We’re joined by Hampus Jakobsson, Partner at Pale Blue Dot, longtime founder, operator, and one of Europe’s most prolific early-stage investors.

In this episode, we dive into what it means to be a “five” in agency, how great teams form, why climate became unavoidable for him, and how Pale Blue Dot built an unconventional fund model that actually works for founders.

In our conversation, we covered:

→ Why The Astonishing Tribe scaled from six friends to 180 people across the world

→ The traits Hampus looks for in the first 10 hires of any startup

→ How extreme agency became his superpower, and occasional liability

→ The personal story that shaped his worldview on care, speed, and craft

→ Why climate wasn’t obvious at first… and then became the only rational choice

→ How Pale Blue Dot balances “three solo GPs” inside one fund

→ What founders consistently misunderstand about VC

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Supported by:

Accelerating Impact - an independent non-profit advancing impact finance by mobilizing capital toward sustainable development and running free accelerator programs for emerging fund managers (ICFA, ISFA). Join for expert coaching, training, financial support, and a strong peer community. Apply here.

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Listen now:Apple // Spotify // YouTube

Connect with Hampus:

Hampus on LinkedIn

Pale Blue Dot

Or ask me for an intro!

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