The Blinkist Exit, How Founders Can Live More in the Present & Why Founders Should Do Secondaries Earlier - Holger Seim, Blinkist

About this episode

The exit of Blinkist was recently one of the major headlines in the German startup scene. According to reports, the Berlin-based company sold to Australian firm Go1 for around 200 million euros. In conversation with Holger Seim, founder of Blinkist, it becomes clear: a successful exit is more than just a number in the bank account.

Recognizing the Right Time for an Exit

When is the right moment to sell your own company? For Seim, this decision was the result of a thoughtful analysis of market conditions and their own position. "You have to be honest with yourself and evaluate where the company stands and where the market is heading," explains the Blinkist founder.

Various factors play a role: the competitive situation, your own resources for further growth, and not least the personal goals of the founding team. An exit should never be just an emotional decision, but always a rational one as well.

Generative AI as a Challenge for Blinkist

One of the biggest current challenges for Blinkist is the rise of generative AI. Does artificial intelligence make Blinkist's business model obsolete? Seim sees this with nuance: "You have to take technological trends seriously, but not every hype becomes a lasting change."

The key is to systematically analyze and prioritize new trends. This requires clear processes and the ability to distinguish between short-term fads and long-term market shifts.

Decision Processes: Avoiding Overshooting

A central theme in the conversation is decision processes that prevent a startup from "overshooting" – going beyond the target. Seim emphasizes the importance of structured capacity planning: "You have to learn when enough is enough and not always focus on growth at any cost."

This is particularly evident in hiring. Instead of blindly expanding, founders should create thoughtful personnel plans that also consider market volatility. This way, painful layoff waves can be avoided.

Separating Ego and Success: The Path to Greater Composure

One of the most personal topics of the conversation is separating ego from company success. "As a founder, you tend to define yourself through the success of the company," reflects Seim. "But that's dangerous and makes you unhappy in the long run."

His approach: consciously live more in the moment and not define yourself exclusively through professional success. He finds inspiration in Stoicism – a philosophy that puts composure and rational thinking at the center.

Stoicism in Founder Life

Stoic philosophy helps Seim deal with the ups and downs of founder life. Core principles like focusing on what's controllable and accepting what's uncontrollable have proven to be practical tools in everyday business.

"You can't control everything, but you can control how you react to situations," Seim summarizes. This attitude helps not only with strategic decisions but also when dealing with mental challenges.

Looking Back and Key Learnings

Would Seim take the same path to Blinkist again? His answer is nuanced: fundamentally yes, but with more space for personal time and friendships. "Success justifies a lot, but you shouldn't sacrifice everything else for it."

In retrospect, he finds the timing of secondary sales particularly important. Founders should take advantage of the opportunity to sell parts of their shares earlier – not just for financial security, but also for mental relief.

Tips for Early-Stage Founders

For seed and Series A founders, Seim has clear recommendations: not everyone should accept investor money. The decision depends heavily on the business model and personal goals. "If you can build a profitable business without external investors, then do that," he advises.

If capital is needed, founders should ensure that the ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) is fairly sized. In Blinkist's case, a well-structured ESOP ensured that the team also benefited from the exit.

Conclusion: Balance as the Key to Sustainable Success

Holger Seim's experiences show: a successful exit is just one building block in a founder's life. More important is finding a balance between success and personal well-being. Those who learn early to separate ego from company success, live in the moment, and make thoughtful decisions don't just build more successful companies – they also lead more fulfilling lives.