Startup CEO Succession – Details, episodes & analysis

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Startup CEO Succession

Real stories of CEO succession in VC-backed startups

Business

Frequency: 1 episode/12d. Total Eps: 23

Real stories from founder CEOs who stepped down, professional CEOs who took over from them and VCs who saw the process from the inside.

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🇬🇧 Great Britain - careers
21/07/2025
#75
🇬🇧 Great Britain - careers
03/05/2025
#97
🇬🇧 Great Britain - careers
05/01/2025
#90
🇬🇧 Great Britain - careers
14/09/2024
#75
🇬🇧 Great Britain - careers
12/09/2024
#74

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E02 — Getting Out of the Way with Adam Fudakowski

Wednesday, September 11, 2024 • Duration 47:05

(This episode mentions suicide.)

Evgeny Shadchnev speaks with Adam Fudakowski, founding CEO of Switchee. Adam recounts the journey of founding Switchee in 2015, the tragic loss of his co-founder Ian, and the decision to hire an external CEO, Tom Robins, in 2020.

Adam elaborates on the emotional challenges of the CEO transition, and the deep impact on the company's growth. He shares insights on the importance of self-awareness, effective communication, and the sabbatical that paved the way for a successful leadership handover.

00:00 Introduction

02:20 Founding story of Switchee

03:57 Death of Adam's co-founder Ian

10:34 Search for the new CEO

15:17 CEO Transition process

18:39 Building a relationship between the founder and the CEO

20:18 Impact on the senior team

22:32 Impact on the business

23:39 Founder and CEO skill sets

26:46 Conversation with the board

29:15 Not stepping on each other's toes

32:00 Three month sabbatical

34:53 Advice for founders

38:33 Advice for investors

39:57 Advice for incoming CEOs

41:15 Adam's role after stepping down

44:47 Summary

You can watch the episode on YouTube. Find out more about Evgeny's work on Substack.Startup CEO Succession: a Founder's Guide to Leadership Transition is available on Amazon US, Amazon UK and others.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit substack.evgeny.coach

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E01 — Building Trust with Rory Stirling

Wednesday, September 4, 2024 • Duration 59:00

Rory Stirling, a partner at Connect Ventures, joins Evgeny Shadchnev to discuss the complexities of CEO transitions in startups.

The conversation delves into why founder-CEO discussions around stepping down are challenging, the importance of building trust between founders and investors, and what considerations both parties should have when navigating these delicate transitions.

Rory shares valuable insights from his 15-year career, including the importance of recognizing when a founder is no longer the right CEO and the processes involved in finding a new leader. The discussion highlights the significant role of founders, the critical aspect of handling CEO succession maturely, and the long-term commitment and timeframe required for such transitions.

00:00 Introduction

01:01 About Rory

01:56 Why founders and VCs find it hard to talk about CEO change

05:43 How to talk to a VC about stepping down

07:25 Discussing CEO succession during fundraising

15:20 How CEO role changes as the startup grows

16:31 Importance of founders for company success

22:56 Investors' reaction to CEO change

32:50 Right and wrong reasons to step down

38:33 Founder guilt about stepping down

42:21 What happens after the decision is taken

48:05 Transition timelines

50:52 Parting advice to founders and investors

54:10 The opportunity costs of not stepping down

You can watch the episode on YouTube.

Follow the podcast and connect with Evgeny's work on Substack.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

Podcast Trailer

Wednesday, August 28, 2024 • Duration 02:48

Welcome to the Startup CEO Succession, where we dive deep into the pivotal journey of founder CEOs navigating the critical decision: should you continue leading your business or bring in a new leader?

I'm your host, Evgeny Shadchnev, and in each episode, we will examine the challenges, strategies, and success stories of leadership transitions in the startup world.

Whether you're a founder considering your next move, a professional CEO ready to take over, or an investor navigating the process, join us as we uncover insights that will help you steer your company towards a successful future!

Find out more about my work at substack.evgeny.coach.

This podcast is available on YouTube.

Startup CEO Succession: a Founder's Guide to Leadership Transition is out now: https://www.evgeny.coach/book

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit substack.evgeny.coach

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E14 — Three Stages of Growth with Avin Rabheru

Wednesday, December 11, 2024 • Duration 55:07

Avin Rabheru, the founder and CEO of Housekeep, talks to Evgeny Shadchnev about navigating a CEO succession. They discuss the challenges founders face in transitioning to professional leadership. Avin shares insights into the inflexion points in a company's growth, when founders might consider stepping down, and emphasises the importance of continuous learning for founders.

00:00 Introduction

03:31 Most Founders Think They're Great

07:30 Two out of Three Times Founders Are Pushed Out

09:47 Inflection Points in Business Growth

19:04 Could Someone Run Housekeep Better?

21:51 Balancing Leadership and Personal Life

25:16 Roles of Founder and CEO at Housekeep

29:48 What Founders Bring To The Table

32:51 Why Most Founding Teams Get Replaced

36:08 Identifying Strong Founders

42:37 "I Encourage All Founders To Just Keep Going"

50:42 A Fundamental Betrayal

53:16 Final Reflections

Learn more about Evgeny's work as a CEO coach: https://www.evgeny.coach

Startup CEO Succession: a Founder's Guide to Leadership Transition is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CW1HLZTR

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit substack.evgeny.coach

E13 — The Toughest Boss Ever with Graham Hobson

Wednesday, December 4, 2024 • Duration 55:03

Graham Hobson, founder of Photobox, Europe’s largest personalisation company, and Evgeny Shadchnev explore Graham's decision to hand over leadership to an external CEO as Photobox began to scale. Graham discusses the challenges and benefits of this transition, sharing his experiences with burnout and recovery. Additionally, they delve into Graham's advocacy work with Patriotic Millionaires UK, focusing on wealth taxation and social responsibility.

00:00 Introduction

01:59 Should We Tax Wealthy People More?

12:53 The Early Days of Photobox

18:18 A Merger with a Competitor

22:11 The Toughest Boss I Ever Had

29:13 Being Part of an Executive Team

30:00 Challenges That Shape Us

35:04 When To Go Fast and When To Go Slow

37:33 Advice To Own Son

41:36 Advice To Other Founder CEOs

46:26 Fresh Eyes Exercise for Leaders

51:02 Final Thoughts

Learn more about Evgeny's work as a CEO coach: https://www.evgeny.coach

Startup CEO Succession: a Founder's Guide to Leadership Transition is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CW1HLZTR

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit substack.evgeny.coach

E04 — What Got You Here Won't Get You There with Jon Lerner

Wednesday, September 25, 2024 • Duration 01:09:36

Jonathan Lerner of Smedvig Ventures discusses the critical journey from founder to CEO: the challenges of this transition, the importance of early and open conversations about CEO succession, and how speaking more openly about CEO succession can help founders be happier and help investors enjoy higher returns.

“It's a really big transition from founder to CEO. We need to talk about it more as an industry. It is not a failure to not make it; it is merely, I guess, a statement of what you are great at and what you're not great at.

Once we get to that point, we'll have far happier founders and investors; we'll have more successful businesses as well, so that the returns will ultimately be better.”

This podcast is hosted by Evgeny Shadchnev, an ex-CEO, author and founder coach specialising in CEO succession. Find out more about his work at evgeny.coach.

Startup CEO Succession: a Founder's Guide to Leadership Transition is out now. Get your copy on Amazon.

00:00 Introduction

01:35 What got you here won't get you there

03:23 CEO transition from VC's point of view

10:11 When to start delegating

15:52 Backing founders, not evaluating CEOs

18:10 When is a startup ready for a new CEO?

21:11 Founders starting a succession conversation

27:25 Investors starting a succession conversation

29:49 Legal aspects of asking a CEO to leave

32:30 Wisdom of discussing it early

36:32 Transitioning to a non-CEO role

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

E03 — Nailing the First CEO Job with Tom Robins

Wednesday, September 18, 2024 • Duration 57:35

Tom Robins shares the story of taking over from Adam Fudakowski, A founder of Switchee, as the CEO.

We discuss the process of getting the first job as CEO, the differences between a founder's skill set and an operator's skill set, the dynamics of the relationship between a new CEO and the previous CEO if they stay on the team, and the board's role in the process.

00:00 Introduction

01:32 Joining Switchee

05:15 Founders vs CEOs

12:36 Landing the first CEO job

20:09 Taking an interim title

22:37 A 3-month sabbatical for the CEO

29:12 Earning the team's trust

32:45 Renegotiating the relationship with the founder

39:07 Building bridges with the board

42:43 Reshaping the senior team

44:38 Advice for aspiring CEOs

47:24 What founder CEOs get wrong

53:08 Episode summary

Evgeny Shadchnev is a founder coach who works with entrepreneurs and CEOs to ensure smooth CEO successions. Find out more about his work at www.evgeny.coach.

Startup CEO Succession: a Founder's Guide to Leadership Transition is out now. Find it on Amazon in hardcover, paperback and Kindle formats.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit substack.evgeny.coach

E12 — Choosing To Do What You Love with Claudia Harris

Wednesday, November 27, 2024 • Duration 43:52

Evgeny Shadchnev discusses the transition of leadership at Makers, a tech talent and training platform, with Claudia Harris, who succeeded him as CEO. They reflect on their journey, starting from Claudia's initial role as chair of the board through the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the critical steps in the handover process. Claudia shares insights into managing the transition and the importance of doing work you love.

00:00 Introduction

01:47 What is Makers?

03:58 From Chairman to CEO of Makers

06:36 The Initial Conversations About Succession

11:13 The Decision to Change the CEO

18:35 Navigating the Pandemic

22:59 The Handover Process

31:12 First Crisis as the New CEO

35:11 Biggest Lessons

39:25 Final Reflections

Learn more about Evgeny's work as a CEO coach: https://www.evgeny.coach

Startup CEO Succession: a Founder's Guide to Leadership Transition is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CW1HLZTR

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit substack.evgeny.coach

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E11 — Visionary and Integrator CEOs with Henrik Hagemann

Wednesday, November 20, 2024 • Duration 01:04:29

Henrik Hagemann, founder and former CEO of Puraffinity, joins Evgeny Shadchnev to explore Henrik's journey from founding the company to realising the need for a new CEO to take the business to the next level. Henrik discusses the challenges of making the decision together with the board, the rigorous executive search process, and how to handle the emotional and practical aspects of stepping down. They also delve into the importance of maintaining multiple personal identities outside the CEO role, the future vision for Puraffinity and Henrik’s new role.

00:00 Introduction

01:42 About Puraffinity

04:53 Henrik's Role as Founding CEO

08:57 The Decision to Step Down as CEO

23:30 The Search for a New CEO

35:57 Inclusive Hiring and Psychometrics Tools

39:36 Zeroing in on the Successful Candidate

42:16 Handover and Onboarding

46:29 Transitioning from CEO to New Role

51:29 Transition Lessons and Next Steps

56:56 Advice to Other Founders

01:01:30 Final Thoughts

Learn more about Evgeny's work as a CEO coach: https://www.evgeny.coach

Startup CEO Succession: a Founder's Guide to Leadership Transition is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CW1HLZTR

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit substack.evgeny.coach

E10 — From Founder CEO to Scale-Up CEO with Alicia Navarro

Wednesday, November 6, 2024 • Duration 52:56

Alicia Navarro, founder and ex-CEO of Skimlinks, takes us through her journey from founding Skimlinks and building it into a leading content monetisation platform to making the tough decision to step down as CEO after 11 years and promote one of her senior leaders to the CEO position. Two years later, the new CEO successfully exited the company. Alicia and I discuss the difference between founder-CEO and scale-up CEO in the context of preparing to sell a VC-backed business.

00:00 Introduction

01:38 Founding Skimlinks

05:53 Deciding to Step Down as CEO

10:22 The Transition Process and Board Dynamics

15:02 Physical and Emotional Toll of Leadership

17:12 0-to-1 Founders and 1-to-N Founders

22:08 Post-CEO Work as President

23:45 Power Handover

29:02 Team Reactions and Culture Shift

30:48 Post-Transition Success

33:20 Reflecting on Leadership and Lessons Learned

37:35 Board's Role in the Transition

39:05 Life After the Exit

41:22 Advice for Founders and Future CEOs

49:46 The Importance of Succession Planning

51:32 Final Reflections

Learn more about Evgeny's work as a CEO coach: https://www.evgeny.coach

Startup CEO Succession: a Founder's Guide to Leadership Transition is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CW1HLZTR

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

Startup CEO Succession – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Startup CEO Succession – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other21

Amazon3

Youtube3

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other21

Amazon3

Youtube3