Founding a Company as a Product Manager: An Authentic Account of What a Startup Feels Like – with Alexander Hipp (Founder Beyond, ex N26, ex XING)

Insights from the Roller Coaster of Funding, Content Curation, Community Building, Web3, and Product Analytics

Starting a company is the ultimate roller coaster of the business world – and over the last four to five years, Alexander Hipp has ridden every single curve of it with his startup “Beyond.” With many years of product management experience that began in the early 2010s and took him through companies like the Berlin mobile bank N26, Alex took the leap into entrepreneurship. The result? A wild ride through four different business models and four pivots – from content curation to Web3 community building to product analytics.

What makes this story so authentic is the unfiltered look at startup reality: a whole year without income, the challenges of raising a 5 million seed round, the hard-nosed “go big or go home” mentality of the VC world, and emotional turning points that led to strategic realignments. Alex doesn’t mince words when he talks about investors, tough decisions, and difficult moments.

Yet every twist in Alex’s story holds valuable lessons for anyone who wants to start a company or take their product management to a new level. His realization that you should never act out of pressure or fear, and his understanding of how important it is to be motivated by learning, make this episode a must-hear.

Have a listen to the eleventh episode of the PRODUKTKRAFT Podcast to experience this honest and exciting startup story in full – and to understand why some founder journeys can be called a complete success even without a classic exit!