How Founders Navigate Long-Term Entrepreneurship, Fundraising, and a Successful Exit

Founders succeed long term by building strong co-founder alignment, raising capital in stages, adapting strategy as the company scales, and preparing early, emotionally and operationally, for acquisition and post-exit transitions.

Building a Company on Strong Co-Founder Foundations

Long-term entrepreneurship starts with trust and alignment. Tiller was built on a story of friendship and family, showing how clear roles, shared values, and complementary skills sustain founders over many years.

Scaling Through Multiple Fundraising Rounds

As startups grow, fundraising becomes a strategic tool rather than a one-off milestone. Dimitri Farber Garcia Caminati shares how Tiller navigated successive funding rounds to support product development, team growth, and market expansion.

Adapting Strategy as the Company Matures

Successful founders evolve with their company. Tiller’s journey illustrates how operational organization, governance, and decision-making must adapt as a startup moves from early traction to scale.

From Independent Startup to Strategic Acquisition

The transition from Tiller to “Tiller by SumUp” highlights what makes an acquisition successful: strategic fit, cultural alignment, and a shared long-term vision between founders and the acquiring group.

Staying True to Convictions Over Time

This episode of the daphni podcast underscores a key lesson: navigating long-term entrepreneurship means staying true to core convictions while remaining flexible enough to seize new opportunities, including the right moment to exit.