Bernard Moon has been at the heart of the startup universe globally. He is the co-founder and partner at SparkLabs Group, a network of startup accelerators and venture capital funds known for energizing startup scenes. He's not just playing the game; he's changing it, with investments in over 500 startups worldwide.
We talk about his journey, the startup world and expansion into multiple geographies, what investors look for, AI and product.
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Where to find Bernard
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardmoon
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernardmoon/
X: https://twitter.com/bernardmoon
Website: https://bernardmoon.com/
SparkLabs Accelerator in South Korea: sparklabs.co.kr
SparkLabs Group: ww.sparklabsgroup.com
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In this episode with Bernard, we discuss
00:00 Intro
02:03 Being in the venture space for a decade
02:43 What is SparkLabs Group?
03:34 From public policy to entrepreneurship
05:03 The interconnection between your upbringing and entrepreneurial mindset
08:03 Koreans are creative
08:45 The humble beginnings of SparkLabs
11:40 Challenges of starting-up in South Korea
14:14 Risk-taking and practicalities in global entrepreneurship
15:43 Investing in 500 startups
16:10 Adapting and improving their model across geographies
19:46 Bernard on the expansion model
20:38 A funny story
23:09 The criteria for selecting founders
25:47 Bernard on his GGUTT feeling and assessing people
28:29 Startup application process
29:53 AI application process?
31:00 Networking and relationships
33:21 The right time to start, stop, pivot
36:47 Co-founder, technical co-founder
37:33 Generalist investors globally, industry-specific on the accelerator side
39:06 Bernard’s view on the investment landscape
41:59 It’s not the investor’s fault
42:40 The Future is Data
44:03 How AI is changing the way that we work
45:24 The impact of launching multiple startup hubs and sharing
48:05 Setting up the latest hub in Riyadh and interest from the UAE
51:46 The drive and competitiveness in Saudi Arabia
53:15 What keeps Bernard excited
54:19 Staying up to date
55:16 Are we in an AI bubble?
For enquiries, email maria [at] ggutt [dot] com with subject line: gguttalks ask
For enquiries, email maria [at] ggutt [dot] com with subject line: gguttalks ask
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