EUVC

Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC podcast, where

and

of

and

from

, gather to unpack the macro forces and micro signals shaping European tech and venture.

This week, the trio tackles one of the most geopolitically charged, capital-heavy, and morally complex episodes yet:

🎯 This Week’s Themes:

• The global reshuffling of power: Israel, Iran, Russia, Ukraine
• Why defense is back—and what it means for VCs
• Europe’s space ambitions and what the ESA’s new satellite project signals
• China’s trade plays and Europe’s rare earths vulnerability
• AI, IPOs, and why founders might want to stay private longer
• Surgical robots, ambient AI, and who’s building the future of healthcare
• Plus: Daniel Ek gets flak, SPACs sneak back, and why VCs are speed-running $15B deals in one week

Here’s what’s covered:

• 02:00 | War & Markets: Iran, Israel, oil prices & the Bank of England holds steady
• 06:00 | Defense Budgets: Why Europe is (finally) spending
• 10:00 | VC Taboo: Why investing in weapons gets complicated fast
• 15:00 | EIF Restrictions: Sex, gambling, and no defense
• 20:00 | The Rise of Helsing: Europe’s $12B defense unicorn
• 24:00 | Strategic Autonomy: Europe’s new military satellite constellation
• 30:00 | ESA vs Starlink: Earth observation gets serious
• 34:00 | China, Trade Wars & Rare Earths: Why Europe’s exposed
• 40:00 | EU-US Tariffs & Trump’s Pharma Threat
• 42:00 | IPO Boom: Chime, Circle, and the SPAC comeback
• 47:00 | CMR Surgical: UK’s $4B robot exit—is that enough?
• 53:00 | Lessons from Intuitive Surgical & deeptech M&A
• 56:00 | Deal of the Week: Nabla’s AI for clinicians, Helsing’s big swing, and Scale AI’s lightning-fast cash
• 1:02:00 | Founders in Government: Alex DePledge & Matt Clifford’s impact
• 1:05:00 | Meta’s AI Transfers: Zuck goes full football transfer window

Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC Podcast, where we bring you the people and perspectives shaping European venture.

This week,

sits down with

, co-founder and Managing Partner at

— a mission-driven early-stage fund investing in the future of human health, fitness, nutrition, and longevity.

Paolo shares how a personal obsession with sleep, metabolism, and fitness evolved into a structured thesis for investing in businesses and technologies that help us live better, longer — and how Exceptional Ventures plans to back over 200 founders across three funds to deliver returns that match the mission.

🎯 This Episode’s Themes:

• Why health, fitness, and prevention are ripe for VC investment
• How personalized, continuous monitoring unlocks true wellness
• The 4-pillared thesis: prevention, early detection, smarter care & delivery
• Lessons from Fund I: 3,600 companies reviewed → 37 investments
• The case for “high-volume VC” in Europe: why more bets matter
• From sleep hygiene to nanobots: the future of health innovation
• Community, LPs, and morning workouts at SuperVenture

Here’s what’s covered:

• 01:00 | The Mission: Improving the human joy path through health & longevity
• 03:00 | Why Now: Obesity, metabolic health & the need for smarter prevention
• 05:00 | The Four Pillars: Sleep, exercise, early detection & delivery innovation
• 08:00 | Exceptional’s Model: Fund I learnings, Fund II targets, Fund III ambitions
• 10:00 | The Volume Bet: Why Europe needs funds backing 50+ startups per cycle
• 12:00 | Sourcing & Screening: From 3,600 companies to 37 portfolio bets
• 15:00 | Backing Founders on the Edge: From glucose monitoring to rural US clinics
• 18:00 | The Big Vision: 200+ founders backed, 30,000+ community members
• 21:00 | Big LP Names & Co-Investors: How the wider venture stack leans in
• 24:00 | Why Community Matters: The morning workouts, the events, the energy
• 27:00 | Longevity & Fund IV: Why the best is still ahead

In this episode,

sits down with

, Head of Technology Fund Investments at the

, live from the EUVC studio at

.

They delve deeply into the true state of European venture capital, examining long-term performance trends, the role of EIF as Europe's policy-aligned capital allocator, and how sovereignty, resilience, and maturity are reshaping the ecosystem.

Here’s what’s covered:

• 00:00 SuperVenture Loyalty & Ecosystem Energy
• 01:02 The Mood in Market: Storms, Maturity & Resilience
• 03:04 What Makes This Moment in Venture a Real Opportunity
• 03:31 Recap of Björn’s Panel with Joe from Isomer
• 05:15 DPI Truths: The Top 50 Funds & A Look Back to 2017
• 06:04 Defense Tech & Dual-Use: What EIF Will (and Won’t) Fund
• 09:34 Sovereignty ≠ Isolation: The Real Role of the EIF
• 11:00 Later-Stage Funding Gaps & Europe’s Infrastructure Problem
• 12:36 Satellites, SpaceX & European Strategic Dependencies
• 14:14 Learnings From 25+ Years in the Game
• 15:01 Philosophical, But Practical: What VC Responsibility Means
• 16:17 A Clear Statement on Openness, Not Isolation

In this episode,

sits down with

, founder of

, live from SuperVenture 2025 in Berlin.

Backed is one of Europe’s boldest early-stage funds, known not just for investing in frontier tech but for pioneering a new model of VC community. In this conversation, Andre unpacks the philosophical and practical foundations of their work—from turning a value-add into a moat to why “edge” in venture is mostly a myth—unless you build your own rules.

Who should listen:

• Emerging managers figuring out how to build true differentiation
• LPs trying to evaluate durable edge in a saturated VC market
• Founders deciding what kind of capital partner they want long-term

Here what’s covered:

• 00:00 Who is Andre de Haes & What is Backed VC?
• 00:32 Frontier Tech Focus: Fintech, Bio, and Manufacturing Software
• 01:30 Why Community is a Core Offering—Not a Side Show
• 02:15 Behind the Scenes: The SuperVenture Speaker Dinner & Rooftop Surprise
• 04:00 Playing the Long Game: Trust Built Over 20-Year Cycles
• 05:08 Stage Preview: What it Means to Build VC Edge
• 07:50 Advice for LPs on Identifying Real Differentiation
• 10:50 Biggest Learnings: Humility, Leverage & Contrarian Courage
• 15:00 Investing at the Frontier: Computational Bio, Optics & Non-Invasive Brain Tech
• 16:00 What Munger & Buffett Teach Us About Capital Efficiency in VC

Live from SuperVenture 2025 in Berlin,

sits down with

, Partner at

, one of Europe’s largest and longest-standing venture capital firms.

Together, they talk about macro trends shaping the future of VC, HV Capital’s unique positioning across funding stages, and offer a refreshingly honest take on ESG, DEI, defense, hype, LP dynamics, and the challenges of building a VC fund.

This episode is a must-listen for:

• LPs trying to understand how established firms see the world
• Emerging managers finding their product-market fit
• Founders building across deep tech, defense, and climate

💡 What you'll learn:

• Why SuperVenture is a cultural paradox in Berlin—and why Jan loves it
• How HV Capital operates with flexibility across €500K to €50M investments
• The future of ESG & DEI in a depoliticized, impact-first world
• Defense investing: HV’s bets on Quantum Systems & Rocket Startups
• What the G in ESG means—and why it's more relevant than ever
• Advice for emerging managers: Fund I is hard, Fund II and III are harder
• A reflection on being humbled by VC, even after successful exits

Here what’s covered:

• 00:00 SuperVenture, Berlin, and Capitalism in the Radical Left’s Hometown
• 01:00 The HV Capital Model: From €500K to €50M in One Platform
• 02:00 ESG, DEI & Fiduciary Duty: Past the Pendulum, Toward Balance
• 04:05 Why Impact Companies Still Win: A Case Study from Copenhagen
• 05:05 Defense Tech & ESG: Not Contradictory, But Complementary
• 06:54 Advice for Emerging Managers: Fund Fit, Hustle & Dual Product-Market Fit
• 10:02 Words for LPs: Don’t Dismiss Venture as “Too Risky”
• 11:45 Lessons in Humility: From Founding Two Companies to Becoming a VC
• 13:00 Betting Big: Why NeuroRobotics Said No to Focus & Yes to Full Stack

Welcome to a special emergency episode of the EUVC podcast, where Andreas Munk Holm sits down with Cathy White founder of CEW Communications and her star colleague and former tech.eu managing editor Dan Taylor —two of the most plugged-in voices in European tech media —to dissect the shocking news of TechCrunch Europe’s closure and what’s ahead.

In this raw and real conversation, they unpack:

• Why TechCrunch’s downfall signals something bigger in media
• What the rise of AI means for journalists, PR pros, and founders alike
• And how Europe’s startup ecosystem can—and must—take charge of its narrative

From the role of creators and newsletters to the shift from SEO to “LEO,” this one’s for anyone building in, writing about, or pitching European tech.

Here’s what’s covered:

• 00:10 The Impact of TechCrunch's Closure on European Media
• 06:33 The Future of Media in Europe
• 10:30 The Rise of Entrepreneurial Journalism
• 15:46 Navigating the New Media Landscape for Startups
• 18:06 The Shift from SEO to LEO in Media Strategy
• 23:13 Making Complex Ideas Accessible
• 27:18 The Role of PR in the Age of AI
• 29:31 The Importance of Human Touch in AI
• 33:12 AI's Impact on Content Creation and Journalism
• 39:37 The Future of Journalism and New Publications

In this episode, David Cruz Silva sits down with Joe Schorge, founder of Isomer Capital, one of Europe’s most thoughtful and active LPs—backing funds, co-investing with top GPs, and increasingly leaning into secondaries.

From deep dives into the maturing European tech ecosystem, to the reality of what “liquidity” means today, Joe shares what it takes to build long-term portfolios and navigate cycles with wisdom (and a little humor).

Who should listen:

• LPs thinking through secondary exposure and portfolio liquidity
• GPs raising new funds with legacy tailwinds (or baggage)
• Founders and angels curious about how liquidity really works behind the scenes

Here’s what’s covered:

• 00:00 Meet Joe Schorge & Isomer Capital’s model
• 00:31 Why SuperVenture is ground zero for LP/GP dealflow
• 01:30 A New Era of Secondaries: From passive to proactive
• 02:55 "It's not a return until you can buy a beer with it." 🍻
• 03:30 DPI, exits & reflections from the stage with Björn Tremmerie
• 05:00 What macro uncertainty (and Trump tariffs) are doing to exit timelines
• 06:00 Under the hood: Growth is happening — but the windows haven’t reopened yet
• 07:30 Who’s actually buying today? Founders, growth funds, and LP-focused secondaries
• 09:28 Joe’s key learnings: time, uncertainty & the illusion of predictive power
• 12:23 Advice to aspiring LPs & emerging allocators
• 15:00 Diversification in venture is not optional — it’s existential

In this episode, David Cruz Silva sits down with Matthew Spence, Barclays’ Global Head of Venture Capital Banking, to talk about the state of exits, dual-use tech, and how Europe can seize the next defense innovation wave. With a background spanning the White House, Pentagon and a16z, Matt shares a unique view from the intersection of global power, technology, and venture.

Who should listen:

• GPs working with later-stage companies or exit-readiness
• LPs and allocators curious about dual-use and defense opportunities
• Policymakers and ecosystem builders across Europe
• Anyone wondering how venture intersects with geopolitics

Here’s what’s covered:

• 00:00 Meet Matt Spence & why Barclays is doubling down on venture
• 01:00 SuperVenture 2025: Why Berlin matters to a Silicon Valley banker
• 01:39 “Sneaky good”: The IPO market is back—but not how you expect
• 03:00 How GPs can prep for exits—before they’re even on the table
• 04:00 Barclays as an LP: What their private bank is looking for
• 05:10 Defense tech: From bombs to AI & cloud for the battlefield
• 07:00 “The government is a terrible customer”—but that’s changing
• 08:30 Dual-use: Why it’s not code for defense and shouldn’t be
• 10:00 The real opportunity for Europe: leapfrog, don’t lag
• 12:30 A wake-up call for Brussels and national leaders
• 15:00 The return to deep tech: hardware + software, redux
• 16:45 Why this isn't just a new trend—it's a venture returning to its roots

• The global reshuffling of power: Israel, Iran, Russia, and Ukraine
• Why defense is back—and what it means for VCs
• Europe's space ambitions and what the ESA's new satellite project signals
• China's trade plays and Europe's vulnerability in rare earths
• AI, IPOs, and why founders might want to stay private longer
• Surgical robots, ambient AI, and who’s building the future of healthcare

• 02:00 War & Markets: Iran, Israel, oil prices & Bank of England holds
• 06:00 Defense Budgets: Why Europe is (finally) spending
• 10:00 VC Taboo: Why investing in weapons gets complicated fast
• 15:00 EIF Restrictions: Sex, gambling, and no defense
• 20:00 The Rise of Helsing: Europe’s $12B defense unicorn
• 24:00 Strategic Autonomy: Europe’s new military satellite constellation
• 30:00 ESA vs. Starlink: Earth observation gets serious
• 34:00 China, Trade Wars & Rare Earths: Why Europe’s exposed
• 40:00 EU-US Tariffs & Trump’s Pharma Threat
• 42:00 IPO Boom: Chime, Circle, and the SPAC comeback
• 47:00 CMR Surgical: UK’s $4B robot exit—is that enough?
• 53:00 Lessons from Intuitive Surgical & deeptech M&A
• 56:00 Deal of the Week: Nabla’s AI for clinicians, Helsing, and Scale AI’s lightning-fast cash
• 01:02:00 Founders in Government: Alex DePledge & Matt Clifford’s impact
• 01:05:00 Meta’s AI Transfers: Zuck goes full football transfer window

Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC podcast, where we bring you the people and perspectives shaping European venture. This week,

is joined by

, Managing Partner at

, the world’s first dedicated quantum technologies VC fund.

Together, they unpack the tangible, applied promise of quantum technologies—far beyond the hype—and discuss why

Europe may still win

in this deep tech arena if capital (and courage) show up at the right time.

This week’s themes:

• Real-world quantum use cases in health, energy, climate, and security
• The rise of quantum internet and the race to secure communications
• How interdisciplinary talent makes or breaks applied quantum ventures
• Why late-stage capital remains quantum Europe’s biggest bottleneck

Here’s what’s covered:

• 01:30 Quantum Is Real: Health, energy, climate & security
• 02:45 Quantum Drug Discovery: Pascal & Qubit Pharmaceuticals
• 05:00 Simulation Power: Designing less toxic, more effective molecules
• 06:45 Quantum Internet: Unhackable infrastructure deployments in NYC & Berlin
• 08:30 Why Encryption Is Under Threat—And What Quantum Does About It
• 10:00 No Cryo, No Labs: Room-temp quantum machines are here
• 11:45 Talent Mix: Why computer scientists + physicists = startup advantage
• 13:30 ML on Quantum Hardware: Graph ML and novel quantum algorithms
• 15:00 Europe’s Competitive Edge: IQM, Pascal, and more
• 16:30 The Real Risk: Growth-stage capital and the transatlantic gap
• 18:00 Quantonation’s Vision: A future late-stage fund for European quantum
• 19:00 Final Thoughts: Sci-fi vibes, real-world traction, and a rallying cry