Katarina Bonde: Are you scaling, or just burning cash? скачать в хорошем качестве

Katarina Bonde: Are you scaling, or just burning cash?

Scaling a company is not about chasing headlines. It’s about proving customers care. In this episode of I by IMD, Katarina Bonde shares hard-earned lessons from decades in venture-backed tech, board leadership, and global scale-ups. She challenges founders to validate demand before celebrating growth: “If no one is… spending money to buy it, you actually don't have a product.” Katarina, who served as board chair and CEO in various venture-backed tech firms across the US and Europe, also reframes the AI discussion. The opportunity isn’t in the current bubble, but in the smart use of data – “the real gold here.” For rapid-growth startups, so-called scale-ups, who are tempted to prioritize land grabs over margins, Katarina offers a grounded reminder: “You have to show that you have a business model that can pay for itself.” Our Guest: Katarina Bonde served as Chair of companies including Mentimeter, Stillfront Group, and others in Sweden’s digital ecosystem. She also served as an executive in various venture-backed tech firms in Europe and the US and is an active angel investor. LinkedIn:   / katarinabonde   Time Stamps: 02:10 – Europe vs. US capital markets 06:00 – Product-market validation 07:04 – Freemium & venture-fueled models 09:44 – Is AI a bubble? 10:55 – Data as gold 12:24 – Profitability discipline 14:32 – Founder vs investor tensions 15:37 – The role of the board chair 18:32 – Optimism about AI & the future Resources to dig deeper: IMD Digital Strategy Research: https://www.imd.org/research-knowledg... OECD Startup & SME Policy: https://www.oecd.org/industry/smes/ European Commission Digital Strategy: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/ 🔔 Subscribe to I by IMD for more fresh insights on management and business: Apple | Spotify | YouTube Connect with IMD: Follow IMD on Instagram: @imdbusinessschool Follow IMD on LinkedIn: @imd-business-school Follow IMD on BlueSky: @imdbusinessschool.bsky.social Follow IMD on Facebook: @imdbschool Follow IMD on Substack: https://substack.com/@ibyimd