EU-Startups Podcast | Episode 149: Special episode with host Marcin Lewadowski

Dec 18, 2025 - 11:00

After more than two years, over one hundred episodes, and countless insightful conversations, the EU-Startups Podcast is marking a new milestone.

Our final episode of the year is also a special one – it marks the last episode hosted by Marcin Lewandowski, who has been the voice behind the mic for the past two years. In an unconventional and fittingly energetic farewell, we flipped the script: I, David Cendón Garcia, the News Editor at EU-Startups, interviewed Marcin on the padel court, live and in one take.

And yes, we played while recording.

This is not just a farewell – it’s a handover. From this episode onwards, I’ll be taking over the hosting duties of the EU-Startups Podcast. It’s an honour and a challenge I’m excited to embrace, especially after seeing firsthand the impact and value this podcast has brought to the European startup ecosystem.

Marcin’s journey into podcasting wasn’t a conventional one. His love for storytelling and people began in Poland, where he worked on construction sites as a teenager alongside his father, sparking his entrepreneurial spirit early. That passion later took him across 50 countries, through various startups – including his own – and eventually to podcasting with a mission: to spotlight real, inspiring stories of founders and investors across Europe.

“I wanted to make it fun and personal and tell great stories of people from different backgrounds who became venture capital investors or startup founders,” said Lewandowski.

Before joining EU-Startups, Marcin had already launched his own show, TurnedVC. He was unsure whether a Zoom-based podcast format would bring the same energy, but quickly found that great conversations come from great people – not the medium.

“It turned out to be all about the people. If you meet on a weekly basis people who build something amazing and who you can learn so much from, you’re going to get excited – no matter how you meet them,” he noted.

Over the course of 100+ episodes, Marcin spoke with some of the most inspiring figures in tech and venture, including Guy Kawasaki, Steve Chen, and Jacqueline van den Ende.

“It’s hard to choose … but I think you become the sum of the people you meet. This has been an amazing opportunity to meet over 100 incredible people I could learn from and who, in a way, became part of me,” he reflected.

While many of the interviews were done from the studio or over Zoom, behind-the-scenes logistics could get intense – especially with TurnVC. One episode had Marcin and his cameraman Max flying from Barcelona to London at 6:30 a.m., filming in four different locations, and returning home by 2:30 a.m. the next morning, just in time to keep a promise to his daughter.

“She was missing me a lot when I was away filming. So I’d always promise her I’d be back to put her to bed – and bring her something from the trip,” he said.

Now, with the mic passed over, Marcin is diving into new ventures. One of them, Founders to Be, is a fresh initiative to bring Europe’s top founders back to their universities to share their journeys and mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs.

“I want to help entrepreneurs build a happier and more sustainable future that my daughter will be excited to live in,” he shared.

From all of us at EU-Startups, thank you, Marcin. You’ve built more than a podcast – you’ve built a platform and a community. And as for what’s next? Well, I’ll do my best to carry the torch forward with the same curiosity, warmth, and commitment to great conversations that made your tenure so memorable.

Subscribe to the EU-Startups Podcast if you haven’t already – and catch this final episode with Marcin to get an honest, fun, and heartfelt look behind the scenes of one of Europe’s most beloved startup podcasts.

Video version of episode 148:

Audio version of episode 148:

Key Takeaways:

→ Marcin’s story and how it all started
→ the conversations that made the biggest impact
→ the toughest moments
→ favorite guests + lessons learned
→ and what’s next

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