Business Stories with Šárka Betke — From bootstrapping to exit
Details
Business Stories is a conversation series about how real businesses are built, operated, and eventually transitioned. The focus is on decisions, trade-offs, and long-term thinking rather than tactics or trends.
This session features Šárka Betke, founder of Vinofactum, a Berlin-based wine importer and distributor focused on natural wines from Central and Eastern Europe.
After becoming a mother, Šárka left her stable career in fintech and founded Vinofactum in 2020, growing it to a combined revenue of over €1M without external funding. She built a trusted discovery platform shaped by close, long-term relationships with producers and loyal B2B clients. The business grew through disciplined commercial decisions in a traditional and highly competitive market.
The conversation follows the full arc of the business, from the shift out of a well-paid director role to doing everything alone, through the hard trade-offs of bootstrapping and the reality of being an immigrant founder, to preparing a company for exit.
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## Who this event is for
- Founders building bootstrapped or capital-efficient businesses
- Operators running distribution, wholesale, or product-led companies
- Entrepreneurs in food, beverage, retail, or traditional industries
- Business owners thinking about an exit in the coming years
- Investors, advisors, and ecosystem builders interested in founder-led companies
It is designed for people who value practical experience over abstract frameworks.
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## What you will take away
- A realistic view of how a bootstrapped business evolves over time
- Insights into sourcing, pricing, and portfolio discipline
- A grounded perspective on preparing for exit without rushing growth
- Lessons on trust and relationships as a competitive advantage
- Clear examples of decisions that shaped long-term outcomes
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## 🗓 Agenda
- 18:00 – Doors open & informal networking
- 18:30 – Fireside chat & open Q&A with Šárka Betke
- 19:30 – Relaxed networking
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## Supported by
✨ This event is proudly supported by Jimmy Technologies and Uppersky.