Dear hustlers, founders, operators and visionaries,

Apple started its annual developer conference with a lot of buzz, but said little about how it will build a true AI smartphone. Will we ever get a Siri that actually works? As CEO Tim Cook will run the risk of looming survival challenges, he might look to Elon Musk for crisis lessons learnt. With the relationship (bromance?) between him and Donald Trump having taken a troubled turn, his businesses seem increasingly at risk of becoming victims of the fallout. Follow the Gradient and stay tuned.

🫶🏼 Melanie & Christian

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Your talk track for this week’s cocktail party

EU funding arm freezes payments after fraud probe

EIT Manufacturing, a subdivision within the European Commission, has halted payments to over 150 partner projects after an anti-fraud probe uncovered serious mismanagement of grants. With startups typically relying on €500k in funding, the freeze has already forced some to shutter client work.

Wise heads for New York, another blow to London

Fintech powerhouse Wise is ditching London for a New York listing, dealing a fresh blow to London’s capital markets. The £11bn fintech’s departure follows other high-profile exits like Deliveroo and Indivior. The move spotlights New York’s appeal and underscores fears that Europe’s most important Finance hub is becoming a seller’s market, not a growth hub.

What do you meme?

Food for thought

Is market research no more?

AI is upending an entire industry as classic market research is coming to an end. As VC firm a16z writes, this presents a new opportunity for startups: run market research questions through simulated societies of generative agents. Will market knowledge soon be available on demand?

Is hustling 996 the only way?

The debate is hot in the Tech scene on the working attitude required to build a successful startup. The buzz is all around 996: work 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week. Is this an admission of a sad truth, or a promotion of extreme work cultures?

Find a promotion of this view here, a criticism on it here. More important: tell us your opinion, what is your take?
Before you go: listen to our conversation with Adrian Locher about burnout while hyperscaling

Cybersecurity - the new boom?

An analysis of YC funding patterns since 2020 reveals Cybersecurity as the fastest growing category. With everything being run by software now more than ever, is this trend only the beginning?

Events happening this week

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

Smart hack

We have covered the potential end of SEO in the wake of LLM chatbots before. Yet how do you position your brand in the upcoming era? Ashley Mann’s view is clear: build relationships with magazines and media outlets in your industry. She breaks down the Why in this insightful post and shares the the next steps any company should do:

• Identify the 5-10 publications your ideal customers actually read

• Follow their editorial calendars and pitch relevant expertise

• Share genuine insights, not marketing mumbo jumbo

• Build relationships with editors over months, not weeks

• Become the expert they call when they need industry commentary

One good read

AI eats the world

And because we reported on it recently:
Inside the collapse of Microsoft-backed UK tech unicorn Builder.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

Working Student Information Security[📍Munich], FinTech, Scalable Capital [Apply]
GTM Enablement Intern [📍Paris], Communication, Aircall [Apply]
Business Intern [📍Zurich] Gen Z, zeam [Apply]

Customer Success

Customer Success Manager- EMEA [📍London], Content, Contentful [Apply]

HR & Finance

HR People Ops EMEA [📍Paris], AI, Mistral [Apply]
HR Officer [📍Amsterdam], Flowers, Bloom & Wild [Apply]

Marketing & Comms

Performance Marketing Managerin [📍 Remote Germany], E-Commerce, AMELI Zurich [Apply, Hiring manager]
Social Media Assistant [📍London], Beauty & Wellness, Beauty Pie [Apply]

Sales

Sales BDR [📍Paris], FinTech, Hyperline [Apply]
Sales Enablement [📍Paris], HealthTech, alan [Apply]

Strategy & Ops

Team Lead - Ops Academy [📍Amsterdam], FinTech, Adyen [Apply]
Director Strategy & Operations [📍Berlin], Transportation, Via [Apply]

Product & Tech

Product Manager [📍Paris], real estate, Zefir [Apply]
Product Manager - Data & AI [📍Berlin], TravelTech, Tourlane [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!