EUVC

We're excited to announce our investment in Silicon Roundabout Ventures, a £5 million SuperAngel Deep Tech pre/seed fund by Francesco Perticarari.

Backing Silicon Roundabout Ventures is a bet on Francesco. We’ve known Francesco for three years now and following his journey, unwavering hustle and community grow has been an inspiration. Francesco brings a strong technical background as a former CTO/Lead Software Engineer at deep tech startups and the University of London and has made 15 angel investments, 12 of which are within Deep Tech/Big Data and are progressing well.

We love Francesco for his community-driven approach leveraging his community of 15,000+ founders and engineers, built through more than 600 deep tech meetup events held in London since 2011. As an example of the opportunity this community presents, the 26 pitch competition winners from 2016 - 2020 have a combined enterprise value of £6.3 billion. The ecosystem Francesco has built around himself and plugged the fund into clearly provides unique access for SRV.

Francesco and the team at Silicon Roundabout Ventures invest in "Next-Generation technology startups" across five categories:
Technical: Leveraging in-house science and engineering expertise
Infrastructural: Solving large-scale global problems at the infrastructure level
Defensible: Building fundamental hardware or low-level software with strong IP
Trend-Setting: Disrupting industries with 1B+ revenue potential in 10+ years
Global Impact: Addressing key challenges in Computing, Climate, Health, and Defense
With this investment, we cement and announce to the world that we believe Silicon Roundabout Ventures is well-positioned to build one of Europe’s new truly meaningful deep tech firms. If you'd like an intro to Francesco, don't hesitate to reach out 💌


Chapters:

• 02:32 Francesco's Journey into Venture Capital
• 03:27 Building Silicon Roundabout Ventures
• 05:50 Defining Deep Tech
• 08:20 Challenges of Being a Solo GP
• 15:58 Leveraging Community for Investment Success
• 20:44 The Origin and Growth of the Tech Meetup Community
• 27:06 Impact and Achievements of the Community
• 29:02 Understanding Enterprise Value
• 29:09 Challenges of Raising a Fund
• 30:18 Angel Investing and Fund Commitments
• 31:11 Evaluating Early-Stage Companies
• 32:08 The AI Investment Landscape
• 33:01 Sector-Specific AI Investments
• 33:51 Fund Size and Investment Strategy
• 36:51 Deep Tech and Emerging Sectors
• 43:24 Fund Economics and Allocation Strategy
• 50:11 Vision for Silicon Roundabout Ventures

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, we prepared a new panel discussion with our friend Tom McGinn, General Counsel at Northzone. We’ve been looking forward to having a conversation on this topic for a long time, especially after Generative AI gained traction. So, without too much ado, let’s dive into all things LegalTech.

We are joined by:

• Zach Posner, Co-Founder & Managing Director at The LegalTech Fund, a dedicated investor across the globe that focuses on the legal community and companies transforming the world of law.
• Shruthi Ajitzaria, Partner at A&O Shearman, a former derivatives lawyer, who about seven years ago, launched Fuse, an incubator focused on LegalTech.
• Nnamdi Emelifeonwu, CEO & Co-Founder at Definely, a LegalTech company that provides a unified solution for lawyers by simplifying access and understanding of legal documents.

The discussion centers on the evolving legal tech industry, highlighting the importance of bridging legal and tech expertise, understanding customer pain points, and creating strong user experiences. It also addresses the role of AI, particularly language models, in shaping the future of legal tech while noting the challenges posed by regulatory constraints and the differences between the European and US legal tech markets.

Chapters:

• 03:46 Defining Legal Tech
• 04:47 Legal Tech as a Vertical vs. Horizontal
• 08:58 The Evolution of Legal Tech
• 10:44 Legal Tech's Growing Market
• 11:31 Legal Tech Landscape Map
• 16:08 Generative AI in Legal Tech
• 17:11 Challenges and Opportunities in Legal Tech
• 23:21 Future of Legal Tech
• 28:57 The Ideal Legal Tech Entrepreneur
• 29:52 Importance of Legal and Product Knowledge
• 32:58 Challenges in Legal Tech
• 48:09 Regulatory Constraints and Opportunities
• 51:18 Legal Tech in Europe vs. the US
• 57:15 The Impact of Deregulation
• 58:32 Closing Thoughts on Legal Tech

The latest episode of Startups in Focus features Leonid Feinberg, founder of Verax, a Seedcamp-backed company that provides enterprise-grade trust solutions for generative AI. Having a strong background in security and cloud services, including a previous company acquired by Amazon, Leonid shares insights on managing AI-related risks and offers practical advice for future customers regarding AI's potential and trust management.

In conversation with Seedcamp’s Managing Director Carlos Espinal, he delves into the challenges and solutions associated with deploying generative AI in production. He also explains how Verax's Control Center helps enterprises gain visibility and mitigate risks by analyzing and modifying AI responses in real-time. 

Chapters:

• 00:00 Introduction to Today's Guest: Leonid Feinberg, Co-founder and CEO of Verax
• 00:53 Leonid's Background and Journey to Founding Verax
• 01:33 Understanding Verax: Enterprise Trust Solution for Generative AI
• 02:48 Architectural Insights: Rolling Out LLMs in Enterprises
• 05:02 Challenges and Best Practices in AI Deployment
• 08:01 Future of AI and Data Management
• 12:16 Verax's Role in Enterprise AI Trust
• 18:39 Geopolitics and AI: Global Implications
• 26:15 Advice for future AI Customers
• 28:21 Conclusion

For today’s episode of the EUVC podcast, we have prepared a panel discussion on Data Driven Portfolio Modelling, and we brought together:

• Joel Larsson, Founding GP of Pale blue dot
• Jon Coker, Founding GP of Eka Ventures
• Joe Schorge, Founding GP of Isomer Capital
• Anubhav Srivastava, Founder & CEO of Tactyc.

Together, we discuss portfolio modeling, fund forecasting, and portfolio construction, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a current fund forecast and making adjustments based on real-world market conditions.

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

Chapters:

• 08:29 Best Practices in Portfolio Modeling
• 10:03 Maintaining a Dynamic Fund Forecast
• 12:05 Challenges in Portfolio Construction
• 32:51 Debating Portfolio Concentration
• 39:40 Sector-Specific Strategies and Risks
• 42:24 Portfolio Construction Insights
• 43:01 Examples of Portfolio Construction
• 44:27 Fundraising Challenges and Realities
• 47:23 Tracking Fund Progress
• 49:50 Evaluating Portfolio Companies
• 52:32 Qualitative vs Quantitative Metrics
• 01:08:20 Scenario Analysis and Reserves
• 01:11:00 Optimizing Reserves
• 01:25:59 Closing Remarks and Takeaways

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas talks with Christian Dorffer, Founder and General Partner of Defiance Capital, about The Unicorn Founders DNA report that Christian and his team recently published.

Defiance Capital is a €25M fund based in London focused on investments at the pre-seed stage. They invest in sectors like enterprise AI for companies based in Europe and the US. 

The report reveals that a significant number of unicorn founders are immigrants and women, challenging the traditional criteria used by venture capitalists to evaluate founders. The conversation also discusses the challenges faced by underrepresented founders in raising capital and the need for a more sophisticated approach to identifying and backing non-obvious founders.

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

Chapters:

• 02:41 Deep Dive into the Unicorn Founders DNA Report
• 03:08 Christian's Background and Investment Philosophy
• 06:07 Core Findings of the DNA Report
• 06:50 European vs. US Unicorn Founders
• 09:09 Challenges Faced by Female Founders
• 13:38 VCs' Approach to Diverse Teams
• 15:45 Christian's Investment Strategy
• 17:02 Opportunities for Non-Obvious Founders
• 23:11 Defiant Capital's Operational Model
• 26:38 Christian Dorfer's Personal Journey
• 39:53 Advice for Young Entrepreneurs and VCs
• 48:17 Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, David discusses with Chris Wade, Founding Partner at Isomer Capital.

David and Chris discuss the current sentiment in the European venture capital ecosystem. They touch on topics such as VC sentiment, comparisons to previous years, LP appetite, the potential IPOs of Revolut and Klarna, the rise of AI and semiconductor companies, and the geopolitical and economic uncertainties affecting the industry.

Chris also reflects on the positive and negative developments in 2024 and the importance of humanity prevailing over negative forces.

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

Chapters:

01:19 VC Sentiment in 2024
02:36 Comparing 2021 and 2024
04:01 European Venture Capital Landscape
05:00 The Power Law in Venture Capital
11:06 Emerging Managers and AI
13:26 The Importance of Exits
23:58 The Semiconductor Renaissance
27:39 Global Political Climate and Its Impact
30:31 Predictions and Reflections
31:40 Standing by Predictions
32:45 Interest Rates and M&A
34:48 AI's Impact on Venture Capital
38:49 Regulation and Ethics of AI
46:51 Geopolitical Tensions and Defense Tech
57:53 Personal Growth in 2024
01:01:12 The End of Mega Funds Era

This is the second of the “Startups in Focus” series, where Carlos Espinal from Seedcamp chats with Ryan Donnelly, co-founder and CEO of Enzai. Their conversation revolves around:

• the impact of AI as a technological revolution similar to the mobile shift, dotcom boom, and web invention
• the importance of regulations and standards in ensuring AI’s responsible use and trustworthiness
• the challenges and opportunities in AI adoption
• Enzai’s mission of enabling organizations to leverage AI technology effectively and responsibly, in compliance with emerging regulations
• Enzai’s vision of enabling trust in AI
• future regulatory landscapes and the necessary frameworks for AI adoption

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the AI Technological Revolution
00:36 Meet Ryan Donnelly: Co-founder and CEO of Enzai
01:14 The Inspiration Behind Enzai
02:19 Understanding Enzai’s Customers
03:13 The Role of Regulations in AI
05:07 The Evolution of AI Regulations
10:26 The Importance of Standards in AI
14:20 Enzai’s Vision for the Future
15:49 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas discusses with Chris Wade, Founding Partner at Isomer Capital, and Travis Pittman, co-founder and CEO of TourRadar, one of the finalists in the Achievement of the Year category at this year’s European VC Awards.

TourRadar is an Organized Adventure Platform, offering the world’s largest selection of multi-day adventures worldwide. TourRadar’s online platform seamlessly connects travelers and travel agents with 2,500 multi-day operators, offering 50,000 adventures in more than 160 countries globally.

Travis has raised $60m of capital from Speedinvest, Hoxton Ventures, and Cherry Ventures and, in 2018, raised a C round led by Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV). Isomer Capital and LGT also joined this round. The company’s GMV grew to 9 figures in 2019, then 2020 started very well with all-time high monthly revenues until Feb 2020 when Covid hit revenues went negative as customers asked for their money back as they were unable to travel.

To ensure the business's survival, they made significant cuts to their workforce and reduced salaries. Travis emphasized the importance of transparency in communication during uncertain times. Despite the difficulties, TourRadar was able to recover and is now back at a revenue level above pre-COVID levels and more profitable. They have also expanded their product offerings, particularly in the payments and affiliate networks areas.

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

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Background of TourRadar
10:49 Pre-COVID Success and Funding Journey
15:06 Understanding and Improving Unit Economics
23:50 Prioritizing Customer Support and Making Difficult Decisions
26:14 Adapting and Navigating Through the Crisis
36:00 Transparency and Communication in Uncertain Times
40:13 Expanding Product Offerings: Payments and Affiliate Networks
48:14 The Future of TourRadar: Mobile App Development and Search Experience
53:44 Prioritizing Mental Health and the Role of Supportive Investors

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas discusses with - Mikhail Taver, Founder and Managing Partner of Taver Capital II, with a target fund size of $20M.

Taver Capital is a fund based on Delaware, US, focused on early-stage global AI startups from the industrial sector. They have already invested in companies like Earth AI, MSQRD (acquired by Facebook), ID R&D (acquired by Mitek), and Sayana (acquired by Headspace).

In this conversation, Andreas discusses with Mikhail his experience in robotics and AI investing, the potential of AI in various industries, the challenges of communication between startups and corporations, the impact of regulation on technological progress, and the importance of education and networking in fundraising. They also touch on the topic of mentors and the need for founders to find their own path.

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

Chapters:

00:12 Tavar Capital II: Focus and Investments
03:34 Passion for Robotics and AI
03:53 Mikhail's Journey into Robotics and AI
06:36 AI in Industry: Early Examples
08:11 Earth AI: A Success Story
08:47 Predictive Maintenance and More
09:28 VC Metrics of Success
11:07 Challenges in Industry Disruption
12:09 Communication Gaps Between Startups and Corporations
15:07 GP-LP Dynamics in Venture Capital
18:24 Communication Gaps Between Startups and VCs
21:19 Working with Generalist VCs
23:04 Regulation and Technological Progress
31:45 Advice for Emerging VCs and Founders

In this roundtable discussion, experts from European venture capital and innovation ecosystems share insights on empowering women in these fields. The conversation addressed the importance of female representation in venture capital, investment in women-led startups, women's challenges in these industries, and initiatives to support female entrepreneurs.

The dialogue also touches on inclusive innovation policies, the impact of parental leave on careers, and strategies for long-term solutions to encourage more women to pursue careers in science, technology, and engineering.

Our guests were:

• Ralitsa Zhekova, Executive Director at RAPIV
• Deepali Nangia, Partner at Speedinvest
• Iwona Cymerman, General Partner at FundingBox Deep Tech Fund
• Jone Vaituleviciute, General Partner at FIRSTPICK

The roundtable happened as part of the CO-INVESTIN project, an EU-funded project to connect our beautiful European investment ecosystems while strengthening transparency and inclusion across the ecosystem ✊.

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

Chapters:

07:04 Inclusive Innovation Policies
09:52 Challenges in Female Representation
11:53 Breaking Barriers in Venture Capital
21:47 High Churn Rates Among Women in Venture
27:36 Strategies for Retaining Women in Venture
30:57 Empowering Women in the Workplace
31:58 Challenges Faced by Women and Ethnic Minorities
32:06 Balancing Parenthood and Career in Venture Capital
33:19 Parental Policies in Small vs. Large Funds
34:07 Personal Experiences with Parental Leave
36:35 The Reality of Parenthood in High-Level Careers
40:02 Gender Roles and Societal Expectations
43:56 The Importance of Open and Transparent Relationships
51:15 Encouraging Women in STEM