Two Years of Meetings. Still No Fund. Then Everything Changed. | Hrish Lotlikar

Two years of meetings, and still no venture fund. Hrish Lotlikar shares how an events business in Kyiv helped him build the relationships behind Eastlabs. In the first episode of Entreprehardship, Josef Holm talks with SuperWorld co-founder and CEO Hrish Lotlikar about leaving New York, building a network from scratch, and staying with an idea when progress is hard to measure. They follow the route from Cocktails and Connections to Eastlabs, then through Toptal and Rogue Initiative to SuperWorld, with practical lessons on taking risks, making useful introductions and building a business that fits your life. Disclosure: Josef's fund invested in SuperWorld. Hrish at SuperWorld: https://www.superworldapp.com/team-members/hrish-lotlikar/ CHAPTERS 00:00 Two years of meetings, still no fund 00:30 Meet Hrish Lotlikar 02:01 Leaving New York for Kyiv 05:52 Why walk away from a promising career? 09:43 Risk and the option to go back 11:55 Building a network from scratch 15:32 The events business he never planned 19:06 Why the party photos brought people back 20:34 The reunion that opened a door 24:48 What two years of meetings actually built 28:15 What Eastlabs became 33:28 From venture capital to SuperWorld 40:24 Feeling afraid while believing in the decision 45:27 Conviction, stubbornness and making money 48:20 Starting with the resources you have 51:10 Why Josef started this show 55:01 Rapid-fire: business advice to unlearn 57:39 The question to ask before a big risk 58:10 Meeting people in a new city 59:38 What progress looks like 1:01:24 How to ask for an introduction 1:03:35 The least glamorous part of building Eastlabs 1:05:28 What starting over costs 1:07:07 Protecting family and health 1:09:52 Waiting to feel ready 1:12:26 The lesson Josef is taking away Entreprehardship with Josef Holm The stories behind the success stories. Subscribe for honest entrepreneur interviews and practical business lessons. Explore the show and apply to be a guest: https://entreprehardship.com About Josef: https://holm.com Follow the show Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entreprehardship/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entreprehardship LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/entreprehardship/ X: https://x.com/entreprehard #Entreprehardship #Entrepreneurship #HrishLotlikar