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Henrick Johansson

@compliantvc • 1,321,669 subscribers

European VC in USA | Author of 'European Dynamism' | Investing in compliant startups | Advisor @compai | Managing Partner @ Compliant Capital

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Americans: Stressed about credit card debt, drowning in medical bills, and stuck with corrupt 90-year old politicians Meanwhile, Europeans:

Americans: Stressed about credit card debt, drowning in medical bills, and stuck with corrupt 90-year old politicians Meanwhile, Europeans:

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Comp AI has raised a $34 million Series A, led by Roo Capital and Grand Ventures. I have prepared a statement. For the first time, it required standing up.
0:51
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Comp AI has raised a $34 million Series A, led by Roo Capital and Grand Ventures. I have prepared a statement. For the first time, it required standing up.

Henrick Johansson

229,294 views • 12 days ago

I sat down with Ankur Nagpal He built Teachable. Then he discovered a part of the US tax code that can save founders millions. I asked why more people don’t know. Apparently reading tax code is less popular than complaining about taxes. This feels like a compliance issue.
22:05
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I sat down with Ankur Nagpal He built Teachable. Then he discovered a part of the US tax code that can save founders millions. I asked why more people don’t know. Apparently reading tax code is less popular than complaining about taxes. This feels like a compliance issue.

Henrick Johansson

1,552,442 views • 2 months ago

I sat down with Hubert Thieblot. He built and sold Curse. He invests in AI and robotics. He writes checks to 17-year-olds. I asked how much due diligence he does. He said he mostly invests “based on vibes.” I am reporting this to the proper authorities.
18:37
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I sat down with Hubert Thieblot. He built and sold Curse. He invests in AI and robotics. He writes checks to 17-year-olds. I asked how much due diligence he does. He said he mostly invests “based on vibes.” I am reporting this to the proper authorities.

Henrick Johansson

1,960,073 views • 3 months ago

I had the pleasure to sit down with Martin Shkreli A truly formidable young man We didn’t talk about pharma We talked about cookie banners (& his favorite rules in prison) Also spoke about his new venture: Godel He agreed to let me invest €100 (pending regulatory approval)
15:52
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I had the pleasure to sit down with Martin Shkreli A truly formidable young man We didn’t talk about pharma We talked about cookie banners (& his favorite rules in prison) Also spoke about his new venture: Godel He agreed to let me invest €100 (pending regulatory approval)

Henrick Johansson

2,220,537 views • 5 months ago

I sat down with Zoltan of Croissant. American company. French pastry name. I was there to discuss the trademark infringement. He thought we were doing a podcast.
21:48
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I sat down with Zoltan of Croissant. American company. French pastry name. I was there to discuss the trademark infringement. He thought we were doing a podcast.

Henrick Johansson

1,561,755 views • 4 months ago

I sat down with David Hoffman I proposed a 40 hour week for AI agents, coffee breaks included. He was not on board. Turns out he can't even name his own AI agents. This feels like a labor rights issue.
10:36
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I sat down with David Hoffman I proposed a 40 hour week for AI agents, coffee breaks included. He was not on board. Turns out he can't even name his own AI agents. This feels like a labor rights issue.

Henrick Johansson

156,250 views • 19 days ago

I sat down with Austin Nasso He worked at Microsoft. Then he studied computer science at UCLA. Now, he tours as a stand-up comedian. I asked him to do an impression of Donald Trump. He did. And started roasting me. I did not consent.
8:31
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I sat down with Austin Nasso He worked at Microsoft. Then he studied computer science at UCLA. Now, he tours as a stand-up comedian. I asked him to do an impression of Donald Trump. He did. And started roasting me. I did not consent.

Henrick Johansson

356,616 views • 1 month ago

I did not come to New York for vacation. I came to ask questions. One guest a week. All on the record. First episode drops next week. Don’t miss it.
0:23
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I did not come to New York for vacation. I came to ask questions. One guest a week. All on the record. First episode drops next week. Don’t miss it.

Henrick Johansson

795,498 views • 5 months ago

I sat down with Sam Hogan 🇺🇸 He raised $11M to build private AI infrastructure. Then he asked for another $11M. He says companies should stop sending data to OpenAI. Naturally, I asked about SOC 2. He had one. This was upsetting. I prefer when founders are easier to prosecute.
19:29
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I sat down with Sam Hogan 🇺🇸 He raised $11M to build private AI infrastructure. Then he asked for another $11M. He says companies should stop sending data to OpenAI. Naturally, I asked about SOC 2. He had one. This was upsetting. I prefer when founders are easier to prosecute.

Henrick Johansson

539,922 views • 3 months ago

Slept well last night? More than one thousand Comp AI customers did I was awake, confirming it
0:45
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Slept well last night? More than one thousand Comp AI customers did I was awake, confirming it

Henrick Johansson

17,614 views • 5 days ago

I rejected Stripe in 2010. No SOC 2. No PCI DSS. No ISO 27001. They wanted to process payments. They could not produce a single audit report. I told them to come back when they were compliant. They didn’t. Today they are worth billions. I still sleep at night. My Estonian portfolio company makes €400 a year. Zero compliance violations. Tell me: Who is the real winner?
1:52
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I rejected Stripe in 2010. No SOC 2. No PCI DSS. No ISO 27001. They wanted to process payments. They could not produce a single audit report. I told them to come back when they were compliant. They didn’t. Today they are worth billions. I still sleep at night. My Estonian portfolio company makes €400 a year. Zero compliance violations. Tell me: Who is the real winner?

Henrick Johansson

200,925 views • 5 months ago

If your privacy policy is shorter than your codebase, explain why.
1:47
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If your privacy policy is shorter than your codebase, explain why.

Henrick Johansson

252,677 views • 8 months ago

99% of founders are building companies wrong. This is why, after 3 years of development and 14 months securing approval from the European Commission for Educational Content Compliance... I'm pleased to announce my MasterClass: "The Art of Compliance" In this class I will teach you: - Why the cookie consent banner isn't blocking your product—it IS your entire product - Why I rejected Stripe at pre-seed for having ZERO certifications (the Collison brothers personally called me, I hung up) - Why I wake at 3am to physically touch my SOC 2 report before returning to sleep - Why you must hire a Chief Compliance Officer on DAY ONE—before your first engineer, before your first line of code Stay tuned. Access details pending approval from 11 European data protection authorities.
1:14
compliantvc's profile picture

99% of founders are building companies wrong. This is why, after 3 years of development and 14 months securing approval from the European Commission for Educational Content Compliance... I'm pleased to announce my MasterClass: "The Art of Compliance" In this class I will teach you: - Why the cookie consent banner isn't blocking your product—it IS your entire product - Why I rejected Stripe at pre-seed for having ZERO certifications (the Collison brothers personally called me, I hung up) - Why I wake at 3am to physically touch my SOC 2 report before returning to sleep - Why you must hire a Chief Compliance Officer on DAY ONE—before your first engineer, before your first line of code Stay tuned. Access details pending approval from 11 European data protection authorities.

Henrick Johansson

265,879 views • 9 months ago

Visited Corgi Cafe in New York this week They are open 24 hours a day, which I reported to the appropriate authorities immediately They then informed me they serve a drink named after Comp AI, a company I advise I have withdrawn the complaint
0:24
compliantvc's profile picture

Visited Corgi Cafe in New York this week They are open 24 hours a day, which I reported to the appropriate authorities immediately They then informed me they serve a drink named after Comp AI, a company I advise I have withdrawn the complaint

Henrick Johansson

23,337 views • 26 days ago

I heard Americans love ramps. They’re organic, sustainable, and, when properly foraged, surprisingly compliant. I sat down with Ramp's Simon Corry And, well, I gave him a ramp. He told me "Facebook was probably the worst job I’ve ever had” (P.S. they didn’t have ramps)
29:25
compliantvc's profile picture

I heard Americans love ramps. They’re organic, sustainable, and, when properly foraged, surprisingly compliant. I sat down with Ramp's Simon Corry And, well, I gave him a ramp. He told me "Facebook was probably the worst job I’ve ever had” (P.S. they didn’t have ramps)

Henrick Johansson

46,229 views • 4 months ago

American VCs brag about 48-hour due diligence. I once spent 48 hours reviewing a startup’s cookie consent implementation. We passed. Speed is not a virtue. Speed is a compliance violation waiting to happen. In my Masterclass, I explain why “move fast and break things” is how empires collapse. Lesson 5: Why American VCs Are Wrong About Speed. Only serious founders will understand.
1:59
compliantvc's profile picture

American VCs brag about 48-hour due diligence. I once spent 48 hours reviewing a startup’s cookie consent implementation. We passed. Speed is not a virtue. Speed is a compliance violation waiting to happen. In my Masterclass, I explain why “move fast and break things” is how empires collapse. Lesson 5: Why American VCs Are Wrong About Speed. Only serious founders will understand.

Henrick Johansson

59,262 views • 7 months ago

I sat down with Thomas Wolf, CEO at Hugging Face. He is a physicist, a lawyer, and a doctor. They started as a game company. Now they host half a million AI models. I asked whether computers can be compliant. He said yes. I have never felt more seen.
17:45
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I sat down with Thomas Wolf, CEO at Hugging Face. He is a physicist, a lawyer, and a doctor. They started as a game company. Now they host half a million AI models. I asked whether computers can be compliant. He said yes. I have never felt more seen.

Henrick Johansson

21,212 views • 3 months ago

The mistake 99% of founders make at the seed stage. After years of watching the same mistakes repeat, I decided to document how I actually evaluate startups. Lesson one addresses the most common misunderstanding. Founders like to start meetings with demos, dashboards, metaphors about “disruption.” I don’t let them finish. There is only one thing I care about at the seed stage. It isn’t revenue. It isn’t growth. It’s certification count. If you have fewer than three, I’m out. Not out of rudeness. Out of clarity. My strongest investment to date has seven certifications and zero customers. They’re pre-revenue. But they’re structurally flawless. The product will work eventually. The compliance posture already does. Lesson one is now public.
1:59
compliantvc's profile picture

The mistake 99% of founders make at the seed stage. After years of watching the same mistakes repeat, I decided to document how I actually evaluate startups. Lesson one addresses the most common misunderstanding. Founders like to start meetings with demos, dashboards, metaphors about “disruption.” I don’t let them finish. There is only one thing I care about at the seed stage. It isn’t revenue. It isn’t growth. It’s certification count. If you have fewer than three, I’m out. Not out of rudeness. Out of clarity. My strongest investment to date has seven certifications and zero customers. They’re pre-revenue. But they’re structurally flawless. The product will work eventually. The compliance posture already does. Lesson one is now public.

Henrick Johansson

30,476 views • 8 months ago

American founders believe innovation happens in Silicon Valley. They are wrong. The future of technology is being built in small Finnish cities you cannot pronounce. I have advised founders to relocate to Jyväskylä for six years now. Population: 140,000. Regulatory bodies within two hours: 17. In San Francisco, you wait six months for a compliance officer to ignore you. In Jyväskylä, you schedule a meeting within 48 hours. The Finnish government provides founders with a cabin, broadband internet, and direct access to EU regulators. There is no running water in winter. This eliminates distractions. One founder relocated his entire team. Within eight months, they achieved ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, and the Nordic Privacy Seal. Their product did not yet function. This was not a problem. Compliance came first. In my Masterclass, I explain why geography determines regulatory destiny. Only serious founders will understand.
2:22
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American founders believe innovation happens in Silicon Valley. They are wrong. The future of technology is being built in small Finnish cities you cannot pronounce. I have advised founders to relocate to Jyväskylä for six years now. Population: 140,000. Regulatory bodies within two hours: 17. In San Francisco, you wait six months for a compliance officer to ignore you. In Jyväskylä, you schedule a meeting within 48 hours. The Finnish government provides founders with a cabin, broadband internet, and direct access to EU regulators. There is no running water in winter. This eliminates distractions. One founder relocated his entire team. Within eight months, they achieved ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, and the Nordic Privacy Seal. Their product did not yet function. This was not a problem. Compliance came first. In my Masterclass, I explain why geography determines regulatory destiny. Only serious founders will understand.

Henrick Johansson

20,549 views • 7 months ago

Customers come and go Friends will abandon you Investors choke and die on loose bottlecaps while traveling to America But regulators... They are with you forever In Lesson 10 of my Compliance Masterclass, I'm breaking down the most important person in a founder's life It's not their business partner, lead investor, or even their spouse. It's the Regulator. Watch the lesson here:
1:56
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Customers come and go Friends will abandon you Investors choke and die on loose bottlecaps while traveling to America But regulators... They are with you forever In Lesson 10 of my Compliance Masterclass, I'm breaking down the most important person in a founder's life It's not their business partner, lead investor, or even their spouse. It's the Regulator. Watch the lesson here:

Henrick Johansson

17,777 views • 6 months ago