Author - StartupMafia - News from startup industry

Mike Southon

Mike Southon is an entrepreneur, author, and mentor dedicated to helping startups grow from early ideas into world-leading companies, with a particular focus on the Estonian ecosystem. As Chief Editor of StartupMafia and co-author of The Beermat Entrepreneur, he has mentored over 1,000 founders, guiding them to simplify their thinking, find their first customers, and build balanced founding teams. His practical frameworks — including the “beermat test” and the concept of the entrepreneurial “foil” — are widely used to help founders achieve clarity, resilience, and repeatable growth. Mike’s work emphasises listening over pitching, honesty over hype, and long-term value over short-term wins, principles he has applied while advising startups, scale-ups, and global organisations across Europe and beyond. He has interviewed leading entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson and continues to champion ethical, founder-led growth; his philosophy was recently explored as a guest on the Winning Friends podcast, powered by e-Residency of Estonia.

All posts by Mike Southon

Alex Nigmatulin

Alex Nigmatulin is a marketing and communications expert with over a decade of experience at the intersection of tech, media, and sales. He helps startups build marketing strategies that drive growth, attract early customers, and gain visibility with investors. On StartupMafia.eu, Alex shares practical insights on scaling, brand positioning, media outreach, and turning ideas into strong, market-ready businesses. alexnigmatulin.com

All posts by Alex Nigmatulin

Nastya Zelenovska

Nastya Zelenovska is a digital marketing and content strategy specialist with over 15 years of experience working with international brands and media platforms. Her expertise lies in data-driven marketing, editorial distribution, and building visibility strategies that scale across markets. At StartupMafia, Nastya supports European startups by providing actionable insights on marketing, media, and growth strategies, helping them scale confidently and compete across international markets.

All posts by Nastya Zelenovska