Scaling Europe

Seb Johnson

Interviews with Europe's top founders and investors on scaling startups.

12 episodesWeekly

7

clips found

1

episodes analyzed

7

clips / episode

Clip categories

Business Mechanics (3)Bold/Contrarian (1)Surprising Contrast (1)Origin Story (1)Consequences (1)

Best clip

2:49· 59s· Victoria WellerBusiness Mechanics

ElevenLabs went from 10 people to 400 in under 3 years—and they're hiring to reach 900+ by end of 2025. The secret? They screen heavily for ego in every interview, immediately filtering out anyone who puts personal glory over outcomes.

2:49 / 3:48

I joined almost three years ago. We were 10 people at the time. Now we're at 400 and haven't stopped scaling. We want to be at 900 and above by the end of the year, not just by projecting the headcount growth and saying this is how fast we're scaling, but actually looking at what are the products we wanna build, what are the markets we wanna conquer, and who do we need to make that happen as lean and performant as possible. And we have so much on the agenda that we we need 900 plus people by the 2026 to make that happen. So on the talent acquisition side of operations, there will be a lot going on. The

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Best guests

1

Victoria Weller

7 clips

Top clips

Scaling Europe · Victoria Weller

Business Mechanics

When someone gets a shout-out at ElevenLabs, the first thing they do is pass credit to everyone else they worked with. When something goes wrong, multiple people raise their hands saying 'I could have done better.'

Specific example of how low-ego culture manifests in daily operations.

9:19 - 9:4728s

Scaling Europe · Victoria Weller

Business Mechanics

Getting rid of job titles was one of ElevenLabs' most polarizing decisions. The unexpected benefit? People who apply for roles without titles self-filter as those who want impact rather than power.

Reveals unexpected hiring benefit from controversial no-titles policy.

11:31 - 12:0838s

Scaling Europe · Victoria Weller

Bold/Contrarian

ElevenLabs targets 'hyper competitive and cutthroat externally' but humble and collaborative internally. They want to win markets and ship the best products, but believe the best ideas can come from anyone—regardless of seniority.

Articulates dual nature of being externally aggressive while internally collaborative.

10:18 - 11:1153s

Scaling Europe · Victoria Weller

Surprising Contrast

Three years ago, only AI evangelists knew ElevenLabs. After announcing their $11 billion valuation, the hiring challenge flipped from convincing people to join to sifting through massive inbound applications.

Before/after contrast showing dramatic shift in employer brand power.

4:12 - 5:0857s

Scaling Europe · Victoria Weller

Origin Story

Victoria's first project at ElevenLabs? Running their entire SOC 2 compliance program solo with zero prior experience—because it was blocking enterprise deals and no one else had time.

Personal anecdote showing scrappy early-stage execution culture.

14:38 - 14:5417s

Scaling Europe · Victoria Weller

Consequences

Every person hired too late at ElevenLabs puts their goals in jeopardy. Why? They believe their time window to become a generational company is limited—and they need to do everything as soon as possible.

Reveals urgency mindset driving hypergrowth with specific stakes.

17:42 - 18:1128s

Most clip-worthy episode

ElevenLabs grew from 10 people to 400 in 3 years: Victoria Weller, Operations at ElevenLabs

Victoria WellerMar 6, 20267 clips

Victoria Weller discusses ElevenLabs' explosive growth from 10 to 400 employees in 3 years, with plans to reach 900+ by year-end. She shares insights on managing hypergrowth challenges, implementing controversial but effective organizational decisions, and hiring strategies that prioritize impact over titles.

Recent episodes

ElevenLabs grew from 10 people to 400 in 3 years: Victoria Weller, Operations at ElevenLabs

Victoria WellerMar 6, 202622 min

Victoria Weller discusses ElevenLabs' explosive growth from 10 to 400 employees in 3 years, with plans to reach 900+ by year-end. She shares insights on managing hypergrowth challenges, implementing controversial but effective organizational decisions, and hiring strategies that prioritize impact over titles.

Diyala D'Aveni, CEO at Vento: Italian founders building global companies

Diyala D'Aveni, CEO at Vento: Italian founders building global companies

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An Interview with Danyal Akarca, Co-founder at Callosum & Suraj Bramhavar, Programme Director at Aria

An Interview with Danyal Akarca, Co-founder at Callosum & Suraj Bramhavar, Programme Director at Aria

An InterviewFeb 26, 202636 min
An interview with Luke Harries, Growth / Engineering at ElevenLabs

An interview with Luke Harries, Growth / Engineering at ElevenLabs

Feb 25, 202612 min
Eric Liaw, General Partner at IVP: European founders should enter US earlier

Eric Liaw, General Partner at IVP: European founders should enter US earlier

Eric LiawFeb 25, 202618 min
Tom Wehmeier, Partner | Head of Intelligence at Atomico: Europe has a culture of lifting everyone up

Tom Wehmeier, Partner | Head of Intelligence at Atomico: Europe has a culture of lifting everyone up

Tom WehmeierFeb 25, 202619 min
Jarek Kutylowski, CEO and founder at DeepL: Why DeepL wouldn't settle for 'good enough' AI

Jarek Kutylowski, CEO and founder at DeepL: Why DeepL wouldn't settle for 'good enough' AI

Jarek KutylowskiFeb 24, 202619 min
Lars Rasmussen: Cofounder of Google Maps and Panathenea

Lars Rasmussen: Cofounder of Google Maps and Panathenea

Lars RasmussenFeb 23, 202625 min
Mati Staniszewski, Co-Founder at ElevenLabs: $11bn valuation and $330m ARR

Mati Staniszewski, Co-Founder at ElevenLabs: $11bn valuation and $330m ARR

Mati StaniszewskiFeb 23, 20268 min
Karl Gilbert, CEO & Co-Founder of Raylo on raising £150m, generating £50m of revenue and £10m profit

Karl Gilbert, CEO & Co-Founder of Raylo on raising £150m, generating £50m of revenue and £10m profit

Feb 23, 202621 min
Ritesh Singhania, Co-founder and CEO at Zango: Building AI agents for compliance

Ritesh Singhania, Co-founder and CEO at Zango: Building AI agents for compliance

Ritesh SinghaniaFeb 23, 202622 min
Richard Anton, General Partner at Oxx: Europe has everything but capital

Richard Anton, General Partner at Oxx: Europe has everything but capital

Richard AntonFeb 19, 202621 min

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