Heresy

In this episode, Dimitar sits down with Lewis Parker, one of the most influential figures in UK Hip-Hop and a pioneer of sample-based, cinematic production. Lewis opens up about his early journey into Hip-Hop, the golden era of sample digging, and how he developed his unmistakable sound long before producing for hip-hop legends like Wu-Tang's Ghostface Killah.We explore the rise of UK rap in the 90s, the challenges artists faced with major labels, and why so much of that era’s music ended up left-field and underground. Lewis also talks about the impact of Star Wars, Jedi philosophy, and The Force on his creative process, as well as his move from London to Queens, NYC.The conversation goes deep into craft, culture, and the future:– How Lewis approaches beats, drums, and storytelling– Working with Lord Finesse, Jehst, and other legends– Surviving the music industry as an independent artist– The role of AI in music, creativity, and short-form content– The evolution of Grime, Drill, and the essence of Hip-Hop todayThis is one of the most honest and insightful conversations about Hip-Hop, creativity, and staying true to your art. A must-listen for fans of UK Hip-Hop, producers, beatmakers, and anyone who cares about the culture.

In this episode, I sit down with Guy Rubin, Founder & CEO of Ebsta — the global leader in Revenue Intelligence, recently acquired by Fullcast.Guy shares unfiltered insights from a decade of building, scaling, and exiting a SaaS company that transformed how revenue teams operate.We cover:🚀 Raising Venture Capital vs Bootstrapping — the good, the bad, and the ugly💰 Exits — why selling to the highest bidder isn’t always the best outcome📉 GTM SaaS Consolidation — who’s winning, who’s losing, and why🤖 AI in Sales — how top Go-To-Market teams are using AI to pull ahead🎯 Elite AEs — what separates the best from the rest, and why the gap is wideningWhether you’re a founder, sales leader, Account Executive or SaaS operator, this episode is packed with hard-won lessons from someone who’s lived it all — from bootstrapping to acquisition.👇 Timestamps & Resources below 👇00:00 Episode Highlights & Intro00:02 Why "build it and they will come" never works and why founders should focus on solving "11/10 problems" (not 7/10)00:06 Founder Archetypes 00:08 Why Timing Beats Execution: Ebsta's Inception Story00:11 Doing Product Led Growth before Product Led Growth was a thing00:13 Why Guy chose NOT to raise VC and instead bootstrap the business 00:17 Going head to head with companies that have raised BILLIONs00:22 Delivering value to the C-suite: Pictures Work Better Than Words00:25 VC or Bootstrap: What's Right For You00:28 The great SaaS Consolidation: who’s winning, who’s losing, and why00:38 Advice to founders looking to sell their business 00:40 Why US SaaS companies continue to beat European ones00:45 The Rise Of The 10x Sales Professional 00:52 Why the best path to revenue growth is focusing on Existing Business 00:56 Why are we seeing a return to Full-Cycle Sales 01:02 Leveraging AI to Increase Sales Efficiency 01:10 All Eyes On Ideal Customer Persona (ICP)...and Finance01:16 The future of GTM: Will AI Agents Kill CRM 🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more unfiltered conversations on technology, business, and defying the status quo.Follow Guy:🔗 LinkedIn:   / rubinguy   🤖💰 Ebsta – Revenue Inteligence: https://www.ebsta.com/📊 2025 GTM Sales Benchmarks – https://benchmarks.ebsta.com/2025-gtm... 🎙 The Heresy Podcast – conversations with builders, thinkers & rebels 🔔 Subscribe: / @heresypodcast 🔗 Follow Dimitar:   / stanimiroff  

Ali Mitchell has backed more than half a dozen unicorns — but his story starts with failure.Before co-founding Huddle and later leading EQT Ventures, one of Europe’s most successful VC funds, Ali was a founder who learned firsthand how hard it is to build and scale. In this episode, we unpack what those early failures taught him about resilience, product-market fit, and what separates great founders from good ones.We also dive into:Why Europe still struggles to produce $10B startupsWhat the best founders get right about distribution and go-to-marketHow to raise VC capital the right way (and what most get wrong)Why Ali still believes in founder intuition — even in the age of AIA conversation about hard lessons, second acts, and the patterns behind six unicorns.🎙️ Heresy is a podcast about people who defy conventional wisdom — founders, investors, and thinkers reshaping how technology gets built and scaled.👇 Timestamps & Resources below 👇00:00 – Trailer01:01 – Ali’s Early Journey and Entrepreneurial Roots05:32 – Building and Scaling Huddle14:27 – Go-to-Market Lessons and Missteps22:18 – Why Europe Struggles with Commercialization27:56 – From Founder to Investor: Lessons from EQT Ventures36:14 – The Cultural Contrast: US vs. Europe43:40 – What the US Gets Right: Selling, Storytelling, and Scale48:54 – The Tuck Shop Story: Teaching Entrepreneurship Early50:06 – Returning to Europe: Family, Values, and Purpose51:56 – From EQT to Odyssey: A New Mission for European Tech54:51 – Flow and the New Era of Engineering Automation56:00 – Odyssey’s Investment Focus: AI + Automation in the Real World57:30 – Lessons for Founders: Ambition, Focus, and Resilience59:41 – What Most People Get Wrong About Venture Capital01:02:31 – Final Advice for First-Time Founders01:03:41 – Closing Thoughts🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more unfiltered conversations on technology, business, and defying the status quo.Follow Ali:🔗 LinkedIn:   / alimitchell   💰 Odyssey Ventures: https://www.odyssey.ventures/🎙 The Heresy Podcast – conversations with builders, thinkers & rebels 🔔 Subscribe:    / @heresypodcast   🔗 Follow Dimitar:   / stanimiroff   #Ali Mitchell #EQT Ventures #startups #venture capital #founders #SaaS #Europe #tech #VC #Heresy Podcast #DimitarStanimiroff #growth #failure #unicorns #scaling #productmarketfit #fundraising

Philip Su is an engineer and leader who helped build Microsoft, Facebook, and OpenAI from the inside. In this episode, he shares hard-earned lessons on thriving in the AI era — and staying human through it all.We cover:How AI is reshaping software careers (and what to do about it)Why “good enough” is no longer safeThe dangerous gap between exponential tech and human systemsBurnout, identity, and what working in an Amazon warehouse taught himThe rise of agentic tools, LLMs, and what CS students need to know nowWhether you’re an engineer, founder, or future-oriented thinker, this conversation will challenge your assumptions — and help you find a better path forward.

Max Altschuler (Sales Hacker, Outreach, GTMfund) joins us in London to talk about building category-defining companies, investing in breakout startups, and rethinking how venture capital works.We go deep on:Lessons from scaling Outreach with Manny MedinaThe birth of Sales Hacker and the GTMfund storyHow AI is reshaping go-to-market motionsWhy GTM is the last true moat in SaaSThe tension between being a founder vs fund managerHow Max picks winners—and his take on “The Death of VC”This is a must-listen for operators, founders, and anyone navigating the future of SaaS, sales, and startup investing.