🚀 How do you actually get into Y Combinator - and what does it really take to build a venture-backed startup?

In this episode, I sit down with Miroslav Gasparek, CEO & co-founder of Sensible Biotechnologies (a Y Combinator-backed biotech company) and a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.

Miro shares the unfiltered truth about getting accepted into Y Combinator after multiple attempts, what YC really looks for in founders, and why building a startup is far harder - and more meaningful - than most people realise.

In this conversation, we break down:

- How to get into Y Combinator (what actually matters vs. fluff)

- What YC partners look for in founders and ideas

- The biggest mistakes that kill startups early

- What it REALLY takes to build a venture-backed startup - beyond skills and talent

- Why startup life can feel like torture (and why founders still choose it)

- How to stay resilient under extreme pressure - and why failure is not a career killer

- Why true fulfilment isn’t status, awards, or press

If you’re:

✔️ Applying to Y Combinator

✔️ Building or thinking about a startup

✔️ Raising venture capital

✔️ Curious what separates successful founders from everyone else

- this episode is for you.

👍 If you liked this episode - please do share it with a friend and rate it on your favourite podcast platform. I would really appreciate it!

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✅ Stay connected:

👉 With me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

👉 With Miroslav: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miroslavgasparek/

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#YCombinator #StartupAdvice #Entrepreneurship #StartupFunding #VentureCapital #YCStartup #StartupMindset #Founders #BiotechStartup #DeepTech #YCApplication #RaisingCapital

⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ok guys, this is an episode I could not wait to share with you - especially at the start of the year, when so many of us are making big (and small) career resolutions.

This conversation is all about how to figure out what you REALLY want to do - when you’ve done everything “right”, but still feel that something is missing.

I’m joined by two brilliant executive coaches who both had high-flying careers in finance before stepping into their coaching journeys:

- Tatiana Poliakova - Partner at Adaptaa, former Managing Director at Nomura, and author of the upcoming book "Intensity as a Superpower"

- Daria Ibrulj - Founder of FireUp Coaching, and former Investment Banker and private equity investor

In this episode, Tatiana and Daria openly share:

- What it’s like to achieve everything you set out to achieve - yet slowly realise you’ve lost your spark (and we go deep into why this happens)

- The messy, honest journey of figuring out who you are beyond the fancy title you once dreamed of - plus practical tools you can actually use

- The biggest challenges of stepping off a prestigious, “successful” path: identity and financial fear

Why do I love this conversation so much?

Because it shows - so clearly - how our societal narrative of “just be successful and you’ll be happy” is a massive oversimplification of human fulfilment.

And this episode gives you a glimpse of how much more there really is.

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✅ Values exercise with Brene Brown: https://brenebrown.com/resources/dare-to-lead-list-of-values/

✅ Stay connected with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

✅ Stay connected with Tatiana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tatiana-poliakova-11837515/

✅ Stay connected with Daria: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daria-ibrulj/

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#burnout #careerclarity #findyourpurpose #careeradvice #lostyourspark #boredatwork #successfulbutunfulfilled #careercoaching #highachievers #careerpivot

⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What REALLY happens when you leave corporate stability for startup chaos?

This Shameless Careers episode is one of our most honest yet - unpacking what it really costs (and offers) when you make the leap.

Guest: Damien Kopp, who spent 11 years at Accenture before jumping to a startup that wasn’t what he expected - and eventually becoming an entrepreneur.

We unpack:

- What can prompt people to jump from a stable corporate role into startups

- Why Damien no longer thinks that corporate jobs are safe

- An absolutely critical startup due-diligence step - that most people skip

- The harsh truth about equity and taking big pay cuts when moving to a startup

- Why “startups = freedom” is only half the story

- And why, if you feel stuck, doing nothing can be the worst career move

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✅ Stay connected with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

✅ Stay connected with Damien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damienkopp/

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#LeavingCorporate #StartupVsCorporate #CareerChange #CareerPivot #StartupReality #FinancialTradeOffs #StartupEquity #Entrepreneurship #CareerAdvice #FounderLife #FutureOfWork #WorkLifeFulfillment

⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.