This week on Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast, Amy speaks with Rob Lacher, founding partner at early-growth VC Visionaries Club.

Rob unpacks the challenges of defence procurement, why Europe has less than a year to get serious about its military capabilities and how VCs can do more than just write cheques in this space.

He also shares why Visionaries  doesn’t have an AI investment thesis, why new general partner Judith Dada is the 'single best person' he could have hoped to team up with — and the deals he still kicks himself for missing.

Key moments:

01.48: Lovable

06.30: Visionaries Club's relationships with other funds

12.24: Investing in defence companies

29.59: Challenges and opportunities for SaaS companies

39.39: Building a brand in VC

42.45: Quickfire questions