€10M non-dilutive hack, surviving deep expert "grilling," & avoiding the CapEx trap- Georg Schaumann

€10M non-dilutive hack, surviving deep expert "grilling," & avoiding the CapEx trap- Georg Schaumann

From Investment Climate by Alex Shandrovsky

May 14, 2026 · 47 min · Season 2 · Episode 97

About this episode

Georg Schaumann discusses non-dilutive funding strategies and the challenges of technical due diligence in the startup ecosystem.

Episode 97: SenseUp Biosciences: Georg Schaumann on the €10M non-dilutive hack, surviving deep expert "grilling," and avoiding the CapEx trap In this episode, I sit down with Georg Schaumann, Founder and CEO of SenseUp Biosciences, a deep-tech platform developing bio-encapsulated double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) for targeted crop protection. Georg details how a serendipitous barbecue conversation led to their €3M Seed round backed by the Heister Family Office (the capital behind Aldi) and IT/AI specialist fund Capnamic. We dive into the reality of surviving deep technical due diligence when VCs hire 30-year agrochemical veterans to "grill" founders, the strategic blueprint for solving the solo-founder dilemma by embedding equity reserves for a future commercial co-CEO directly into the cap table, and how SenseUp leveraged €10M in German government grants to bootstrap six years of intense R&D. 🎧 Listen to the full episode to hear Georg explain why founders should aggressively cancel their own non-essential patents to save cash. Key Facts Eatable Adventures: Georg Schaumann Cabañero: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-georg-schaumann-1638168a/ Website: https://senseup.bio/…

People in this episode

Host: Alex Shandrovsky

Guest: Georg Schaumann

Topics covered

  • non-dilutive funding
  • technical due diligence
  • crop protection
  • entrepreneurship
  • startups

Keywords

  • non-dilutive hack
  • deep expert grilling
  • CapEx trap
  • Seed round
  • R&D funding

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SenseUp Biosciences, Heister Family Office, Capnamic

Products: bio-encapsulated double-stranded RNA

Places: Köln, Germany

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