Post by Giulia Biscos

A year ago, I thought choosing an exchange was mostly about choosing courses. Today, I realise it’s much more about choosing an ecosystem. Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to experience the startup world from three completely different perspectives. I worked alongside the founders of an early-stage startup, experiencing first-hand how strategic decisions are made when resources are limited and uncertainty is part of everyday life. Through Innovis VC , I started looking at startups from an investor’s perspective, speaking directly with founders and understanding how investment decisions are formed. Through the TEF - Tech Europe Foundation Venture Builder Program, I experienced what it means to build and validate an idea, talking to potential customers, collecting feedback and learning how quickly assumptions change when they meet reality. Somewhere along the way, something clicked. Everything I had only studied in books suddenly came to life. More importantly, I realised that what truly fascinates me isn’t startups themselves. It’s the people building them. The conversations, the difficult decisions, the constant iteration, and the challenge of turning an idea into something that creates real value. That’s why I’m excited to share that, this August, I’ll be joining WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management for my exchange semester. I didn’t choose WHU only because of its academic reputation. I chose it because I wanted to immerse myself in one of Europe’s strongest entrepreneurial ecosystems, meet founders and investors, and better understand how different startup ecosystems think, build and grow. I still don’t know exactly where this journey will take me. What I do know is that, for the first time, I feel like I’ve found a direction that genuinely feels like mine. If you’re building a startup, investing in early-stage companies or simply passionate about entrepreneurship, I would genuinely love to connect. I believe the best way to learn is through conversations with people who are building things every day! This is only the beginning! :)