March 26, 2026
๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ข? ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐โ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
Paul Graham recently reignited the debate around โfounder mode vs manager mode.โ
But in European scale-ups, the real issue is good old execution.
Very few founders in Europe have run โฌ100M+ revenue businesses before.
At the same time, replacing them with a โprofessional CEOโ is often a strategic mistake.
Because:
โข Nothing replaces the founderโs passion and resilience
โข European corporate executives often lack entrepreneurial experience
โข Many โprofessional managersโ have learnt to manage upwards โ rather than doing
So what actually works?
Not replacement. Augmentation...
โ๏ธStrengthen the founder with:
โ๏ธA strong Chair
โ๏ธIndependent NEDs
โ๏ธAdvisors and coaches
โ๏ธCarefully selected operators who have scaled VC-backed companies before
The key is compatibility: Energy. Work ethic. Resilience. Action-orientation.
Scaling up is not about switching modes. Itโs about building the right ecosystem around the founder.
In this new snippet, I unpack what really works in practice.
Watch the full video here.
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