Do you need to work long hours to be successful?

Christian Woese & Melanie Gabriel
September 24, 2024 • Read time: 3 minutes

Dear hustlers, founders, operators and visionaries,

Building a $5.5bn Generative AI company would keep most people busy, but not Cohere’s Nick Frosst. The Co-Founder also fronts Indie band Good Kid, with 2.3m Spotify followers and a Lollapalooza gig under his belt. We would be keen to learn his secrets to juggling it all! This week is launch week! Our very first own podcast drops this Thursday, kicking off with an interview with one of Europe’s top startup reporters on how to get your startup in the headlines. Follow the Gradient and stay tuned.

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Your talk track for this week’s cocktail party

A fallen star: Entire 23andme board resigns

All seven independent Board members of genetic testing company 23andme have resigned, protesting founder Anne Wojcicki’s plan to take the company private. Big names like Sequoia Capital are out, as 23andMe, which went public in 2021, faces a 97% stock drop and mounting losses. Is this the next big bet gone wrong? We’ll keep you posted.

European Union: A commissioner for startups

Until not long ago, the term “start-up” was not too often heard in the corridors of the European Union. Now, the EU appointed its first-ever commissioner for startups, research and innovation. Following Mario Draghi’s urgent call for Europe to boost innovation and competitiveness, will this move attract more entrepreneurs or just increase bureaucracy?

A new chapter in the Wefox saga

Wefox has named Joachim Müller, former Allianz executive, as its new CEO following months of internal turmoil and clashes between founders, management, and the board. With big plans for scaling across Europe, all eyes are on Müller to steer the digital insurance company toward smoother waters.

What do you meme?