What No One Tells You About Startups

In this conversation, we unpack the story behind Modulous: rapid growth across the UK and US, strong VC interest, millions raised and a compelling vision to address the housing crisis – followed by a critical realization. Over time, the company’s growth trajectory began to diverge from the founders’ original vision, while also drifting toward expectations investors and other stakeholders were implicitly shaping.

This disconnect was not accidental. It emerged from decisions made by the founding team – across internal processes as well as strategic choices in how the company positioned itself with customers and investors – decisions that ultimately worked against their own goals. What follows is a learning-focused, honest reflection on decision-making under pressure, investor dynamics, and the moments when founders must choose between maintaining momentum and regaining clarity.

What to expect

• Unfiltered insights into how “successful” growth can still be the wrong growth
• A founder-level perspective on investor expectations versus founder intent
• Lessons on strategy, timing, and saying no—even when momentum is high

Speaker: Markus Cosmann
Co-Founder of Modulous, with hands-on experience scaling internationally, raising venture capital, and navigating the gap between ambition and reality.