37 Businesses, Zero Days as CEO: The Remarkable Story of Radu Georgescu

Today The Recursive podcast is live from Bucharest, meeting one of the most prominent founders and investors on the Romanian tech scene.

Radu Georgescu is a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in the tech industry.

He has successfully exited several companies, including the acquisition of RAV antivirus technology by Microsoft, the ePayment business by Naspers, Avantgate by Francisco Partners, and VectorWatch by Fitbit.

Radu is currently the founder of Gecad Ventures, a family office that invests in high-growth potential companies.

He is also a Board Director and adviser to numerous technology companies, including the equity management and financing platform for tech startups SeedBlink.

In this conversation with Irina, we get a sneak peek into the mind of a strategic thinker, a prolific entrepreneur, and a passionate investor.

Radu shares his learning experiences gained from founding 37 companies, both successful and failed, and his revelation that the operational roles are not well suited for him.

Radu Georgescu explains that he has always been focused on identifying market niches and the problems that need to be solved. By not being involved in execution, he managed to maintain a broader perspective and use his network to gather information and deliver it to the team that is better equipped to create and build the product.

In the episode, he also talks about:

• Why pivoting is one of the most important tools in a founder’s bag; (“Just pivot and figure out where the market goes as you roll.")
• The Danger in Treating Your Business as Your Baby;
• What really makes a company stand out;

Time Stamps:

0:00 Introduction

1:40 How Radu Got His First Taste of Entrepreneurship

5:58 Do You Get Born With the Entrepreneurial Mindset?

8:46 What Was It Like to Start a Company in the Early 90s

12:45 Failure Lessons: The Importance of Understanding the Market, Predicting Future Trends, and Adapting

16:15 Why Pivoting is One of The Most Important Tools of a Founder

21:07 How Does Radu Stay Informed in a World of Abundant Content

26:07 The Secret Behind Co-Founding 37 Companies: The Excitement of Early Stages of Creation

31:35 The Very Good Strategist Vs. The Very Bad CEO

35:42 “The Business Is Not Your Baby”. The Different CEO Personas Needed For Different Stages of the Company

42:33 Is Ego Important in Entrepreneurship?

44:02 Never Have I Ever… Been In an Operational Role

46:32 Flawless Execution is What Makes a Company Stand Out

49:44 The Longterm Vision Behind SeedBlink

55:18 The Fulfillment Behind Making a Meaningful Impact on the World

1:02:10 Outro