Summary

Jérôme Gilleron, the founder of Reactor Media, discusses his background in aeronautics and aerospace and his transition to marketing and sales. He explains the concept behind Reactors, which aims to provide support and resources for early-stage startups. Guiron emphasizes the importance of marketing and personal branding for startups and the need to validate ideas before launching. He also discusses the role of corporate investors and the synergy between corporations and startups. Guiron shares his aspirations of becoming an investor in the future and his thoughts on mastermind groups for entrepreneurs. In this conversation, Jérôme Gilleron discusses the importance of sales for entrepreneurs and the need to qualify potential customers. He emphasizes the role of sales in generating revenue and sustaining a business. Jérôme also talks about the challenges of reducing carbon footprint for companies and the need for new practices in old systems. He shares his vision for his media platform, Reactor, and the importance of talking about ideas and seeking feedback. Jérôme encourages entrepreneurs to talk to potential customers and understand their needs before trying to sell a product or service.

Keyword

Aeronautics, aerospace, marketing, sales, startups, Reactor, validation, personal branding, corporate investors, synergy, mastermind groups, entrepreneurs, sales, entrepreneurship, carbon footprint, deep tech, impact startups, media platform, feedback

Takeaways

• Transitioning from a technical background to marketing and sales can provide a unique perspective and skill set.
• Marketing and personal branding are crucial for startups to establish credibility and attract customers, investors, and talent.
• Validating ideas before launching is essential to ensure market demand and avoid wasting time and resources.
• The synergy between corporations and startups can lead to innovation and mutually beneficial partnerships.
• Becoming an investor in the long run can provide opportunities to support and mentor promising startups.
• Mastermind groups can offer valuable networking and learning opportunities for entrepreneurs. Sales is an essential skill for entrepreneurs as it generates revenue and sustains a business.
• Reducing carbon footprint requires implementing new practices in old systems.
• Reactor aims to be a recognized media platform for deep tech and impact startups.
• Entrepreneurs should talk to potential customers and seek feedback before trying to sell their product or service.

Titles

• The Synergy Between Corporations and Startups
• Validating Ideas: A Crucial Step Before Launching Reactor: A Vision for a Media Platform
• The Importance of Sales for Entrepreneurs

Sound Bites

• "Marketing and sales at the beginning, in any case, are together."
• "An idea is not worth much."
• "There is synergy between corporations and startups."
• "If the person behind doesn't do anything, what... You can be for nothing."
• "Sales remains the number one skill of the CEO, even before his technical expertise."
• "If you don't want to sell, I think you're not good at making a company."

Chapters

00:00 Jérôme Gilleron’s Background and Transition to Marketing and Sales

03:10 The Concept Behind Reactors and the Importance of Validation

06:43 The Role of Marketing and Personal Branding for Startups

09:02 The Value of Ideas and the Fear of Launching

13:16 The Synergy Between Corporations and Startups

21:07 Mastermind Groups for Entrepreneurs

31:07 The Importance of Sales for Entrepreneurs

41:42 Reducing Carbon Footprint: Challenges a

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🚀 5 Game-Changing Innovations in Deeptech & Climate Tech | Reactor Podcast

📩 Get More Deeptech & Climate Tech Insights

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⏳ In This Episode

1️⃣ 100+ Fundraising Agents – No Retainers 💰
Are you a startup founder raising funds? Discover an exclusive list of fundraising agents who work only on a success-fee basis—no retainers needed.
📄 Access the full list here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MjO9bBJVCl5mV8iPmKsjzBrw14ioEtn4xnEiViOnEHs/edit?pli=1&gid=0#gid=0

2️⃣ AI Productivity Tools by a16z 🤖
The best AI tools tested by top investors and founders in 2024—from automating workflows to boosting creativity.
Read the full breakdown:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/a16z_our-team-tested-hundreds-of-ai-apps-in-2024-activity-7280026181440028672-eIOp

3️⃣ The Future of Optical Communications 🌐
Laser-based optical communication is faster, more secure, and interference-free. This technology is set to redefine space and satellite communications.
Read more:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jfmorizur_the-past-present-and-future-of-optical-activity-7284491491064832001-VLun

4️⃣ Major Deeptech & Climate Tech Funding Rounds 🌱🚀
Over $500M raised by game-changing startups in space, robotics, logistics, and clean energy. Here’s a snapshot:

• Loft Orbital – $170M to scale space infrastructure. Read more
• Shippeo – $30M to expand real-time transportation visibility. Read more
• Capra Robotics – €11.3M for next-gen autonomous mobile robots. Read more
• Amogy – $56M for ammonia-to-power solutions. Read more
• Stoke Space – $260M to develop 100% reusable rockets. Read more

5️⃣ Paris’ Air Quality Transformation 🌍
Paris has successfully cut pollution and transformed into a greener city with simple urban planning moves. Here’s how they did it:
✅ Built 1,400 km of protected bike lanes 🚲
✅ Created low-emission zones & pedestrian-friendly areas 🚶‍♂️
✅ Banned older diesel vehicles & restricted SUVs 🚘
Read more:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stuartneilson1_circulareconomy-zerowaste-innovation-activity-7276855515039596544-YaVg

💡 Don’t miss out on the latest deeptech and climate tech insights!
🔹 Subscribe to Reactor Newsletter: https://reactortech.substack.com
🔹 Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com

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Christina Rebuffet-Broadus is a coach and consultant specialized in helping European companies successfully land in the USA.

She has helped dozens of deeptech and climate companies and she is sharing with tips about personal branding, how to finally reconciliate tech and sales and sharing her experience of entrepreneurs and with companies from Grenoble.

Find Christina on social media in her newsletter:

• Newsletter: https://www.christinarebuffetcourses.fr/american-market-alchemist
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinarebuffetbroadus/

Here are the references mentioned during the episode :

Vincent Bligny https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-bligny/

Rémi Moriceau https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmoriceau/

Aniah https://aniah.fr/

The entrepreneur Lionel Clément : https://www.linkedin.com/in/lionel-clement/

Maud Vinet https://www.linkedin.com/in/maud-vinet-quantum/

Quobly https://www.quobly.io/

Mathieu Lefebvre https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathieu-lefebvre-2aa74390/

waga-energy https://waga-energy.com/en/

Christina’s recommended resources:

Youtube The futur https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-b3c7kxa5vU-bnmaROgvog Podcast The school of greatness https://lewishowes.com/sogpodcast/ Book - You are a badass at making money https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Badass-Making-Money/dp/0735222975

Thanks Le Minimistan in Grenoble for hosting us for the episode https://minimistan.org/

Thanks for watching this episode and see you soon !

Do you need help developing your deeptech or climate business? https://dynamic-scale-210.notion.site/Coaching-for-Deeptech-Impact-CEO-1448aabacdee42d6a6f980eed74cc2a5

Find the newsletter here: https://reactortech.substack.com/

Follow me on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeromegilleron/?locale=en_US

And X https://twitter.com/JeromeGilleron

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Thanks for watching this episode and see you soon !

Are you a deeptech or climate startup? Do you want to appear on Reactor special edition called 'Biz Decoder' in front of investors and customers?

https://tally.so/r/wzYVGk

Find the newsletter here:

https://reactortech.substack.com/

Follow me on Linkedin / jeromegilleron

summary

In this episode, Jerome discusses the transition from being an employee in a tech company to building your own deep tech or climate tech startup. He emphasizes the importance of mastering your mindset about sales, personal branding, and marketing. Jerome provides tips on sales, such as identifying your ideal customer profile, qualifying leads, building relationships, and addressing objections. He also discusses the significance of personal branding, including defining your brand, consistency in messaging, content creation, and networking. Lastly, he highlights the key aspects of marketing, such as focusing on customer needs, storytelling, content creation, SEO/SEM, social proof, and analytics.

keywords

transition, employee, tech company, deep tech, climate tech, startup, mindset, sales, personal branding, marketing, ideal customer profile, leads, relationships, objections, value proposition, closing techniques, storytelling, content creation, SEO, SEM, social proof, analytics

takeaways

• Transitioning from an employee to a founder requires mastering your mindset about sales, personal branding, and marketing.
• In sales, it is important to identify your ideal customer profile, qualify leads, build relationships, and address objections.
• Personal branding helps you become a leader in your industry and build trust with your audience.
• Marketing involves focusing on customer needs, storytelling, content creation, SEO/SEM, social proof, and analytics.
• Having the right mindset in sales, personal branding, and marketing is crucial for building a successful startup.

titles

• Tips for Effective Sales, Personal Branding, and Marketing
• Building Relationships and Trust in Sales and Personal Branding

Sound Bites

• "Having a great product isn't enough. You need the right mindset to build a strong brand, create a sales track record, and attract a loyal customer base."
• "Sales are built on relationships. Take the time to build trust and rapport with your prospects. People buy from people they know, like, and trust."
• "Personal branding helps you become a leader in your industry and put a human face on your company. It builds trust and attracts talent."

Chapters

00:00
Introduction

01:04
Building the Foundations: Mastering Your Mindset

03:04
Sales: Understanding Your Ideal Customer Profile and Qualifying Leads

05:45
Personal Branding: Becoming a Leader in Your Industry

10:35
Marketing: Showcasing the Value You Deliver

19:54
Conclusion and Next Steps

Support the show

Welcome to this week’s Reactor Newsletter, where we bring you the most exciting developments from the worlds of deeptech and climate tech. Here’s your weekly dose of innovation and progress:

1️⃣ EIT Funding Opportunities for Sustainable Innovation
2️⃣ Y Combinator Success Tips: Boost Your Odds
3️⃣ VC Funding Surge: $3B Raised in December
4️⃣ Forbes' Top 25: Tomorrow's AI Unicorns
5️⃣ EIT Food Incubator: Equity-Free Support for Startups

If you'd like to take it further, you can:

• Sponsor this newsletter or one of my LinkedIn posts.
• Book a call or grab lunch with me in Paris and let’s unlock your sales, branding and growth.
• Listen to my podcast, watch my YouTube channel and my business Instagram here
• Join the Reactor community on WhatsApp: deep tech and climate-tech entrepreneurs, events, discussions
• Follow me on LinkedIn.

Do you prefer watching the Youtube version, click here: https://www.youtube.com/@Reactor-podcast

Or the podcast version on your favorite app:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2352682/episodes

1️⃣ Funding Opportunities from EIT Urban Mobility

🚀 A wave of funding opportunities is here—don’t miss out on these deadlines:

• Catalyse NEB 2025: Apply by 3 February for €20,000 and business support.
  Details: Catalyse NEB 2025
• EIC Women Leadership Programme: Apply by 9 February for guidance on leadership and entrepreneurial skills for women-led startups.
  Details: Women Leadership Programme
• RAPTOR Open Call: Apply by 12 February for up to €40,000 and a chance to pilot your solution in city mobility challenges.
  Details: RAPTOR Open Call
• Investment Readiness Programme for Impact (IRP4IMPACT): Apply by 28 February to boost fundraising capabilities with resources, coaching, and networking.
  Details: Investment Readiness Programme
• Scaling Startups Programme Open Call: Apply by 28 February to provide VC expertise and help mobility startups scale globally.
  Details: Scaling Startups Programme

For a full overview, visit the EIT Urban Mobility LinkedIn page: EIT Urban Mobility

2️⃣ EIT Food Seedbed Incubator: Equity-Free Funding for Agrifood Innovators

Do you have a novel tech-based innovation that could transform the food system? The EIT Food Seedbed Incubator offers a 6-month program to validate and launch scalable Agrifood Tech ventures.

Why join?

• Up to €10,000 in equity-free funding.
• Access to 100+ industry leaders and agrifood specialists.
• Entrepreneurial training and 1:1 coaching.
• Lifetime membership in the EIT Food community.

Applications close on 21 February.

Details:

Support the show

Welcome to this week’s Reactor Podcast, where we bring you the most exciting developments from the worlds of deeptech and climate tech. Here’s your weekly dose of innovation and progress:

If you'd like to take it further, you can:

• Sponsor this newsletter or one of my LinkedIn posts.
• Book a call or grab lunch with me in Paris and let’s unlock your sales, branding and growth.
• Listen to my podcast, watch my YouTube channel and my business Instagram here
• Follow me on LinkedIn.

Prefer watching it on YouTube? I got you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS18mx3NvO8&t=1s

1️⃣ Fresh Capital for Innovation: This Week’s VC Announcements

It’s been a big week for venture capital. Here are the key fund announcements fueling the next wave of innovation:

• First Look Partners: $30M fund for early-stage emerging fund managers and breakout companies.
• 360 Capital: €140M fund focused on climate tech, including energy transition and urban sustainability.
• Voima Ventures: €100M Fund III to support science and deeptech startups in the Nordic and Baltic regions.
• Founders Fund: $3B for its third growth equity fund, continuing its legacy from San Francisco.

Thanks to John Gannon for sharing the details. For more VC updates, check out MovesinVC.com.

🔗 Read John’s post: VC Announcements on LinkedIn

Subscribed

2️⃣ Evolution of Belgium’s Tech Ecosystem: 2010–2024

Belgium’s tech startup scene has not only recovered since 2020—it’s thriving like never before. Here are the highlights:

• imec continues to drive innovation with its imec.xpand program, creating numerous spin-offs.
• 20% of Belgian tech companies in 2023 had female founders—a significant milestone
• .
• Belgium has seen an increasing number of unicorns, future unicorns, and IPOs.
• Key players like Odoo, Euroclear, and Movu Robotics are growing rapidly.
• The transition from SaaS dominance (2010–2021) to an AI-led focus.

Thanks to Omar Mohout for sharing this valuable analysis.

🔗 Learn more: Belgium Tech Ecosystem Analysis

Subscribed

3️⃣ Demystifying Term Sheets: A Guide for Founders

Are you raising funds? Do you have a term sheet in your inbox? Here are the key aspects to watch out for:

• Valuation: Understand what your company is truly worth.
• Control Rights and Protections: Pay attention to liquidation preferences and anti-dilution clauses.
• Preparation for Difficult Times: Plan for scenarios when things don’t go as expected.

If these terms sound overwhelming, take a look at this valuable term sheet guide by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, shared by Vasily Pieters.

🔗 Download the guide:

Support the show

Expanding to the U.S. is every ambitious European founder’s dream—but most burn cash, stall deals, and underestimate the market.

In this episode of Reactor, I sit down with Christina Rebuffet-Broadus, U.S. growth expert and CEO of Transatlantia, to break down the exact strategies European startups need to scale, sell, and thrive in America.

💡 What you’ll learn in this episode:
✅ Why copy-pasting your European strategy to the U.S. is a recipe for failure
✅ The biggest mindset shift European founders must make to land 7-figure deals
✅ How to sell deeptech & climate tech in a market that moves faster than Europe
✅ The CEO agenda test: Are you really prioritizing growth?
✅ Why most U.S. expansions fail—and how to fix yours before it’s too late

🚀 If you’re a tech founder going global, this episode is your cheat code.

🔗 Listen & Subscribe:
📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Reactor-podcast
📩 Read the full breakdown in the newsletter: https://reactortech.substack.com/

💬 Thinking about U.S. expansion? What’s your biggest challenge? Drop it in the comments!

#ReactorPodcast #USExpansion #Deeptech #Startups #Growth #ClimateTech #Sales

Support the show

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Reactor Newsletter, where we spotlight inspiring innovations and success stories from deeptech and climate tech. Let’s dive in!

If you'd like to take it further, you can:

• Sponsor this newsletter or one of my LinkedIn posts.
• Book a call or grab lunch with me in Paris and let’s unlock your sales, branding and growth.
• Listen to my podcast, watch my youtube channel and my business Instagram here
• Follow me on LinkedIn.

1️⃣ Up and Charge Unveils France’s First Induction Charging for EVs

After three years of R&D, Up and Charge has successfully installed France’s first induction charging station for electric vehicles in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

This cutting-edge technology allows EVs to charge wirelessly, promising a seamless charging experience and a glimpse of a more connected future.

With this milestone achieved, the company is setting its sights on global expansion.

🔗 Learn more from their LinkedIn post: Up and Charge announcement

Reactor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribed

2️⃣ Pulse Audition’s Successful Exit to EssilorLuxottica

EssilorLuxottica has acquired Pulse Audition, a French startup founded in 2022 that uses AI to improve hearing. Their innovative algorithms enhance noise reduction and speech comprehension for individuals with hearing impairments.

This acquisition marks a significant step in integrating cutting-edge AI into hearing solutions, paving the way for improved accessibility and quality of life.

🔗 Read more: EssilorLuxottica press release

3️⃣ Xona Named One of TechCrunch’s Most Disruptive Startups of 2024

Xona Space Systems is making waves as one of TechCrunch’s most disruptive startups of the year. The company is developing a satellite navigation system with far greater accuracy than traditional GPS.

With next-gen tech relying on precise navigation, Xona’s innovation is set to revolutionize commercial, civil, and defense applications. They raised a $19M Series A this year and plan to launch their first production satellite next summer.

🔗 Discover why they’re disruptive: TechCrunch article

Reactor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribed

4️⃣ European Small Launcher Industry Gears Up for a Busy 2025

2025 will be a critical year for European small launchers, with companies like Avio, RFA, and Latitude planning full launches or engine tests.

As the demand for satellite deployment continues to grow, these launchers are

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