey from rapid growth and €12.5 million in funding to bankruptcy and rebirth in 2024.
George Birch, founder of Oyster Heaven, discusses his journey from asset management to oyster reef restoration, explaining how he makes marine regeneration profitable through scalable solutions like clay bricks and ecosystem services trading.
Matthijs Slee, CEO of Better Life Systems, discusses his journey from Shell to leading a cleantech scale-up with breakthrough electrolyzer technology.
Marsha Goei says Breeze is the world's first offline dating app, and that users pay €7.50 per date, including the first drink and the organization.
Jos La Zet traces a line from starting his first business at 15 to Bitcoin and then to BlockRise.
Lars Kramer starts with a simple rainstorm test: does an umbrella actually work?
Start to Scale opens a new season with episode 54.
Key insight from segment 5
Koen Burgers, CEO of SolarDuck, discusses his journey from Damen Shipyards to founding an offshore floating solar company, covering technology innovation, funding challenges, and scaling the business.
Marjolein van Tilburg, founder of ChatLicense, shares her journey from lawyer to tech entrepreneur, focusing on creating safe digital habits for kids.
Lindy Hansen discusses building Peel Pioneers into Europe's largest citrus peel processor, sharing insights on profitable bio-based business models, securing 10 million euros in funding during COVID-19, and her role in accelerating circular startups through the Circular Factory program.
Krijn Bouman, CEO of Roxys, discusses his journey from founding Epion to building autonomous EV charging solutions.
Pim Roggeveen, co-founder of Wear, joins the show to talk about refurbished sneakers, the move from service to product, and the push for sustainable fashion to reach a wider audience.
Lars Kramer sits down with Martha Sjogren, co-founder and co-CEO of Pebble, to talk about a company trying to make carbon-heavy construction part of the climate solution.
Wang Long Li, founder and CEO of Tinybots, explains how Tessa helps people with dementia become more independent through verbal guidance and daily self-care support.
Lucas Janssen, founder and CEO of CEAD, discusses the journey of scaling a large-scale 3D printing company, including achieving product market fit, securing EU grants, and navigating international markets.
Josefien Groot shares her journey from national boxing champion to CEO of Qlayers, a scale-up using robotic coating for energy efficiency.