B2B Rocks

ESG regulations: a new growth engine for European scale-ups?

Caroline Tailleferd-Guibert, CMO at Deepki, highlights why Europe is leading the charge on ESG, and why this creates a massive opportunity for startups and scale-ups.

With strong regulations and a growing demand for sustainable solutions, European companies can both support existing players in their transition and build sustainability into their business models from day one. Compared to the U.S., Europe is ahead, but the window to lead won’t stay open forever.

Caroline explains:
👉 how European regulations open domestic market opportunities for startups ;
👉 why building “sustainable by design” companies is the future ;
👉 how Europe’s lead over the U.S. gives founders a unique but time-limited edge.

A powerful reminder that sustainability isn’t just an obligation, but a competitive advantage.

📌 Watch the full talk on YouTube, featuring also David Johnson (Maddyness), Guilhem Isaac Georges (Contentsquare), and Laetitia Carle (Greenly), for more insights on ESG and sustainable growth: https://youtu.be/9yNH5SeL-I0

No ads. No cold calls. Just smart outreach and genuine connection.

Stefan Smulders, Founder & CSO of Expandi.io, shares how his early, scrappy approach to relationship-building on LinkedIn helped him grow a loyal network of high-value connections, without ever trying to sell.

Here’s how he did it:
👉 Found a LinkedIn “Rockstar” list created by influencer Brenda Miller
👉 Scraped the list, enriched the data, and uploaded it to Expandi
👉 Reached out not to pitch, but to start real conversations and build trust
👉 Focused on friendship before conversion — asking questions, finding mutual value
👉 Repeated the process with U.S. creators who promoted competitor tools — and turned many into allies

🎥 Want the full behind-the-scenes of how he did it? Watch the complete talk on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sqLUnCgzaAI.

🛠️ Your product is only as good as your documentation.

Axel Aigret, CEO & Product Manager at StorytoDoc, challenges a common blind spot in SaaS teams:
You obsess over tech debt and UX debt, but what about documentation debt?

He shares two simple questions every product team should be asking:
💡 What % of your product is actually covered by documentation?
💡 Of all your help articles, how many are still up-to-date?

Documentation isn’t a support layer. It’s part of the product experience.
If it’s broken, so is your product.

🎥 Want to rethink how you handle knowledge at scale? Watch Axel’s full talk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQI2LmiTu5Q.

🤝 Founders, who should you really be talking to when preparing an exit?

Claire Hour and Alison Murdock are very clear: a common mistake they see among startup founders is focusing too narrowly on a single potential partner or buyer.

It’s natural to get excited about one big conversation, but putting all your hopes into one deal can leave you stuck when it falls through.

Here’s their advice to entrepreneurs:
💬 Talk to multiple players, don’t just pin your hopes on one company.

💬 Engage with your competitors, they might one day become partners or acquirers.

💬 Understand your VC's role, they’re advisors and supporters, but they also need returns.

💬 Keep doors open, if you’re hoping for HubSpot, make sure you’re also talking to Salesforce.

The reality is that startup founders who diversify conversations build stronger opportunities and reduce the risk of getting ghosted.

🎥 Want the full discussion? Watch the entire talk on YouTube, featuring Claire Houry alongside Andreas Creten (Co-Founder & CEO, madewithlove) and Alison Murdock (Founder, Trusted CMO + CEO, 1021 Creative): https://youtu.be/9s_FnvqZ5eY