FELIX VAN DE MAELE
CEO
Collibra
HALA ZEINE
Managing Director
Blackstone
JONATHAN MCKAY
Boardwave Committee Member & Patron
Serial Chair & Investor
In this episode, we hear three software leaders' advice on how to get set up for success in the early days and how to scale once you have achieved “product-market fit”. We also get their thoughts on your first external investment round.
Felix Van de Maele is a Boardwave Nextwaver and CEO of Collibra, which he started at 23 from his bedroom in a university in Belgium. Today, he has built Collibra into one of the biggest success stories in European software, living in New York, building a global leader with $200m ARR and $5bn valuation from his current investors.
Hala Zeine was previously Chief Product Officer at Celonis in Germany, a similarly successful European-founded global business. Hala left to join Blackstone 18 months ago as an investor. (Blackstone are a Boardwave partner & sponsor). Her earlier career was spent in a series of ever more senior roles at SAP.
Jonathan Mckay is a Boardwave Committee Member & Patron, he also a serial Chair and Investor. Jonathan has worked at some of the most successful global software firms in his long career, spending time in both the UK and Silicon Valley. Today, he is one of Europe’s most successful early-stage investors.
