Vas Daskalakis

I've been advising or building startups my entire career. From helping startups raise capital at an investment advisory firm, to an operator at an early-stage German ed-tech startup, I've built and scaled companies from the ground up. I launched my own startup (Africa.ai), growing it to over $1M in annual revenue before its acquisition by Execo. I'm currently mastering the next stage of growth as COO of a U.S. trade school, building the sales and marketing teams from scratch. I excel in high-stakes, resource-scarce environments, helping founders move fast and build strong foundations. I've scaled teams to >228 employees, raised over $2M, and advised startups that have collectively raised over $20M. I've been a solo founder and I've had cofounders, so I have the experience to help early stage founders structure for success. I love working with aspiring founders too—especially those making the leap from corporate—helping them refine their go-to-market strategy, structure early equity, and land their first paying customers. My passion is helping first-time founders launch and scale. I’ve been in the trenches, launched businesses, guided founders through cofounder disputes, high-stakes decisions, fundraising with no networks, you name it. If you're seeking a sounding board for tough decisions or tactical advice to move the needle, let's connect. I started my career thanks to a mentor, so I want to pay it forward so that more founders can succeed in their first entrepreneurial ventures!

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  Advice on funding

  I've fundraised $2M from U.S. investors for my first startup, and assisted other startups raise capital as an investment advisor. I combine both perspectives to give you a realistic picture of your options, and how your world will look according to which option you choose. The decision to fundraise or not, from who, and if it fits your goals has huge implications for how your journey looks.

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  Building a team

  I've built out 2 companies from scratch to a team size of 700 employees & contractors. I can advise on everything from whether or not to add cofounders, low-risk ways to test and hire C-suite employees, and who to hire first to achieve your goals with limited runway or time. At the early stages, your first key employees play a huge part in how fast and smooth your journey is. They shape your culture and set the pace for everyone that follows afterwards.

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  Growth marketing

  I've doubled revenues by scaling up the Sales & Marketing Departments for a U.S. Trade School, and created or scaled new lead funnels from scratch in the following areas: Organic SEO, Cold Outreach, Google Paid Ads, Facebook Paid Ads, Influencer Partnerships, and Listing Partners. I'll help you figure out which of these to try first according to your business, goals and constraints.

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  Idea validation

  I’ve built, scaled, and advised startups from zero to acquisition, and I love helping early stage entrepreneurs design, test, and launch their ideas. I'll help you navigate the countless choices according to best practices, and structure your Company for success. I'll ask the right questions to help you refine and hone in on what matters, and I especially shine in helping you validate or launch fast, with limited time, money & resources.

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  Imposter syndrome

  As a female entrepreneur that has coached 100+ founders through the tricky early stages, I can provide thoughtful exercises that can help you acknowledge and let go of imposter syndrome whenever it presents itself. With consistent practice, you will overcome it naturally as you grow and progress into the next startup stages. It's actually a healthy sign: if you never have imposter syndrome, you might not be pushing yourself outside your comfort zone enough.

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  ActiveCampaign for Sales

  4 years of experience

  We set up a series of marketing automations, sales team processes, CRM, and advanced marketing analytics to track where each of our leads came from on Active Campaign.

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  Thinkific

  4 years of experience

  The current Trade School I'm scaling sells online & in-person courses & certifications. Our LMS platform is Thinkific, so I'm well-versed in building out products on that platform & the capabilities as well as limitations.

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  Zoom

  5 years of experience

  We have our entire phone, text, & meeting system on Zoom, I can help you set up call queues for your team that will easily flow to relevant departments and team members.

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  Hubspot

  2 years of experience

  Hubspot is our current CRM where we set up a series of marketing automations, sales team processes, and advanced marketing analytics to track where each of our leads came from.

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  Zoho

  4 years of experience

  Zoho was our first CRM, we set up a series of marketing automations, sales team processes, and advanced marketing analytics to track where each of our leads came from.