E655 | Dave Bailey, FounderCoach.com: From Founder to Coach - Competence, Curiosity & Scaling European Tech

Welcome back to the EUVC Podcast — and today, a special Venture Beyond edition.Joining Mike Reiner of 432 Legacy and Andreas is Dave Bailey — one of Europe’s most in-demand founder coaches, the brain behind FounderCoach.com, and a voice shaping how CEOs grow into their role.Dave’s journey has been anything but linear: from co-founding startups like Delivery Hero, to a stint in venture capital, to now coaching Europe’s most ambitious CEOs. Along the way, he’s built a results-driven coaching methodology that balances competence, curiosity, and conviction.If you’re a founder, VC, or operator wrestling with scaling leadership, navigating founder psychology, or turning board meetings into actual strategic levers — this episode is for you.Here’s what’s covered:01:10 | From Delivery Hero to VC to founder coach: Dave’s unorthodox path05:00 | Why competence always comes before confidence09:15 | The five pillars of Dave’s coaching methodology13:40 | Founder Mode: planning and executing with quarterly rhythm18:25 | Why visual clarity often beats verbal reflection22:10 | The hidden link between trauma, ego, and founder drive27:45 | Product launches as a culture-shaping mechanism32:30 | How to transform board meetings into true strategic accelerators38:50 | The founder’s mindset: obsessive curiosity + conviction