Dear hustlers, founders, operators and visionaries,

We just turned one! One year ago, we’ve been crazy enough to go out and share Follow the Gradient with the world. What we thought would be a three-hours-a-week chill project turned into a full-blown side hustle containing two newsletters, one podcast and countless social media posts a week. All this wouldn’t have been able without one key ingredient: an amazing audience, YOU! Thank you so much for believing in us! This week, it is time to give back: each day, we will post the most popular pieces of our content base from the last 12 months. Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok to get the best-of’s of one year of FTG. Off to an amazing year two!

And remember: Follow the Gradient and stay tuned.

🫶🏼 Melanie & Christian

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Your talk track for this week’s cocktail party

Sweden’s Lovable nears $2bn valuation amid AI coding frenzy

AI coding start-up Lovable is set to raise over $150m at a $1.8bn valuation - just months after its last round - thanks to surging investor interest led by Accel. Founded in 2023, the company now boasts $75m ARR and 30,000+ paying customers. Its no-code platform taps OpenAI and others to build apps from simple prompts, making it Europe’s fastest-growing tech bet.

VCs try PE-style roll-ups, with an AI twist

Top firms like Thrive Capital and General Catalyst are shifting tactics, funding AI-powered roll-ups in fragmented sectors like wealth management and property rentals. Savvy Wealth just raised $72m to buy up advisory firms, while Dwelly is consolidating UK lettings. It’s a VC play for liquidity amid a stalled IPO market - less debt than PE, but big bets on tech-led efficiency gains.

What do you meme?

Food for thought

Services as the new growth channel?

Forward-deployed engineers have been the talk of town and with it, services-led growth of AI products. This might seem like a revolution - as Andreas Goeldi explains in this comprehensive post, it is anything but. Any new tech wave brought the need for tech firms to carve out consulting arms. This time is no different.

In 100 years, what’s left?

Startups are a grind. But that video making the rounds is a gut punch: in 100 years, strangers will live in your house and forget your name. The late nights, the stress — none of it lasts. So call your parents, write that note, cook that meal. Because sanity isn’t just making it through the race; it’s remembering what’s truly worth running for.

When your ‘fundraising expert’ ghosts you

More founders are losing money to fake fundraising advisors who promise investor connections and deliver nothing. UK startups are pushing for tighter rules — but scams like this happen everywhere. Have you ever paid someone who vanished when it mattered?

Events happening this week

We constantly update this quarter’s must-attend events for startups in Europe list.

Do you like what we do at Follow the Gradient? Help us grow this community and share a like and add a comment to our LinkedIn post that just went live:

Smart hack

The holiday season is the ultimate stress test for your team. A sloppy handover exposes every missing doc and hidden silo and guarantees your phone rings on the beach. Loris nails how to avoid it:

🌴 Start 2+ weeks early, use one clear handover doc
🌴 Do a walkthrough
🌴 Update accesses
🌴 Notify clients
🌴 Set crisp OOO replies
🌴 Block your first day back meeting-free (include it in your OOO).
🌴 Add “what if” notes and quick Looms for tricky tasks.

🌴🌴 The ROI of a stress-free holiday? Huge.

One good read

The next innovation revolution - powered by AI

Join the entrepreneurial journey

Are you ready to take your first steps into the startup ecosystem or seeking an exciting new opportunity? Below is a curated list of startup job openings across Europe for you to explore.

Internships

Events & Brand Intern [📍Berlin], Fintech, Moss [Apply]
VC internship [📍Berlin], VC, b2venture [Apply, Hiring manager]
Portfolio Controlling Working Student [📍Vienna] VC, Speedinvest [Apply]
Communications Trainee [📍Vienna], Circular Economy, refurbed [Apply]
Working Student [📍Berlin], AI, Text Cortex AI [Apply]

Customer Success

Senior Customer Success Manager [📍Remote, Germany], Data Analysis, Marketlogic [Apply]
Principle Enterprise Customer Success Manager [📍Berlin, Munich], Conversational AI, Parloa [Apply]

Marketing & Comms

Performance Marketing Lead [📍Berlin], Fashion, saintsaas [Apply]
Marketing Data Analyst [📍Berlin], FemTech, femtasy [Apply, Hiring manager]

Sales

Vice President of Sales, Mode Earn App [📍Remote], User rewarding software solution, Mode Mobile [Apply]
Head of Field Sales [📍Remote, Germany], Household Appliances, Joseph Joseph [Apply]

Strategy & Ops

Strategy & Operations Lead [📍Berlin], Procurement, Forgent AI [Apply]
Business Analyst [📍London], VC, Balderton Capital [Apply, Hiring manager]

Product & Tech

Head of Product Strategy & Operations [📍Remote, Europe], Customer Engagement Platform, Emplifi [Apply]
Product Manager [📍Remote, Berlin], AI Automation, Mimica [Apply]

Final words — take what you need

Stay connected and spread the word! If you found this newsletter insightful, why not share it with your network? Thanks for reading, and we look forward to bringing you even more insights in the next edition!