Last week, we hosted the fifth edition of the Venture Builders Meetup at our Karlín offices. This time, the space was filled not only with founders, operators, and investors, but also with the scent of mulled wine reaching all the way to the elevators.

It was our strongest meetup so far, both in terms of attendance and the depth of discussion.

Lessons from Scaling Tech Companies Across Markets

The evening opened with a keynote by Rolf Middendorp, a seasoned operator and growth advisor with experience from Google, Stripe, and multiple startup environments.

Rolf shared an open reflection on the evolution of his career and how it shaped his approach to leadership, personal development, and failure. Rather than focusing only on success stories, he spoke candidly about things that did not work out and how those experiences proved critical in shaping better decisions later on.

He also offered practical insights from his current work on building COPS in his home market, the Netherlands, where he clearly understands how to approach go-to-market strategy effectively. A key takeaway was that go-to-market strategies cannot simply be replicated across regions. Local market dynamics, customer behavior, and expectations require deliberate adaptation.

How Investors Think About Decisions and Value Creation

The keynote was followed by a fireside chat with Eva Faltusová, Investor at Rockaway Ventures, who brought a strong and highly practical investor perspective to the discussion.

Eva spoke passionately about her focus on energy, industrial, and dual-use technologies and explained why these sectors are becoming increasingly important for Europe’s resilience. Using concrete examples from practice, she walked the audience through how investment decisions are made, from early evaluation to long-term partnership with founders.

Beyond capital, Eva emphasized the importance of problem solving as a core part of an investor’s role. She shared real stories from the field, including lighter moments, and highlighted how hands on support and structured thinking can materially help companies navigate growth challenges.

Looking Ahead

The fifth Venture Builders Meetup once again confirmed why we believe in creating a space for honest conversations, practical lessons, and meaningful connections.

Thank you to Rolf Middendorp and Eva Faltusová for sharing their experience and insights, and thank you to everyone who joined us and made the room truly packed.

We will be happy to welcome both familiar and new faces at the sixth edition of the Venture Builders Meetup in the new year.

Oh, and good news, our Meetup is expanding to the Netherlands also! We look forward to stimulating discussions in Amsterdam.