EUVC

Hemal Fraser-Rawal is the GP of White Star Capital, a global investment platform with 1.5B AUM housing venture capital, digital assets and now debt-led Hybrid growth financing for companies. White Star Capital backs exceptional entrepreneurs building ambitious, international businesses across multiple stages and operate out of London, New York, Paris, Montreal, Toronto, Guernsey, Tokyo, and Singapore. By having such global presence, perspective, and people enable White Star are able to partner closely with their founders and them scale internationally.

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

Chapters:
00:03:18 - Turbocharging company growth through equity and debt
00:06:01 - Leveraged finance and the great recession
00:08:46 - The golden age of private credit is changing
00:11:30 - Understanding the growth debt markets
00:14:28 - Volatility in valuations and risk-reward in credit vs VC
00:17:25 - The benefits of debt investments
00:20:08 - The inevitability of write-offs in investing
00:25:49 - Addressing the funding gap in Europe
00:31:08 - Investing across different stages and asset classes
00:33:44 - Considering different investment assets
00:36:18 - Debt-based investment strategy
00:39:07 - Liquidity events and talent in Europe's secondary investing sector
00:41:49 - The availability of technical sector jobs
00:44:33 - Finding Top VCs in Europe
00:50:10 - Persistence in the face of rejection
00:52:53 - Building the Future of machines and software

George is a General Partner at Phoenix Court Group, the group of funds home to LocalGlobe in Somers Town, London, building global businesses based on innovative science and technology to have the maximum positive impact on society.

LocalGlobe is investing out of their fifth institutional fund, of approx. 150M pounds, with a total AUM of over 1b pounds. Local Globe has an established portfolio of +60 companies and notable investments, including Melio, TravelPerk, Tide, Hibob, Motorway, Wise and Oxford Nanopore, AvantArte, and Sorare.

At LocalGlobe, George focuses on Marketplaces, E-commerce 2.0, and SaaS with a particular focus on SMEs across New Palo Alto, a region that encompasses a market of 40 million people and is roughly 4 hours train ride from Phoenix Court’s home next to St Pancras, London. George led the investments into Travelperk, Rekki, Taster, and Qogita.

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

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Phoenix Court Group and Local Globe
00:03:03 - Concentrating capital into the most exciting companies
00:08:21 - The Rise of Social Media Platforms
00:11:01 - P2P Marketplace for Local Activities
00:13:44 - Hiring as a VC
00:16:25 - EQ and relationships in the venture capital industry.
00:21:55 - The Positive Aspects of Control and Humility
00:24:51 - The Strength of Europe in the Technology Wave
00:30:23 - The Relationship Between Culture, Technology, and Politics
00:35:47 - The Role of AI in Society and Culture
00:39:00 - The Value of Open Conversations in AI
00:41:40 - The Importance of Teamwork in Venture Capital
00:44:21 - The unique structure and mission of Local Globe
00:47:01 - Lessons learned and the importance of focus
00:49:42 - Investing Tips for Emerging VCs in Europe

Today, we have Doreen Huber. Doreen is a Partner at EQT Ventures, a €1.1 BN early-stage venture fund with offices all over Europe and the US to back European and US startups. At EQT Ventures, Doreen focuses on Software in Europe, leading the investment into Parloa this year, the AI for Customer Care Automation. EQT Ventures is investing out of Fund III with a total of €2.3 BN AUM and an established portfolio of more than +100 companies and notable investments, including Handshake, Banking Circle, Einride, Instabee, and Verkor.Prior to joining EQT Ventures as Partner in January 2022, Doreen spent several years honing her role as one of Germany’s most respected business entrepreneurs and food technology experts, holding various C-level positions throughout her career and having founded her first company at 23.

As the founder and CEO of LEMONCAT (acquired in 2019 by Rocket Internet’s B2B Food Group), Doreen built a marketplace and SaaS solution for the European catering industry. She was also COO of food delivery unicorn Delivery Hero, currently valued at over €10bn.
Outside of work, Doreen is a keen traveller and art lover and holds a Master's degree in Media Science, Literature and Art History from Humboldt University Berlin.

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

Chapters:
00:02:40 - From Writer to Founder and VC
00:05:08 - Investing with Aligned Goals
00:07:32 - Lessons Learned from Early Investments in Delivery Hero
00:09:47 - The Shift in Perspective
00:12:33 - Embracing Luck and Gratitude
00:15:13 - The Intersection of Business and Creativity
00:17:46 - The Intersection of Different Backgrounds in Startups
00:20:11 - Sales as Crucial to Success
00:22:36 - Sales Teams in Product Growth
00:24:58 - Sales DNA
00:27:22 - Importance of Monetization Strategy
00:29:49 - Bridging the Gap in Sales Culture
00:32:23 - The Power of EQT Partners to Connect with Experts
00:34:51 - Leveraging Knowledge within Organizations
00:37:31 - Being a Supportive Investor
00:39:56 - Lessons for Founders from a VC Internship
00:42:17 - The Randomness of VC Decision-Making
00:47:14 - The Importance of Company Culture in Remote Settings

Join us for another episode of the NEUVC series which is dedicated to those embarking on their journey in the VC.

In this episode, Freddie Macpherson, Analyst at Isomer Capital, and Linda Võeras, Associate at Karma Ventures, are joined by the one and only Mr. Exits, who runs Exits Cap. Exits Cap is a Seed and Series - A fund launched in 2022 focused on investments in the SaaS, Consumer Internet, and Aerospace and Defence verticals. But you may know who we’re talking about from the name of the infamous social media account Praying for Exits.

With over 80,000 followers on Instagram, we all know his memes. Today, Mr. Exits lifts the lid on the US versus Europe by setting up his social media accounts and how they've been useful to him on his journey.

Head on over to eu.vc for the core learnings 🧠

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Mr. Exit and His Social Media Platform
00:02:10 - The Journey to Venture Capital
00:03:51 - The Journey to Becoming a VC
00:05:34 - The Impetus for "Praying for Exits"
00:07:12 - Memes and Influence in Venture Capital
00:12:07 - Building Relationships with Founders
00:15:29 - Cold Outreach and High Conversion Rates
00:17:09 - Scrutiny in the Public Eye
00:20:20 - Building a Brand with High Integrity
00:23:42 - Overcoming Anxiety and Staying Genuine on Social Media
00:26:55 - Finding Value in Social Media
00:28:35 - Revealing the Opacity of Venture Capital
00:33:36 - The Value of Attention in Early Stage Companies
00:35:16 - Utilizing Attention for Success in Venture Capital
00:36:57 - Building with Integrity in Venture Capital

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

Today Savitri Tan from Isomer Capital is joined by Naza Metghalchi, Principal at EQT Ventures to talk a lot about her career so far, transitioning from a platform role into investment, why surrounding yourselves with the best is integral and how to build relationships of trust with founders.

Naza Metghalchi was born in Iran, raised in Paris, and has lived in London for the past 15 years. She started her career as an intern at Seedcamp in 2012, whilst all her friends were joining consulting firms or investment banks. Later, she joined onefinestay, where she fell in love with the raw energy and enthusiasm of startups.

She joined the team at Series A, led commercial positions in the sales and product marketing teams, witnessing periods focusing on profitability and others on growth (at all cost!), until the company got acquired after having raised $80m.

She then became an early employee at a startup studio, Founders Factory, where she set up their accelerator program.An avid supporter of the European ecosystem, she published Rewarding Talent, a guide to democratising employee equity, and is an active angel investor, in consumer social, and the future of work space.

At EQT, she loves partnering with founders that are execution-driven whilst being self-reflective, and working alongside them as a problem-solver and people-person at her core.Outside of work, you can usually find Naza organising a dinner party, listening to podcasts outdoors, reading Japanese literature and travelling to South America.

Naza holds a BA in European Politics, and a MS in Management from the London School of Economics.

Watch the full episode as well as our upcoming events on eu.vc 👀

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Untold Stories of Amazing VCs in Europe
00:02:19 - Career Moves and Early Stage Companies
00:04:21 - Learning in Startup Environments
00:06:12 - Attributes of Successful Founders
00:08:03 - Surrounding Yourself with the Best
00:10:01 - Surrounding Yourself with Tier One People
00:12:02 - Building Your Cap Table
00:13:49 - Building Relationships with VCs
00:15:43 - Assessing Investors for Business Growth
00:17:41 - Building Trust and Vulnerability in Investor-Founder Relationships
00:19:39 - Building a Trust-Based Relationship with Founders
00:21:38 - The Importance of Alignment in Achieving Objectives
00:23:46 - Understanding Product Market Fit
00:25:37 - Assessing Founders and Market Timing
00:27:35 - The Role of Luck in Business Ventures
00:29:25 - Maximizing Chances and Grabbing Luck
00:31:22 - The Trustworthiness of Tactyc in Fund Management

Today, we have Lucile Cornet with us. Lucile is a Partner at Eight Roads, a $11BN global venture fund with offices across the globe.

Eight Roads invests in companies at the Series B stage and helps them scale up internationally. They have 450 portfolio companies globally, of which 60 are IPOs, and many are unicorns: Alibaba, Toast, Flywire, Chewy, Hibob, Neo4j, or Fever.

Lucile is part of the European team of Eight Roads. She is a French national (born in Toulouse) but has been based in London for 15 years and focuses on anything SaaS and Fintech series B. She became one of the youngest female partners in Europe, being promoted to Partner in 2021 at just 33 years old. Her investments include companies such as Spendesk, Leocare, Amenitiz, Reveal, and Thinksurance.

Outside work, Lucile is a mum of two daughters who loves adventurous travel and cooking and as you’ll see, a dazzling extrovert who thrives in meeting new people.
Watch the full interview on eu.vc 👀 and read our core learnings 🧠

Chapters
00:00:00 - Lucile’s journey in VC & Eight Roads Venture Fund intro00:06:30 - Moving fast in the tech industry
00:07:07 - Learning and unlearning in VC
00:15:07 - Building firm belief & conviction ahead of an investment
00:18:00 - Why a little bit of chaos is good for you
00:24:02 - The Potential of SME Vertical SaaS
00:29:49 - The value ad model and investing in growth
00:35:59 - Sales, marketing and adoption in enterprise software
00:38:59 - The importance of Humility and listening
00:42:17 - The importance of Speed and execution
00:45:03 - On Leadership and decision-making
00:48:04 - Building strong relationships in business
00:51:11 - People and culture in VC
00:54:16 - Advice for emerging VCs across Europe
00:57:27 - Don't give up on fundraising

Join us as Tom Wilson from Seedcamp and Anthony Danon from Cocoa talk to Paul Forster, co-founder & CEO of Indeed and currently an active angel investor.

Paul Forster co-founded Indeed and was CEO until the company’s acquisition in late 2012. Today, Indeed is the leading job site globally, with over 100 million unique visitors in more than 50 countries and 26 languages.

Paul previously co-founded the leading job site for financial professionals, and before that was an investment professional at International Finance Corporation. He holds an MBA from INSEAD and Master’s degrees from Cambridge and Oxford Universities.

Paul loves working with founders and loves their energy, creativity, and variety. As an investor, he enjoys the intellectual stimulation from getting to know different industries and sectors and from working with different kinds of people.

We invite you to listen to this discussion below to hear some wonderful stories, besides the actionable pieces of advice that you can have a sneak peek at below.

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

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to the Super Angel Podcast
00:01:54 - Early stage investing and angel investing
00:04:50 - Mentally stimulating work and investing in focused founders
00:06:30 - Investing in UK-based Companies
00:08:14 - Approaching New Deals and Portfolio Diversity
00:10:00 - Finding the Balance Between Diversification and Support
00:11:42 - Investing in Founders with Domain Expertise
00:13:22 - Pattern Recognition and Experience
00:15:05 - Collaborating with Other Investors in the Ecosystem
00:16:51 - Investing in Early Stage Companies
00:18:35 - Leading a Round
00:20:16 - Examples of Successful Investments
00:22:09 - Investing in VC Funds
00:23:58 - Core Learnings from Angel Investing
00:25:49 - Key Factors for Successful Investing
00:27:44 - Follow-on Investing and Objective Decision Making
00:29:28 - The Importance of the Right Team and Market Opportunity
00:30:57 - The Importance of Capital Efficiency in Building a Business
00:32:37 - Lessons from Angel Investing
00:34:28 - Building networks for international investments

Join us for another episode of the NEUVC series which is dedicated to those embarking on their journey in the VC. In this episode, Freddie Macpherson, analyst at Isomer Capital, and Linda Võeras, associate at Karma Ventures, are joined by Rebecka Löthman Rydå, Investment Director at Inventure.

Inventure is a Nordic-Baltic a generalist venture capital fund focused on early-stage investing. Rebecka has been an investor for almost nine years and ended up in venture a little bit by accident and staying because she simply couldn’t see herself anywhere else.

Her true passion is all things related to software, AI data, and nerdy stuff. A little bit of deep tech and clean tech, when possible.

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Rebecka’s journey into venture
00:04:55 - The balance of trust and empathy in deal-making
00:09:50 - The deal evaluation process
00:14:34 - Building trust and balancing relationships
00:19:32 - Key skills in deal-making
00:24:40 - Negotiating ownership and capital Needs
00:29:42 - Staying true to portfolio strategy
00:34:45 - Becoming a great investor through curiosity and deep diving
00:40:04 - The importance of staying focused and being Open
00:45:13 - VC funding in the music industry.

Today we have Tom McGinn with us. Tom is the General Counsel of Northzone, a multi-stage venture fund with offices in London, Stockholm, NYC, Amsterdam and Berlin, that invests from seed to growth across Europe and the US.

Northzone closed a EUR 1 billion fund last year and has backed over 100 companies, including Spotify, Personio & Spring Health. Tom joined Northzone in 2021 from Cooley where he helped get the emerging companies team in Europe off the ground.

Watch the full interview on eu.vc 👀 and read our core learnings 🧠

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction and Guest Introduction
00:03:09 - Lessons Learned from a Startup Experience
00:06:23 - European Approach to Advising High Growth Companies
00:09:34 - The Future of AI in the Legal Space
00:12:37 - The Difficulty of Reversing Company Negativity
00:15:41 - Building a High-Functioning Board
00:18:33 - The Value and Potential Destruction of Board Members
00:21:32 - Founders Treating the Board as Employees
00:24:25 - Awareness of Misalignment
00:27:38 - Strategic alignment and good cultural fit
00:30:36 - Managing Investor Departures
00:33:49 - Exceptional Leadership and Shoutouts to Female Founders
00:36:56 - Key Learnings for Founders
00:40:12 - Misalignment and liquidation preference
00:43:15 - Management Carve Out and Incentivization
00:46:36 - Tips for Emerging VCs
00:48:54 - Professionalism Amidst Technical Difficulties
00:49:29 - Europe as a model for the world's new beginnings

Today we have Simon Lohmann, Head of Platform & Investor Relations at Cavalry Ventures, an early-stage generalist venture fund in Germany to back European Software companies with a huge LP network and a sizeable platform team in place.

Cavalry is investing out of Fund 3 with a total of 250m AUM and an established portfolio of 50+ companies and notable investments including Usercentrics (Consent Management), Planradar (Real-Estate Construction Management), Forto (Digital Freight Forwarder), and Aleph Alpha (Generative Enterprise AI), which just raised an enormous Series B.

At Cavalry, Simon focuses on Fundraising and Investor Relations now and built up the platform before.

Go to eu.vc for a full write up of our learnings from this episode 🧠

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction and Sponsor Message
00:03:30 - Investment Announcement with German Corporates
00:06:58 - From Sales to VC: My Journey in the Industry
00:10:15 - The Importance of Education and Learning
00:13:47 - Investing in Talent and Consolidation in the VC Space
00:17:29 - The Challenges in the VC Industry
00:21:09 - Adjusting Valuations and Interacting with LPs
00:24:35 - The Beginning of Cavalry and the Platform Activities
00:28:11 - Structured Approach to Platform Development
00:31:40 - Using an App for Communication
00:35:04 - Using Affinity as our CRM
00:38:30 - Tracking the Success of Introductions
00:41:59 - The Value of a Platform Team in Venture Capital
00:45:28 - Importance of Value Add and Trust
00:48:45 - Supporting Portfolio Companies
00:52:14 - Shoutouts to Christian Du and Hannah from Don Capital
00:55:49 - Strategic Work and Scalability
00:59:20 - Capacity Management and Scalability Techniques
01:02:53 - Advice for First-Time Founders and Long-Term Thinking
01:06:27 - Communicating Clearly with LPs in Venture Capital
01:10:15 - European Unity and Values