Giacomo Bertoldi didn’t follow the Silicon Valley playbook.
Instead, he turned a legacy family business into Walliance — one of Europe’s biggest real estate crowdfunding platforms.

Fast-forward: €10M+ raised, campaigns across Italy, Spain, and the US, and a story full of hustle, pivots, and pressure.

In this episode:
- How he built Walliance from the ground up
- That €6.5M raise that nearly crashed
- Why Spain worked, France didn’t, and NYCsurprised them all
- Real estate lessons, family biz drama, and alot of grit

Real estate has never sounded this fun.

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Momentum and Guest Introduction

00:01:02 - The Birth of Wallians: A Vision for Real Estate

00:05:00 - Giacomo's Journey: From New York to Wallians

00:07:24 - Family Influence and Entrepreneurial Spirit

00:10:13 - Navigating Challenges and Seeking Support

00:16:46 - The Importance of Mentorship in Business

00:22:57 - Explaining Wallians: A New Way to Invest

00:24:26 - Starting Small: The Investment Threshold

00:27:28 - Understanding Returns: What to Expect

00:28:21 - Expanding Horizons: Entering New Markets

00:32:13 - Navigating Challenges: Managing International Operations

00:36:23 - The Real Estate Reality: Managing Projects and Delays

00:38:07 - Finding Momentum: What Drives Success

00:38:32 - Rapid Fire Round: Quick Insights

The EU just announced a massive €10 billion fund to stop European startups from fleeing to the US — but is this really the magic fix we’ve all been waiting for?

In this episode:- The real opportunity behind the Scale-Up Europe fund (and who wins)- The risks: slow bureaucracy, tricky terms, regional favoritism- How you should think about public funding if you’re building in Europe- And why this could change (or not change) the game for founders

If you’ve ever wondered why funding in Europe feels harder — or what it’ll take to flip thescript — this one’s for you.

🎧 Hit play and let’s break it down.

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to the New Format

00:01:03 - New Chapter

00:01:04 - Overview of the Scale Up Europe Fund

00:02:01 - Impact on European Startups

00:04:01 - The Ecosystem Maturity

00:05:47 - Challenges and Risks

00:08:38 - Strategies for Founders

00:09:20 - Future Vision for European Startups

No Stanford. No pitchdeck army. No working product.
Just an idea, a cold email, and a team of scientists crazy enough to go all in.

In this episode, we sit down with Pavel Hrmo — physicist, founder, and the brain behind ZuriQ — a startup building quantum tech from scratch.

We talk:
- How they raised €4.2M pre-product (and what convinced investors)
- The leap from academia to entrepreneurship
- Cold outreach, imposter syndrome, and why betting on yourself is the only way
- Building deep tech with no time, no sleep, and no roadmap

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Quantum Computing and Zuriq

00:01:33 - FromAcademia to Entrepreneurship: The Birth of Zuriq

00:05:34 - Navigating Investor Relations and Pitching Challenges

00:11:37 - Explaining the Technology: Trapped Ions in Quantum Computing

00:18:34 - Target Industries and Future Applications of Zuriq

00:20:36 - The Unique Approach: Combining Electric and Magnetic Fields

00:26:30 - Utilizing Seed Funding for Development and Partnerships

00:32:22 - Building a Skilled Team and Overcoming Hiring Challenges

00:38:19 - Facing Doubts and Challenges in Startup Life