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Henrick Johansson

@compliantvc • 648,406 subscribers

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

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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.

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

1,958,203 просмотров • 17 дней назад

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.

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 просмотров • 1 месяц назад

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)

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

1,926,690 просмотров • 1 месяц назад

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.

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

793,915 просмотров • 1 месяц назад

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?

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

200,861 просмотров • 2 месяцев назад

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

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

Henrick Johansson

252,677 просмотров • 5 месяцев назад

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.

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

264,935 просмотров • 6 месяцев назад

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)

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

45,855 просмотров • 1 месяц назад

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.

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 просмотров • 4 месяцев назад

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.

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

29,992 просмотров • 5 месяцев назад

I wake up at 3AM to touch my SOC 2 report. Not from fear. From compliance consciousness. My wife Charlene moved to the guest bedroom in 2019. She said it was the laminated ISO certificates on my pillow. Most founders keep their phone nearby for investor calls. I keep audit evidence within arm’s reach. The regulator does not sleep. Neither should your documentation.

I wake up at 3AM to touch my SOC 2 report. Not from fear. From compliance consciousness. My wife Charlene moved to the guest bedroom in 2019. She said it was the laminated ISO certificates on my pillow. Most founders keep their phone nearby for investor calls. I keep audit evidence within arm’s reach. The regulator does not sleep. Neither should your documentation.

Henrick Johansson

14,175 просмотров • 2 месяцев назад

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.

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

20,424 просмотров • 4 месяцев назад

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:

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

17,568 просмотров • 3 месяцев назад

Silicon Valley celebrates a philosophy called: Move fast and break things. I find this troubling. What exactly are you breaking? Regulations. Consumer trust. The social contract itself. At Compliance Capital we follow a different principle. Move at the speed of government. The European Union spent seven years drafting the AI Act. The Americans call this bureaucracy. I call it respect for the process. Last year I invested in a startup that spent 14 months preparing a landing page. Not technical challenges. Accessibility compliance. WCAG 2.1 AA. Then WCAG 2.2 was announced. So they waited. Beautiful discipline. The page is still not live. But the documentation is extraordinary. In my Masterclass, I explain why speed is not a competitive advantage. Speed is a compliance risk.

Silicon Valley celebrates a philosophy called: Move fast and break things. I find this troubling. What exactly are you breaking? Regulations. Consumer trust. The social contract itself. At Compliance Capital we follow a different principle. Move at the speed of government. The European Union spent seven years drafting the AI Act. The Americans call this bureaucracy. I call it respect for the process. Last year I invested in a startup that spent 14 months preparing a landing page. Not technical challenges. Accessibility compliance. WCAG 2.1 AA. Then WCAG 2.2 was announced. So they waited. Beautiful discipline. The page is still not live. But the documentation is extraordinary. In my Masterclass, I explain why speed is not a competitive advantage. Speed is a compliance risk.

Henrick Johansson

14,015 просмотров • 3 месяцев назад

Michelangelo was not an artist. He was a compliance officer. The Sistine Chapel ceiling is an audit trail. God reaching Adam? Hand-off protocol. The gap between their fingers? Access control. 400 years before ISO 27001. Last spring I visited a founder who had hung his ISO 27001 certificate beside a reproduction of the Mona Lisa. I told him to remove the painting. It distracted from the documentation. In my Masterclass, I explain why the Renaissance was merely a prototype for modern compliance. Only serious founders will understand.

Michelangelo was not an artist. He was a compliance officer. The Sistine Chapel ceiling is an audit trail. God reaching Adam? Hand-off protocol. The gap between their fingers? Access control. 400 years before ISO 27001. Last spring I visited a founder who had hung his ISO 27001 certificate beside a reproduction of the Mona Lisa. I told him to remove the painting. It distracted from the documentation. In my Masterclass, I explain why the Renaissance was merely a prototype for modern compliance. Only serious founders will understand.

Henrick Johansson

13,195 просмотров • 3 месяцев назад

The future is not AI. The future is who controls it. Models with no limits. Or intelligence with consequences. Give them power. Or give humans the right to remain human. You don’t get both.

The future is not AI. The future is who controls it. Models with no limits. Or intelligence with consequences. Give them power. Or give humans the right to remain human. You don’t get both.

Henrick Johansson

11,165 просмотров • 2 месяцев назад

American founders complete their Privacy Impact Assessments in two weeks. I spent four months defining the word “data.” By month five, I had interviewed every employee. The janitor, Hendrik, demonstrated a disturbing fluency in Article 5(1)(c). His perspective shaped our entire framework at Compliant Capital. Month four is what I call PIA Winter. This is when founders question their product, their purpose, their relationships. Good. If you have not suffered for your compliance, you do not have company. In my Masterclass, I explain why thoroughness is not delay. It is devotion.

American founders complete their Privacy Impact Assessments in two weeks. I spent four months defining the word “data.” By month five, I had interviewed every employee. The janitor, Hendrik, demonstrated a disturbing fluency in Article 5(1)(c). His perspective shaped our entire framework at Compliant Capital. Month four is what I call PIA Winter. This is when founders question their product, their purpose, their relationships. Good. If you have not suffered for your compliance, you do not have company. In my Masterclass, I explain why thoroughness is not delay. It is devotion.

Henrick Johansson

13,628 просмотров • 3 месяцев назад

Your board is not governance. It is a group chat with equity. If no one at your table has the power to end you, you are not being governed. You are being entertained. American founders stack their boards with friends. Ex-operators. Other founders. A guy with a podcast. This is social signaling. Regulators do not negotiate. They decide. That is why we invite them first. In my Masterclass, I explain why regulatory partnership is not extreme. It is inevitable.

Your board is not governance. It is a group chat with equity. If no one at your table has the power to end you, you are not being governed. You are being entertained. American founders stack their boards with friends. Ex-operators. Other founders. A guy with a podcast. This is social signaling. Regulators do not negotiate. They decide. That is why we invite them first. In my Masterclass, I explain why regulatory partnership is not extreme. It is inevitable.

Henrick Johansson

11,922 просмотров • 3 месяцев назад

I told him to wait 18 months. He had Sequoia.

I told him to wait 18 months. He had Sequoia.

Henrick Johansson

13,457 просмотров • 5 месяцев назад

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