In the first episode of Twice, Eduardo Ronzano, a seasoned entrepreneur originally from Bilbao, shares his path from founding KelDoc, a healthcare booking platform, to co-founding Kolet, one of the leading players in the eSim market. Eduardo details the practical lessons he gained, the challenges of navigating personal and professional hurdles, and how his approach evolved for his second venture.

Listen to the episode here.

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What we talked about:

His initial entrepreneurial journey: Eduardo's first venture with KelDoc, the initial idea, challenges faced, the pivot towards hospitals, and its eventual sale to the Mutuelle Nationale Hospitalière.
His childhood: The influence of his grandfather and father in sparking his passion for technology and entrepreneurship.
Lessons learned from KelDoc: Mistakes made and the importance of personal alignment with the project.
The transition to investor role: Eduardo shares how, after KelDoc, he became a business angel, investing in 150 startups, including successes like Spendesk, Yubo, and Lifen.
The launch and operations of Secret Fund: The creation of a fund by entrepreneurs to support early-stage startups, including thoughts on its structure, administrative challenges, and the human experience behind it.
The idea and vision behind Kolet: Eduardo reflects on how the idea emerged in Spain while discovering eSIM technology, coupled with the ambition to transform the telecom sector into a digital, global, and automated industry.
Kolet's distribution model: The partnership strategy with travel agencies and airlines to offer eSIM packages.
Differences between his first and second company: Eduardo explains how experience and a talented team have changed his approach and improved his odds of success.
Kolet's mission and ambition: Democratizing internet access, offering a responsible, accessible, and transparent alternative to traditional telecom operators, and driving a fundamental change in the telecom sector.

Timestamps

[00:00:30] Intro
[00:03:30] Family influence: Eduardo recounts his upbringing in a family of entrepreneurs and how it shaped his career aspirations.
[00:21:30] The Captain Train moment: An encounter with Jean-Daniel Guyot that inspired Eduardo to explore entrepreneurship.
[00:23:45] Launching KelDoc: How Eduardo transitioned from finance to founding a healthcare startup, including the initial idea and fundraising process.
[00:31:00] Market realities: Insights into KelDoc’s pivot to working with hospitals.
[00:36:00] Exiting KelDoc: The emotional and practical reasons behind selling KelDoc to the Mutuelle Nationale Hospitalière in 2015.
[00:40:00] Investing phase: Eduardo’s move into angel investing, evaluating over 150 startups and backing companies like Spendesk, Yubo, and Memo Bank.
[00:57:20] Discovery of eSIM Technology: Eduardo explains the market and potential of eSIMs, leading to the idea for Kolet.
[01:13:00] Building differently the second time: How Eduardo’s approach to Kolet differs from his experience with KelDoc
[01:21:00] Long-term vision: Eduardo outlines Kolet’s goal to improve global connectivity and challenge the traditional telecom model.

Key products & people mentioned

Jean-Daniel Guyot : Founder of Captain Train (now Trainline), whose entrepreneurial approach inspired Eduardo.
Spendesk, Yubo, Memo Bank : Early-stage startups Eduardo supported during his investment phase.
Secret Fund: the fund he launched along with Thibaud Elziere which invested in early-stage startups
Revolut: Referenced as an analogy for Kolet’s ambition to disrupt telecom, similar to how Revolut reshaped banking.
Anne-Carole Coen: Kolet co-founder and ex CMO of Swile
Jérémy Gotteland: Kolet co-founder and ex CTO of Cajoo
Mehdi Chraibi: Kolet co-founder with ex cofounder of Spades

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