The Startup Founder’s Practical Playbook Course
The Startup Founder’s Practical Playbook equips you with the thinking, structures, and real-world insight to scale your company the right way.
Built with DeepTech, Industry 4.0 recruitment specialists and a founder who has already done it — so you can avoid the mistakes most teams make.
The Hiring
Guide
Who you should build the company with
6 Lessons
Reading time: 15-20 Minutes
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Founder Psychology
How founders should use their energy
6 Lessons
Reading time: 17-20 Minutes
6 Learning Exercises
The Scaling Strategy
How to structure a team so it can scale
6 Lessons
Reading time: 17-20 Minutes
6 Learning Exercises
Introduction to the Playbook Course
According to Microsoft data, more than 50 million new startups launch every year, with over 2 million emerging from the US and UK. But how do founders attract the right people and build a sustainable startup to get past that 18% success rate?
Few people understand this better than Markus Seibold, Co-founder and CEO of MakerVerse.
Before launching his startup, he spent more than a decade at Siemens Energy, where he led one of the most advanced additive manufacturing programs in the world. His team helped industrialize 3D printing, moving it from experimental prototypes to the serial production of high-performance components.
What makes his perspective particularly valuable is that he’s experienced both sides of the journey: building deep expertise inside a global organization and then stepping out to create something from scratch.
In the early days of a startup, success doesn’t come from processes or brand recognition because it doesn’t exist. It comes from assembling the right team and earning belief early, convincing others to rally behind a vision before there’s much proof.
This guide breaks down the lessons from that experience into a practical playbook for startup founders, exploring:
- Who you should build the company with
- How founders should use their energy
- How to structure a team so it can scale
Watch the Episode that Inspired the Playbook
About the Insights in this Playbook
This guide draws on insights shared by Markus Seibold, Co-founder and CEO or MakerVerse, during discussions with Iulia Oprea, Gestalt Therapist, Founder Coach and CEO of Dragon Coaching House, and Nick Pearce, Founder & Managing Director of Alexander Daniels Global, about building and scaling early-stage startups. The principles reflect real experiences from launching and growing a startup technology company.
Find more discussions like this on The Start-Up Saga Podcast.
FAQs
ADG’s startup founder training is for anyone. We’ve catalogued and distilled our 10+ years of experience recruiting in the DeepTech space, along with insights from a startup founder that we have worked with on multiple mandates.
Founders who are looking for a practical roadmap for how to succeed in the first growth phase of their startup might find it most useful.
Yes! We’re really giving away these learnings for free. Navigating the world of startups is already tough, and sharing what we know plays into one of our key business values: Partnership.
We see ourselves as talent partners to businesses operating in Industry 4.0 sectors, and this is the kind of information we share with our clients. Now you can have it too!
The playbook course will take between 40-60 minutes to read.
There are key learning exercises throughout each section which help you to consolidate what you are learning. Depending on how you approach the exercises throughout, these could total anywhere from 3-20 hours of additional brainstorming, alone or with your team.
Since the course is completely open, you can bookmark it in your browser and always come back when you have time!
