Runway began within art school, with a sparse network and little investor insight into AI video. HolyWater Tech started in Kyiv with no venture capital, and a mandate to be profitable from day one.

Seven years later, both have succeeded in disrupting, and putting some level of fear in, creative industries worldwide. At this StrictlyVC Athens 2026 discussion, host and TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos brought both on stage to get the inside story of how these two breakout companies actually broke out.

Featuring:

Anastasis Germanidis: Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Runway
Anatolii Kasianov: Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Holy Water Tech

Recorded live at StrictlyVC Athens 2026, presented in partnership with Endeavor Greece.

Before you build, how do you know anyone actually wants what you’re making? Journalist Ilyana Magra leads an honest conversation at StrictlyVC Athens 2026 with two founders about the messy path from idea to product to real adoption. Each explore the ideas they abandoned, the features they had to walk back, and the frameworks that actually helped lead to success.

Featuring…

Victoria Toli: Co-Founder and President, Finney
Johannes Galatsanos: Co-Founder and CEO, Diffraqtion

This week on Build Mode, we’re diving back into the archives for a special best-of episode all about effective partnerships, from cofounder relationships and team trust to investor dynamics and leadership communication.

Host Isabelle Johannesen and producer Maggie Nye revisit some of the most insightful conversations from past seasons to explore what makes startup partnerships actually work.

In this episode, you’ll hear from:
Jasper Carmichael-Jack, cofounder & CEO of Artisan
Ian Schmidt, partner & consultant at Trimergence
Hala Jawani and Alessio Trestani, cofounders of Rieo
Leah Solivann, founder of TaskRabbit
Ross Fubini, managing partner at XYZ Venture Capital and Leslie Feinzaig, founder & CEO of Graham & Walker
Sarah Lucena, founder & CEO of Mappa

Whether you’re searching for the right cofounder, managing conflict on your team, scaling as a solo founder, or building relationships with investors, this episode is packed with practical advice and honest founder lessons from people who’ve lived it.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro:
01:00 Jasper Carmichael-Jack (Artisan): Meeting a cofounder online and navigating a founder breakup
04:20 Ian Schmidt (Trimergence): Frameworks for conflict resolution, communication, and team trust
08:15 Hala Jawani & Alessio Cristante (Riveo): Building a startup as married cofounders
10:20 Leah Solivan (TaskRabbit): Transitioning leadership and building executive trust
12:30 Ross Fubini (XYZ Ventures) & Leslie Feinzaig (Graham & Walker): Choosing the right investors and building your cap table
16:05 Sarah Lucena (Mapa): Compatibility, investor alignment, and finding the right people

Subscribe to Build Mode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen. And watch the full videos on YouTube. New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.
Apply to Startup Battlefield: We are looking for early-stage companies that have an MVP. So nominate a founder (or yourself): techcrunch.com/apply. Be sure to say you heard about Startup Battlefield from the Build Mode podcast.