Podcast

January 22, 2026

Endeavor CEO Linda Rottenberg: ‘Talent is everywhere. Opportunity and capital are not’

Rottenberg has backed founders long before they hit the mainstream for nearly three decades

How do you spot Europe’s next unicorn founder before anyone else does? And where can investors still make outsized returns?

This week on the Sifted Podcast, host Amy Lewin is joined by Linda Rottenberg, founder of global tech network Endeavor, one of the world’s most influential communities of high-growth entrepreneurs.

For nearly three decades, Linda has backed founders long before they hit the mainstream, including Bending Spoons’ Luca Ferrari and ElevenLabs’ Mati Staniszewski. Endeavor is built on a simple idea: that world-class entrepreneurs can come from anywhere — not just Silicon Valley. Today, Endeavor supports more than 3,000 entrepreneurs across 50+ countries, whose companies include over 90 unicorns. 

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Amy and Linda discuss what Europe’s most successful founders have in common, why investors should be looking beyond the usual hotspots and how Endeavor Catalyst, the organisation’s investment arm, is backing companies at the scale-up stage as it raises a new fund.

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Maya Dharampal-Hornby

Maya Dharampal-Hornby is Sifted's editorial assistant and producer of Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast .

Amy Lewin

Amy Lewin is Sifted’s editor and host of Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast . Follow her on X, LinkedIn and Bluesky

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