Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship | Technology
Riding Unicorns is the go-to podcast for anyone interested in venture capital and high-growth startups. Hosted by VCs James Pringle and Hector Mason, the show explores what it takes to build and back successful tech unicorns.
Each episode features candid conversations with top founders, operators, and investors—unpacking the strategies, challenges, and insights behind scaling category-defining companies. From fundraising and product-market fit to hiring, growth, and beyond, no topic is off-limits. Whether you're a founder, VC, angel investor, or just curious about the world of startups, you’ll find valuable takeaways in every episode.
Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship | Technology
Pattern recognition and backing Europe's next unicorns with Andrei Brasoveanu, Partner @ Accel
From international math olympiads to high-frequency trading to leading deals at Accel, Andrei Brasoveanu has carved one of the most impressive careers in European tech. After a decade on Wall Street as a quant, he joined Accel’s London office and quickly became one of their top investors—backing breakout companies like Celonis and, more recently, Polar.
In this episode, we explore the mindset, methods, and milestones behind his success.
What You’ll Learn:
- 🧠 “Founders are the constant” — Why Andrei trusts people over metrics when chasing outliers
- 💶 The Celonis origin story — How a €100k pricing bet helped three inexperienced founders build a global leader
- 🌍 Accel’s European edge — Why they focus on non-obvious founders across Europe and Israel
- 🔁 The art of pattern recognition — Tactical advice for young VCs on fast-tracking their investment instincts
- ⚙️ No-code and AI — Why technical founders may have more of an edge than ever
- 🧊 Inside the Polar deal — How Andrei convinced a former Shopify exec to raise a round he didn’t plan to
- 🧩 Strategic angel orchestration — Why top VCs pull unicorn operators into early rounds (hint: it's not just for PR)
- 🔐 His future unicorn pick — A cybersecurity company from an unexpected European hub building with open-source DNA
This episode is a masterclass in European venture strategy. Whether you’re an investor, a founder, or just obsessed with how unicorns get made, this one will shift your perspective.
