Scaling Europe

QuantumLight uses proprietary AI models to scan and rank thousands of companies using public data, helping the firm identify the strongest investment opportunities and move quickly with high conviction.

At Slush in Helsinki, I sat down with Dora Zikouli, Investor at QuantumLight VC, and she explained how the firm combines that data-driven approach with lessons from scaling Revolut under Nik Storonsky, including practical systems around hiring and performance management that portfolio companies can apply as they grow.

The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:

https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk

Sponsors:

SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/

Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/

Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/

Timestamps:

0:25 - Introduction to QuantumLight

1:06 - AI-driven decision making in VC

2:00 - Focus on Series B+ investments

3:10 - Unique advantages in investment speed

4:17 - Value derived from DNA and Revolut

5:09 - Playbooks for performance management and hiring

6:04 - Importance of systematic performance management

7:00 - Common pitfalls in performance reviews

8:27 - Importance of CEO office structure

9:11 - Core patterns for company success

10:30 - Model trained on historical data

12:07 - Value of operator mindset in VC

Three years ago ElevenLabs had just 10 people. Today the company has around 400 employees, is valued at $11bn and is still scaling rapidly as it works toward a team of more than 900.

Victoria Weller joined early as Chief of Staff and now oversees operations, playing a central role in building the systems that support the company’s hypergrowth, from scaling hiring to maintaining a culture built around high ambition and low ego as ElevenLabs grows into a global AI company.

The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:

https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk

Sponsors:

SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/

Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/

Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction to Scaling Europe show

1:01 - ElevenLabs eliminates job titles

2:54 - ElevenLabs growth from 10 to 400 employees

5:09 - Victoria's attraction to high-velocity companies

7:23 - Company culture: collaborative yet intense

8:40 - Core values prioritize humility and teamwork

10:01 - Balancing ambition with kindness in teams

12:37 - Impact of removing job titles on clarity

14:54 - Importance of hands-on execution

16:24 - Hosting the ElevenLabs Summit

18:04 - Challenges in talent acquisition

20:48 - Valuing the people at ElevenLabs

Workplace disputes often go unchallenged because most people do not know their rights or cannot afford legal help. Danae Shell, Founder and CEO at Valla, is building a consumer legal AI company designed to change that.

Valla’s smart legal platform helps people identify workplace legal issues and understand their options, combining AI with legal expertise to make support faster and more accessible while already helping more than 15,000 people.

The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:

https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk

Sponsors:

SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/

Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/

Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction to Scaling Europe show

1:00 - Danae Shell introduces Valla legal AI

2:30 - Addressing gaps in consumer legal services

4:20 - Valla's flagship case assessment product

5:29 - Finding people needing legal services

6:02 - Understanding the legal market landscape

7:06 - Exploring growth opportunities in tenancy

8:22 - Fundraising experience with Ada Ventures

10:29 - Unlocking next capital for growth

11:01 - Transitioning from idea to real business

12:47 - Adapting to rapid AI model changes

15:39 - Balancing team growth and upskilling

17:01 - CEO's role in content marketing

19:00 - Challenges of tracking TikTok conversions

20:24 - Direct-to-consumer legal services innovation

The moment Crijn Bouman first saw autonomous vehicles in action, one problem became obvious: remove the driver and much of today’s infrastructure stops working. Charging stations, parking garages and service hubs all assume a human behind the wheel.

After building EV charging company Epyon and selling it to ABB, he started Rocsys to fix that interface with hands-free robotic charging for autonomous fleets as robotaxis and automated logistics begin scaling.

The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:

https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk

Sponsors:

SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/

Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/

Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction to Scaling Europe show

1:06 - Inspiration behind ROCSYS company

2:10 - Fixing the interface for autonomous mobility

3:00 - Opportunities in robot taxi market

6:41 - Growth of deep tech VCs in Europe

8:00 - Challenges of operating across continents

9:11 - Regulatory hurdles for autonomous vehicles

12:26 - Vision for fully automated service facilities

Lawhive has grown to $35m in revenue after 7x growth in a single year and recently raised a $60m Series B to accelerate its US expansion. Co-founder and CEO Pierre Proner built the company by combining a regulated law firm with an AI platform instead of simply selling software to lawyers, using automation to reduce the cost of legal services and open access to help for people who would otherwise struggle to afford it.

The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:

https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk

Sponsors:

SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/

Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/

Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction to Scaling Europe show

0:36 - Guest Pierre discusses Lawhive's funding

1:54 - Series B funding details and investors

5:04 - US market expansion and growth strategy

6:40 - Acquisition strategy for US expansion

8:04 - Targeting consumer legal services market

9:50 - Estimated $200 billion US legal market

10:53 - Transformative access to legal help

13:44 - Direction of travel for the industry

16:01 - Early investor skepticism and support

19:11 - Ambitions for growth by 2026

AVP began as an €80m venture initiative inside AXA and is now an independent firm managing $2.5B across venture and growth.

François Robinet, Founder and Managing Partner at AVP, built the firm with a deliberate transatlantic strategy, operating across Europe and the US and learning early that the biggest constraint for European tech is not talent or ideas but access to very large pools of risk capital.

The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:

https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk

Sponsors:

SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/

Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/

Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction to Scaling Europe show

1:06 - History of AVP and its investment journey

2:41 - AVP's current investment strategy explained

5:39 - Differences in success by region discussed

8:24 - Challenges of US expansion for companies

9:30 - Importance of a country-specific approach

10:14 - Key factors for successful market expansion

12:21 - Need for adequate capital in the US market

16:57 - Disruptive technologies require significant capital

18:01 - Need for larger venture capital in Europe

20:31 - EU's efforts to bridge funding gaps

23:00 - Importance of creating a virtuous investment cycle

When ElevenLabs was still fourth in the market, its instant voice cloning was already 10x cheaper and 10x faster than competitors.

That was enough for Bryan Kim, Partner at a16z, to book a same day flight from San Francisco to London and close the Series A over lunch in Notting Hill. What followed was a rare transition from creator led self serve revenue to serious enterprise scale, as the company grew from seven people to 400 and became one of Europe’s defining AI businesses.

The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:

https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk

Sponsors:

SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/

Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/

Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction to Scaling Europe show

0:08 - Bryan Kim's connection to ElevenLabs

1:01 - Conviction in audio AI potential

2:32 - Quick trip to secure partnership

4:32 - Deepening relationships over three years

5:36 - Transitioning from consumer to enterprise sales

6:54 - Building a strong company culture

7:38 - The importance of kindness in leadership

9:50 - The urgency in competitive environments

10:20 - Earning the right to work with founders

11:00 - Specialization in investment sectors

12:28 - Impressive growth in European tech landscape

Leather is a $100bn global market and no alternative has managed to truly replace it. At Slush in Helsinki, I spoke with Michael Newton , CEO of Corium, about why the only real way to replace leather is with leather itself, grown from bovine skin cells instead of animals.

He believes Europe has a genuine opportunity to build breakthrough companies if it can reduce the friction that still slows founders down.

The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:

https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk

Sponsors:

SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/

Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/

Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/

Timestamps:

0:25 - Introduction to Scaling Europe show

1:40 - Qorium's innovative leather production

2:29 - Michael's background and career pivot

4:07 - Qorium's successful funding round

5:35 - Early stage of commercialization journey

6:40 - Targeting high-end leather brands

8:01 - Vision for scalable leather production

9:32 - Milestone for scalable leather production

10:20 - Importance of commercial partnerships

12:11 - Cultural differences in building companies

14:23 - Importance of keeping the bigger picture

15:00 - Two-way street between American and European tech

15:31 - Reducing unnecessary bureaucratic barriers

17:06 - Progress in supporting business growth in Europe

Using drones to stop drones is becoming a core part of modern defence. Jan-Hendrik Boelens, Founder and CEO at Alpine Eagle, is building air to air defence systems designed to detect and intercept hostile drones, securing the German Ministry of Defence as a launch customer and testing the system in Ukraine as the company expands beyond Germany into the UK.

The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:

https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk

Sponsors:

SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/

Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/

Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/

A €20m fund is now backing European founders building autonomous defence systems across air, land and sea.

I spoke with Louise Boucher, Founder and Managing Partner at Sisyphus Ventures, about how startups are securing government contracts within their first 12 to 18 months and why she sees the opportunity to build multi-billion-euro defence companies in Europe over the coming years.

The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:

https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk

Sponsors:

SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/

Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/

Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction to Scaling Europe show

0:25 - Overview of Sisyphus Venture fund

1:01 - Importance of technological warfare

2:01 - Notable investments in defense sector

6:00 - Reluctance to invest in aggressive defense

7:14 - Focus on military use for startups

9:02 - Changing perceptions on defense investments

10:01 - Market heating signals in defense tech

11:46 - Geographical hubs in European defense

12:40 - Importance of diverse founder backgrounds

14:22 - Balancing urgency and independence in defense

16:12 - Investing locally versus buying US tech

17:24 - Need for more capital in defense

18:03 - Upcoming IPOs in the defense sector

19:00 - Financing R&D through government contracts

21:00 - Strengths and weaknesses of European defense