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Mar 5, 2015 · 20m · 20vc

20 VC 017: Nektarios Liolios of Startupbootcamp on Fintech, Pitching and London's Tech Scene

Nektarios Liolios · 14m spoken Harry Stebbings · 3m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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In this episode of The 20 Minute VC, host Harry Stebbings interviews Nektarios Liolios, co-founder and managing director of Startupbootcamp FinTech, discussing corporate tech acceleration, pitch execution, and selection criteria for early-stage startups. Nektarios shares career insights, founder evaluation standards, and broad technology perspectives covering blockchain and IoT.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Harry holds 20.5% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Harry as informed peer 1.4 Guest teaching 3.4 Guest disagreement 1.8 Harry pushing back 1.2
05100:0010:0020:001:05–3:24 · Harry as informed peer 1/10 Nektarios Liolios on His Journey into FinTech and Startupbootcamp The host asks an introductory question about the guest's path into fintech. The guest shares his non-traditional background and gently corrects the host on the exact timeline of his SWIFT InnoTribe role.3:24–5:56 · Harry as informed peer 1/10 Understanding Startupbootcamp FinTech's Model and Unique Demo Day Format The guest reframes the host's question by emphasizing that Startupbootcamp FinTech is a corporate innovation tool rather than a traditional venture capital fund, going on to explain their unique mini-stage demo day format.5:56–11:10 · Harry as informed peer 2/10 Key Ingredients of Successful Pitches According to Nektarios Liolios When asked if they accept single founders, the guest immediately and firmly rejects the premise, explaining that a full team is an absolute requirement for their program.11:10–14:40 · Harry as informed peer 2/10 Preparation Strategies for Pitch Day and Recommended Founder Resources The guest expresses surprise at founders' lack of basic pitch preparation, prompting the host to push for specific recommended resources. Later, the guest educates the host on distinguishing Bitcoin as a currency from underlying blockchain technology.14:42–19:32 · Harry as informed peer 1/10 Quickfire Round: Insights on Entrepreneurship, Career Highs, and Startup Support In a quickfire round, the guest offers personal insights into entrepreneurship, admits to avoiding personal startup investing after getting burned in the dot-com bubble, and lightheartedly declines to pick a favorite portfolio company.1:05–3:24 · Guest teaching 3/10 Nektarios Liolios on His Journey into FinTech and Startupbootcamp The host asks an introductory question about the guest's path into fintech. The guest shares his non-traditional background and gently corrects the host on the exact timeline of his SWIFT InnoTribe role.3:24–5:56 · Guest teaching 4/10 Understanding Startupbootcamp FinTech's Model and Unique Demo Day Format The guest reframes the host's question by emphasizing that Startupbootcamp FinTech is a corporate innovation tool rather than a traditional venture capital fund, going on to explain their unique mini-stage demo day format.5:56–11:10 · Guest teaching 4/10 Key Ingredients of Successful Pitches According to Nektarios Liolios When asked if they accept single founders, the guest immediately and firmly rejects the premise, explaining that a full team is an absolute requirement for their program.11:10–14:40 · Guest teaching 4/10 Preparation Strategies for Pitch Day and Recommended Founder Resources The guest expresses surprise at founders' lack of basic pitch preparation, prompting the host to push for specific recommended resources. Later, the guest educates the host on distinguishing Bitcoin as a currency from underlying blockchain technology.14:42–19:32 · Guest teaching 2/10 Quickfire Round: Insights on Entrepreneurship, Career Highs, and Startup Support In a quickfire round, the guest offers personal insights into entrepreneurship, admits to avoiding personal startup investing after getting burned in the dot-com bubble, and lightheartedly declines to pick a favorite portfolio company.1:05–3:24 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Nektarios Liolios on His Journey into FinTech and Startupbootcamp The host asks an introductory question about the guest's path into fintech. The guest shares his non-traditional background and gently corrects the host on the exact timeline of his SWIFT InnoTribe role.3:24–5:56 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Understanding Startupbootcamp FinTech's Model and Unique Demo Day Format The guest reframes the host's question by emphasizing that Startupbootcamp FinTech is a corporate innovation tool rather than a traditional venture capital fund, going on to explain their unique mini-stage demo day format.5:56–11:10 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Key Ingredients of Successful Pitches According to Nektarios Liolios When asked if they accept single founders, the guest immediately and firmly rejects the premise, explaining that a full team is an absolute requirement for their program.11:10–14:40 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Preparation Strategies for Pitch Day and Recommended Founder Resources The guest expresses surprise at founders' lack of basic pitch preparation, prompting the host to push for specific recommended resources. Later, the guest educates the host on distinguishing Bitcoin as a currency from underlying blockchain technology.14:42–19:32 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Quickfire Round: Insights on Entrepreneurship, Career Highs, and Startup Support In a quickfire round, the guest offers personal insights into entrepreneurship, admits to avoiding personal startup investing after getting burned in the dot-com bubble, and lightheartedly declines to pick a favorite portfolio company.1:05–3:24 · Harry pushing back 1/10 Nektarios Liolios on His Journey into FinTech and Startupbootcamp The host asks an introductory question about the guest's path into fintech. The guest shares his non-traditional background and gently corrects the host on the exact timeline of his SWIFT InnoTribe role.3:24–5:56 · Harry pushing back 1/10 Understanding Startupbootcamp FinTech's Model and Unique Demo Day Format The guest reframes the host's question by emphasizing that Startupbootcamp FinTech is a corporate innovation tool rather than a traditional venture capital fund, going on to explain their unique mini-stage demo day format.5:56–11:10 · Harry pushing back 1/10 Key Ingredients of Successful Pitches According to Nektarios Liolios When asked if they accept single founders, the guest immediately and firmly rejects the premise, explaining that a full team is an absolute requirement for their program.11:10–14:40 · Harry pushing back 2/10 Preparation Strategies for Pitch Day and Recommended Founder Resources The guest expresses surprise at founders' lack of basic pitch preparation, prompting the host to push for specific recommended resources. Later, the guest educates the host on distinguishing Bitcoin as a currency from underlying blockchain technology.14:42–19:32 · Harry pushing back 1/10 Quickfire Round: Insights on Entrepreneurship, Career Highs, and Startup Support In a quickfire round, the guest offers personal insights into entrepreneurship, admits to avoiding personal startup investing after getting burned in the dot-com bubble, and lightheartedly declines to pick a favorite portfolio company.

speaking balance: gold is Harry, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Harry 42% · guest 58%0:00 · Harry 42% · guest 58%3:00 · Harry 10.2% · guest 89.8%3:00 · Harry 10.2% · guest 89.8%6:00 · Harry 17.2% · guest 82.8%6:00 · Harry 17.2% · guest 82.8%9:00 · Harry 14.4% · guest 85.6%9:00 · Harry 14.4% · guest 85.6%12:00 · Harry 19.8% · guest 80.2%12:00 · Harry 19.8% · guest 80.2%15:00 · Harry 8.5% · guest 91.5%15:00 · Harry 8.5% · guest 91.5%18:00 · Harry 37.7% · guest 62.3%18:00 · Harry 37.7% · guest 62.3%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 8:42 Flat Rejection of Single Founders

The guest directly shuts down the host's query about single founders, interrupting to state firmly that they never accept solo founders.

 Hardest push from Harry ▶ 12:18 Demanding Specific Pitch Resources

When the guest broadly claims that ample pitch guides exist online, the host presses him directly to name specific standout resources.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 3:35 Reframing Accelerator Model vs Traditional VC

The guest corrects the host's framing comparing Startupbootcamp to traditional VCs, clarifying that they operate a corporate innovation model rather than a direct investment fund.

 Harry holds his own ▶ 12:18 Holding Guest to Specific Recommendations

The host catches the guest making a generic statement about available pitch resources and challenges him to provide tangible examples.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicHarry as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementHarry pushing backWhy
Nektarios Liolios on His Journey into FinTech and Startupbootcamp 1311 The host asks an introductory question about the guest's path into fintech. The guest shares his non-traditional background and gently corrects the host on the exact timeline of his SWIFT InnoTribe role.
Understanding Startupbootcamp FinTech's Model and Unique Demo Day Format 1421 The guest reframes the host's question by emphasizing that Startupbootcamp FinTech is a corporate innovation tool rather than a traditional venture capital fund, going on to explain their unique mini-stage demo day format.
Key Ingredients of Successful Pitches According to Nektarios Liolios 2431 When asked if they accept single founders, the guest immediately and firmly rejects the premise, explaining that a full team is an absolute requirement for their program.
Preparation Strategies for Pitch Day and Recommended Founder Resources 2422 The guest expresses surprise at founders' lack of basic pitch preparation, prompting the host to push for specific recommended resources. Later, the guest educates the host on distinguishing Bitcoin as a currency from underlying blockchain technology.
Quickfire Round: Insights on Entrepreneurship, Career Highs, and Startup Support 1211 In a quickfire round, the guest offers personal insights into entrepreneurship, admits to avoiding personal startup investing after getting burned in the dot-com bubble, and lightheartedly declines to pick a favorite portfolio company.

Statements from this episode (7)

Disclosure
Startupbootcamp FinTech does not directly invest capital into participating startups
“So we don't fund startups ourselves. We don't have a fund behind. We don't put any money into the startups.”
Nektarios Liolios Mar 5, 2015 ▶ 4:43
Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Startupbootcamp FinTech replaced main-stage Demo Day pitches with rotation mini-stages
“So we actually didn't have the startups pitch on stage. We had for each startup a mini stage where they had to pitch five times consecutively and investors in the room had to pick five out of the 10 startups that they really wanted to talk to.”
Nektarios Liolios Mar 5, 2015 ▶ 5:36
Disclosure
Startupbootcamp FinTech requires a prototype or MVP to accept startups
“So that's a minimum requirement for us. So we don't go just by PowerPoints and Excel spreadsheets. We need to have a prototype or an MVP of sorts.”
Nektarios Liolios Mar 5, 2015 ▶ 8:31
Disclosure
Startupbootcamp FinTech refuses to accept solo founders into its accelerator
“We don't take single founders.”
Nektarios Liolios Mar 5, 2015 ▶ 8:42
Insight
Effective startup teams require product, sales, and tech leads
“And a team ideally should have at least three different profiles. We have taken teams in that were two founders who put something together, but very quickly you realize that the team needs to grow, and it needs to have somebody who understands the product, som…”
Nektarios Liolios Mar 5, 2015 ▶ 8:47
Disclosure
Liolios has not personally invested in startups since the 2000 dot-com crash
“Personally, actually, I haven't invested in a company since I've burned my fingers in the dot-com area, so era in, in, in 2000, so I will be a disappointment in that.”
Nektarios Liolios Mar 5, 2015 ▶ 18:45
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Liolios predicts crowdfunding aggregator InvestUp will go very far
“One of them is InvestUp, a crowdfunding aggregator. They've just launched, they're a great bunch of guys they are going to go very far.”
Nektarios Liolios Mar 5, 2015 ▶ 19:08
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