EUVC

Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC podcast, where our good friends Dan Bowyer and Mads Jensen from SuperSeed cover recent news and movements in the European tech landscape 💬

Go to eu.vc to read the core take-aways.

Chapters:

00:06 Microsoft's Nuclear Energy Plans
00:13 Energy Context in Europe
00:22 UK's Energy Challenges
02:34 Three Mile Island and Energy Needs
06:24 UK's Energy Strategy 
09:18 Amazon's Office Return Policy
11:37 Chip Manufacturing in the UAE
13:56 Future of AI by 2030
14:57 Healthcare and AI
16:27 AGI and AI's Impact on Jobs
18:33 Telegram's Privacy Concessions
20:26 Mark Zuckerberg's Orion Glasses
21:48 Neuralink and Future Interfaces
25:44 Foundations Paper on UK Stagnation

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas discusses with Fatou Diagne, Founder and Managing Partner at Bootstrap Europe.

Bootstrap Europe is a venture investment firm currently raising the fourth fund, aiming for €350-400M, after closing Fund III with €157M. With €250M in assets under management, Bootstrap Europe is headquartered across London, Luxembourg, and Zurich.

Bootstrap Europe targets companies in the post-Series A+ or Series B stage—those with venture capital already on their cap table, solid KPIs, or valuable patents and assets in place. The firm’s sweet spot? European HQ’d companies, or those with European founders or VCs, with an upcoming allocation to support U.S. expansions. They even have 10% of their fund reserved for other exciting regions, like Africa.

Bootstrap Europe specializes in geeky, transformative sectors: Deeptech, Life Sciences, Cleantech, Fintech, and SaaS, and some of their notable investments are:

• Scandit (Swiss Unicorn) in Machine Vision
• Blueprint Genetics (exited investment, Finnish tech used by Quest Diag during COVID - 1 of 2 largest labs in US)
• Telensa: largest installed base of smart city lighting wordlwide, bought by Signify
• Recent undisclosed exciting investments in robotics, AI healthcare, foodtech, RNA tech

Go to eu.vc for our core learnings and the full video interview 👀

Chapters:

00:03 Meet Fatou Diagne and Bootstrap Europe
00:26 Bootstrap Europe's Investment Focus 
01:25 Diving Deep with Fatou: Trends and Growth
02:51 The Origin of Bootstrap Europe
04:11 Venture Debt vs. Venture Capital
11:11 The Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank
20:27 The Role of Venture Debt in Europe
28:29 Sector Focus: Life Sciences and AI
36:45 Momentum in Business and Financing
37:00 Regional Preferences in Venture Debt
38:16 Germany: Cultural Challenges and Progress 
39:17 Spain: A Unique Venture Debt Market
40:43 Nordics and European Investment Bank
47:33 Macroeconomic Influence on Venture Debt
54:05 Innovative Financing Structures
56:54 Future Predictions for Venture Debt
01:02:09 AI's Impact on Venture Debt and Beyond

Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC podcast, where our good friends Dan Bowyer and Mads Jensen from SuperSeed, in a discussion with Monik Pham, Founding Partner at Pact, cover recent news and movements in the European tech landscape 💬

Go to eu.vc to read the core take-aways.

Chapters:

00:05 Today's Agenda
02:18 Monique's Background and PACT Ventures
03:14 AI Startup 11X Moves to the US
03:48 Challenges for European Startups
07:44 Interest Rate Cuts in the US
09:56 Impact of US Economic Policies on Europe
10:56 UK's Economic Challenges and Labor's Plan
12:10 Government's Role in Supporting Startups
15:47 Germany's Investment in Startups
20:01 EU's First Commissioner for Startups
21:04 Addressing Fragmentation in the EU Market
26:47 Proxies for Economic Health
28:41 Opportunities in Economic Downturns
29:56 The Role of AI in Business
34:18 Balancing Technology and Regulation
35:13 Closing Thoughts on AI Regulation
36:44 Conclusion and Farewell

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas discusses how we prepared a new panel discussion with our in-house CVC expert and friend, Jeppe Høier, and his guests.

Francesco Di Lorenzo is an Associate Professor of Strategy and E-ship at Copenhagen Business School (Department of Strategy and Innovation), where he is actively involved in research and teaching topics related to Corporate Venturing.

Crispin Leick is the Managing Director at EnBW New Ventures, where he leads the company's corporate venture capital (CVC) efforts. Based in Germany, EnBW New Ventures focuses on investing in innovative startups that drive digital and sustainable infrastructure, with a particular emphasis on climate tech.

With a committed €100M fund, they target Series A investments across Europe. Their portfolio includes notable investments in ESG and carbon-focused startups like Sunhat and Cozero and key players in the battery rollout space such as Enspired and Volytica.

In today’s panel discussion, we’re exploring all things corporate venture capital (CVC)—from the best ways to engage with CVCs to how to effectively set them up and the key strategies that drive success. We’re also digging into the dynamics of collaboration between traditional venture capital, CVCs, and the corporate world.

Go to eu.vc for our core learnings and the full video interview 👀

Chapters:

00:03 Meet the Guests: Francesco, Crispin, and Jeppe 
04:50 Understanding Corporate Venture Capital
06:02 CVC Strategies and Models
09:22 Challenges and Successes in CVC
13:50 The Importance of Financial Returns in CVC
18:12 Setting Up a Successful CVC
44:12 Measuring Startup Growth
45:02 Importance of Gross Margin
45:20 Investment Strategies in B2B Digital Models
45:49 Challenges and Benefits of Seed Investments
46:37 Strategic Corporate Investments
48:01 Commercial Agreements and Conflicts of Interest
53:50 Engagement Management in Corporates
01:00:56 Governance Structures in CVC
01:14:42 Evergreen Model in CVC
01:18:14 Future Trends in CVC

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas discusses with Will Prendergast, Partner at Frontline Ventures.

With ~€435M in assets under management, Frontline Ventures is a venture investment firm that operates two distinct funds:

• Frontline Seed: A €100M fund targeting pre-seed and seed-stage European companies with clear U.S. expansion intentions.
• Frontline Growth: A €100M fund focusing on Series B up to D in U.S. companies planning to expand to Europe within 12-18 months.

Frontline Ventures, headquartered in Ireland, specializes in B2B SaaS and Deeptech sectors. The firm's position allows it to bridge the gap between European and U.S. markets, providing valuable support for companies looking to expand across the Atlantic in either direction.

As a Partner at Frontline Ventures, Will Prendergast offers us a distinctive perspective on European and U.S. venture landscapes. His insights on early-stage investing in Europe and growth-stage opportunities for U.S. companies expanding to Europe are sure to be valuable for anyone interested in transatlantic venture capital's current state and future.

Notable investments: Workvivo (acquired by Zoom), SignalAI, Finbourne, Lattice, MosaicML (acquired by Databricks), Navan.

Go to eu.vc for our core learnings and the full video interview 👀

Chapters:

• 00:03 Meet Will Prendergast of Frontline Ventures
• 00:06 Frontline Ventures' Dual Strategy
• 00:51 Notable Investments and Achievements
• 02:47 Welcoming Will Prendergast
• 03:57 Frontline's Unique Approach to Seed and Growth
• 04:41 The Importance of U.S. Market for European VCs
• 05:44 Challenges and Strategies in U.S. Market Entry
• 11:01 LP Perspectives and Fund Strategies
• 37:25 Navigating Series A and B Funding
• 38:09 Engaging US Investors
• 39:16 Importance of US Customer Base
• 39:29 Choosing the Right US City for Expansion
• 41:37 Building a US Team 43:40 Common Mistakes in US Market Entry
• 48:04 Impact of the Pandemic on US Expansion
• 53:08 Differences in US and European Business Practices
• 55:12 Remote Work Trends and Performance
• 57:46 Personal Journey into Venture Capital

Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC podcast, where we’ll cover recent news and movements in the European tech landscape with Dan Bowyer and Mads Jensen from SuperSeed.

Go to eu.vc to read the core take-aways.

Chapters:

00:36 Meet Andrew Scott: Investor and Community Builder
01:35 The Value of Events for Investors and Founders
03:20 Insights from Tech Barbecue in Copenhagen
05:05 Highlights from the All In Conference
06:15 Inspiration and Serendipity at Conferences
11:22 The Role of Politics in Business Inspiration
15:35 DeepMind's Alphaproteo: A Breakthrough in Protein Binders
17:50 Implications for the European Ecosystem
18:08 Future Opportunities in Biotech and AI
18:40 Introduction to Investment Focus
18:50 AI in Drug Discovery 20:01 Efficiency and Productivity in Health and Pharma
20:18 Mario Draghi on European Competitiveness
21:23 Challenges in European Innovation
22:25 UK and EU Collaboration
24:33 Regulatory Frameworks and Innovation
27:03 Government Strategy and Short-termism
34:11 AI in Healthcare and Spaceports
36:48 Future of SaaS and AI Integration

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas discusses with Tzlil Kovetz, Principal at Vintage Investment Partners.

With $4B in assets under management, Vintage Investment Partners is a global investment fund that focuses on three distinct strategies:

• A fund-to-fund play targeting early-stage VCs across Europe, the U.S., and Israel;
• A growth fund for early growth companies (typically Series B and beyond);
• A secondary fund invests in both funds and companies at various stages.

Vintage Investment Partners invests across all sectors and has made notable investments in companies like Wolt, Klarna, Mirakl, SentinelOne, Monday, JFrog, Yotpo, Holidu, and many others. In the European fund investment space, they've backed top-tier firms such as Accel, Creandum, PointNine, Seedcamp, BlueYard, and others.

Tzlil offers a unique perspective evaluating trends in both the European and U.S. venture markets. Her insights are sure to be valuable for anyone interested in the current state and future of VC.

Go to eu.vc for our core learnings and the full video interview 👀

Chapters:

03:14 Vintage's Global Investment Perspective
06:22 The European Venture Ecosystem
13:51 Fund Size Evolution in European VC
16:36 The State of the Venture Market in 2024
19:32 Impact of Geopolitical Events on VC
25:07 Opportunities in Venture Capital
26:09 Early Stage Gap in Europe
26:56 Market Adjustments and Seed Valuations
28:10 Challenges in Series A and B Rounds
33:18 Exit Markets Overview
35:33 European IPO Pipeline
38:58 Personal Journey into Venture Capital
41:00 Vintage Investment Strategies
46:26 Future of FinTech in Europe
51:02 Top Tips for VC Fundraising

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas discusses with Andrea Di Camillo, Founder, CEO & Managing Partner at P101.

P101 is one of the most well-known players in the Italian VC landscape and has established a strong position in early-stage investing. Currently, on its third fund, which raised €250M, P101 manages a total assets under management (AUM) of €400M.

Headquartered in Italy, the firm focuses primarily on Series A investments, with 70% of their portfolio in Italy and the remaining 30% spread across Europe and the United States. P101's investment strategy spans a diverse range of sectors, including enterprise software, deep tech, health tech, fintech, energy, transportation, and food tech.

Notable Investments: 1000Farmacie, Casavo, Cortilia, CyberGuru, Deporvillage, FatMap, Habyt, Musixmatch, Musement, Tannico, Velasca

Go to eu.vc for our core learnings and the full video interview 👀

Chapters:

00:25 P101's Investment Focus and Notable Investments
02:46 The Origins of P101
04:57 Italy's Journey to Becoming a Global Tech Player
06:12 Challenges and Opportunities in the Italian VC Ecosystem
12:02 The Role of Corporates and Private Wealth in Italian VC
23:40 Investment Strategies and Fund Management at P101
35:28 The Media's Role in Venture Capital
36:26 Challenges in Italian Venture Capital
37:02 The Importance of Narrative in VC
38:11 Highlighting European Venture Success
41:41 The Impact of Past Investments
45:59 Leveraging AI and Big Data in VC
53:52 The Evolution of Venture Capital
56:59 A Personal Journey in Venture Capital
01:04:28 The Growth of the Italian Tech Ecosystem
01:05:43 Closing Remarks and Future Prospects

Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC podcast, where we’ll cover recent news and movements in the European tech landscape with Dan Bowyer and Mads Jensen from SuperSeed.

Go to eu.vc to read the core take-aways.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to European Adventure
01:07 SuperSaaS Event Overview 
02:10 Corporate Relationships and Communication
02:51 The Value of Mission-Driven Companies
03:35 Upcoming Super SAS Event 04:03 Positive Global Trends
06:04 Technological Impact on Society
06:39 Democracy and Technology 
07:48 AI Regulation Treaty
09:45 Privacy and Competitive Concerns in AI 
11:20 The Future of AI Regulation
15:55 Energy Revolution and AI
17:24 Central Bank Digital Currency
18:12 Implications of Digital Euro
22:06 Founder Mode vs. Manager Mode
23:25 Traits of Successful Founders
25:33 Mission-Driven Leadership
29:34 Immigration and Economic Growth

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas discusses with Robert Lacher, a Founding Partner of Visionaries Club. Robert's journey in VC is impressive. He was also one of the Founding Partners of La Famiglia when they launched their first fund, and he's since gone on to make waves with Visionaries Club. Let's talk numbers for a moment:

• Visionaries Club currently manages a total of $350 million USD
• $185 million seed fund
• $165 million early growth fund

Headquartered in both Germany and the UK, with offices in London and Berlin, Visionaries Club has strategically positioned itself at the heart of Europe's tech ecosystem. Their focus? Seed and early growth stages, particularly in the B2B and software sectors. Robert’s investments include Personio, Choco, Miro, Pigment, Tacto, and Babbel, just to name a few.

Today, we'll dive deep into Robert's strategy, exploring why they've structured their funds the way they have, and getting his insights on the European VC landscape. Get ready for an enlightening conversation that will leave you with a new appreciation for the intricacies of venture capital in Europe. So, without further ado, let's welcome Robert Lacher to the show!

Go to eu.vc for our core learnings and the full video interview 👀

Chapters:

• 00:03 Meet Robert Lacker: Founding Partner of Visionaries Club
• 00:14 Visionaries Club: Fund Size and Focus
• 03:13 Robert's Journey into Venture Capital
• 04:14 Connecting Old and New Economies
• 08:48 The Role of Family Entrepreneurs in Innovation
• 18:17 Visionaries Club's Unique Approach
• 28:53 Challenges and Opportunities in European VC
• 36:51 Introduction to S16 VC and Its Impact
• 37:28 Upcoming Content Collaboration with S16 VC
• 38:03 Key Learnings from the Last Decade
• 39:04 The Ikigai Framework for Passion and Profession
• 41:02 Overcoming Setbacks and Failures
• 42:54 Networking and Learning in Venture Capital
• 45:14 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
• 47:52 The Importance of Risk-Taking
• 57:21 Local vs. Pan-European VC Strategies
• 01:01:38 Manufacturing Serendipity in Venture Capital