Mostly Awesome – a podcast by cdtm

Katharina Mayer is the Founder and CEO of the social start-up Kuchentratsch. Her mission is to prevent the feeling of social isolation and poverty of the elderly by providing grandmas and grandpas with a place in Munich to get together, pursue their passion for baking, and top up their pension. In 2018 Katharina made a successful deal in the German version of shark tank called “Die Höhle der Löwen” where she convinced two lions aka investors of her social startup. In this episode, Katharina talks about how she initially came up with the idea for Kuchentratsch, why she discontinued her career in developmental work, her efficient leadership style managing three generations of employees under one roof, how she dealt with the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic and how she went from product idea to ready-to-buy baking mixes within only a few months!

Sven Schmidt is Managing Director and CMO at Machineseeker Group and a serial entrepreneur. In this episode, Sven talks about his previous role as a venture partner and what triggered his investment decisions, tells us why he chose to not be active as a business angel nor would consider a political career. We also learn more about his vision for the Machineseeker Group and why he decided against Home Office. Talking to Sven, we learn about the power of education, networking, and signaling as well as his favorite tools.

Judith Dada is a partner and managing director of La Famiglia, a women-led Berlin-based VC firm. In this episode, Judith talks about the process of launching a second fund, why networks are a double-edged sword and her opinion on the regulation of tech companies as an ex-Facebook manager. Lastly, we get insights about Judith as a passionate writer and what kind of fantasy novel we can expect from her very soon!