2025: A year in review

Last year, I wrote an article reviewing 2024 and sharing my vision for 2025 (read here). Looking back now, I can honestly say it was surprisingly accurate.

2025 was an incredible year.

I started a new company, EU Presence, with a clear mission: help companies navigate the growing complexity of European regulations and operations. What began as an idea quickly turned into something very real.

We were accepted into the first-ever Plug and Play cohort in Albania. That alone felt like a strong signal that we were building something meaningful. Later, we raised our pre-seed round and took a big leap, spending six weeks in Silicon Valley.

Those six weeks were intense. We built relationships, formed strategic partnerships, and opened distribution channels that would have taken years otherwise. Through Plug and Play Silicon Valley and other partners, we laid the groundwork for long-term growth.

• We launched our MVP.
• We onboarded our first clients.
• We started seeing real traction.

Then something unexpected happened.

Just six months after our pre-seed round, we received an acquisition offer at almost 5x the valuation of our pre-seed round. While we decided not to move forward, it was a strong validation that we were on the right path.

2025 wasn’t just about EU Presence though. I also launched the Founders Room Podcast, something I had wanted to do for a long time. What started as an experiment quickly turned into one of the most rewarding projects of the year.

The first season was packed with honest, long-form conversations with people who have built real companies and shaped entire industries. I had the privilege of sitting down with founders, operators, and investors I genuinely admire, including Marty Ringlein, Arjun Mahadevan, Jeff Burton, Kambis Vajargah, Matthias Sziraczki, Julien Coustaury, Andrew Gazdecki, and the legendary investor Tim Draper.

Each conversation went beyond surface-level success stories. We talked about decisions, mistakes, timing, focus, and what it really takes to build something meaningful over many years. The feedback from listeners confirmed what I already felt while recording them: these were conversations worth having and worth sharing.

Launching the podcast alongside building a company was intense, but it added a different kind of energy to the year. It sharpened my thinking, expanded my network, and reminded me how powerful curiosity driven conversations can be.

Looking ahead to 2026

Everything we built in 2025 was foundation work.

In 2026, we will:

• Roll out EU Presence to a much wider audience
• Turn on the distribution engines we quietly built this year
• Scale our platform, team, and impact
• Launch Season 2 of the Founders Room Podcast with even more depth and ambition

If I had to describe 2026 in one word, it would be:

Growth.

Growth in the company.
Growth in reach.
Growth in thinking.
Growth as a founder.

I’m grateful for everyone who has been part of this journey so far, partners, investors, customers, listeners, and friends. Thank you for the trust and support.

Let’s make 2026 the best year yet.

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