NEXT.io Podcast18 Sep 2025

Evert Einroos: What VCs Really Look For in Founders

🎙 NEXT.io Podcast #248 with Evert Einroos, Managing Director of Yolo Investments.

Evert joins us to break down how Yolo Investments scaled from a scrappy operator-led VC to a professional fund with external LPs and over 150 portfolio companies. He explains why warm intros still matter, how to structure a successful fund, and why passion-led founders shine in gaming.

⏰ Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

00:31 - Sponsors

01:50 - Welcoming Evert Einroos

03:00 - Origin story: How Yolo Investments started

05:30 - Early wins, flops & the power law in VC

06:50 - Lessons from the crypto crash

07:20 - Launching Fund 2 with external LPs

10:19 - Why startups should want Yolo on their cap table

13:36 - Balancing founder energy vs. investor guardrails

16:03 - What VCs really look for in founders

20:22 - Red flags that turn investors off

21:19 - How to get on Yolo’s radar

26:10 - The 5 “S”s of building a VC fund

27:56 - How LPs make money

29:03 - Challenges of iGaming as an investment class

33:23 - The passion vs. opportunity balance in gaming

38:11 - Startup success rates & power laws

41:41 - What’s next for Yolo Investments

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✩ Website - https://next.io/

This episode of NEXT.io is brought to you by:

Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technology.

https://pragmatic.solutions/

Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content provider.

https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/

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