START - LAUNCH - GROW

About START - LAUNCH - GROW

We hear plenty about the Ubers of the world – usually after they’ve made it. But what does building a startup actually look like in the early days? And how can you use AI to launch faster than ever before? We follow founders building from scratch – from validating an idea and launching their first product to winning their first customers. Since 2018, we’ve helped over 2,500 founders turn their ideas into startups using our START → LAUNCH → GROW framework. START: Validate whether your idea is worth building LAUNCH: Build a Minimum Viable Product that attracts clients GROW: Find your first paying customers and build traction You’ll hear from real founders going through this journey – the mistakes they learned from, and what helped them move forward – with practical lessons you can apply to your own startup. Our vision? Make entrepreneurship accessible to one million founders. Whether you’re non-technical, bootstrapping, building a side hustle, or simply starting with an idea, we believe you should have the tools and support to give it a real shot.

Publisher

Million Labs

Category

business · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Mar 2026

Latest episode

3 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Nov 2026

   Niche Beats Novel | From Consultant to SaaS Founder

   Have a startup idea? 👉 Let’s talk (https://skunkworks.millionlabs.com/book/group/discovery-calls-podcast) about how we can help bring it to life. 🚀 👉 Take our 2 Min Founder Quiz (https://skunkworks.millionlabs.com/next-steps) to get your idea scorecard Have a question you’d like us to answer in an episode or a topic you’d like us to cover? Reach us at hello@millionlabs.co.uk (mailto:hello@millionlabs.co.uk) What we cover in this episode: Verena sits down with 𝗧𝗼𝗺, founder of 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆, to tackle one of the biggest misconceptions new founders carry: 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱-𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀? Tom’s story is a masterclass in doing the opposite. After six years in business consulting, he niched down into 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 and spotted an obvious flaw in traditional in-person training - 𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺. That realisation became the seed for 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱, the virtual toolset now wrapped around his in-person product, powered by AI and designed to embed capability over time rather than hope it sticks. In the conversation Tom shares why he launched with 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 instead of a bloated MVP, how he took an established 360 feedback product and infused it with his own IP to make it genuinely differentiated, and why he’s a firm believer in 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 to generate the feedback loop that actually moves the product forward. He also opens up about his honest “𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦” early growth story, why cold outreach mostly didn’t work for him, and the mindset shift that unlocked real traction: 𝘥𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵.

2. 

   20 Oct 2026

   10 Myths Founders Still Believe

   Have a startup idea? 👉 Let’s talk (https://skunkworks.millionlabs.com/book/group/discovery-calls-podcast) about how we can help bring it to life. 🚀 👉 Take our 2 Min Founder Quiz (https://skunkworks.millionlabs.com/next-steps) to get your idea scorecard Have a question you’d like us to answer in an episode or a topic you’d like us to cover? Reach us at hello@millionlabs.co.uk (mailto:hello@millionlabs.co.uk) What we cover in this episode: Verena and Simon take on 𝟭𝟬 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗺𝘆𝘁𝗵𝘀 - the ones still being taught in books, articles and advice columns that no longer hold up in the age of AI. They bust the myths one by one: "𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁, 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼-𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮, 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗷𝗼𝗯, 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻, 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀, 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁, and 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗵𝘂𝗯." Along the way they share real examples - from Uber reinventing taxis to Apple’s “copy and reframe” strategy, from the WeWork cash trap to why bootstrapped founders are becoming the new norm - and reveal which myths still carry a grain of truth (hint: there’s one surprising answer that isn’t a clean “busted”). If you’ve been held back by old-school startup advice, this episode will give you a fresh playbook for building in the AI era.

3. 

   6 Oct 2026

   The Truth About "Big Ideas" | From Corporate Exit to Breathwork Coach

   Have a startup idea? 👉 Let's talk (https://skunkworks.millionlabs.com/book/group/discovery-calls-podcast) about how we can help bring it to life. 🚀 👉 Take our 2 Min Founder Quiz (https://skunkworks.millionlabs.com/next-steps) to get your idea scorecard Have a question you'd like us to answer in an episode or a topic you'd like us to cover? Reach us at hello@millionlabs.co.uk (mailto:hello@millionlabs.co.uk) What we cover in this episode: Verena and Simon dig into one of the biggest blockers keeping aspiring founders stuck: 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴? They break down why you don't need the next Uber or Airbnb to build a great business, and share their three-part framework for spotting hidden opportunities: 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 by studying reviews on Reddit and Product Hunt, 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 the way Calendly and Duolingo did, and 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, the way Klarna took instalment payments from finance into e-commerce. Then Verena sits down with 𝗦𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗲, founder of 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗘𝗱𝗴𝗲 - an executive coaching movement helping high-performing female CEOs build sustainable leadership without burning out. Sophie shares how her own burnout led her to breathwork and trauma-informed coaching, why she built her platform without outside investment after a rough experience in her first business, and her honest take on why 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 have grown her business faster than any marketing channel could.

4. 

   22 Sept 2026

   Ask-Us-Anything: Deep Dive

   Have a question you'd like us to answer in an episode or a topic you'd like us to cover? Reach us at hello@millionlabs.co.uk (mailto:hello@millionlabs.co.uk) --- What we cover in this episode: Verena and Simon open the mailbag for an Ask Us Anything deep dive, answering listener questions from every stage of Start - Launch - Grow, including the one so many founders are stuck on: 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯? Along the way they cover how much market research is enough when AI makes building so easy, how to find an idea worth pursuing, which AI tools to pick as a non-technical founder, why you might still need a developer, how to know your MVP is ready to launch, where to find your first paying customers, and whether it's too early to raise investment.

5. 

   8 Sept 2026

   What We'd Do Differently | From Idea to App in 3 Months

   Have a startup idea? 👉 Let's talk (https://skunkworks.millionlabs.com/book/group/discovery-calls-podcast) about how we can help bring it to life. 🚀 👉 Take our 2 Min Founder Quiz (https://skunkworks.millionlabs.com/next-steps) to find your biggest priority & get a Million Labs Giveaway. 👉 Join our Free Masterclass (https://millionlabs.com/webinar?utm_source=podcast) on how to go from idea to paying customers in the age of AI. --- What we cover in this episode: Verena and Simon answer two listener questions, starting with the one every founder is quietly asking themselves: 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗜? Smaller team, more tools, and far more weight on the two things AI still can't do for you: idea validation and go-to-market. They also make the case for the decision they'd repeat - never tying your vision to a single technology, because the tool that defines the next five years 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦. Then Simon sits down with Ben Dickens, Director of Technology at UK Coaching, and talks about building Play Their Way - a child-first coaching app that went from discovery to launch in both app stores in under three months. A charity, not a startup, working at startup speed.

6. 

   25 Aug 2026

   Target Everyone, Reach No One

   Verena and Simon tackle the question that decides whether a startup ever gets off the ground: 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁, 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁? They open with a hard truth drawn from working with 𝟮,𝟬𝟬𝟬+ 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: the number one reason startups fail to get traction 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 - it's that most get their go-to-market wrong, or never really do it at all. This isn't a "which ad platform should I use" episode. Founders always want to start with the channel - Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, SEO - but that's the 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. Channels don't fail. Targeting does. So Verena and Simon walk through their three-step framework for finding your first paying customers: 𝟭. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲 - your niche is 𝘯𝘰𝘵 your market opportunity. Total addressable market answers "how big could this get?" Your niche answers "who do we focus on 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦?" Airbnb didn't launch for every traveller - just designers who couldn't find affordable accommodation for one San Francisco conference. 𝟮. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗖𝗣 - go from a market to an actual 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝟯. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 - only now do you ask where your customer already spends their time. Their takeaway: 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀. One geography, one customer type, one use case. ---- Have a startup idea? 👉 Let’s talk (https://skunkworks.millionlabs.com/book/group/discovery-calls-podcast) about how we can help bring it to life. 🚀 More Founder Resources 👉 Take our 2 Min Quiz (https://skunkworks.millionlabs.com/next-steps) to find out your biggest priority. 👉 Meet the Million Labs founder network and access tools, resources and support. Join the Free Founder Membership (https://millionlabs.com/membership?utm_source=podcast). 👉 Join our Free Masterclass (https://millionlabs.com/webinar?utm_source=podcast) on how to go from idea to paying customers in the age of AI.

7. 

   11 Aug 2026

   Web App or Native? | Lessons from Building Multiple Ventures

   Verena and Simon tackle one of the most common misconceptions founders bring to the build phase: 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗯 𝗮𝗽𝗽 𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲? They open with a data point every founder should hear before opening the App Store: most early-stage builds that go native too early end up 𝟯𝘅 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 and take 𝟲+ 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 - thanks to testing across thousands of devices, Apple's brutal approval process, and rebuilding for two operating systems instead of one. This isn't an anti-native episode - Verena and Simon build native when the product needs it. But they walk through the three things founders get wrong when choosing their launch platform: 𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗯 𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - a web app is not desktop-only. It can be 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲, opened from your phone, and work seamlessly - without the App Store friction. 𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 - extra dev time, thousands more in build costs, unpredictable approvals, and constant maintenance every time Apple or Google changes a policy. It adds up fast when you're still validating. 𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 "𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿" 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗽 - the only real reason to go native from day one is if you 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲-𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 like GPS, the camera, or the gyroscope. Their takeaway: 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗯 𝗮𝗽𝗽 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼. Fewer moving parts, faster launches, quicker validation. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: Verena sits down with 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲, 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗰. Charlie has helped build and grow 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 including Mission Inc, an AI-powered platform helping leaders identify performance gaps and delegate decision-making down the hierarchy - built on a military-inspired 𝘵𝘪𝘱-𝘰𝘧-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳 philosophy. Charlie shares why his team resisted the urge to 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 and instead spent weeks on whiteboards and Figma mapping every user journey - and why that "boring" pre-work saved them later. He also opens up about the value of 𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻-𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, why treating early customers as 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 changed the product, and his advice from running 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗹: 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 - 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨. 👉 Learn more: https://millionlabs.com/ (https://millionlabs.com/)

8. 

   28 Jul 2026

   What the AI Builders Won't Tell You

   Verena and Simon dig into the uncomfortable question every founder faces the moment they hit deploy: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲-𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗩𝗣? They open with a cautionary tale - an AI-built social app that launched in 𝟯 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 with zero lines of hand-written code. It demoed beautifully and users signed up. Then, three days later, security researchers pulled 𝟱𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗔𝗣𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻𝘀, 𝟯𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁. The demo worked. The product didn't. This isn't an anti-AI episode - Verena and Simon use these tools every day. But they walk through the three things the AI builders won't tell you: 𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗲-𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵 - "describe your app, hit enter, get a product" is a fantasy. The tools might get you 60–80% of the way; the last stretch is where the real work lives. (Million Labs feeds 𝟭𝟬𝟬–𝟭𝟱𝟬 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 of technical scope into its AI tools - not a single paragraph.) 𝟮. 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 - an estimated 𝟰𝟱% 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗜-𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮 𝘃𝘂𝗹𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. The scary part? A non-technical founder can see if an app 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴, but not whether it's 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦. The fix starts with better prompting: literally ask, "𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘦?" 𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗹 - apps built without proper architecture tend to crack around the 𝟲𝟬-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸, once real users arrive. In 𝟰𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 in their own venture studio, the whole thing has to be rebuilt - plus the runaway hosting bills nobody warns you about. Their takeaway: 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼 - 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. The dream is real, but the launch is where the risk begins. Scope properly, prompt smarter, and know what the AI 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 do for you. 👉 Learn more: https://millionlabs.co.uk/ (https://millionlabs.co.uk/)

9. 

   13 Jul 2026

   Is SaaS Dead? | From Solo Founder to Global Expansion

   Verena and Simon tackle one of the biggest shifts happening in software right now: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺-𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗔𝗦. Drawing on recent studies showing that 𝟴𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱, they unpack why companies are hitting a breaking point with bloated monthly bills and rigid software that forces you to change your workflows. They discuss how AI and no-code tools like Bubble have slashed development costs by 𝟲𝟬%, making it cheaper for an enterprise to completely rebuild a custom tool (like their own overnight Slack replacement) than to pay for annual seat licensing. Their takeaway - the era of broad, one-size-fits-all SaaS is fading - if you want to build software today, you have to go aggressively niche. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: Verena sits down with 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁. Matthew is a solo coach turned international franchisor who started his business 𝟭𝟰 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼 with a simple mission: helping young children discover the sports they love through structured rotations. Today, MiniSport operates across 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝘄𝗮𝗻. Matthew shares the reality of flipping the traditional tech playbook by 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 long before touching code, how a massive surge in demand and frontline stress during COVID forced them to finally build a platform, and the hilarious launch blunder where a third-party email verifier capped their 𝟭𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬-𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 after just 40 emails. He also opens up about the trap of founder perfectionism, why he purposefully built an app to 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀, and how stepping away from the frontline enabled him to step into a truly strategic visionary role. 👉 Learn more: https://millionlabs.com/ (https://millionlabs.com/)

10. 

    30 Jun 2026

    Why 53% of MVPs Fail at Scope | Selling 18 Startups in 24 Months

    Verena and Simon tackle one of the biggest reasons non-technical founders waste time and money on AI-built apps: 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴. Drawing on data from over 𝟮,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, they unpack why a strong scope makes you 𝟱𝟯% 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 to ship a successful app - and why the temptation to dive straight into Lovable or Replit is the fastest path to a product nobody wants. They walk through the 𝟱-𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 every Million Labs build runs through: 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻, 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘀, 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀, 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻. Their takeaway - 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘐 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 - 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘶𝘱𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: Simon sits down with 𝗔𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽. Aina is an ex-JP Morgan and SoftBank M&A specialist turned serial entrepreneur, who has built a startup incubator that has 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝟭𝟴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 - in 24 months or less, with returns as high as 𝟯𝗫 𝗥𝗢𝗜. Aina shares the 𝟯𝟬-𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 her team built from analysing 150 M&A deals to figure out what makes a Japanese cross-border acquisition succeed, why she models Waveland on 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 by localising proven foreign services for Japan, and how a small detail like 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘁 became the difference between a successful exit and a flop. She also opens up about the 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 behind every exit - bringing in industry insiders as "service managers" with built-in access to first customers - the 𝟴-𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄 her model runs on, and her next chapter: 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘀 to build an entrepreneur-led community outside the existing system. 👉 Learn more: https://millionlabs.com/ (https://millionlabs.com/)

11. 

    16 Jun 2026

    Is AI Code Really Safe? | From Consultant to Tech Founder

    Verena and Simon tackle three of the biggest concerns founders raise about AI-assisted and no-code builds: 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗚𝗗𝗣𝗥 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. In a 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲-𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁, Verena steps into the shoes of a non-technical founder firing the questions every business leader is asking, while Simon shares what they actually explain behind the scenes. They unpack why 𝗔𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘀 of secure infrastructure, how Bubble's default US hosting compares to coded environments where you can spin up a database in Germany or the UK, and why scale is usually 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 - only around 5% of startups ever hit that wall. Their takeaway - 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘐, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: Verena sits down with 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝘆, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗼. Katy is a UK-based founder with over 𝟭𝟴 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀, 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿, who turned her solo consultancy into a nine-person audience research and insight business - by listening to what the sector actually needed when COVID closed every theatre's doors overnight. Katy shares how a single audience survey signed up by 𝟲𝟬𝟬 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 in a week became the foundation of 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗼 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, a collaborative research product, and why scaling it forced her out of the "𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦-𝘧𝘰𝘳-𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺" 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱 she'd been in for 15 years. She also reflects on the 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁'𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗮, the Miro board moment when the team had to ruthlessly cut features down to a real MVP, hiring 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 you need the help, and the Churchill principle she lives by - "𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳." 👉 Learn more: https://millionlabs.com/ (https://millionlabs.com/)

12. 

    2 Jun 2026

    How Minimal Is Too Minimal? | From Serial Entrepreneur to AI Law Founder

    Verena and Simon tackle one of the most misunderstood concepts in the startup world: 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗩𝗣? With 𝟰𝟮% 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 due to no market need, they unpack why so many MVPs fall apart not because the idea was wrong, but because the product never delivered enough value for users to care. Using 𝗔𝗶𝗿𝗯𝗻𝗯 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆, they break down the three things every MVP needs to test properly: the 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 users must be able to complete, the 𝗨𝗫 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳𝗳, and enough functionality to capture real learning. Their takeaway - 𝘢𝘯 𝘔𝘝𝘗 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: Simon sits down with 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗸, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗼𝗳 𝗚i𝘁𝗟𝗮𝘄. Nick is a serial entrepreneur who has spent over $𝟮 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘀 across his career - and decided to do something about it. GetLaw is an 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, built for the 𝟵𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 that can't afford a lawyer and currently rely on ChatGPT or whatever they have in their inbox. Nick shares how he validated GetLaw by 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘴, why he believes founders pitching investors without a prototype is no longer acceptable in 2026, and how AI tools like 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰, 𝗟𝘆𝘀𝘀𝗻𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 have collapsed the cost of user research from days of work to a few clicks. He also opens up about 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘅𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 in a world that moves faster than ever, why building has never been easier but going-to-market has never been harder, and the uncomfortable reality of competing with horizontal AI models that can now 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯 - and his Yoda advice for new founders: 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘈𝘐 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰-𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥. 👉 Learn more: https://millionlabs.com/ (https://millionlabs.com/)

13. 

    19 May 2026

    Is Lean Still Lean? | From Market Strategist to SaaS Founder

    Verena and Simon revisit one of the foundational frameworks in startup building - the Lean methodology - and ask whether it still holds up in the age of vibe coding and no-code. In this episode they explore how Eric Ries' build-measure-learn loop has been reshaped now that building a product is up to 10 times faster and 10 times cheaper than the traditional 100k, 12-to-18-month build. They dig into the hidden danger of that speed: founders skipping validation altogether because building is suddenly easy, and finding out there's no customer only after they've spent the money. Their takeaway - speed solves the build, but not the clarity of knowing what you're actually testing. Verena sits down with Aneta, founder of Aithea. Aneta is a Munich-based founder with over 16 years in the compliance industry, building an AI-powered marketplace that helps organisations self-assess their financial crime risks and get matched to the right technology vendors - effectively replacing the expensive consultant for businesses with limited budgets. Aneta shares how deep market knowledge from her years as a global market strategy planner became her real validation, why she landed on a product "way beyond an MVP," and the honest reality of pricing something the compliance industry has never seen before. She also reflects on the trap of perfectionism, the unglamorous surprises of going from no-code prototype to live product - databases, hosting, password resets, notification emails - and learning to take the cut on feature creep and just launch. 👉 Learn more: millionlabs.com (http://millionlabs.com) 👉 Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MillionLabs (https://www.youtube.com/@MillionLabs)

14. 

    5 May 2026

    Nailing your ICP | Building the Spotify of Short Films

    Verena and Simon tackle one of the most common pitfalls they see in startup advisory calls: the vague Ideal Customer Persona (ICP). In this episode they explore why founders instinctively cast their net too wide, trying to include everyone in their target market, and why this "shotgun" approach actually hurts growth. They break down how startups that nail down a specific ICP and geography are 55-60% more likely to succeed than those with broad, woolly definitions. Interview: Simon sits down with Janvier Wete, CEO and founder of Minute Shorts. Janvier is the founder of a video platform showcasing incredible short films from around the world, often described as the "Spotify of short films." Janvier shares how strong branding led to inbound opportunities like a Samsung TV Plus channel, a partnership with American Airlines, and brand activations with Nike, BBC, and WeTransfer. He discusses the realities of juggling multiple revenue streams, navigating tricky licensing and IP agreements, and he also reflects on resilience, patience, and his rule of thumb: whatever timeline you expect, double it. 👉 Learn more: millionlabs.com (https://millionlabs.com/) 👉 Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MillionLabs (https://www.youtube.com/@MillionLabs)

15. 

    21 Apr 2026

    The Biggest App Pitfalls | From Tool to Scaling Platform

    Verena and Simon discuss the dramatic shift in app development: moving from Legacy Builds to "Vibe Coding." Drawing on data that shows traditional projects often cost $100k and take 18 months, they explore why the "old world" of 200-page specifications is now a liability. They break down the three biggest pitfalls of modern development: poor specification, underestimating QA, and the hidden costs of AI APIs, and explain how "Vibe Coding" has reduced development costs by 10x. They introduce the 5% Scoping Rule: a lean framework for defining personas, data architecture, and wireframes in just two days to ensure you ship a functional MVP in weeks, not years. Interview: Verena sits down with Ken, the Managing Director of Employtest. Ken is the founder of a pre-employment testing platform that helps small to medium-sized businesses verify candidate skills through a suite of hundreds of validated tests. Ken shares his journey of transitioning from reselling third-party tools to building a unified dashboard that now administers 75,000 tests per year. He discusses the hard lessons of "over-listening" to edge-case customers and why he wishes he had adopted low-code tools years earlier. Ken also reflects on the balance between AI automation and the "human touch" required to sustain a B2B company for over two decades. 👉 Learn more: millionlabs.com (https://millionlabs.com/) 👉 Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MillionLabs (https://www.youtube.com/@MillionLabs)

16. 

    7 Apr 2026

    The Art of Quitting | From Junior Doctor to Tech CEO

    Verena and Simon discuss the most underrated founder skill: knowing when to quit. Drawing on data that shows 42% of startups fail because of a lack of market need, they explore why founders often fall into the "sunk cost" trap and how to differentiate between a challenge that requires grit and a signal that an idea simply doesn't work. They introduce the 30-Day Kill Test: a practical, data-driven framework for validating demand through landing pages and waitlists before spending months building the wrong product. Interview: Simon sits down with David Bourne, who transitioned from a junior doctor to a medtech founder. David is the creator of SimPat, an AI-driven simulation platform designed to help medical students and healthcare professionals practice patient interactions. David shares his journey of teaching himself to code to solve a gap in medical education and discusses the "Start-Launch-Grow" phases of building his MVP. He also reflects on the vital role of accountability and building a support system to navigate the "trough of sorrow" in the early days of a startup. 👉 Learn more: millionlabs.com (https://millionlabs.com/) 👉 Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MillionLabs (https://www.youtube.com/@MillionLabs)

17. 

    24 Mar 2026

    Why 99% of MVPs Fail | From Pharmacist to Founder

    Verena and Simon discuss why most MVPs fail and why founders often jump into building before validating what customers actually want. Drawing on their experience working with more than 2,000 startups, they explore the common mistakes founders make - from skipping customer research to leaving marketing and distribution too late. Verena speaks with Kausar Tahir, who transitioned from pharmacist to medtech founder, and is the creator of Me-Now, a multilingual menopause companion app. Kausar shares how she validated the idea and built her MVP using the low-code platform Bubble.io (http://Bubble.io) to support underserved communities globally. 👉 Learn more: millionlabs.com (https://millionlabs.com/) 👉 Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MillionLabs (https://www.youtube.com/@MillionLabs)

18. 

    10 Mar 2026

    The Rise of Vibe Coding | From Idea to AI Startup

    Verena and Simon introduce the Start Launch Grow podcast. After working with more than 2,000 businesses, their motivation is to share real innovation journeys. We often hear about the Ubers of the world - but how did the next generation of rising companies actually get started? This podcast focuses on the practical steps you can take to turn ideas into reality. Catch-Up We discuss the rise of vibe coding and what it means for innovators - from rapid idea validation to building custom tools for SMEs. Interview Simon sits down with Phil Chell, founder of Chiron.ai (http://Chiron.ai), to discuss his journey from the construction industry into building an AI startup. Phil shares how he spotted the opportunity, built an MVP to validate the idea, and used his industry network to gain traction and raise investment. 👉Learn more at: millionlabs.com (https://millionlabs.com/) 👉 Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MillionLabs (https://www.youtube.com/@MillionLabs)

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.