EUVC

Welcome to a new episode of our special series, At The Cap Table.

Today, Sarah Finegan, Senior Investor at Antler has a discussion with Nicola McClafferty, Partner at Molten Ventures. Molten Ventures, formerly Draper Esprit, is a venture capital firm investing in high-growth technology companies with global ambitions, with offices in London and Dublin. Molten is publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange and takes flexible and patient capital to invest across primary, secondary, and fund funds. Molten invests ~$200 million a year across Seed - Series B stage companies with ~$2 billion AUM.

Nicola spent 5 years as a venture capital investor with Balderton Capital and media consultancy Ravensbeck, focusing on early-stage technology and digital consumer investments. She graduated from University College Dublin with a degree in International Business and French.

In this episode of *At The Cap Table*, Nicola will share her insights and experiences in a dynamic and wide-ranging discussion. We’ll dive into Nicola's personal journey, her work at Molten Ventures, and her industry expertise, offering a mix of personal and business insights. Stay tuned for an engaging and informative conversation!

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

Chapters:

00:14 Meet Nicola McClafferty
00:32 Nicola's Unique Career Path
03:40 Early Career in Investment Banking
05:01 Transition to Venture Capital
07:34 Building and Scaling a Business
08:00 Challenges and Exit Strategy
08:34 Return to Venture Capital
09:00 Key Learnings as a Founder
09:39 Empathy and Understanding Founders
11:20 State of Entrepreneurship in Europe
15:38 Excitement About the Irish Market
19:00 Molten Ventures' Unique Model
24:59 Trends in Pre-Seed and Seed Stage
28:53 Focus on Consumer Software and AI
33:57 Advice for Founders: Zero to One
39:00 Final Thoughts and Personal Insights

Join us as Tom Wilson from Seedcamp and Anthony Danon from Cocoa talk to Dorothy Chou, Director of Policy & Public Engagement at DeepMind.

Dorothy shares her journey from working at major tech companies to becoming an angel investor. She raises the importance of diversity in the startup ecosystem, particularly in supporting underrepresented founders. Dorothy highlights the need for a systemic change in venture capital and how her experiences have shaped her investment strategy. She also discusses AI's potential for driving social change and innovation.

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

Chapters:

01:45 Dorothy's Journey to Angel Investing 
03:12 Focusing on Diversity in Founding Teams
03:38 Venturing into Women's Health
03:56 Challenges in Women's Health Investment
05:23 First Angel Investment Experience
05:54 Success Stories and Notable Investments
06:25 The Power of Public Procurement
08:09 Leveraging Networks in Angel Investing
09:29 The Importance of Access and Diversity
09:54 Backing Underrepresented Founders
19:40 The Role of Relational Competence
21:35 AI's Impact on Science and Society
22:43 Public-Private Partnerships in AI
26:35 Core Learnings in Angel Investing
35:09 Counterintuitive Insights in Investing

Today, we welcome the amazing duo Salomon Aiach, co-founder & General Partner, and Blaise Matuidi, General Partner from Origins Fund.

Origins is a new type of venture capital fund backing legendary consumer founders with an unfair advantage from pre-seed to series A. They invest $100k to $500k in consumer tech startups and come with the power of influence of LP’s community and their 160,000,000 followers.

We invite you to listen to this discussion below for some inspiring stories; besides the actionable advice, you can have a sneak peek at the below.

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

Chapters:

00:02:05 - From Athlete to Investor
00:04:13 - Starting your first investment journey
00:06:18 - The Journey into Venture
00:07:59 - Adding Value as a GP at a Fund
00:09:53 - Strength in Numbers
00:12:00 - Angel Investing for Athletes
00:14:10 - Changing Landscape of the Sports World
00:16:09 - The Glamour and Resilience of Successful Entrepreneurs
00:19:38 - Investing in Mental Health and Education
00:21:36 - The Mental Challenges of High Performance
00:23:42 - Raising Awareness for Mental Health
00:25:23 - The Impact of Supportive Individuals and Entities in Entrepreneurship
00:27:44 - The Influence of Soloman on Entrepreneurs
00:29:35 - The Challenges of Consumer Investing
00:31:31 - Investing in Consumer Companies in Europe
00:33:26 - The Importance of Building the Best Team
00:35:49 - Trust and Accessibility in the Industry

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas and our in-house CVC expert Jeppe Høier discuss venture capital with Gina Domanig, Managing Partner at Emerald Technology Ventures.

Gina Domanig is the Managing Partner of Emerald Technology Ventures. In 2000, she founded the business as Europe's first independent cleantech venture capital fund. In addition to Emerald activities, Gina serves on the boards of Die Mobiliar and the Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy (BASE) Foundation.

In today’s conversation, Gina shares insights on how they landed their first corporate LPs and the challenges of engaging with startups. She also emphasizes the importance of technical depth, thorough due diligence, and being supportive and constructive in the startup ecosystem.

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

Chapters:

02:25 Gina's Journey in Venture Capital
03:11 Emerald's Focus on Sustainability and Industrial Technologies
04:08 Flex Term Structure and Corporate Engagement
06:56 Challenges and Innovations in Corporate Partnerships
13:48 Leveraging AI and LLMs in Venture Capital
16:58 Insights on Corporate Venture Capital
28:43 Corporate Culture and Specialist Roles
29:07 Managing Corporate Partnerships
29:33 Investment Process and Portfolio Management
30:26 Corporate Co-Investment and Follow-On Rounds
32:04 Branding and Transparency in CVC
32:52 CVC Team Dynamics and Responsibilities
35:48 Navigating LP Conversations
36:46 Corporate Venture Programs and Team Structure
38:16 Corporate Relationships and Conflict of Interest
49:43 Balancing Corporate and VC Worlds

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas discusses with David Meiborg, General Partner at First Momentum Ventures.

First Momentum Ventures, with their €30M fund, specializes in backing deeply technical founders at the pre-seed stage. Their focus spans deep tech, industrial climate tech, dev tools, data, and enterprise SaaS across the DACH region and beyond.

In today’s discussion, David introduces us to the Deep Tech Hardware Napkin framework they recently launched, which includes the latest benchmarks on funding, team, product, and commercialization, broken down by stage. The Napkin and full report are based on a survey completed by 30 DeepTech VCs from 8 countries.

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

Chapters:

00:02 Meet David Marburg from First Momentum Ventures
00:28 Deep Tech Heartware Napkin
05:48 Deep Tech Napkin Collaboration
06:17 Inspiration and Data Sourcing
09:34 Deep Tech Hardware Napkin Breakdown
10:54 Pre-Seed Stage Insights
14:18 Seed Stage Insights
16:40 Series A Insights
24:07 Series B Insights
26:59 Founding Teams and Commercial Savviness
35:46 Technology and Product Stages
44:12 Tech Maturity and Valuation
49:06 Common Hardware Business Models

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