EWOR Been There, Done That Podcast

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EWOR's Been There, Done That Podcast shares what's missing in the startup ecosystem: real stories from people who've actually built. The raw, unfiltered reality of the journey from 0 to a million ARR, what it takes, and what founders actually did to succeed.

If you're building, thinking about building, or wondering if you have what it takes – this is for you. Hosted by Daniel Dippold, Founder and CEO of EWOR. The EWOR Fellowship supports the top tech founders globally with up to €500,000 and bespoke mentorship by unicorn founders (Adjust, ProGlove, SumUp).

Last refreshed: June 20th, 2026 at 8:34 AM ⓘ

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Episodes

The co-founder breakup that didn't end the company: Allegro Sprute on getting it right

Allegro Sprute shares his journey as CEO of Brio, detailing how he sold the product before it existed, leading to early customer pressure. He elaborates on distinct sales approaches, the challenge of evaluating corporate pilot programs, and the importance of measuring real-world conversion rates over engagement time. Allegro also reveals how he professionally managed a co-founder breakup and highlights the crucial distinction between hiring an engineer and a founding engineer, emphasizing the long-term impact on company culture and success.

May 25, 2026•54 min•Ep. 8

Finding new ways to get punched in the face: Wael Abdelmalek on GTM failures that shaped Uthereal

In this episode, Wael Abdelmalek, CEO and Co-Founder of Uthereal, gets brutally honest about what it takes to build a technical moat in the AI era – when anyone can ship a competing product over a weekend. Together with Paul Müller, Wael discusses why vibe coding without understanding the architecture can kill a product at scale, selling before the UX existed, spending $12,000 on sales emails with zero replies, and an enterprise demo that collapsed when a manager handed it to the wrong users wit...

May 12, 2026•53 min•Ep. 7

The $5M US Government contract VCs said wouldn't happen: Ravi Teja Chadalavada on proving them wrong

In this episode, Ravi Teja Chadalavada, Co-founder and CEO of Sapios, talks with Petter Made about his newly-signed $5M US government contract most VCs told him would never happen. Ravi is a PhD robotics researcher who built the world's first fully automated driving test system – autonomous car technology squeezed into a phone with no examiner required. Getting there meant cold-calling 100+ driving schools to get one yes, then throwing out the entire sales strategy afterward. It also meant turni...

Apr 27, 2026•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 6

EU Inc or Delaware C Corp? Bjol Frenkenberger on the decision that defined his $4.2M seed raise

In this episode, Bjol Frenkenberger, co-founder and CEO of Sybilion, talks with Daniel Dippold about the structural decision at the heart of his $4.2M seed raise: whether to wait for EU Inc or flip to Delaware C Corp. Bjol entered university at 12 and finished with an Oxford PhD on uncertainty and decision-making. He’s now building Sybilion – forecasting infrastructure that turns over a trillion data points into the signals decision-makers need – scaling from $17,500 to $500,000 ARR in twelve mo...

Apr 12, 2026•49 min•Ep. 5

The good, the bad, and ugly reality of fundraising: Jan Löwer on what the polished press releases leave out

In this episode, Jan Löwer, Co-founder and CEO of deeplify, talks with Daniel Dippold about the unfiltered reality of pre-seed fundraising that never makes it to LinkedIn. Jan is one of the rare founders who successfully transitioned a service business into a product company – but the fundraise that followed was anything but smooth. 2 months after joining EWOR, his CTO became seriously ill and left overnight, forcing Jan back into engineering himself and bringing sales to a complete standstill. ...

Mar 30, 2026•46 min•Ep. 4

Am I a psychopath? How Josiah Senu went from crisis mode to investor pitch in 5 minutes to build Africa’s payment infrastructure

In this episode, Josiah Senu, Co-founder and CEO of Zuba, shares the difficult decisions he had to make to go from being a Harvard law prodigy to building the payment infrastructure Africa’s never had. Together with Petter Made, Josiah discusses receiving hate mail after turning down a magic circle barristers' chambers in the UK, a failed business partnership that cost serious time and capital, the psychological whiplash of switching from crisis mode to investor pitch in five minutes, and why op...

Mar 16, 2026•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 3

His role models tried to steal his invention: Alfons Huber on losing everything and starting over.

In this episode, Alfons Huber, Co-founder and CEO of REPS, talks with Daniel Dippold about what it actually took to protect his invention when the people he trusted most tried to steal it. Alfons invented energy harvesting technology 200x more efficient than anything on the market, with 90,000 trucks already driving over it at the Port of Hamburg. Getting there meant walking away from his degree after four university professors threatened to destroy his career if he didn't hand over his work. He...

Mar 16, 2026•44 min•Ep. 2

Rejected by SpaceX and EWOR, then accepted by both: Julian Rothenbuchner on persevering through rejection

In this episode, Julian Rothenbuchner, Co-founder and CEO of Tumbleweed, talks with Daniel Dippold about the real cost of rejection before you break through. Julian is a rocket scientist building the infrastructure that could make manufacturing in space as accessible as mailing a package, with a SpaceX partnership to show for it. He opens up about the mental breakdown that followed SpaceX's initial rejection, six co-founder splits including a romantic relationship that didn't survive the pressur...

Mar 16, 2026•37 min•Ep. 1

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