How to be successful as a startup: a podcast with Vlad Andriescu, Editor-in-Chief of start-up.ro
Irina Constantin, our CEO and co-founder, spoke with Vlad Andriescu, Editor-in-Chief of start-up.ro, about media, startups, and how entrepreneurs can work effectively with the press.
Vlad Andriescu is a journalist with about 12 years of experience. Since 2015, he has been coordinating start-up.ro, a media initiative that began by writing about technology startups and expanded to cover small and medium-sized businesses, consumer technology, and more.
The entire podcast episode is available here (ENG) ⬇️
Curiosity makes him enjoy working as a journalist. Writing about startups always brings something new – a new business model, a new technology or a new way of doing things. He is interested in the journey of the people behind these start-ups, and an example is us. Vlad and Irina met 9 years ago, when she was running another startup. Since then, Vlad believes that the experience has helped Irina better understand the market and expose herself to more public.
For those just starting their journey in the startup ecosystem and wanting to better understand how to manage their media communication, Vlad suggests that the most important thing is to understand themselves first and foremost. Some people use this path for PR, positioning themselves in the spotlight. It is important to find a balance between modesty and visibility.
It is very important for an entrepreneur to document this journey, talk to others about the progress they are making, stay curious, and be present on social media and at events. Often, founders in our region work hard but forget to talk about their work.
Vlad highlights how important it is to observe founders from other regions. The United States is a founder market, much different than what we know – they are much more enthusiastic, more optimistic. Europe, on the other hand, and especially our region, is a world of investors, who tend to control the narrative.
It is also important for founders to practice their pitch constantly, draw inspiration from successful pitches, and ask for feedback from experts or peers at different stages of the product.
Regarding collaboration with the media and especially with start-up.ro, Vlad emphasizes the importance of timing. You need to know when to work and when to talk to the press. Also, go to start-up.ro when you have more than just an idea – you need to be at least at the MVP stage.
Journalists in the region are open to writing about startups, but it can be more complicated to be mentioned in the national press.
Pitching a journalist is similar to pitching an investor – the founder should try to convince them, in a few words, about what is different about what they do and why they should be featured in that article.
Last but not least, it is important, Vlad says, for entrepreneurs to find their “tribe” in the media, those journalists they respect and with whom they can build a long-term relationship, without waiting for immediate mentions.
To sum it up, Irina invited Vlad to describe the startup ecosystem in Romania. Although we haven’t seen that many new things in 2023, Vlad is excited about what the future will bring. The next few years will be more about investing in early stage startups, followed by a period of work to reach new critical moments in the evolution of the ecosystem.
Thank you, Vlad, for accepting our invitation to participate in the interview!
