End of year thoughts, thank yous and plans for 2026

I’ve been working in PR for almost 13 years, with the past five and a half as a freelancer, consulting on and implementing communication strategies for B2B tech startups. I love the energy startup founders have, their ambition, the dynamic rhythm, the fact that no day is like the previous one.

At the same time, I've always had a personal project on the side, something through which I felt I was giving back. I built a community of marketing and design professionals willing to offer their services for free to small NGOs that couldn’t afford them. I had a podcast and newsletter promoting female founders. And this year, I started SeedCue.

SeedCue is a mix between my passion for working with startups and my interest in how we can make the world better. It’s the best way I’ve found so far to use what I’ve learned to build a platform for impact-focused founders, VCs, and operators, regardless of their size.

The goal is to support, promote, and facilitate the work of these startups through an inclusive platform. This ecosystem is exciting, it is diverse and challenging - I've seen this with every press release and interview published. Making a positive impact while also building a profitable business, defining new categories, bringing new audiences to the table - all of these add even more pressure. These startups need to be resilient, but they also need to be supported in the right way, by the right partners.

I want to thank all the founders and VC partners who agreed to be featured here, even though this project is still in its early stages - but growing quite fast. Here’s a list of all the interviews I’ve published so far. Each of them will give you a bit of hope and maybe spark some new ideas:

• I am building the thing I wish existed for me, something that meets women where they are - Lesley Sackey, Pillow
• Our vision is a future where mental health is accessible and equitable - Claudia Radu & Gaurav Sood, Circe
• The first thing we ask founders about is their personal journey and motivation - Alina Klarner, Impact Shakers
• We need to move past the idea that impact and profit are opposites - Tobias Ørskov Madsen, Contribe
• Storytelling is a powerful amplifier, but it requires a solid product to elevate - Nils Knoop, Global Brand & Communications Leader
• We’ve proven that doing good literally helps brands do good business - Lauren Scott-Harris, EARNT
• What drew me to Goodeed was its simplicity and its courage - Adriana Preda, Goodeed USA
• Don’t wait for permission to own something - Malin Frithiofsson, Daya Ventures
• That tension between aspiration and realism is how you build great growth cultures - Ivo van den Brand, Global CMO
• There are three key factors that really helped us grow: focus, culture and mindset - Luka Zivkovic, Bonapp
• We need to see more repeat and successfully exited founders coming back and building impact driven startups - Zoe Peden, Ananda Impact Ventures
• Your communications have to be hyperlocal, while still reflecting a single, authentic, global brand voice - Daniel Convertini, Too Good to Go
• The key is to treat AI not as the product, but as the enabler - Janneke Niessen, CapitalT and InspiringFifty
• Language learners and older adults needed the same thing: conversations. That’s how Senior Lingua was born - Alejo Santolino Simón, CEO & Founder Senior Lingua
• The product must be competitive from day one, and the business model must not rely on a green premium - Martin Kröner, Partner at GET Fund ‍
• We plan to expand the use of AI for predictive biodiversity analytics and personalized ESG impact reports - Sergey Petrov, Founder of Pollenity
• I realized that waiting for someone else to act was no longer an option - Sorina Uleia, Co-founder & CEO Recycllux‍
• “We aim to leverage technology to make social interventions more efficient” - Laetitia Launet Gallas, Llum Social

• "Success comes when DEI is treated as an integral part of company culture and leadership." - Zuzana Zamborska, Lumus Investment

I have many things planned for 2026, and I welcome any ideas or suggestions on how to grow SeedCue. I am looking forward to interviewing more people, to covering more news and to running some special projects to contribute to the growth of the ecosystem. If you know founders, startups, or VCs that should be here, let me know. If you have news you want to share, email me. And subscribe to the newsletter to get updates in your inbox.

Thank you, and Happy Holidays!

Oana