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The hidden intel #4
how to build the team that builds 🎯
Hey hey,
Welcome back to The Hidden Intel 💎 This post-episode review dives into the main lessons, and key points and helps you better understand and apply the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.
Today we’re covering:
Meet the 19 mentors
The 3H personality theory for founding teams
The recipe for a successful startup team
Let’s begin 🎢
INTEL 🧠
Meet the mentors 👩🏫👨🏫
From experienced entrepreneurs to well-known names in the startup world, as we record each new episode, we're sure we've chosen the best mentors for the 19 startups in the competition.
It's time to highlight each of them, so you can get to know them better.
Aleksa Perunicic (CoolTeacherAI)
A committed community builder, Aleksa helps marginalized groups through entrepreneurship. He specializes in encouraging startups to think critically and creatively and he's passionate about bringing people together to collaborate on different projects.Stevan Radonjanin (Viseq)
An accomplished entrepreneur known for his talent in securing funding and scaling ventures. He has notably expanded an Airbnb business, successfully raised capital for his startup Veli, and led business development at crypto unicorn startups. Additionally, he serves as a university lecturer on crypto topics.
Gorjan Jovanovski (Smircle)
A serial entrepreneur, software engineer, and founder of EarthCare.ai and AirCare, the air quality app. An eco-activist at heart, he's also a TED speaker, featured by renowned publications like Forbes, The New York Times, BBC, NASA, Wired and more.
Ivan Ivanovski (Common)
Visionary innovator and serial entrepreneur, Ivan has made impactful contributions to education and technology, sharing financial wisdom with over 25k fans and 800+ students on his platform, Masterclass.mk.
Viktor Mitevski (Advices)
An experienced mentor and trainer in the startup ecosystem for 12+ years, recognized for his significant contributions to nurturing and scaling early-stage companies. Having mentored over 150 startup companies, he has not only imparted valuable knowledge but also spearheaded initiatives to secure over €500k in seed money.
Josif Damjanov (ChiaDia)
With more than 12 years of experience, Josif is a serial entrepreneur in the fitness and wellness industry, known for pioneering brands like the FitKit app and Coach Foods.
Igor Misevski (Biodefend)
A dynamic entrepreneur and investor Igor specializes in developing market systems and nurturing ecosystems for new businesses and startups. As the founder of Nova Solutions and co-founder of Opfolio, Impact Foundation, and Impact Ventures, he is deeply involved in fostering entrepreneurship.Nikola Velkovski (OnlyGrow)
Nikola, the co-founder and CEO of HeyReach, is revolutionizing B2B SAAS automation tool. Under his leadership, HeyReach secured Macedonia’s largest pre-seed investment of $500,000 and became the #1 best-selling tool on AppSumo, with $400,000 in sales in just one week.Aleksandar Stankov (Science Stories)
With ten years of international IT experience across Macedonia, Norway, and the US, Aleksandar is a seasoned entrepreneur. As CEO and Co-Founder of Relaxifyapp, a digital health startup, his mission is to help people improve their mental fitness and well-being.Teddy Pejoski (Cryptearn)
Tech entrepreneur, founder, and investor with a focus on AI, Web3, and Longevity. Teddy is currently the CEO of NoCode Inc., and a partner in Dobar apparel brand and GSIX, creators of the award-winning 'Crack Your Screen' app with 20 million+ installs worldwide.
Gligor Dachevski (Biohide)
A recognized innovator in the country's IT sector, having founded multiple companies including Seavis. Gligor also pioneered the launch of the first app with over 50 million downloads in Macedonia. He has been in the tech scene for over two decades and has extensive entrepreneurial experience and knowledge.
Igor Madzov (Daysketcher)
An investment professional, mentor, and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience building entrepreneurial programs and facilitating VC and angel investments in startups across Southeast Europe (SEE). As one of the pioneers in the startup ecosystem, Igor co-founded and currently serves as president of Startup Macedonia.
Monika Rizovska Tanevska (Clipray)
She has been supporting Macedonia's startup ecosystem and IT industry for over a decade. Monikas serves as a Women in Tech ambassador, and co-founder of Ways2help, and is recognized as a creative artist and a leader driving transformation in the tech landscape.Vladimir Trajkovikj (Makeup Symmetry)
Professor Vladimir Trajkovikj is a respected figure in academia and tech entrepreneurship. His research, with over 400 publications in leading international journals, shapes the future of computer science. Beyond academia, he's co-founded four IT companies, consulted for five others, and founded two non-profits to promote IT education. His work reflects his commitment to innovation and community empowerment.Marija Kiroska Jovceska (Teva Horizon)
A seasoned professional in the banking industry, boasting over 20 years of experience. Currently, Marija leads the Credit Division at HalkBank AD Skopje. Holding CIA and CRMA certifications, she leverages her extensive expertise in credit assessment, analysis, internal controls, and auditing
Gentian Elmazi (Vandan)
Skilled software engineer with over a decade of expertise, renowned for his pioneering work in web and blockchain technologies. Gentian has co-founded three ventures: Infinitcode, Infinitcode Academy, and Vulos. These endeavors underscore his commitment to fostering growth and excellence in the tech industry.Toshe Kocevski (APCEI)
A serial entrepreneur, investor, and executive who's reshaping industries. With over 25 years of experience, Toshe leads with vision and passion, driving sustainable growth in dynamic markets. His talent for spotting opportunities and guiding teams to outstanding results makes him a standout leader in telecommunications, construction, and media.Ivan Gligorijevic (EcoSun)
An innovator, entrepreneur, and life explorer. As the co-founder and CEO of mBrainTrain, a leading company in mobile brainwave recording, Ivan actively shapes the future of wearables.Gogo Rafajlovski (Wellnest)
An Operational Director at SEEUTechPark and an IP Consultant, Gogo has been assisting entrepreneurs and innovative startups in reaching their maximum potential for over 15 years. With extensive experience in managing startup centers, incubators, accelerators, and tech parks, he brings invaluable expertise to the table.
LEVEL UP ⬆️
The 3H personality theory [spoiler ahead]
If you've been following along in episode 5, you may recall a mentoring session between Igor Madzov and the Dayskether team. During this session, Igor mentioned a theory called the 3H theory for founding startups.
Curious to explore?
The founding team is crucial for every successful startup. This theory shows how different skills fit together to create a team that can bring the idea to life and scale up.
Meanwhile, there's a concept known as the 'minimum viable team' (MVT), termed by Franck Nouyrigat and Marc Nager (yes, Franck is an esteemed member of the show's advisory board), which is defined as:
A MVT is a group of people able to execute on an idea.
In the context of the 3H theory, this group of people should include:
Hustler- the individual who is business-minded and skilled at sales, marketing, and networking. They're usually responsible for driving growth and securing funding.Hacker- the individual who is technically oriented and excels in building the product or technology behind the startup.Hipster- the individual who is design-focused and brings creativity and user experience expertise to the startup. They are responsible for crafting the product's aesthetic and user interface.
It's like building a dream team:
you've got the hipster bringing in all the cool creativity and design flair, the hacker coding up the tech magic, and the hustler out there hustling for leads and cash flow. It's the perfect recipe for success.
Which of the 'H's do you relate to the most? Hit ‘reply‘ and let us know!
Learn more about founding startup teams 👇
In case you missed it 🍿
Catch you next week for more updates, just like this one!
The team behind The Founder Games 👾
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