You know the fundraising announcements. The hockey-stick charts. The “we’re thrilled to share” LinkedIn posts.
Now forget all of that.
At Podim’s Founder Confessions, founders don’t pitch. They don’t present. They confess. The near-death moments. The decisions that looked insane at the time. The failures that never made it into the press release. Three raw, unscripted fireside conversations — no slides, no scripts, no highlight reels.
You’ll hear from the founder of Todoist — a productivity app used by 50 million people worldwide, built fully remote since 2007, long before it was a trend. From a serial entrepreneur who has raised $5M+, invested in 25+ startups, and exited multiple companies — all while building a portfolio of remote-first ventures. And from the CTO of Orqa, Europe’s leading drone technology company, who has been scaling cutting-edge hardware from Croatia to the world.
The program features 3 intimate fireside conversations, each moderated by one of Europe’s best-known startup moderators — designed to go deep, get personal, and uncover what really happens behind the scenes of building a company.
Why This Matters
LinkedIn is full of success stories. Podcasts are full of advice. But very few stages give you something that actually changes how you think about building a company: the truth.
Founder Confessions is not about what worked. It’s about what almost didn’t. It’s the story behind the story — the part founders only share when they trust the room.
At Podim, that trust is built in. The setting is intimate. The conversations go deep. And the audience isn’t there to observe — they’re there to learn from people who’ve been exactly where they are now.
This is for:
- Early-stage founders who need to know they’re not alone in struggling
- Experienced entrepreneurs who want to hear how others navigated the hardest moments
- Investors who want to understand what really drives the founders they back
- Anyone who’s tired of polished success narratives and wants the real thing
What You’ll Walk Away With
- The real decisions behind building a 50M-user product — including the ones that almost went wrong
- How serial entrepreneurs think about failure, pivots, and knowing when to walk away
- What it actually takes to build a global hardware company from a small European market
- How to stay sane, stay focused, and keep going when everything is falling apart
- Honest perspectives on fundraising, team dynamics, and the loneliness of leadership
- The unfiltered truth — the kind you only get in conversations like these
On Stage
🔥 Confession No 1: Amir Salihefendić — Building Todoist to 50 Million Users, His Way
Amir Salihefendić — Founder & CEO, Doist (Spain)
Amir built Todoist into one of the world’s most popular productivity apps — used by 50M+ people globally, generating tens of millions in ARR — without taking venture capital, without chasing hype, and without ever opening an office. Doist has been fully remote since 2007, long before it was mainstream. Born in Bosnia, raised in Denmark, now based in Barcelona, Amir brings a global perspective on product thinking, bootstrapping, AI, and building a company that lasts.
This fireside will dig into the real journey — the moments of doubt, the unconventional choices, and what it means to build a product-first company on your own terms.
🔥 Confession No 2: Maximilian Fleitmann — Serial Entrepreneur, Multiple Exits, Zero Shortcuts
Maximilian Fleitmann — Founding Partner, Wizard Ventures & Co-Founder, magier (Germany)
Maximilian has raised $5M+ as a founder, supported fundraising of over $100M for ventures he helped build, invested in 25+ startups, and successfully exited multiple companies — including VCStack, Startup&VC, BaseTemplates, and tona. He previously scaled StudyHelp to seven-figure annual revenue and over one million monthly users. Now he’s building a portfolio of remote-first startups through Wizard Ventures.
This isn’t a highlight reel. Expect honest reflections on what it’s really like to build, sell, start again — and keep going when most people would stop.
🔥 Confession No 3: Vlatko Matijević — Scaling Europe’s Leading Drone Company from Croatia
Vlatko Matijević — CTO, Orqa (Croatia)
Vlatko leads the technical vision at Orqa, Europe’s top drone technology company designing advanced FPV and unmanned aerial systems from its headquarters in Croatia. Since joining in 2018, he has scaled cutting-edge drone hardware for professional and industrial use — proving that world-class deep tech can be built far from Silicon Valley.
This conversation will explore the unique challenges of building a hardware company in Europe — from R&D to manufacturing, from regulation to global markets — and the personal resilience it demands.
Beyond Founder Confessions
Founder Confessions is just one part of the Podim experience. When you join, you step into a much bigger ecosystem:
- 80+ speakers — from founders of global tech companies to investors backing unicorns
- 60+ VC funds actively looking for the next opportunities
- 150+ selected startups carefully curated from across the region
- Curated networking, side events, and real deal-making opportunities
Partner
Powered by: South Central Ventures
The Best Lessons Don’t Come from Success. They Come from Surviving.
Every great company has a story no one tells on stage. At Podim, we do.
If you’re building something and want to hear the raw, honest truth from people who’ve been where you are — and made it through — this is the room you need to be in.
