Entrepreneurs

In this episode of Entrepreneurs, the hosts take a sweeping look at what it really means to build a business in late 2025 – in a world where careers, capital and technology are all in flux. They start with the seismic cultural shift happening in the workforce. Drawing on new LinkedIn data, the conversation unpacks why the number of people calling themselves “founder” has exploded – up 69 percent in a single year and nearly tripling since the Great Reshuffle. With almost four in ten U.S. professionals saying they hope to work for themselves as soon as possible, the classic nine-to-five “stability” story is being rewritten. The hosts explore how layoffs, return-to-office battles and economic volatility are pushing people toward self-direction, and how AI tools, global talent and low-cost platforms have quietly lowered the barrier to launching something of your own. From there, the episode dives into the “founder’s blueprint” that separates the dream of entrepreneurship from actually making it work. Through a VC lens of “will and skill,” the hosts explain why investors back people before plans, and why judgment, resilience and storytelling matter more than a perfect deck. You’ll hear the hard-earned lessons of founders like Yossi Strux of Kvation, who rebuilt after a painful failure by surrounding himself with a personal board of mentors instead of trying to go it alone. The conversation then zooms out to the capital environment, where extremes define the market. Gaming startups are enduring a decade-low funding drought even as player spending hits new highs, while deep tech and fintech ventures are still attracting mega-rounds. The hosts spotlight cross-border payments startup Frex, debt administration leader GLAS, and a surge of deep-tech investment in unexpected places like Newfoundland and Labrador, where companies such as Kraken Robotics, CoLab, Spellbook and Sparrow Bioacoustics are drawing global attention. Listeners are also introduced to new models for building ecosystems, from venture studios like First Founders in Nigeria, which create and fund companies from scratch, to long-running community hubs like CHYE in Brooklyn. You’ll hear how policy and corporate strategy can either turbocharge or stifle founders: India’s expanded “small company” definition that cuts red tape for scaling startups, open-innovation programs like BPCL’s Ankur, Kevin Hart’s Coromino Fund bringing AI training and grants to underserved entrepreneurs, and the unintended consequences of New Zealand’s graduate-earnings metrics that may quietly discourage students from starting businesses. Along the way, the hosts weave in rich case studies across ad tech, media, sustainability, infrastructure and consumer brands – from interactive TV ads and OTT platforms to recycled textiles, EV charging infrastructure and plant-based wellness drinks – all anchored in one recurring theme: resilience. The episode closes on a more personal, reflective note. Using the metaphor of a business as a garment that should be neither too small nor too large, the hosts challenge you to ask whether your venture serves your purpose, or whether the chase for scale is starting to consume you. In an age of unprecedented entrepreneurial opportunity and pressure, this is a grounded, honest guide to deciding not just how to build, but how to build without losing yourself.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/entrepreneurs--6819468/support.