Sleed the Way #46 | Risk, trust & exit: Lessons from a serial entrepreneur

Key Metrics	What they mean
400,000+ active customers	The growth scale of the largest insurance aggregator in Greece
Exit (October 2024)	Completion of an exit after a journey as a founder and operator

In the 46th episode of the #SleedTheWay Podcast, Stelios Iliakis, CEO of Sleed, welcomes Sotiris Papantonopoulos-Mantopoulos, Partner at Uni.Fund. He is the founder of the largest insurance marketplace in Greece, with an exit in October 2024, and a former investment banking executive on Wall Street.

The journey: from studies abroad to Wall Street and back

Sotiris takes us through his journey: from his school years in England and his student years in Boston, to Wall Street at 23. He then talks about returning to Greece and the steps that led to his entrepreneurial path.

From founding to scale-up and exit

He refers to the founding of the company that evolved into the country’s largest insurance aggregator, with more than 400,000 active customers. He places particular emphasis on the exit completed in 2024 and on what it takes for a product to reach that kind of scale.

What an investor looks for in a founder

Today, from his position as an investor at Uni.Fund, he explains what he really looks for in a founder. He talks about why “healthy paranoia” is essential for every entrepreneur and how absolute trust in the team can become the greatest advantage, even when it is tested.

Key takeaway: “Healthy paranoia” and trust in the team act as growth catalysts, even in times of uncertainty.

Risk, the exit decision, and the “moment” of the sale

We discuss risk, how you make an exit decision, and how it feels in the moment you sell what you built. At the same time, we analyze how you inspire a team to believe in a shared vision and what it takes for culture to endure through change.

About the Podcast #SleedTheWay

This podcast series hosts members of our team, partners, customers, and experts from the market. The goal is to highlight the people who form the core of our culture, present our solutions and services, and discuss the modern challenges of the sector.

The content includes open, spontaneous conversations with the aim of contributing to the evolution of the market with Tips & Tricks around Marketing and beyond.