20VC: Four Traits of the Most Successful Founders | How to Hunt and Close Talent Like a Pro and Where All Founders Go Wrong | Lessons Raising $397M From the Best Investors in the World with Eléonore Crespo @ Pigment

Eléonore Crespo is the Co-Founder and CEO @ Pigment, one of Europe's fastest-growing companies. With Pigment, Eleonore has raised over $397M from the best in the world including ICONIQ, Greenoaks and IVP to name a few. Prior to Pigment, Eléonore was on the other side of the table as an investor with Index Ventures.

In Today's Episode We Discuss:

[04:10] "I had 3 surgeries. That's when I knew I had to become a founder."

[06:50] Why Index Ventures isn't on her cap table

[08:40] Eleonore's CIA-style co-founder hunt (she literally made a target list)

[11:50] Co-CEOs: "We talk 3x a day. That's our superpower."

[13:30] The boutique coffee metaphor for product excellence

[15:40] Yuri Milner's 4 traits of legendary founders (one is shocking)

[17:30] "Hiring is everything. I hunt talent like a football scout."

[19:00] Wild Olympic Games story → led to hiring a top CFO

[24:50] How she filters out title-chasers and political hires

[29:30] "Too much process? I make teams list the dumbest ones."

[33:00] Her blunt answer on whether Europe can produce scale execs

[35:00] Why she raised so much money… even when they didn't need it

[38:50] Board power is real: "They can fire you. I've seen it."

[43:30] Rob Ward's counter-cyclical advice: double down during a downturn

[44:50] "We closed a massive US deal… at 2am… while drenched in rain."

[47:10] Selling into the US as a European founder—her full playbook

[50:20] The hardest part of being a CEO no one talks about

[54:00] "Children remind you what happiness is."

[56:30] "I don't fast. That would make me unhappy." On longevity culture

[59:20] Why her husband knows nothing about Pigment

[01:04:20] "Forget $50B. I want to build a $200B company."

Follow Eleonore Crespo

• LinkedIn: Eleonore Crespo

• Pigment: pigment.com

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