#28: How even your biggest critics can become your greatest allies with Niels Hoven

Few things are more satisfying than turning lemons into lemonade, and Niels Hoven is here to spill the tea on how even your biggest critics can become your greatest allies. In March 2024, a mysterious “Emily” attempted to cancel Niels’ company, Mentava, with a tweet that ultimately got 1.4M impressions. However, to Niels’ credit, that ultimately motivated him and his team to launch a year earlier than they originally planned and attracted enough customers to get them to cash flow positive. In this episode of Something New, Niels dives into the journey of launching Mentava, how he zeroed in on a problem worth dedicating himself to, and how the experience of raising his kids sparked the idea that evolved into his company. Steph and Leeor also catch up on Leeor’s whirlwind few months—tying the knot, moving to NYC, launching a new fund, and balancing the fast-paced life of a VC. Don’t forget to follow Leeor on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lmushin and Steph at https://twitter.com/stephmui. Learn more about the Something New podcast at https://somethingnewpod.com/.