EPISODE · Mar 25, 2026 · 33 MIN
#36 - Tarmo Virki, Journalist, Comms Pro and Co-Founder of FOMO.Observer: Lessons from 30+ Years In Journalism, Working in The 'Dark Side' and Estonian Startups Update
from Runway
Tarmo Virki has spent decades on both sides of the media divide. He covered technology at Reuters for more than a decade, crossed over into startup communications, and most recently co-founded FOMO.Observer, a newsletter-led publication covering the Estonian startup ecosystem from the inside.In this episode, Mauro sits down with Tarmo to talk about what journalists actually want from a pitch, why visuals should come before the press release, and what's quietly happening in one of Europe's most interesting startup ecosystems.We discuss:📰 How a chance encounter at a lecture in Helsinki in 1996 launched Tarmo's journalism career🎯 Why most startups only have 3-4 genuinely newsworthy moments per year — and how to make them count📸 The story behind PowerUP's €10M Series A photo that got picked up by Sifted as a cover image🌐 What changes when a journalist crosses to the "dark side" of communications✍️ Why a blog beats a €1,000 conference ticket for early-stage founders 🇪🇪 What FOMO.Observer is, why Estonia needed it, and how to pitch them 🔇 Why Estonia's startup scene seems quieter right now, and why that's not a bad sign=================================================================Thanks for listening! For more, follow us on LinkedIn.Runway is a podcast started by Black Unicorn PR co-founders Julija Jegorova and Mauro Battellini to help startup founders, company builders and business leaders with insights, tools and advice from specialists in sales, marketing, PR and more.Black Unicorn PR is a London-based tech PR agency focused on startups, scaleups and VC.For more information visit: https://www.blackunicornpr.com/For even more advice, especially on PR, visit the Black Unicorn PR blog
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Tarmo Virki has spent decades on both sides of the media divide. He covered technology at Reuters for more than a decade, crossed over into startup communications, and most recently co-founded FOMO.Observer, a newsletter-led publication covering the Estonian startup ecosystem from the inside. In this episode, Mauro sits down with Tarmo to talk about what journalists actually want from a pitch, why visuals should come before the press release, and what's quietly happening in one of Europe's mo...
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#36 - Tarmo Virki, Journalist, Comms Pro and Co-Founder of FOMO.Observer: Lessons from 30+ Years In Journalism, Working in The 'Dark Side' and Estonian Startups Update
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