20VC: Four Traits of the Most Successful Founders | How to Hunt and Close Talent Like a Pro and Where All Founders Go Wrong | Lessons Raising $397M From the Best Investors in the World with Eléonore Crespo @ Pigment

This episode explores the journey of Eléonore Crespo, co-founder and CEO of Pigment, from her time as an investor at Index Ventures to building a high-growth company. Crespo details how a back injury led her to re-evaluate her career and identify the qualities she sought in a co-founder, emphasizing the importance of complementary skills and shared values, which led her to Romain, her co-CEO. Against the backdrop of venture capital and startup scaling, Crespo shares her unique approach to hiring, focusing on sourcing top talent, understanding trigger moments for recruitment, and creating role-specific rubrics based on insights from industry experts. More significantly, the discussion pivots to fundraising strategies, where Crespo defends Pigment's decision to raise significant capital early, prioritizing long-term vision and the quality of board members over concerns about dilution. As the conversation evolves, Crespo offers advice to European founders on expanding into the U.S. market, highlighting the faster sales cycles and greater openness to innovative technologies, while also addressing common misconceptions. Emerging industry patterns reflected in Crespo's insights include the necessity of aggressive AI investment, the importance of building a strong company culture, and the need for founders to prioritize personal well-being alongside professional success.