Beginner's Mind
Christian Soschner
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About This Podcast
Blueprints for Builders and Investors
Hosted by Christian Soschner
From pre-seed to post-IPO, every company—especially in deep tech, biotech, AI, and climate tech—lives or dies by the frameworks it follows.
On Beginner’s Mind, Christian Soschner uncovers the leadership principles behind the world’s most impactful companies—through deep-dive interviews, strategic book reviews, and patterns drawn from history’s greatest business, military, and political minds.
With over 250 interviews, panels, and livestreams, the show ranks in the Top 10% globally—and is recognized as the #1 deep tech podcast.
With 35+ years across M&A, company building, board roles, business schools, ultrarunning, and martial arts, Christian brings a rare lens:
What it really takes to turn breakthrough science into business—how to grow it, lead it, and shape the world around it.
🎙 Expect each episode to deliver:
- Founder & Investor Blueprints: How breakthrough technologies scale from lab to IPO
- Historical & Biographical Frameworks: Timeless playbooks from the world's great builders
- Leadership & Communication Mastery: Tools to inspire, persuade, and lead at scale
Whether you're building the next biotech success, investing in AI, or leading a climate tech company through hypergrowth—this podcast gives you the edge.
Listen in. Apply what matters. Build companies that last.
📬 Join the newsletter & community: https://lsg2g.substack.com/
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Recent Episodes
S7E9 Alasdair Milton, KPMG | Why Precision Medicine Still Fails Patients (SPARK20 – 168)
Only one in three eligible lung cancer patients receives the targeted therapy they should get.That is not a failure of science.It is a failure of delivery.After more than two decades of precision…
S7E8 #176 - Why Smart People Say Yes: 7 Lessons from Influence by Robert Cialdini
Some books explain how the world works.Influence explains why people move.Why someone takes the meeting.Why an investor leans in.Why a customer trusts.Why a team follows.Why a board stays stuck.Why a…
S7E7 EP 175: Stefanie Schubert | Why Smart People Lose Negotiations Before They Start
Most leaders think negotiation begins when both sides sit down to talk numbers. By then, trust, incentives, timing, internal alignment, and first impressions have already shaped the outcome. That is…
S7E6 EP 174: Wanwipa Siriwatwechakul | Funding the Next Industrial Era
Most people still treat climate solutions as a cost.Wanwipa Siriwatwechakul argues that this is exactly why so many leaders miss the real opportunity.The next industrial era will not be built by…
S7E5 EP 173: Bret Kugelmass | The West Bet on the Wrong Energy Future
Power demand is rising faster than the systems meant to support it.AI, electrification, and industry all need stable energy, but the dominant story sold to the public was far simpler than reality. In…
S7E4 #172 - Fast Forward Thinking: Why Most Investments Fail — And How Elite VCs Think Differently
Most investors think they’re rational.Most founders think they’re disciplined.Most boards think they’re strategic.They’re usually wrong.In this episode, we unpack Fast Forward Thinking by Luis…
S7E3 EP 171 - Björn Cochlovius: Why Brilliant Biotech Breaks at Manufacturing
Most biotech breakthroughs don’t fail in the lab.They fail when science meets manufacturing reality.And by the time this bottleneck appears, tens of millions are already sunk.This episode examines…
S7E2 EP 170 - Jim Pulcrano: Why Most Venture Capital Fails And What Europe Still Gets Wrong
Nine out of ten startups fail, yet Europe keeps funding them the same way.Governments replace judgment with bureaucracy, capital replaces experience, and failure is misunderstood instead of learned…
S7E1 EP 169 - Why New Year’s Goals Fail by February - Even for Disciplined People
Most goals don’t fail because of laziness or lack of ambition.They fail quietly — buried under daily noise, competing priorities, and forgotten intentions.By March, even the most meaningful goals…
S6E23 EP 168 - Alasdair Milton: The Innovation Inflection Point: Why 70% of Cures Never Reach Patients
Breakthrough science has never been stronger — yet patients still miss life-saving therapies.Despite decades of innovation, most precision medicines fail at the last mile of healthcare delivery.The…
S6E22 #167: Pattern Breakers — 7 Laws Behind Category-Defining Companies
Most founders obsess over ideas.Breakthrough companies obsess over inflections, conviction, and structure.This episode unpacks Pattern Breakers by Mike Maples Jr.—a book that quietly explains why…
S6E21 SPARK20 – 156: Janos Pasztor | The Climate Diplomat Who Refuses to Give Up on Humanity
The world has grown quiet about climate change. Too quiet.We scroll past floods, fires, droughts… and move on with our day.As if the problem solved itself.As if we’ve earned the luxury to look…
S6E20 EP 166 - Karl Nehammer: Why Europe Fails to Scale – And How the EIB Plans to Fix It
Europe leads the world in discovery — yet too often, its breakthroughs never become global companies.Billions in research funding turn into patents, not products.While others build empires from…
S6E19 EP 165 – Jason Foster: 153 Rejections Later — What Every Founder Must Learn About Resilience
Most founders dream of raising millions. Few survive the 153 “no’s” it takes to get there.Behind every biotech breakthrough lies exhaustion — late-night calls, failed rounds, and investors who walk…
S6E18 EP 164 - Kat Kozyrytska: AI in Pharma Is a Yesterday Problem – Why Ethical Frameworks Can’t Wait
Imagine waking up to find your company’s most valuable IP leaked—not by hackers, but by the very AI tools you trusted.This isn’t a distant scenario; it’s happening inside pharma and biotech right…
S6E17 #163: The NVIDIA Way — 7 Scaling Lessons from Jensen Huang’s Playbook
Most founders obsess over products. Jensen Huang built a $3 trillion company by obsessing over inevitabilities. This episode unpacks The NVIDIA Way by Tae Kim—the definitive account of how NVIDIA…
S6E16 Marc Penkala | Why Being Wrong is the Secret to Venture Success (SPARK20 – 139)
How do you succeed in a business where being wrong is the norm?Marc Penkala has lived both sides of the table: as an entrepreneur who built, sold, and failed with companies—and now as a venture…
S6E15 EP 162 - Alex Oppenheimer: The Secret Investors Use Before Writing the First Check
Here’s the harsh truth: If your business model can’t survive a spreadsheet, it won’t survive the market.Every year, ambitious founders pour months into product, pitch, and brand—yet the single…
S6E14 EP 161 - Enis Hulli: VC Secrets Exposed: Why Only US-Based Startups Dominate (and How to Beat the Odds)
Why do Europe’s brightest founders still feel forced to leave for Silicon Valley—no matter how much money or talent we pour into the region? Every year, ambitious startups across Europe and CEE…
S6E13 EP 160 - Vadim Fedotov: Elevate Your Wellbeing: How Data-Driven Choices Create Peak Performance
Still trying to optimize your health with guesswork and generic advice?Most people settle for “one-size-fits-all” supplements and hope for the best-missing out on the breakthroughs that only real…
Frequently Asked Questions
Beginner's Mind has published 221 episodes since January 2020, covering topics in Business, Entrepreneurship.
Beginner's Mind is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 1h 7m.
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