The Global Nutcracker

What works with one team can fail completely in another country. Mihaela Lemeni from 3Pillar Global joins The Global Nutcracker to talk about the real side of international growth: managing people across cultures. She shares why direct feedback works in some places, damages trust in others, and why global managers need adaptability more than authority. A practical conversation on leadership, culture, and scaling globally.

Building a global team is not just about hiring talent across borders. Susanne Drews, founder of Champ AI, shares what really happens behind the scenes — the pressure of middle management, the struggle to build culture remotely, and the importance of real human connection in distributed teams. From communication breakdowns to cultural differences, this episode explores what it takes to make remote teams actually work. A practical and honest conversation for founders scaling internationally.

Everyone talks about hiring the best talent. But what if the best candidate… isn’t the right one? In this episode of The Global Nutcracker, Rosane Marques (ITR Tech Group) shares a perspective most founders avoid: Sometimes the right decision is not hiring someone - even when they’re technically brilliant. From building a company from scratch to scaling across borders, this conversation goes beyond AI and tools - and dives into what actually makes teams work. We talk about: - Why great CVs can still lead to bad hires - The real reason people leave companies - Why soft skills matter more than ever - How to balance AI with human judgement A raw, honest take on hiring, culture, and the decisions that don’t show up in dashboards. 🎧 Watch the full episode now.

In this episode of The Global Nutcracker, we sit down with Daniel Victorino, co-founder of Galaxies, a Brazilian technology company that is redefining market research. Using advanced "synthetic personas," Galaxies helps enterprise giants like Nestle and Spotify predict consumer behaviour before it even happens. But expanding a high-tech startup from Brazil to global markets like the US, Europe, and China isn't just about code. Daniel reveals why the true "climax" of scaling a business isn't a product launch, but the high-stakes battle for talent in a hyper-competitive AI landscape where companies are constantly trying to poach the best minds.

Scaling a company is not just about strategy or funding. According to Revolut, it starts with talent density. In this episode of The Global Nutcracker, Skerdi Sino, CMO at Native Teams, speaks with Andrei Oprisor, Head of People at Revolut, about the philosophy behind building high-performance teams. We discuss how Revolut created an internal framework based on goals, skills and values, how they maintained culture while expanding globally, and why strong teams are the real engine behind fast-growing companies. Andrei also explains how Revolut People evolved from an internal system into a product designed to help other companies build meritocratic and performance-driven cultures. A conversation about scaling teams, managing global organisations, and building companies that actually perform.

Open LinkedIn today and you will probably see the same thing: - Automated messages.- AI-generated outreach.- “Personalised” sales pitches that clearly aren’t. In this episode of The Global Nutcracker, Skerdi sits down with Linus Kruselok from KB Consultancy to discuss what is actually happening in modern sales and hiring. Linus shares why the explosion of AI outreach is creating more noise than opportunity - and why the people who focus on real conversations and human connection are starting to stand out again. They also dive into: • Why hiring is still the most important process in any company • The reality of building remote-first teams across different countries • Why culture becomes harder as companies grow remotely • Why cold calling is still one of the most efficient ways to close deals • How startups should think about scaling systems before scaling people A conversation about hiring, automation, sales, and why human connection might become the most valuable skill in an AI-driven world.

Sama operates across Kenya, Uganda, North America and beyond — but according to CEO Wendy Gonzalez, scaling globally isn’t about infrastructure first. It’s about people. In this episode, we explore: – Why financial independence beats traditional aid – How East Africa became a digital-first AI talent hub – The complexity of managing culture across continents – Why repetition and clarity are leadership superpowers – And why “meeting people where they are” is the real key to change A candid conversation about mission, culture, AI adoption, and what it truly means to build a global company with purpose.

In this new episode of The Global Nutcracker, Skerdi speaks with Dr. Abdalla Kablan, Founder & CEO of Delta Wealth Partners. From AI exits to venture capital, Dr. Kavlan breaks down the uncomfortable truths behind scaling: • Why one person can derail growth • Why systems matter more than hype • Why leverage is the only way to grow • And why we’re “predictably irrational” when making decisions

What does it really take to scale a company across continents? In this episode of The Global Nutcracker, hosted by Skerdi Sino, Sebastian Knorr, CEO of Nordic AI, shares the raw lessons from building an AI company focused on mental health, with teams across Norway, Chile, Mexico, India, Africa, Britain, and Eastern Europe. We discuss: • Why cultural adaptation is non-negotiable • Norwegian directness vs. global business norms • The power of showing up daily and asking for referrals • Why “business happens after human relationship” • Resilience, discipline and persistence • Scaling a mental health festival concept across Europe • And why the ultimate expansion goal might be… the planet 🎙 Watch the full conversation

Scaling a marketplace is not like scaling a traditional business. In this episode, we explore one of the most overlooked challenges marketplace founders face: in a two-sided model, you don’t have just one customer — buyers, sellers, and everyone in between all need to be served. Our guest shares hard-earned lessons from building and scaling a marketplace in the digital infrastructure space, where trust, relationships, and execution matter as much as the platform itself. We also talk about the realities of leading a distributed team, staying connected across markets, and why resilience is often the difference between growth and burnout. If you are a founder, CEO, or operator building a B2B marketplace, this conversation will resonate.

Engineering teams don’t scale the same way they used to. In this episode of The Global Nutcracker, Skerdi Sino speaks with Krishen Naidoo, founder of Gig Engineer, about building and scaling engineering teams through a gig-based model — across countries, regulations, and very different markets. A grounded conversation about execution, real constraints, and what scaling looks like beyond the headlines.

Scaling a company is hard. Scaling across markets is a completely different challenge. In this episode of The Global Nutcracker, we sit down with Mark Fairless, CEO of Clearbank, to talk about what really changes when a business moves from operating in one market to operating across many. From expanding beyond the UK into Europe to building teams in different countries, Mark shares how Clearbank approached international scale in a highly regulated industry — and why culture, operating models, and leadership alignment matter more than most founders expect. In this conversation, we cover: - How to scale from one market to multiple markets - The real challenges of global expansion in regulated industries - Why culture becomes harder — and more important — at scale - How to adapt operating models without losing speed or trust - Hiring across fintech and traditional banking backgrounds - How leaders measure culture as a business metric This episode is for founders, CEOs, and operators navigating international growth — especially in fintech, banking, or complex regulatory environments.

This episode explores how growing companies can scale international teams without creating legal, financial, or compliance risks. The conversation focuses on real-world challenges founders face when hiring across borders, including contractor versus employee classification, operating without local entities, and navigating different labour laws. Listeners will gain practical insights into structuring global teams, avoiding common compliance mistakes, and making smarter decisions when expanding into new countries.

This episode focuses on how founders can scale companies across countries while managing cultural differences, communication styles, and legal complexity. It explores why culture is often harder to scale than processes, how regional differences affect teamwork, and what practical steps leaders can take to build trust and consistency across borders. Listeners will learn how to adapt leadership styles, standardise operations without losing flexibility, and choose the right markets for expansion.

Scaling a business that relies on trust is hard.Scaling it with AI is even harder. In this episode, Dusan Randelovic, Founder of Propwise, explains how they are helping buyers in real estate while expanding across markets like Portugal and Brazil, without losing the human side of the business. A conversation about trust, adoption, local markets, and why automation only works when relationships come first.

Scaling a small team sounds simple—until responsibilities grow, routines break, and bringing someone from the outside becomes harder than expected. In this episode, Omar Badawy, Founder of Covelant, shares the real challenges behind scaling early-stage teams, staying organized under pressure, and building global collaboration across countries. A grounded, practical conversation for anyone growing a team while growing a product.

In this episode of The Global Nutcracker Podcast, we sit down with Arber Kadia, founder of Patoko, to talk about the realities of building and scaling a super app in underserved markets. Arber shares what happens when you’re forced to operate a business while still building the product, and why localisation, regulation, payments, and retention quickly become make-or-break factors. A grounded, honest conversation for founders and operators navigating growth beyond the usual startup playbook.

Skerdi sits down with Nida Khan, CEO of Nash FintechX, to explore how to build and scale a blockchain fintech by working with regulation, banks, and compliance. From carbon markets to global teams and cross-border payments, this episode dives into the real operational side of fintech.

Growing fast feels like success — until the cracks start to show. In this episode, Una, founder of Heroic Rankings, shares what it really takes to scale after rapid growth: building systems, protecting culture, and knowing when to slow down instead of pushing harder. A candid conversation about effort, honesty, and the foundations every founder needs to grow for the long run.

In this episode, Skerdi, CMO at Native Teams, talks with Ivan Ivanka, CEO of Markster, and shares why “systems before hiring” became his biggest lesson after operating across multiple countries, paying triple taxes, and managing a fully remote workforce. A sharp, honest conversation for anyone growing beyond borders.

In this episode, Alex, CXO at Native Teams, talks with Louise Hill, co-founder of GoHenry, about how a simple parenting problem turned into a successful fintech. Louise shares the early chaos of kids spending money online without understanding it, the gap she saw in financial education, and how that insight became a mission now serving millions of families. They dive into the founder lessons behind the journey — adapting a product across cultures, making decisions based on “what’s best for the customer,” learning to let go as a leader, and scaling a global team without losing the mission. A sharp, honest conversation for any entrepreneur building something meaningful from a real-life problem.

The Global Nutcracker Podcast, hosted by Alex Mitrevska and Skerdi Sino, where they dive into real stories, real challenges, and the practical solutions that help global teams scale — all without going nuts.