Startups love GenAI. But most founders are using it unsafely — and exposing their team, their customers, and their legal risk without even realizing it.

In this episode of Startuprad.io, we sat down with Dennis Traub, AI Engineering Specialist at AWS, to unpack what safe adoption of Generative AI really means for founders, CTOs, and product leads.

Dennis introduces the “Artificial Intern” framework — a practical way for startups to implement GenAI without hallucinations, GDPR violations, or broken trust. He walks us through where to start, what not to do, and how to pick your very first AI use case.

AWS Startups is a proud sponsor of this week’s episode of Startuprad.io. Visit startups.aws to find out how AWS can help you prove what’s possible in your industry.

The AWS Startups team comprises former founders and CTOs, venture capitalists, angel investors, and mentors ready to help you prove what’s possible.

Since 2013, AWS has supported over 280,000 startups across the globe and provided $7Billion in credits through the AWS Activate program.

Big ideas feel at home on AWS, and with access to cutting-edge technologies like generative AI, you can quickly turn those ideas into marketable products.

Want your own AI-powered assistant? Try Amazon Q.

Want to build your own AI products? Privately customize leading foundation models on Amazon Bedrock.

Want to reduce the cost of AI workloads? AWS Trainium is the silicon you’re looking for.

Whatever your ambitions, you’ve already had the idea, now prove it’s possible on AWS.

Visit aws.amazon.com/startups to get started.

📌 What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why treating GenAI like a cofounder is a dangerous myth

• What AI should (and should never) touch inside your startup

• How to adopt GenAI tools without violating GDPR

• The hidden risk in giving LLMs access to your inbox

• Why AWS Bedrock offers a safer backend for compliant AI use

• How to automate annoying work — not strategic work

• What most founders misunderstand about AI “power”

• Guest: Dennis Traub, AI Engineering Specialist at AWS

• Full Blog Post: https://www.startuprad.io/post/how-to-safely-adopt-genai-without-leaking-customer-data

• Youtube Full Video: https://youtu.be/7e_UQbmYIE8

• ✉️ Work with us: partnerships@startuprad.io

Subscribe across platforms: https://linktr.ee/startupradio

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What if every second leadership hire in your startup fails — costing you up to €250,000? In this episode of Startuprad.io, we uncover why so many startup executive hires flop and how diagnostic hiring is rewriting the rules of leadership selection.

What You'll Learn:

• Why more than 50% of startup VP and C-level hires fail within 18 months

• The real-world cost of a mis-hire (severance, lost growth, founder burnout)

• How behavioral and cognitive assessments outperform gut-feel interviews

• How to avoid founder bias when hiring for your first VP or CSO

• The "First VP Dilemma" — resume readiness vs. real potential

• What top-performing startup leaders actually have in common

• Hiring timelines in the DACH region and how to plan around long notice periods

• Why culture-fit and self-assessment tools often fail founders

Guest Spotlight:
Dominik Roth, founder of the DACH #1 leadership podcast CEO Career Code, has placed over 400 executives in VC- and PE-backed startups across Europe. He’s not your typical headhunter — he’s a psychologist-turned-strategist using diagnostics to predict executive performance before a mis-hire burns your runway.

Like what you hear? Follow Startuprad.io for more deep dives into European startup growth. Subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts — and leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review if this saved you from your next €250K mistake.

Guest Name: Dominik Roth, Founder of CEO Career Code

Blog Post: https://www.startuprad.io/post/startup-executive-hiring-avoiding-costly-leadership-mistakes

Youtube Full Video: https://youtu.be/iDqQo48u0Ls

Timestamps:

00:00 – Why 50% of Startup Executive Hires Fail

02:15 – The €250K Mistake: What a Bad Hire Really Costs

05:40 – Gut Feel vs. Diagnostic Hiring Explained

09:10 – The First VP Dilemma: Resume vs. Readiness

12:30 – Founder Bias and Emotional Hiring Mistakes

16:50 – How to Use Behavioral and Cognitive Assessments

21:15 – Hiring for Startups in the DACH Region

26:30 – Patterns of High-Performing Startup Leaders

28:43 – Dominik’s Mission to Change Hiring in Europe

✉️ Work with us: partnerships@startuprad.io
💬 Feedback: https://forms.gle/Qp53eVuc9P1RMqWj8
💼 Follow Jörn on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/comm/mynetwork/discovery-see-all?usecase=PEOPLE_FOLLOWS&followMember=joernmenninger

startup podcast, startup executive hiring, startup growth strategies, DACH startup leadership, venture capital insights, founder hiring mistakes, diagnostic hiring, scaleup leadership, B2B tech startups, startup burnout

What if finance wasn’t a bottleneck but your secret growth weapon? Moss CEO Ante Spittler joins Startuprad.io to reveal how his Berlin fintech is helping over 5,000 SMEs automate spend, ditch spreadsheets, and scale smarter.

What You'll Learn:

• How Moss raised €180M and scaled to process €5B+ annually

• The biggest finance automation challenges for European SMEs

• Lessons from layoffs and scaling a regulated fintech

• Why user-first design is Moss’s superpower in a crowded market

• Insights on ERP integration, AI in finance, and future trends

• The emotional toll of leading a fintech through hypergrowth

• Strategies for founders balancing family and company building

Guest Spotlight:
Ante Spittler – CEO & Co-Founder, Moss
Ante is a seasoned fintech leader with roots in investment banking and VC. At Moss, he’s redefining finance automation for SMEs across Europe, delivering an intelligent spend management suite with enterprise-grade compliance.

Love founder stories that mix strategy, grit, and big wins? Follow Startuprad.io on Spotify & Apple Podcasts, leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, and share this episode with founders and investors in your network.

Guest Name: Ante Spittler, CEO & Co-Founder of Moss

Blog Post: https://www.startuprad.io/post/finance-automation-for-smes-how-moss-is-redefining-financial-operations

Moss Website – https://www.getmoss.com

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction: Why Finance Automation Matters

02:10 – Ante’s Journey: From VC to Fintech Founder

06:30 – Fixing ERP & Receipt Chaos in SMEs

10:45 – Scaling in Regulated Fintech: Lessons Learned

17:00 – Layoffs, Leadership, and Fintech Winter

24:40 – Balancing Family Life as a CEO

30:15 – Moss’s User-First Design Philosophy

40:05 – The Future of AI-Driven CFO Tools

47:16 – Advice to Founders Scaling in Finance Tech

✉️ Work with us: partnerships@startuprad.io
💬 Feedback: https://forms.gle/Qp53eVuc9P1RMqWj8
💼 Follow Jörn on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/comm/mynetwork/discovery-see-all?usecase=PEOPLE_FOLLOWS&followMember=joernmenninger