Trolleybus

work in progress

• The scaleups. Vinted launches Go - shipping brand with PUDO (pick up drop off) locations (Lithuanians love those). Makes sense - expensive and fragmented service in Europe, especially for a C2C marketplace. Also - Mantas Mikuckas stepping down from COO, but remains with the Board - and hopefully an active angel investor. Legend!
• Hostinger grows 50%, revenue at EUR 37m, Arnas says you need to implement OKRs early.
• Product confetti. Lambo Jumper - motorcycle history from CarVertical; Running App in the making; new game in the making - The Worst President (huge addressable market..); BOLDR brings design to heating (and savings too).
• Kids. Brave & Safe flags for little cyclers. CyberBrain teaches children cybersecurity skills. Fashion for awesome kids who have diabetes.

How is your startup now?

rounds and capital

• Presto Ventures pulls €30 million for CEE startups, Butterfly Ventures flutters in €47 million for its €100-million fund (deep tech Nordics+Baltics)
• SumUp has closed €590 million of funding, and we suggest 1/5 of that should be allocated to grow Paysolut - their recent acquisition.
• Clearly a VC market here in LT, at least for early-stage: half through 2022 we barely have 15 funding rounds, while there was 68 in total 2021. Many great teams are fundraising.
  Time for new entrants in the investing scene? Gil Dibner (Angular) and Hampus Jakobsson (Pale Blue Dot) share how they raised funds.

roleplay

founder guide

• When going down, check this podcast episode with John Donahoe on leadership (CEO, Nike). If still going down, consider Antanas' tips on how to take a sabbatical (in LT).
• "Apollo" Sinkevicius on extending runway
• A good guide on what works in long-term - How to Plan Your Next Move

insights

• VC payslips in Germany
• Ezra Klein talking to Rana Foroohar about the end of "Everything Bubble". It's a compelling narrative. How we've all enjoyed inflation for years, as long as it was in equity (stocks, real estate, other assets), but now suddenly- it hits consumer prices.

ecosystem

• Unicorn bus stop launch - right across Nord Security and Vinted campuses.
• LT finally moving to flex regulation around shares and share classes
• LT should finally move faster in all things diversity, Vinted confirms

Thank you - hope this was useful or fun or at least better than work email.
Let us know if you are working on something exciting. See you in Palanga maybe.