From mission-critical systems at Ford to scaling AI-powered identity verification at Onfido, Lyubomira Dimitrova has helped lead one of Europe’s largest tech exits.

In this episode of Startup Scaleup People, we speak with Lyubomira Dimitrova, co-founder, fractional CPTO, and former SVP of Engineering at Onfido, a RegTech company acquired for $650M.

She reflects on her transition from enterprise to startup, scaling a team through hypergrowth, and building a new AI venture.

🎧 Hosted by Mario Rivas and Tiffany Shown, this episode explores building psychological safety, technical debt, scaling leadership, and why not all models (like the Spotify one) fit every company.

📢 About Startup Scaleup PeopleReal stories from startup, scaleup & enterprise leaders. From boardrooms to founder garages — we bring you insights on growth, leadership, funding, exits, and everything in between.New episodes every Sunday at 4PM UK time.

🧭 Chapters

00:00 From Ford to Founders: Lyubomira’s Global Journey

03:50 Lessons from Mission-Critical Enterprise IT

06:30 Joining Onfido: From Process Gaps to Hypergrowth

11:00 Scaling to $100M ARR and a $650M Exit

15:00 Technical Debt, Product Risk & Communication2

0:00 Building AI Ops & Cross-Functional Teams

25:00 Psychological Safety vs. Pressure to Perform

30:00 CTO + CPO Roles & Starting a New AI Venture

💬 Key Highlights

▸ Led Onfido’s technical teams through $100M+ ARR & $650M acquisition

▸ Former enterprise leader at Ford, now co-founder in RegTech AI

▸ Expert in scaling systems, eliminating tech debt & aligning GTM

▸ Advocates for women in leadership and product-tech hybrids

▸ Now building again in stealth-mode with focus on financial services

👥 Who Should ListenTech founders • Enterprise engineers • Product/Eng leaders • RegTech and AI builders • Fractional CPTOs • Women in Tech

🔗 Follow & Subscribe

📌 https://www.instagram.com/startupscaleuppeople/

📌 https://www.tiktok.com/@square.circle.podcast📌 https://open.spotify.com/show/3804Om0XrGG1gNRsev6DlU📌 https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/startup-scaleup-people/id1847157416📌 https://www.linkedin.com/company/squarecirclecommunity/📌 https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariorivassanchez/📌 https://www.squarecircle.me

🧠 Keywordsstartup, scaleup, entrepreneurship, business podcast, leadership, business growth, founder mindset, startup stories, scaleup journey, entrepreneur advice, business strategy, innovation, venture capital, startup founders, startup funding, executive leadership, enterprise leadership, enterprise strategy, business transformation, board of directors, fractional leadership, NEDs, startup scaleup people, fintech, RegTech, AI, CPTO, product strategy, women in tech

#startupleadership #businessgrowth #scaleups #enterprise #boardleadership #venturecapital #startup #founderstories #innovation #businesspodcast #careergrowth #operationalexcellence #leadershipdevelopment #startupstrategy #funding #exitstrategies #teambuilding #corporategovernance #techfounders #startupscaleuppeople #startupfunding #vc #podcast #shorts #leadership #fintech #entrepreneurship #investing #governance #peoplestories #experience #leadershipskills #leadershiplessons #businessleadership #businessstrategy #businessideas #businesssuccessstories #businesssuccess #biotech #saas #failure #fail #entrepreneur #howtoinvest #hiring #digitaltransformation #expansion #businessexpansion #energy #technology #techstartup #techfounders #successmindset #motivation #mindset #perseverance #resilience #Emprendimiento #Empreendedorismo #Entrepreneuriat #Unternehmertum #Imprenditorialità #Ondernemerschap #उद्यमिता #ريادة_الأعمال #Girişimcilik #Kewirausahaan #Pagnenegosyo #创业 #起業家精神 #기업가정신

From COO of PolyAI to investor at Point72, Yan Zhang reveals what it really takes to scale AI startups globally — and why he’s building again.

In this episode of Startup Scaleup People, we sit down with Yan Zhang, former Chief Operating Officer at PolyAI, now an angel investor, mentor at Cambridge Founders and Deep Tech Labs, and Principal at Point72 Ventures.

Yan unpacks how PolyAI scaled voice AI across 20+ countries and how he now supports founders with funding and operational insight.

🎧 Hosted by Mario Rivas this conversation explores scaling enterprise AI, operating under constraints, go-to-market in the U.S. vs Europe, sales hiring, founder resilience, and why Yan still wants to build.

📢 About Startup Scaleup People
Real stories from startup, scaleup, and enterprise leaders. From boardrooms to founder garages — we bring you insights on growth, leadership, funding, exits, and everything in between.
New episodes every Sunday at 4PM UK time.

🧭 Chapters
00:00 Yan’s Global Career Journey
04:00 Corporate Development, Random House & China Expansion
08:00 Joining PolyAI & Focus on Voice Modality
11:00 Understanding Constraints and Business Strategy
15:00 Scaling to $50M ARR & Global Teams
20:00 Sales Hiring Challenges & Expansion into the U.S.
24:00 From Operator to Investor: 400+ AI Startups Reviewed
28:00 What He’ll Build Next & Advice for Founders

💬 Key Highlights
▸ COO at PolyAI: Scaled enterprise AI voice to $50M revenue
▸ Led expansion into 20+ countries and U.S. GTM
▸ Principal at Point72 Ventures, investing in applied AI startups
▸ 15+ angel investments across Europe & Silicon Valley
▸ Mentor at Cambridge Founders & Deep Tech Labs
▸ Practical insights on sales hiring, constraints, resilience, and exits

👥 Who Should Listen
AI founders, B2B operators, enterprise sales leaders, investors, and founders scaling internationally.

🔗 Follow & Subscribe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupscaleuppeople/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@square.circle.podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3804Om0XrGG1gNRsev6DlU
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/startup-scaleup-people/id1847157416
LinkedIn (Community): https://www.linkedin.com/company/squarecirclecommunity/
LinkedIn (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariorivassanchez/
Website: https://www.squarecircle.me

🏷️
startupleadership, businessgrowth, scaleups, enterprise, venturecapital, startup, founderstories, innovation, businesspodcast, leadership, startupstrategy, funding, exits, techfounders, saas, ai, investing, resilience

How do you lead product through hypergrowth, scale to IPO, and now advise the next generation of startups? In this episode of Startup Scaleup People, we sit down with Adriana Landaverde, a seasoned Chief Product Officer with 3 successful exits, including Trulia (IPO) and Nutmeg (acquired by JPMorgan).

From El Salvador to Silicon Valley to London, Adriana shares what it takes to scale product teams, build retention strategies, and become a trusted advisor to early-stage founders.

📢 About Startup Scaleup People: Real stories from startup, scaleup & enterprise leaders. From boardrooms to founder garages — we bring you insights on growth, leadership, funding, exits, and everything in between.New episodes every Sunday at 4PM UK time.

🧭 Chapters

00:00 Intro & Adriana's Background

02:00 What IPO Teaches You That Books Don’t

07:00 From El Salvador to Stanford to Silicon Valley

10:30 Trulia, Nutmeg & Product Leadership Across Stages

14:00 Balancing Customer Needs with Strategy

17:00 Aligning Sales, Product & Go-To-Market Teams

22:00 Nutmeg Launch Failure: Lessons in Execution

26:00 What Makes a Good Founder-Advisor Fit?

33:00 Clarity, Team Roles & Strategy for Scaling Startups

💬 Key Highlights

▸ Led product at Trulia (IPO $450M+), Nutmeg (acquired by JPMorgan), JamesEdition and more

▸ Scaled B2B & B2C product orgs across UK, US & EU

▸ Deep insights on retention, churn, and cross-functional product teams

▸ Advisor to Series A/B startups as fractional CPO

▸ Built product strategy with customer empathy + commercial focus

▸ Evangelist for sales + product collaboration

👥 Who Should Listen

Product leaders • Founders • CPOs • B2B/B2C Operators • Fractionals • Investors • Go-to-market teams

🔗 Follow & Subscribe

📌 https://www.instagram.com/startupscaleuppeople/

📌 https://www.tiktok.com/@square.circle.podcast

📌 https://open.spotify.com/show/3804Om0XrGG1gNRsev6DlU

📌 https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/startup-scaleup-people/id1847157416

📌 https://www.linkedin.com/company/squarecirclecommunity/📌

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariorivassanchez/

📌 https://www.squarecircle.me

🧠 Keywordsstartup, scaleup, entrepreneurship, business podcast, leadership, business growth, founder mindset, startup stories, scaleup journey, entrepreneur advice, business strategy, innovation, venture capital, startup founders, startup funding, executive leadership, enterprise strategy, enterprise leadership, business transformation, board of directors, fractional leadership, NEDs, startup scaleup people, fintech, product leadership, retention, advisor

#startupleadership #businessgrowth #scaleups #enterprise #boardleadership #venturecapital #startup #founderstories #innovation #businesspodcast #careergrowth #operationalexcellence #leadershipdevelopment #startupstrategy #funding #exitstrategies #teambuilding #corporategovernance #techfounders #startupscaleuppeople #startupfunding #vc #podcast #shorts #leadership #fintech #entrepreneurship #investing #governance #peoplestories #experience #leadershipskills #leadershiplessons #businessleadership #businessstrategy #businessideas #businesssuccessstories #businesssuccess #biotech #saas #failure #fail #entrepreneur #howtoinvest #hiring #digitaltransformation #expansion #businessexpansion #energy #technology #techstartup #techfounders #successmindset #motivation #mindset #perseverance #resilience #Emprendimiento #Empreendedorismo #Entrepreneuriat #Unternehmertum #Imprenditorialità #Ondernemerschap #उद्यमिता #ريادة_الأعمال #Girişimcilik #Kewirausahaan #Pagnenegosyo #创业 #起業家精神 #기업가정신