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Reading List for Entrepreneurs W45 – Selected

I share many articles with the team, almost on a daily basis. One of the upsides of being a conference organizer is that you’re getting paid to monitor an industry and identify the trends before they make the headlines.

Now, I’m not getting paid to do that anymore, but I’ve kept the practice. The scope has changed, as I’m now reading a lot about paid newsletters or remote work. I.e., Things that can be relevant for anyone running a business.

Books

I just got Jen Schradie’s book to prepare our upcoming Selected Salon. You can apply to get invited to our first member-only event here: lu.ma/salon-1

The Revolution That Wasn’t — Jen Schradie
In this counterintuitive study of digital democracy, Jen Schradie shows how the web has become another weapon in the arsenal of the powerful, and a potent weapon for conservative activists. Rather than leveling the playing field, the internet has tilted it in favor of the Right, where only the most …
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Jen is a sociologist and assistant professor at the Observatoire Sociologique du Changement at SciencesPo in Paris. In her last book, The Revolution That Wasn’t: How Digital Activism Favors Conservatives, she dives into how North Carolina’s workers right advocates paved the way to a conservative shift in the 2010’s elections.

While social media is supposed to level the playing field to the benefit of democratic organizations, it’s proving to be more efficient for those already in position of power, with the means and resources to broadcast their message to fragmented audiences.

Strategy

I recently wrote about no-code and the creator tools that we used to build Selected by Sesamers. I found this article to be particularly relevant as it analyzes how a growing number of makers and content creators build media businesses in 2020.

In a nutshell, every single creator is now in a position to establish a movement around her work. These hyperniche communities become more valuable than the content itself and constitutes subcultures that established companies can’t replicate.

Marketing

In this interview with Jaleh Rezaei, CEO and co-founder of Mutiny, and a former Head of Marketing at Gusto, you will learn why speed & prioritization are the ying and yang of marketing.

I’m always an advocate of “done is better than perfect” and I believe that it’s even more the case with marketing. Conveying your story to the right audience is timely. Sometimes it’s a matter of hours for a campaign to become irrelevant to the cultural context.

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Credit: First Round Review

Our good friend Bjørn Lapakko was the lead organizer of Startup Extreme, the annual gathering of the Norwegian startup ecosystem in Voss. In this article, he shares his learnings organizing a hybrid event that usually relies on extreme sports and face to face interactions.

His team created a bunch of innovative formats that triggered engagement beyond the wildest dreams of most virtual events, with over 1000+ hours of videos consumed over the course of two days. The main takeaway is clear: creativity pays off.

Management

We started to experiment with flex hours after 2 months of working from home. It means that we are all on deck from 10am to 3pm. And I can confirm that “burstiness” works very well for a small teams like ours. It involves agreeing on some work routines that allow everyone to respond to messages fast and have short and intense periods of communication.

Business

I got a paid membership to Trends.vc recently. It’s a great resource of knowledge and business insights. You can get the free report delivered in your inbox every Sunday.

In the last report, you will learn more about the rise of micro private equity. Instead of launching new companies or investing your cash into risky businesses, why don’t you just buy them? Profitable organizations can generate more returns and scale faster than startups on average. Old business is sexy again.

Science

A team from Caltech managed to solve Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) using Deep Learning. I’m not an expert but even MC Hammer tweeted about it!

These equations are extremely hard to solve and training a neural network to handle them has many implications, such as a better modeling of climate change.

Tweet of the Week

I couldn’t avoid replying to Naval Ravikant over Twitter. I studied social science, so I’m biased. Social scientists aren’t like astrophysicists, ok. But without their work, how would we understand the society we live in?


That’s all for this week. Please reach out if you’re reading something cool that I should check for next week’s reading list.

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Unlike other tech conferences, IFA Next maintains laser focus on technologies that will directly impact how people live, work, and interact with their environments. The Dream Stage is also where Europe’s next consumer tech unicorns are spotted far before they take flight. The finale of this year’s IFA Next Pitch Battle 2025: Breakthrough Battle saw founders presenting concepts to investors, media, and industry experts, competing for visibility, investment, and growth opportunities. Complementing the Dream Stage was the IFA Lab, an interactive testing ground where exhibitors, investors and industry  professionals collaborate to bring innovations from prototype to store shelves. The Lab is where Europe’s startups refined their ideas, engaged with industry experts, and pushed new technologies from concept to market reality. Hall H25: Europe’s consumer tech capital Hall H25 was home to what has become Europe’s largest dedicated consumer technology startup space. Beyond the sheer numbers, the hall is an indicator of how mature Europe’s hardware ecosystem has become. IFA Next specifically champions hardware solutions that people can touch, use and integrate into their daily lives. The diversity and ambition on display were remarkable. Both European and international startups presented solutions spanning healthcare, sustainable products, and cutting-edge tech for everyday use.  What stood out Addressing a critical gap in healthcare technology that affects families across the world, Coro, which won an IFA Innovation Award, accurately measures milk supply in real-time during breastfeeding. This is exactly the kind of practical, user-oriented innovation that defines IFA Next’s positioning. LeydenJar Technologies‘ groundbreaking battery technology deserves special mention for fundamentally rethinking energy storage for everyday devices. This startup is tackling what will arguably be one of the biggest challenges for consumer electronics as AI-powered devices become ubiquitous in European homes: more energy storage while keeping the dimensions small. Dtablet’s medication management solutions address  healthcare challenges that affect millions of European families. Their focus on reducing dosing uncertainty represents the practical, user-centered approach that characterizes Europe’s tech startups. Paptic’s bio-based, recyclable packaging materials are made from renewable wood fibers, a distinctly European approach to sustainable products. The startup won multiple awards, demonstrating how European startups are leading global sustainability trends. Unframe showcased immersive applications combining virtual reality and artificial intelligence, a bellwether of  next-generation digital experiences. The startup’s user-centric approach to VR and AI reflects its emphasis on practical applications over pure technological spectacle. Broadcasting innovation: IFA’s Twitch strategy One of the most forward-thinking aspects of IFA 2025 was the creation of dedicated Twitch live rooms for presenting products and news in real-time. Modern users expect interactive, accessible content about the products that will impact their lives, so this integration of live streaming represents a crucial evolution in how innovations reach their intended audiences. Sessions like “Retro Tech Rewind” with IFA CEO Leif Lindner were specifically designed for Twitch, demonstrating IFA Next’s commitment to making innovation accessible beyond the convention floor. This approach to content delivery could set new standards for how European startups engage with their markets. Europe’s consumer tech ecosystem at scale What makes IFA Next compelling is its comprehensive approach to nurturing consumer-focused innovation. It’s not just about displaying finished products; the focus here is on creating an environment where startups can connect with VCs, retail partners, buyers, and over 4,500 journalists. This ecosystem brings together everything from AI-powered home devices, smartphones, laptops and sustainable products to smart health solutions and wearable technology. With dedicated spaces for both demonstrations and retail networking, IFA Next bridged the gap between cutting-edge research and retail opportunities, a critical pathway for European hardware startups. While cities like London, Berlin, and Amsterdam host numerous tech conferences, none of those events match IFA Next’s specific focus on hardware innovation or its ability to connect startups directly with the global consumer electronics retail ecosystem. Samsung’s strong AI focus Samsung has put in a lot of time and effort into comprehensively integrating AI across its consumer product ecosystem. 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The combination of established electronics giants setting innovation benchmarks, ambitious startups developing market-ready solutions, and innovative presentation formats showed that IFA Next has become more than Europe’s largest consumer tech startup showcase: It’s evolved into an essential preview of European technology leadership. For anyone interested in understanding where European consumer technology innovation is heading, IFA Next represents the definitive annual checkpoint. The innovations showcased here by European and international startups will likely be the everyday products of tomorrow, and Europe’s leadership in making that transformation happen is becoming undeniably clear. As Europe’s premier consumer tech startup showcase, IFA Next

Electric vehicle charging and sustainable mobility technology representing LIZY's circular electric leasing approach
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Startups don't have infinite budgets and resources are tight. Spend has to be justified, and tens of thousands on sponsorship need more than vibe.

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