Upside #35 - Spring Non-Statement, Project EurHope, Power of Brand

🎙️ Upside: The Real Stories Behind European Venture🎧 In This EpisodeJoin Dan, Lomax, and Mads, with special guest Alex Macdonald (founder of Sequel and investor), for an opinion-packed episode exploring:🔦 Project Europe: Can It Save European Founders?Alex shares his insider take as an LP in Project Europe — why he committed in 11 minutes, what makes it different, and how it's supporting founders before they become credentialed.A passionate discussion around access, age, credentials, and whether early-stage capital is the bottleneck (spoiler: it isn’t).Addressing the diversity backlash: Is it fair or misguided?The million-euro question: How do we keep the next Revolut or Stripe in Europe?💊 23andMe’s Collapse: The Business Model That Wasn’tWhat went wrong with one of the most high-potential datasets in history?Can health tech ever monetize patient data responsibly — and is “collecting data” a real strategy?🧬 Data, DNA & Deletion RegretDan and Alex reflect on being early 23andMe users, deleting their data, and what happens when personal info is hacked.Plus: A warning for startups assuming data is always monetisable.📉 Spring Statement Reactions: A Missed Moment for Growth?Rachel Reeves delivers... not much.The group unpacks why cutting towards breakeven might not be the answer, and why we need fiscal stimulus, not fiddling.Why “holding patterns” in policy could hurt more than they help.🤖 AI Corner: DeepSeek vs. Gemini vs. ReveOpenAI’s rumoured $40B raise (led by SoftBank)DeepSeek’s new V3: small model, big resultsGemini finally feels usable — is Google back in the race?Reve: The MidJourney killer?Plus: The growing copyright vs. innovation battle in training data.🚨 Startup Scandals & Fraud WatchBuilder.ai’s CEO steps down amid audit concerns11X under fire: Churn, fake logos, inflated ARR — or just messy scaling?Where’s the line between "founder storytelling" and straight-up Theranos?Dan dubs it: “The Orange Jumpsuit List” (aka Forbes 30 Under 30)🇺🇸 US Brand Damage: Does It Matter in Europe?From Trump to Tesla, has America’s “brand” hit long-term trouble?Emotional vs. structural consequencesWhat defence tech buyers and governments are really worried aboutShould Europe decouple — and can it?💥 Deal of the WeekMarvel Fusion (Germany) raises €112M Series B/C for nuclear fusion techA rare bright spot for European deep tech growth capital📌 Highlights“Europe doesn't lack founders. It lacks belief.” — Alex Macdonald“23andMe had 15 million people's DNA and still couldn’t build a business.” — Lomax“Rachel Reeves is doing the startup equivalent of multiple shallow layoffs.” — Dan“Failure is a feature, not a bug. Let a thousand flowers bloom.” — Mads“Consumers might forget. Governments won’t.” — Lomax on US brand damage“Where is the money? Still a good question.” — All02:04 – Europe’s Biggest Company Is… SAP?03:25 – 23andMe Files for Bankruptcy07:33 – Project Europe Deep Dive25:08 – Spring Statement Reactions34:29 – AI Corner - deep seek, Gemini and Reve42:15 – Startup Scandals48:52 – Brand Damage58:52 – Deal of the Week