Not Just Another Tech Week: Northzone’s Founder Day 2025

PART ONE:

State of the Market

To kick off the day, we were thrilled to be joined by Bobby Molavi, Partner at Goldman Sachs, who shared a timely overview of the current state of the public and private markets. In conversation with our partner Jeppe Zink, they explored a wide range of dynamics shaping today’s environment – from macro uncertainty and geopolitical risk to pricing pressure and fundraising challenges. Through a VC lens, the discussion focused on valuations, investor sentiment, and the fundamentals that matter most – helping founders better understand how the market is evolving and how to prepare themselves accordingly.

Founder Spotlight: Taavet Hinrikus on Building Wise

Having built and revolutionized international money transfers in building Wise and today, continuing to heavily influence the tech and investment landscape – we were fortunate to have Taavet Hinrikus join us to dive into his journey. Exploring the early inspirations, critical lessons from globally scaling a fintech startup, and the challenges of building trust across regulated markets. From founding mindset to leadership evolution and practical advice for other founders, the conversation offered deep insights into what it takes to grow a successful international company.

AI at the Core: How Leading Teams Integrate AI at Scale

AI remains one of the most pressing topics in tech today. Whether you’re building an AI-first company, adopting AI incrementally, or still figuring out where it fits, the conversation around how to integrate, build with, and operate alongside AI is more critical than ever. We were joined by an exceptional panel of experts – Martin Elwin (AWS, ex-Klarna), Tyson Singer (Spotify), Gemma Jennings (DeepMind), and Théo Blochet (Stripe) – who shared practical lessons on embedding AI deeply into product development and operations. 

Ringing the Bell: What to Know if You IPO

For this next session, we were thrilled to be joined by Dave Peinsipp, Partner at Cooley. With extensive experience leading high-profile IPOs and major debt offerings for over 100 tech and life sciences companies – including Uber, DocuSign, Snap, LinkedIn, and Zendesk – Dave provided our founders with a deep well of market insights. He shared a timely perspective on the current IPO landscape and as an advisor to Wise, he tied the conversation back to the morning’s Fireside Chat, using the company’s move from London to NYC as a real-time example. He then shared practical advice on IPO readiness and tackled a critical question: how should companies weigh a U.S. vs. European listing?

Storytime: Board Effectiveness

Some of the most valuable lessons come from experience – both your own and others’. In this session, we brought together seasoned board members and founders to share stories from the trenches: what’s worked, what’s gone wrong, and the signs they wished they’d seen earlier. The panel featured Chris Morton (Founder, Starboard; ex-Founder & CEO, Lyst), Jocelyn Mangan (Founder, Illumyn Impact; Board Member at Wag!, Papa John’s & ChowNow), and PJ Pärson (Partner, Northzone; Current Board Member at Homa Games, Stockheld, Spring Health, Bedrock, Air Forestry, Flower, and Tandem Health). Together, they unpacked what it takes to build effective boards and navigate the highs and lows of startup governance.

PART TWO:

Moment by Northzone

In the afternoon, we flipped the script on traditional panels and fireside chats. The concept for MOMENT was to surface quick, bold and honest insights on some of the most defining questions of our time – within a trusted, off-the-record space governed by Chatham House rules.

We explored three critical themes: The State of AI, The State of the World, and The State of Health & Human Performance. Each panel featured a lineup of thinkers and leaders across disciplines – from technologists and investors to diplomats, scientists, and Olympic athletes.

Just as intentional as the content was the audience: a handpicked group of founders, investors, creatives, and cultural figures brought together not just to listen, but to engage.

The format? Think late-night show meets expert debate. Hosted by the incomparable Sir Stephen Fry, each speaker was asked to defend or challenge a bold provocation. These jumping-off points led to unfiltered conversations that blended personal conviction, deep expertise, and a refreshing dose of wit. Our speakers:

The State of AI

• Mehdi Ghissassi (Former Director of Product, DeepMind)
• Karandeep Anand (President & CPO, Brex)
• Robel Yemiru (Special Projects, OpenAI)
• Michiel Kotting (Northzone Partner, AI Entrepreneur turned investor)

The State of the World

• Sir John Sawers (Ex-Chief, MI6; Executive Chairman, Newbridge Advisory)
• Suzanne Malveaux (Broadcast Journalist, ex-CNN White House Correspondent)
• Henry Gates (Associate Director, Helsing AI)
• Ali Zaidi (Former White House National Climate Advisor)

The State of Health & Human Performance

• Thomas Clozel (Founder & CEO, Owkin)
• Kristen Faulkner (2024 Olympic Gold Medalist, ex-VC at Bessemer)
• Lukas Saari (Co-founder & CEO, Tandem Health)
• PJ Pärson (Northzone Partner; Co-founder, Inner Foundation)

And that’s a wrap! We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who participated in our Founder Day this year – our founders for showing up with openness and ambition, our speakers for sharing their hard-earned wisdom, and our broader community for helping shape the conversations that matter most. We left inspired, challenged, and more connected than ever.