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McKinsey on Start-ups

McKinsey on Start-ups is an original podcast series from Fuel, McKinsey's start-up and venture capital practice. We feature conversations with start-up founders and leaders, investors, and industry experts about the current and future state of technological disruption as well as the professional and personal challenges entrepreneurs face in scaling their companies. Our content spans all sectors and geographies to deliver wide-ranging and global insights.

Latest episodes

The emerging shift to responsible product management

– Product managers already have a complex role in tech development. Now that incorporating issues like privacy, sustainability, and inclusion is starting to become part of their job, they must navigate a host of new challenges.

Quick commerce pushes the limits on grocery delivery
– Just as food delivery is booming, the speed with which groceries can arrive at your door is taking off. Berker Yağci of Getir, one of the leading start-ups promising to deliver within just 10 or 15 minutes, talks about the challenges and opportunities in the dynamic sector.

Giving developers a leading role in cybersecurity
– Cyber-attacks are happening at such a breakneck pace that protecting against them increasingly starts when developers are first building software. Snyk has built a thriving business by providing the tools that enable this new approach to succeed at scale.

Past Episodes

What’s fueling Pakistan’s emerging start-up ecosystem
– With a massive young, English-speaking population and a fast-growing, tech-savvy middle class, Pakistan has many ingredients for... a thriving start-up ecosystem. So why is it only now starting to live up to its entrepreneurial potential, and where is it headed?

Building a “digital operating rhythm” with OKR software
– As the pandemic has fueled the growth of remote work and the pace of strategic planning, more companies are looking for greater... transparency around goals and execution. Deidre Paknad, the co-founder and CEO of Workboard, is growing a business that provides just that.

What makes the difference for Europe’s top start-ups
– After years of enduring a relative innovation deficit, Europe’s start-up ecosystem is beginning to show renewed promise.... The best performing companies offer a model for how to maintain the entrepreneurial momentum.

Next on the menu for food delivery
– Even as revenue soars, profitability is still a challenge. How can platforms and restaurants get their fill, and what does the... future hold for all players in this complex ecosystem?

Turning India into a SaaS power
– The rise of SaaS has dramatically transformed the software industry and opened it to many new players. What will it take for India's... SaaS start-ups to thrive in this new era?

Fintech off the shelf: Making an all-in-one approach pay off
– More and more digital businesses want to be viewed as a fintech provider. Arik Shtilman created a thriving start-up by offering... companies a simple way to make that leap.

What tech innovation means for the business of fashion
– In the wake of the pandemic, the industry long better known for art than science is undergoing a dramatic, technology-fueled makeover.

How online marketplaces are making secondhand fashion a first choice
– Online resale marketplaces are turning secondhand fashion into a mainstream market. Maximilian Bittner, CEO of Vestiaire Collective,... thinks growing interest in sustainability will further fuel the category.

Driving motors into a digital, sustainable future
– Electric motors power much of the global economy, and they also waste a quarter of global electricity consumption. Ryan Morris... thinks his company can solve this environmental challenge.

Can Japan finally become a start-up power?
– Long viewed as a relative laggard, Japan’s start-up ecosystem is beginning to come into its own. Investor Paul McInerney... sheds light on the evolving environment for entrepreneurs.

E(lectric) Commerce: Volta Trucks’ vehicle for sustainable delivery
– Commercial trucks are a major source of emissions in cities. Carl-Magnus Norden thinks his start-up can be the catalyst needed... to make the sector more environmentally-friendly.

Common goods: Fighting materials’ impact on climate change
– The materials used to make physical goods produce a large share of greenhouse gas emissions. Origin Materials thinks it has the... solution to that pressing problem.

Fueling innovation and filling gaps in Latin America
– A lack of early stage capital on the continent has hampered start-up creation and scaling. MAYA Capital co-founders Lara Lemann... and Monica Saggioro are determined to change that.

Vital signs: The growing impact of digital health innovation
– Digital health solutions have the potential to dramatically improve patient care and slow rising costs. Yet achieving that at... scale still has obstacles to overcome.

Can gamification help patients take better care of themselves?
– Sidekick Health is out to show that digital therapeutics programs can help patients more effectively manage their chronic conditions.

The state of start-up ecosystems beyond Silicon Valley
– The digital acceleration brought on by COVID has only added more momentum to the ongoing boom in start-up financing and innovation.... While Silicon Valley has traditionally led the way in venture capital and start-up development, other parts of the world are making great strides in developing their own thriving start-up ecosystems.

Global VC view: Funding start-ups in the next normal
– The boom that tech start-ups have been experiencing has continued through the pandemic. Two leading venture capitalists talk about... how investing in them is changing.

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The McKinsey Podcast on Business & Management
Welcome to The McKinsey Podcast, a business and management podcast featuring conversations with leading experts. The series features topics ranging from leadership and change management to digital, analytics and deep-dives into specific regions and industries.

Forward Thinking
From the McKinsey Global Institute, conversations with today’s thought leaders to inspire tomorrow. Co-hosts Michael Chui and Janet Bush interview innovative thinkers and industry pioneers to explore the trends reshaping the global economy today and in the future.

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