🚀 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.

So many people struggle to find what they really want because they believe they need a grand career plan. But the truth is - you don’t.

All you need is to follow the breadcrumbs: your intuition, that sense of the next step that feels right at the time - one small step at a time. In other words, you have to walk the path to understand the path.

This episode with Katerina Joannides is a powerful example of doing exactly that.

Katerina began her career at a world-class global architecture studio, working with clients like Google. She then took a bold leap to join a brand-new boutique practice founded by the former Architectural Director of Soho House (the studio didn’t even have a name when she joined). After a rollercoaster of intense learning - but also burnout - she made an even braver move: leaving London behind to move to Spain, reconnect with herself, freelance, and explore what she truly wanted to do.

Every breadcrumb eventually led her to launching her own creative agency - the next chapter of her career, and work she is genuinely excited about.

We also talked about:

✨ The comparison between corporate and startup life - the advantages and trade-offs of each path

✨ How to make the most of freelancing experience

✨ What it’s like - emotionally - to start your own business when no one knows you exist (spoiler alert: that anonymity is also a massive advantage)

Enjoy!

Did you know exactly what you wanted to do early on, or did you have to “follow the breadcrumbs”?

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

✅ Stay connected with Katerina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katerina-joannides/

✅ Katerina's creative agency: https://fuente.studio

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#FindYourPurpose #CareerChange #FollowYourIntuition #CreativeCareers #BurnoutRecovery #FreelancingLife #CreativeEntrepreneur #ShamelessCareers

⚠️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.

In this episode of Shameless Careers, we talk about something so many ambitious professionals struggle with: people pleasing. On the surface it looks helpful… but underneath, it’s one of the biggest career saboteurs.

To unpack this properly, I’m joined by Jelena Radonjic - award-winning career & leadership coach, Forbes Coaches Council member, and advisor to leaders at Amazon, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, Bain, PwC and more.

In this conversation we cover:

- What people pleasing actually is (it’s not always bad!)

- The hidden cost: burnout, resentment and stalled progression

- The paradox: people often respect you more when you set boundaries

- Two questions that instantly break the people-pleasing loop

- What leaders with people-pleasing tendencies need to watch out for

If you’re the “reliable one”, the “nice one”, the “always there” one — this episode will be a game-changer.

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

✅ Stay connected with Jelena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelena-radonjic-careerandleadership-coach/

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#PeoplePleasing #CareerAdvice #Boundaries #HighAchievers #Leadership #Burnout #ShamelessCareers

⚠️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.

Tech is a hot space for careers, isn’t it?

Unsurprisingly, A LOT of people want to break into this space and are wondering: “how can I make it happen?”

This is exactly what we are discussing with my brilliant guest - Fabian Fuchs - in the latest Shameless Careers episode.

Fabian started his career in consulting at BCG, then joined a food delivery scale up in Germany only to see this space SKYROCKET during the pandemic.

Following a bunch of acquisitions the company became part of a scale up Just Eat where Fabian built a stellar career - progressing from Head of Operations in Germany to Chief of Staff to the COO, and then to Director roles in France and London.

In this episode we are talking about:

• How to choose the right tech company and build a successful career there
• The 3 traits hiring managers often look for when interviewing people for tech roles
• Why consultants often excel in tech - and how to compete if you’re not one
• And (my favourite) why being part of a tech company can feel like a Netflix series 🍿

If you want to break into tech - or know someone who does - this episode is for you (and for that friend of yours!)

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

✅ Stay connected with Fabian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabian-fuchs-789b085a/

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⚠️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.

In this Shameless Careers episode, haroon (LBS MBA, ex-startups) shares how two failed probations and years of shame finally made sense after a dual adult autism & ADHD diagnosis - opening the door to self-acceptance, self-awareness, and real career purpose.

In this candid, emotional episode, we talk about:

- What it’s like to keep hearing the feedback that you “have flashes of brilliance, but your behaviour is erratic and it's too much to have to manage you”

- The adult autism & ADHD diagnosis: the two-hour cry, relief, and self-compassion

- Neurodiversity at work: why some brains may thrive in chaos, but struggle with routine

- Discovering purpose: haroon’s pivot to a creative career - where his brain truly thrives

- Life post the creative pivot: financial realities, the long game and the power of seizing the day

This episode is a reminder that we’re all wired differently; that some careers may fit our brains better than others; that raising awareness of neurodivergence matters; and that the most important thing is to be kind - to others and to yourself.

I hope you like this episode. Share the link with someone who may need to hear this.

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

✅ Stay connected with haroon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harooncreates/

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#Neurodiversity #AdultAutism #ADHD #CareerChange #MentalHealth

⚠️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.

Feeling stuck on career autopilot - tired, unmotivated, and unsure what to do next?

In this Shameless Careers episode, career and life coach Hanan Baba shares a step-by-step framework to build a fulfilling, energising career without guesswork.

What you will learn:

- The #1 sign you’re on autopilot: persistently low energy

- How to “follow the scent” to find what gives you more energy & excitement

- The 3 pillars of your Inner Compass (strengths, values, interests)

- Job crafting: reshape your current role before you quit

- Personal brand + networking that clearly signal what you’re after - and help you land it

Enjoy!

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

✅ Stay connected with Hanan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hananbaba/

✅ Hanan’s earlier episode on her pivot from consulting/tech to coaching:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RoJB2yjitI&t=2s

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#CareerAutopilot #CareerAlignment #EnergyAudit #InnerCompass #JobCrafting #PersonalBranding #NetworkingTips #CareerCoach #shamelesscareers

⚠️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.