Host Ami Rubins­tein chats with Sam­po Park­ki­nen, foun­der of Revie­ve and Ven­tu­re Part­ner at Goril­la Capi­tal, about the impor­tance of ear­ly-sta­ge focus, especial­ly pre-pro­duct-mar­ket fit. The key takeaway: ear­ly foun­ders should prio­ri­tize unders­tan­ding their cus­to­mers and achie­ving PMF swift­ly and efficient­ly to set up for long-term success.

Goril­la Capi­tal co-foun­der Pet­ri Leh­mus­kos­ki discus­ses about the impor­tance of achie­ving a “problem-solu­tion fit” befo­re moving on to pro­duct-mar­ket fit. Pet­ri sha­res insights on unders­tan­ding cus­to­mer needs, ite­ra­ting based on feed­back, and the chal­len­ges of sca­ling pre­ma­tu­re­ly. He also reflects on les­sons lear­ned as an inves­tor, high­ligh­ting patience and the value of lear­ning from expe­rienced men­tors in the industry.

In this epi­so­de, Anna Kil­po­nen, COO and Co-foun­der of Foxie talks in detail about Foxie’s search for PMF from the ear­ly small succes­ses to the frustra­tion of rea­lizing how long and win­ding the road is towards PMF and the rea­liza­tion of what needs to be done to get the­re. This is a rare glimp­se into the actual jour­ney that is still ongoing. This epi­so­de offers a lot of lear­nings to foun­ders and inves­tors alike.

In this epi­so­de of Goril­laCast, Ami sits down with Juha Lind­fors, Part­ner at Life­li­ne Ven­tu­res, to explo­re the inner wor­kings of ven­tu­re capi­tal stra­te­gy, especial­ly in the con­text of ear­ly-sta­ge invest­ments. Juha sha­res his jour­ney into VC, key principles Life­li­ne Ven­tu­res fol­lows when bac­king star­tups, and the vital role of team eva­lua­tion. We also discuss the cont­ras­ting invest­ment phi­lo­sop­hies of Life­li­ne Ven­tu­res and Goril­la Capi­tal, high­ligh­ting dif­fe­rent approac­hes to risk, return, and capi­tal efficiency.