EUVC

Today, we have Christine Tsai with us.

Christine is the CEO and Founding Partner at 500 Global, a multi-stage venture firm in Silicon Valley with $2.4B in AUM, which has backed 2,900 companies operating in 80+ countries. 500 has invested in 35+ companies valued at over $1 billion and 160+ companies valued at over $100 million (including private, public, and exited companies)³.

This includes companies like Canva, Talkdesk, Grab, Lucidchart, eFishery, Credit Karma, Intercom, Twilio, Sendgrid, and more.

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

Chapters:

00:09 Diving Deep into 500 Global's Evolution
03:02 Christine Tsai's Personal Journey into Venture Capital
10:22 500 Global's Unique Approach to Venture Capital
14:07 Diverse Backgrounds in Venture Capital
27:41 VC Unlocked in Educating Emerging Managers
40:42 The Early Bird Gets the Worm: Investing in Startups
41:15 The Challenges and Opportunities of Accelerators
41:51 Navigating the Accelerator Landscape: Tips for Founders
42:48 Spotlight on Global Accelerator Success Stories
43:30 The Evolution of Venture Capital: From Skepticism to Success
44:02 Venture Capital's Herd Mentality vs. Disruptive Investing
48:39 Leading the Charge: Transitioning from Co-Investor to Lead Investor
01:08:23 Balancing Act: Navigating Work and Family Life in Venture Capital

Join us for a new episode of the NEUVC series dedicated to those embarking on their journey in the VC. In this episode, Freddie Macpherson, Associate at Isomer Capital, and Linda Võeras, Investment Manager at Karma Ventures, are joined by Marie Brayer, Partner at Fly Ventures.

Fly Ventures is an early-stage deep tech and tech-heavy B2B software specialist fund. They are the first-check VC for technical founders and invest from day zero to seed, backing founders from all over Europe.

Marie has a background in finance and a keen interest in engineering. Before joining Fly Ventures in 2022, she worked with Serena Capital, where she invested and worked with more than 10 French B2B startups, including Descartes Underwriting, Lifen, Malt, and Kili Technology.

Marie is always looking to help founders who really want to take on a huge technical challenge. Make sure to listen to Marie’s inspiring story on today’s podcast episode below.

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

Chapters:

• 00:58 Marie's Journey into Venture Capital
• 03:54 From Software Engineering to Venture Capital
• 06:23 The Evolution of the French Tech Ecosystem
• 08:35 Expanding Horizons: From France to Europe
• 10:20 Joining Fly Ventures: A New Chapter
• 11:47 The Changing Landscape for Technical Founders in Europe
• 12:26 Education and Ecosystems in Tech Success
• 16:53 The Diverse Paths to Success in European Tech
• 20:22 The Strategy Behind Winning Deals Across Europe
• 22:46 Supporting Deep Tech Founders: Risks and Rewards
• 29:27 Navigating the European VC Landscape
• 42:02 The Future of Board Dynamics in Early-Stage Startups
• 47:08 The Power of Side Projects in Venture Capital
• 49:40 Advice for New VCs: Embrace the Intensity

If one of your guilty pleasures is watching four wealthy, over-the-top opinionated talking heads every weekend, you may recall that Chamath Palihapitiya predicted that 2024 will be the year that bitcoin becomes a mainstream asset. We brought together three true crypto native VCs to discuss crypto’s comeback, recent trends and where we’re headed.

Listen to it here or watch it on eu.vc for a discussion on:

• The State of the crypto market overall
• What has been built in the last few years?
• Challenges for crypto to overcome in the coming years
• The impact of global regulations on crypto.
• Key growth drivers, innovations and hot sectors
• What makes our panelists excited?
• Predictions for the future of crypto investments.
• Sustainability and ethics in crypto investing

The Panelists
Jan Baeriswyl, GP at very early Ventures has deep expertise in token design and a dedication to working closely with founders. Veryearly is one of Europe’s leading first time funds in supporting the builders of critical Web3 infrastructure. They focus on helping founders design products, protocols, and tokens with a technical hands-on approach. We recently announced our investment in Very Early - check it out here for a spotlight on what we believe a rising star in crypto looks like.

Felix Machart, Partner at Greenfield Capital is an expert in crypto-economics, governance, and crypto capital markets at large. Greenfield is a European crypto investment firm and long-term backers of early developer teams building toward an open, decentralized, and more robust architecture of tomorrow’s web.

Anirudh P., Partner at Dragonfly has a track record of identifying new trends early and making bold bets on contrarian theses. Dragonfly are crypto-natives who have been investing and building for 10+ years. Founded in 2018, dragonfly brings access and influence to help crypto teams with global aspirations find innovation and adoption anywhere.Chapters:

• 00:00 Opening Remarks and Roundtable Context
• 01:58 Introducing the Crypto Investment Experts
• 02:49 Diverse Investment Strategies in Crypto
• 06:59 Current State and Future Prospects of the Crypto Market
• 18:38 Stablecoins and Geopolitical Implications
• 22:39 Navigating Regulatory Compliance and Crypto's Ethos
• 23:56 Demographic Challenges and Crypto's Role in Global Policy
• 25:50 Addressing Crypto's Main Challenges: Privacy, Security, and Usability
• 30:55 Distributed systems and Governance in Crypto
• 35:24 Predicting the Market's Future

Join us as we step back and chart the evolution of European VC with a true O.G. Roundtable:

• Yaron Valler, Founding Partner at Target Global
• Chris Wade, Founding Partner at Isomer Capital
• Kerry Baldwin, Founding Partner at IQ Capital

And moderated by Andreas Munk Holm from EUVC and Gabriel Shin, CFA from Vauban from Carta 🎙️

Chapters:

• 00:02:28 The Transformation of European Venture Capital
• 00:08:57 Challenges and Misalignments in the Venture Capital Landscape
• 00:11:43 Navigating the Cyclical Nature of Venture Capital
• 00:19:35 The Impact of Government and Regulation on European VC
• 00:30:29 Approachability of Senior Politicians in Europe
• 00:30:53 The Role of VCs in European Policy and Politics
• 00:31:33 The Impact of AI on Society and the Economy
• 00:35:41 The Importance of Data in Shaping Policies
• 00:38:03 Changing Expectations and Needs of Founders
• 00:41:27 The Role of Accelerators and Incubators
• 00:48:44 The Importance of Governance and Board Readiness in VC
• 00:50:55 What LPs Look for in European Venture

Watch the webinar eu.vc or listen on Apple/Spotify 🎧 


This roundtable is brought to you in partnership with Carta, the easiest way to launch & run your fund and syndicates.


It’s no secret that we at eu.vc are happy and heavy users of the Carta platform as it allows us to be creators turned angels without bogging us down in back-office hassle of investing. For a very special treatment, go here to let the Carta team know you’re coming from the eu.vc community 🤗

Today, we have Vincent Touati-Tomas with us. Vincent is the Head of Marketing at Northzone, a global VC firm Northzone that has raised more than ten funds to date, with its most recent fundraising in excess of €1 billion, investing in startups from Seed to Growth.

Northzone is investing out of Fund X and more than 80 active portfolio companies and notable investments, including Personio, Klarna, Kahoot, Spotify, and Spring Health. At Northzone, Vincent focuses on all things marketing.

Now, Vincent is one of the great thinkers and practitioners of marketing in European VC, and we're so lucky that he has taken the time to structure his thoughts on the topic for us in this episode. So, you're in for a real master class.

Some might be a bit hard to follow if you're not doing marketing in your day-to-day, but I urge you to stay tuned because there's so much to learn for any VC thinking about how to build and grow their firm and its impact. So strap in, and let's hear from Vincent.

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

Chapters:

00:02:18 Vincent's Journey into Venture Capital
00:04:15 The Power of Podcasting in Vincent's Career
00:05:51 Marketing Strategies for VC Firms: Insights from North Zone
00:18:36 Building Relationships and the Importance of Content in VC
00:39:54 The Transparency Challenge in European Venture Capital
00:40:48 The Importance of Public Performance Metrics
00:43:18 Liquidity and Performance: A European Perspective
00:46:46 Marketing and Operations: Dream Structures for VC Firms
00:56:03 Building a VC Brand: Narrative and Franchise Development

Join us as our own Andreas Munk Holm and Anthony Danon from Cocoa talk to Elsa Hermal, angel investor and co-founder of Epicery, about impact investing, diverse teams, and economic resilience.

An exited impact entrepreneur turned founders mentor, Elsa empowers CEOs and C-levels to navigate both strategic and human challenges, leveraging her entrepreneurial expertise to guide them and their teams toward sustainable growth.

With a dedicated 100% impact investment portfolio, Elsa is also a proud backer of Satgana, the climate tech fund we recently announced our investment into, whose final close is just around the corner with a 4.2x TVPI.

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

Chapters:

00:00:00 Welcome to the Super Angel Podcast
00:01:08 Elsa's Journey into Angel Investing
00:03:38 Investment Philosophy: Impact Over Profit
00:04:28 Exploring Unconventional Investment Areas
00:05:14 Balancing Purpose and Profit in Investments
00:12:26 The Future of Mental Health
00:14:30 Deep Dive into Psychedelics
00:30:13 Elsa's Investment Strategy and Core Learnings

Today, we have Jan Voss with us. Jan is the Head of Family Office at BLN Capital, a Berlin-based Single Family Office. BLN invests across almost all asset classes but has historically been most active in early-stage ventures in Germany as well as the VC and PE fund space.

AT BLN, Jan leads a three-person investment team focused on long-term investments across almost all asset classes. Jan is also a very active author on LinkedIn with over 15,000 followers, regularly sharing insights into family offices, venture capital, and asset allocation with his readers.

BLN manages over 100M€ in assets and has an established portfolio of 30+ companies and notable investments, including Kittl, PowerUs, and Meine Erde.

Jan is also the Managing Director of Cape May Wealth. Cape May Wealth is a Berlin-based wealth management firm. They aim to make family office investment knowledge available to everyone to help entrepreneurs make better decisions regarding their wealth.

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

Chapters:

00:05:18 - Balancing Moonshots and Profitability
00:07:54 - The Mistake of Family Offices in VC Investments
00:13:00 - The Value of European VCs
00:20:29 - Secondaries and Venture Debt
00:23:03 - The Versatility of Growth Funds in the German Market
00:25:36 - Investments in Private Equity and Venture Capital
00:30:39 - The Pros and Cons of Large Funds and Small Market Investments
00:33:06 - Direct VC Investments and Portfolio Strategy
00:35:41 - Different approaches to investing
00:38:17 - The Importance of Tracking Companies' Progress
00:40:55 - VC Fund Behavior and Courage
00:45:57 - Three Biggest Learnings from the Past 10 Years
00:48:19 - Being proactive and driving personal traction
00:53:11 - Tips for Emerging VCs
00:58:22 - Contradictory Communication Styles

Today, we have Julia Hawkins with us. Julia is a General Partner at Phoenix Court, a $1.5bn AUM EMEA multi-stage tech investor, backing the most ambitious founders on their journey from seed through to public markets and beyond over the last two decades.

LocalGlobe is the pre-seed and seed fund investing out of Phoenix Court’s Fund 12 with an established portfolio of over 200 companies with notable investments including At-Bay, Motorway, Zego and Improbable. At Phoenix Court, Julia focuses on health and hard tech and led investments into AccuRx, Oxford Nanopore, Vaccitech, and more recently Spore Bio and Early Health.

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

Chapters:00:00:00 Welcome to the European VC Podcast with Julia Hawkins
00:00:26 Diving Deep into Phoenix Court and Multi-Stage Investing
00:04:22 Julia Hawkins' Journey into Venture Capital
00:15:44 The Impact of Personal Experiences on Professional Paths
00:18:27 Exploring the Future of Hard Tech in Europe
00:34:09 Exploring Healthcare Innovations and Community Impact
00:34:33 The Unique Approach of Local Globe in Healthcare Investments
00:35:25 Building Relationships and Community in the Healthcare Sector
00:44:21 Mentorship and Diversity in Venture Capital
00:52:47 Advice for Emerging VCs

Cornerstoned by Isomer Capital, very early Ventures is built to capture the opportunity in three foundational Web3 pillars: Decentralized Infrastructure, Real World Impact, and Public Markets Opportunity.

The very early team has already established a solid initial portfolio in lockstep with leading web3 funds like a16z, Dragonfly, and 1kx. This is evidence that the best founders choose to work with the very early team not just for the capital, but for the value add.

At the core of Web3 lies the possibility of separating money from state. Creating a new global monetary system that transcends borders, redefines property rights, and empowers individuals like never before. This transformation may represent the biggest opportunity of our lifetimes, and we are thrilled to be part of this paradigm shift.

With the speculative excess and hype cleared from much of the Web3 ecosystem, the emerging Web3 bull market appears to be driven by applications that genuinely add value and are built on robust foundations, rather than fleeting fantasies. We believe Web3 is finally reaching the level of maturation we’ve all been waiting for, leading to the founding of projects with tangible benefits and sustainable models instead of mere speculation. And it is these projects that the very early team is helping to bring about.

If you would like an intro to the very early team, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Today, we have Steffen Pauls with us. Steffen is a Founding Partner at 7GC, a €400M Growth venture fund based in Berlin, and founded the firm in 2015 to bring growth investment opportunities to a network of key decision-makers, industrial families, and entrepreneurs in Europe.

7GC is investing out of Fund II with a total €400M AUM and an established portfolio of 15 companies and notable investments including Jackpocket, Jio, Hims & Hers. Steffen focuses on Sars, FinTech, and AI.

Steffen is a serial entrepreneur who has founded several businesses; among others, he co­founded and acted as CEO of the first five AG (sold to a PE investor). In addition, Steffen is the founder of Moonfare, a financial services technology firm, which he currently runs as the acting CEO.

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

Chapters:

00:03:14 - From Private Equity to Venture Capital
00:06:16 - Moonfare's Global Expansion Journey
00:09:14 - The Importance of Patience in Investing
00:15:15 - The Future of AI Regulation
00:18:12 - Europe's Struggle to Catch Up in AI
00:21:02 - The Imbalance of Data Ownership
00:33:36 - Democratizing Private Equity Investment
00:36:38 - Investment Pre-Selection Process
00:39:39 - Moonfare: An Innovation in the Market
00:42:31 - The Different Players in the Industry
00:45:36 - Moonfare: Building a Community
00:48:43 - Democratization of Private Equity
00:51:44 - Learning from the Challenges of Starting Moon Fare
00:54:49 - The Importance of Culture in Building Great Companies
00:58:04 - Trends in Investor Behavior
01:01:22 - The Importance of Independence and Speaking Up
01:04:26 - The Dangers of Being Cyclical
01:07:33 - The Value of University Education