Summary

Camille Colbus, the first employee of Too Good to Go, shares her experience in scaling the app that fights food waste. She emphasizes the importance of passion and belief in the product when convincing stores to join the platform. Camille also discusses the key elements that investors look for, such as the mission and potential impact of the company. She highlights the significance of building a strong team and culture, as well as the value of learning from experts. Camille advises entrepreneurs to stay focused on their mission, be open to feedback, and put ego aside. She also recommends the book 'Radical Candor' for effective feedback communication.

Keywords

#foodwaste, #impact, #scaling, #passion, #belief, #stores, #investors, #team, #culture, #feedback, #ego, #startup, #entrepreneur, #entrepreneurship

Takeaways

• Passion and belief in the product are crucial when convincing stores to join a platform.
• Investors look for companies with a strong mission and potential impact.
• Building a strong team and culture is essential for success.
• Entrepreneurs should stay focused on their mission, be open to feedback, and put ego aside.
• The book 'Radical Candor' is recommended for effective feedback communication.

Titles

• The Importance of Feedback and Ego Management
• Building a Strong Team and Culture for Success

Sound Bites

• "Passion and energy...believing in your product."
• "Learning by doing...having a good team."
• "Surrounded by people you can learn from."

Chapters

00:00
Introduction and Background

04:04
Showing the Product to Stores

08:17
Learning New Jobs and Hiring the Right Team

12:16
Marketing Strategy and Building a Community

15:49
Adapting to Feedback from Stores and Consumers

26:29
Advice for Startups in the Circular Economy

31:56
Putting Ego Aside and Seeking Feedback

35:18
Recommended Company: We Can Do

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Hello everybody!

How do you create a deeptech or climate tech startup? You ask.

I have got the question SO MANY TIMES
and since we can't all get into deeptech accelerators,
I thought that..

Well, I'll give it a shot in a series of videos.
Deeptech & Climate Tech startup 101.

This is the second one. Instead of focusing on ideas: execute. Fast. Repeat.

By the way, do you know that Reactor is on Instagram too, now?

https://www.instagram.com/reactortechmedia/

Thanks for your support!

Deeptech & Climate Tech Startup 101 - Episode 2: From Ideas to Execution - The True Value Lies in Action

Welcome back to Reactor! I’m Jerome, and in today’s episode, we’re tackling a critical topic for any aspiring entrepreneur: The true value of your business isn’t in the idea itself—it’s in how well you execute it. We’ll dive into why ideas alone aren’t enough and how to turn them into real, impactful value.

Here’s what we’ll be covering in today’s episode:

1. The Absurdity of Idea Theft
   • Why ideas alone aren’t enough
   • The myth of someone stealing your idea and succeeding
2. Execution: The True Power Behind Ideas
   • The value formula: Value = (Dream Outcome × Probability of Achieving Outcome) ÷ (Effort × Time Delay)
   • Real-life example: Mark Zuckerberg and the importance of execution
3. Focusing on Bringing Value to Customers
   • Starting small and scaling
   • Listening to feedback and iterating quickly
   • Solving real problems, not just hypotheses
4. Overdelivering to Build Momentum
   • Creating loyal customers by going above and beyond
   • Building momentum through consistent value delivery
5. Staying Customer-Focused
   • Empathy mapping to understand customer needs
   • Customer journey mapping to enhance experiences
6. Recap and Takeaways
   • Summary of key points
   • The importance of execution over ideas
   • What to expect in the next episode

These six chapters will guide us through understanding why execution is the key to success and how to effectively turn your ideas into tangible, impactful value. Let’s get started!

[Scene 2: The Absurdity of Idea Theft]

Let’s start with a simple question: When was the last time someone stole your business idea, created a company exactly the way you envisioned it, and made billions from it?

Sounds absurd, right? That’s because it is.

The truth is, ideas are easy.

Execution is what separates dreamers from doers.

Think about those gadgets you sometimes see on late-night TV.

Sure, they’re real, and they might even be useful,

but how many of them are truly solving a problem that people are struggling with every day?

Often, these products are just “hypotheses in your head,”

ideas that haven’t been tested against real-world needs.

Without execution, an idea remains just that—an idea.

[Scene 3: Execution - The True Power Behind Ideas]

Execution is where the real value lies.

Let’s break it down with a simple formula: Value = (Dream Outcome × Probability of Achieving Outcome) ÷ (Effort × Time Delay).

Let’s dissect this:

1. Dream Outcome: This is the best possible result your product can help your customer achieve.

It’s what your customers dream of.

How big is the impact you can make?

2. Probability of Achieving Outcome: This is your chance of success.

How likely is it that your product will achieve the dream outcome?

1. Effort: How much work is required?

What kind of res

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Christina Rebuffet-Broadus is a coach and consultant specialized in helping European companies successfully land in the USA.

She has helped dozens of deeptech and climate companies and she is sharing with tips about personal branding, how to finally reconciliate tech and sales and sharing her experience of entrepreneurs and with companies from Grenoble.

Find Christina on social media in her newsletter:

• Newsletter: https://www.christinarebuffetcourses.fr/american-market-alchemist
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinarebuffetbroadus/

Here are the references mentioned during the episode :

Vincent Bligny https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-bligny/

Rémi Moriceau https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmoriceau/

Aniah https://aniah.fr/

The entrepreneur Lionel Clément : https://www.linkedin.com/in/lionel-clement/

Maud Vinet https://www.linkedin.com/in/maud-vinet-quantum/

Quobly https://www.quobly.io/

Mathieu Lefebvre https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathieu-lefebvre-2aa74390/

waga-energy https://waga-energy.com/en/

Christina’s recommended resources:

Youtube The futur https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-b3c7kxa5vU-bnmaROgvog Podcast The school of greatness https://lewishowes.com/sogpodcast/ Book - You are a badass at making money https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Badass-Making-Money/dp/0735222975

Thanks Le Minimistan in Grenoble for hosting us for the episode https://minimistan.org/

Thanks for watching this episode and see you soon !

Do you need help developing your deeptech or climate business? https://dynamic-scale-210.notion.site/Coaching-for-Deeptech-Impact-CEO-1448aabacdee42d6a6f980eed74cc2a5

Find the newsletter here: https://reactortech.substack.com/

Follow me on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeromegilleron/?locale=en_US

And X https://twitter.com/JeromeGilleron

Support the show

Thanks for watching this episode and see you soon !

Are you a deeptech or climate startup? Do you want to appear on Reactor special edition called 'Biz Decoder' in front of investors and customers?

https://tally.so/r/wzYVGk

Find the newsletter here:

https://reactortech.substack.com/

Follow me on Linkedin / jeromegilleron

summary

In this episode, Jerome discusses the transition from being an employee in a tech company to building your own deep tech or climate tech startup. He emphasizes the importance of mastering your mindset about sales, personal branding, and marketing. Jerome provides tips on sales, such as identifying your ideal customer profile, qualifying leads, building relationships, and addressing objections. He also discusses the significance of personal branding, including defining your brand, consistency in messaging, content creation, and networking. Lastly, he highlights the key aspects of marketing, such as focusing on customer needs, storytelling, content creation, SEO/SEM, social proof, and analytics.

keywords

transition, employee, tech company, deep tech, climate tech, startup, mindset, sales, personal branding, marketing, ideal customer profile, leads, relationships, objections, value proposition, closing techniques, storytelling, content creation, SEO, SEM, social proof, analytics

takeaways

• Transitioning from an employee to a founder requires mastering your mindset about sales, personal branding, and marketing.
• In sales, it is important to identify your ideal customer profile, qualify leads, build relationships, and address objections.
• Personal branding helps you become a leader in your industry and build trust with your audience.
• Marketing involves focusing on customer needs, storytelling, content creation, SEO/SEM, social proof, and analytics.
• Having the right mindset in sales, personal branding, and marketing is crucial for building a successful startup.

titles

• Tips for Effective Sales, Personal Branding, and Marketing
• Building Relationships and Trust in Sales and Personal Branding

Sound Bites

• "Having a great product isn't enough. You need the right mindset to build a strong brand, create a sales track record, and attract a loyal customer base."
• "Sales are built on relationships. Take the time to build trust and rapport with your prospects. People buy from people they know, like, and trust."
• "Personal branding helps you become a leader in your industry and put a human face on your company. It builds trust and attracts talent."

Chapters

00:00
Introduction

01:04
Building the Foundations: Mastering Your Mindset

03:04
Sales: Understanding Your Ideal Customer Profile and Qualifying Leads

05:45
Personal Branding: Becoming a Leader in Your Industry

10:35
Marketing: Showcasing the Value You Deliver

19:54
Conclusion and Next Steps

Support the show

Expanding to the U.S. is every ambitious European founder’s dream—but most burn cash, stall deals, and underestimate the market.

In this episode of Reactor, I sit down with Christina Rebuffet-Broadus, U.S. growth expert and CEO of Transatlantia, to break down the exact strategies European startups need to scale, sell, and thrive in America.

💡 What you’ll learn in this episode:
✅ Why copy-pasting your European strategy to the U.S. is a recipe for failure
✅ The biggest mindset shift European founders must make to land 7-figure deals
✅ How to sell deeptech & climate tech in a market that moves faster than Europe
✅ The CEO agenda test: Are you really prioritizing growth?
✅ Why most U.S. expansions fail—and how to fix yours before it’s too late

🚀 If you’re a tech founder going global, this episode is your cheat code.

🔗 Listen & Subscribe:
📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Reactor-podcast
📩 Read the full breakdown in the newsletter: https://reactortech.substack.com/

💬 Thinking about U.S. expansion? What’s your biggest challenge? Drop it in the comments!

#ReactorPodcast #USExpansion #Deeptech #Startups #Growth #ClimateTech #Sales

Support the show

Welcome to this week’s Reactor Newsletter, where we bring you the most exciting developments from the worlds of deeptech and climate tech. Here’s your weekly dose of innovation and progress:

1️⃣ EIT Funding Opportunities for Sustainable Innovation
2️⃣ Y Combinator Success Tips: Boost Your Odds
3️⃣ VC Funding Surge: $3B Raised in December
4️⃣ Forbes' Top 25: Tomorrow's AI Unicorns
5️⃣ EIT Food Incubator: Equity-Free Support for Startups

If you'd like to take it further, you can:

• Sponsor this newsletter or one of my LinkedIn posts.
• Book a call or grab lunch with me in Paris and let’s unlock your sales, branding and growth.
• Listen to my podcast, watch my YouTube channel and my business Instagram here
• Join the Reactor community on WhatsApp: deep tech and climate-tech entrepreneurs, events, discussions
• Follow me on LinkedIn.

Do you prefer watching the Youtube version, click here: https://www.youtube.com/@Reactor-podcast

Or the podcast version on your favorite app:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2352682/episodes

1️⃣ Funding Opportunities from EIT Urban Mobility

🚀 A wave of funding opportunities is here—don’t miss out on these deadlines:

• Catalyse NEB 2025: Apply by 3 February for €20,000 and business support.
  Details: Catalyse NEB 2025
• EIC Women Leadership Programme: Apply by 9 February for guidance on leadership and entrepreneurial skills for women-led startups.
  Details: Women Leadership Programme
• RAPTOR Open Call: Apply by 12 February for up to €40,000 and a chance to pilot your solution in city mobility challenges.
  Details: RAPTOR Open Call
• Investment Readiness Programme for Impact (IRP4IMPACT): Apply by 28 February to boost fundraising capabilities with resources, coaching, and networking.
  Details: Investment Readiness Programme
• Scaling Startups Programme Open Call: Apply by 28 February to provide VC expertise and help mobility startups scale globally.
  Details: Scaling Startups Programme

For a full overview, visit the EIT Urban Mobility LinkedIn page: EIT Urban Mobility

2️⃣ EIT Food Seedbed Incubator: Equity-Free Funding for Agrifood Innovators

Do you have a novel tech-based innovation that could transform the food system? The EIT Food Seedbed Incubator offers a 6-month program to validate and launch scalable Agrifood Tech ventures.

Why join?

• Up to €10,000 in equity-free funding.
• Access to 100+ industry leaders and agrifood specialists.
• Entrepreneurial training and 1:1 coaching.
• Lifetime membership in the EIT Food community.

Applications close on 21 February.

Details:

Support the show

Welcome to this week’s Reactor Podcast, where we bring you the most exciting developments from the worlds of deeptech and climate tech. Here’s your weekly dose of innovation and progress:

If you'd like to take it further, you can:

• Sponsor this newsletter or one of my LinkedIn posts.
• Book a call or grab lunch with me in Paris and let’s unlock your sales, branding and growth.
• Listen to my podcast, watch my YouTube channel and my business Instagram here
• Follow me on LinkedIn.

Prefer watching it on YouTube? I got you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS18mx3NvO8&t=1s

1️⃣ Fresh Capital for Innovation: This Week’s VC Announcements

It’s been a big week for venture capital. Here are the key fund announcements fueling the next wave of innovation:

• First Look Partners: $30M fund for early-stage emerging fund managers and breakout companies.
• 360 Capital: €140M fund focused on climate tech, including energy transition and urban sustainability.
• Voima Ventures: €100M Fund III to support science and deeptech startups in the Nordic and Baltic regions.
• Founders Fund: $3B for its third growth equity fund, continuing its legacy from San Francisco.

Thanks to John Gannon for sharing the details. For more VC updates, check out MovesinVC.com.

🔗 Read John’s post: VC Announcements on LinkedIn

Subscribed

2️⃣ Evolution of Belgium’s Tech Ecosystem: 2010–2024

Belgium’s tech startup scene has not only recovered since 2020—it’s thriving like never before. Here are the highlights:

• imec continues to drive innovation with its imec.xpand program, creating numerous spin-offs.
• 20% of Belgian tech companies in 2023 had female founders—a significant milestone
• .
• Belgium has seen an increasing number of unicorns, future unicorns, and IPOs.
• Key players like Odoo, Euroclear, and Movu Robotics are growing rapidly.
• The transition from SaaS dominance (2010–2021) to an AI-led focus.

Thanks to Omar Mohout for sharing this valuable analysis.

🔗 Learn more: Belgium Tech Ecosystem Analysis

Subscribed

3️⃣ Demystifying Term Sheets: A Guide for Founders

Are you raising funds? Do you have a term sheet in your inbox? Here are the key aspects to watch out for:

• Valuation: Understand what your company is truly worth.
• Control Rights and Protections: Pay attention to liquidation preferences and anti-dilution clauses.
• Preparation for Difficult Times: Plan for scenarios when things don’t go as expected.

If these terms sound overwhelming, take a look at this valuable term sheet guide by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, shared by Vasily Pieters.

🔗 Download the guide:

Support the show

Hello everybody and welcome to the Reactor newsletter!

In this episode of the Reactor Podcast, I was pleased to interview Thomas Benoit, CEO of Set In Stone.

To avoid missing the next episode, hit subscribe!



Thomas started a web3 cybersecurity company straight out of college.

He has been a deeptech entrepreneur for 5 years and last year, he pivoted!

That conversation was full of information on how build a successful entrepreneur routine and build companies that last.

If you'd like to take it further, you can:

Sponsor this newsletter or one of my LinkedIn posts.

Book a call or grab lunch with me in Paris and let’s unlock your sales, branding and growth.

Listen to my podcast, watch my YouTube channel and my business Instagram here

Follow me on LinkedIn.



We discussed his entrepreneurial journey from college to launching a successful startup in cybersecurity and blockchain.

We explore the challenges of navigating the cybersecurity landscape, the shift towards Web3 security, effective sales strategies for startups, and the importance of personal branding in tech.

The conversation also touches on the environmental impact of blockchain technology and the industry's future.





You can find Set in Stone here:

1. Company Website: Find and Fix Blockchain App Vulnerabilities In Instant: https://www.setinstone.io/

2. Company newsletter: Get the latest insights about blockchain security every month: https://www.setinstone.io/insight

3. Book A Call with Set in Stone: https://calendly.com/set-in-stone-tho...

Or even find Thomas on X, LinkedIn, or Telegram : https://linktr.ee/thomas.benoit





Main take-aways

Focus is key for entrepreneurs with limited resources.

The shift to Web3 security is essential for modern businesses.

Sales strategies should prioritize building trust and relationships.

Personal branding is crucial in the tech industry.

Curiosity drives learning and adaptation in entrepreneurship.

Networking is vital for finding opportunities and support.

Understanding customer needs is fundamental to product development.

The Escargot method can guide business expansion effectively.

Blockchain tech

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