Marianne Abib-Pech is the Managing Partner at Transitions First, an early-stage deep tech venture fund accelerating industrial transitions, backing industrial start-ups from advanced deep-tech ecosystems such as Silicon Valley, France, and Israel.

Takeaways ✨

Venture Capital to Marianne

• Finance with a twist (everything is finance)
• Creativity incorporated
• A strong focus on people and relationships

Why industrial startups?

• a market representing a $3 trillion opportunity
• only 1% of venture capital dollars in
• potential for acquisition by multinationals made it a venture case

Now listen in for more insights! ❤

00:07 Introducing Marianne and Her Background

00:37 Early Influences and Career Path

02:41 The Journey from CFO to Venture Capitalist

03:58 The Role of Finance in Venture Capital

08:51 Leadership and Its Evolution

14:21 The Importance of Diversity in Leadership

20:15 Transitioning to Venture Capital

20:29 Focus on Industrial Venture Capital

23:31 Investing Across Europe and the US

26:51 Challenges in French Venture Capital

28:09 Navigating Market Barriers

28:56 Strategic Market Entry

31:17 Criteria for Investment

32:54 Innovative Startups and Technologies

39:58 Philosophy and Future of the Fund

44:48 Personal Insights and Leadership

50:47 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

PODCAST LINKS:

• Podcast Website: https://www.whyyouvc.com
• Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3V4FyQN
• Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4hYSvpg
• RSS: https://bit.ly/whyyouvcrss
• Podcast Playlist: https://bit.ly/whyyouvc

SOCIAL LINKS:

• X: https://x.com/whyyouvc
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whyyouvc
• RED: https://bit.ly/whyyouvcred
• Bilibili: https://bit.ly/whyyouvcbili
• Email: [email protected]

GUEST LINKS:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianneabibpech/
• Transitions First: https://t1st.vc

Sandro Stark is Co-Founder and General Partner at Vanagon Ventures, backing digital solutions that confront the climate and biodiversity crisis head-on. Previously, he was the Global Innovation Lead at Allianz and Industry Executive at Microsoft.

Takeaways ✨

1. Vanagon’s approach to startup evaluation

2. Why is Munich's ecosystem strategic?

3. What's the philosophy behind sustainable success?

Now listen in for more insights! ❤

Outline 😎

🎬 00:00 Introduction and Tough Timing

💡 00:55 Early Signs of Entrepreneurship

💻 02:05 Career at Microsoft and Transition to Venture Capital

🚀 03:45 Defining Frontier Tech and Investment Focus

🏢 05:03 Founding Vanagon VC

💪 08:58 Challenges and Resilience in Fundraising

📈 11:19 Investment Strategies and Success Stories

⚖️ 19:06 Balancing Work and Personal Life

🧠 30:03 Reflections and Philosophical Insights

🎤 34:16 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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Christian Guba is Principal at Extantia’s flagship €204M Fund and previously Principal at Foodlabs, leading their €100M foodtech investments.

Eugene Foo: What are the major obstacles hindering Germany's and Europe's progress in the tech race?

00:00 - Introduction to ClimateTech Challenges

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Jing Wang is the venture investor of recently Nasdaq-listed WeRide, the World's First IPO of Universal Autonomous Driving Technology Company.

Eugene Foo: You classify founders based on traits, similar to how Olympic events are categorized into three types: systematic image, extreme breakthrough, and environmental. What is the basis for this classification?

Jing Wang: The classification reflects event characteristics: systematic image events (e.g., football) rely on strong systems, extreme breakthrough events (e.g., track and field) focus on individual performance, and environmental events (e.g., snow sports) emphasize adaptability. This showcases the diverse demands on founder profile.

00:43 - Jing’s Background and 15-Year Journey

04:34 - Founding the Venture Campus

04:55 - Evolution and Growth of the Venture Campus

08:23 - Investment Philosophy and Strategies

12:38 - Challenges in Venture Capital

18:58 - Evaluating Entrepreneurial Projects

23:59 - The Obsession Factor in Investments

24:35 - Experience and Its Role in Decision Making

25:09 - Managing Conflicts and Discussions

25:58 - Assessing Project Risks and Opportunities

26:46 - The Power of Thorough Discussions

28:13 - Unpacking the Concept of Risk Investment

31:06 - Evolving Investment Strategies Over Time

34:58 - Role of the Combat Intelligence Center

41:20 - Future Trends in Risk Investment

47:16 - Human Nature and Technological Innovation

49:04 - Reflections on Life and Experience

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Danijel Višević is Co-Founder and General Partner at World Fund, Europe’s Largest 1st-Time Climate Tech Fund.

Danijel Višević shares his journey working with Angela Merkel, transitioning from journalism to founding one of the largest first-time climate tech funds, and the importance of bold investments in decarbonization technologies.

Eugene Foo: What edge does being an immigrant investor give you?

00:00 - European Climate Fund Challenges

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Tilo Bonow is Founder at Piabo Communications with global clients like Stripe, Google, DJI. Meanwhile, he is an active LP in 60+ global VCs, like Headline, HV Capital, 3VC, and more.

Tilo Bonow joined YUVC to discuss the pivotal role of effective communication in the startup and venture capital ecosystem. As the founder and CEO of Piabo Communications, Europe’s leading tech PR agency, Bonow explains why 50% of startup valuation is narrative.

Eugene Foo: What are the key criteria you use to evaluate and select solo GPs for investment?

00:00 - Intro

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Chun Xia is Founding Partner at TSVC alongside Eugene Zhang (YUVC#19) based in Silicon Valley. Seed investor in Zoom, Carta, Ginkgo Bioworks and more.

Dr. Xia Chun joined Eugene Foo and Yuyan Wang at YUVC discussing the intricate dynamics of Chinese entrepreneurs seeking financing in the U.S. amidst geopolitical tensions to focusing on the qualities needed to become a category leader.

Eugene Foo: TSVC’s approach to evaluating founders?

00:00 - Intro

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Ertan Can is Founder at Multiple Capital based in Luxembourg and Frankfurt backing Micro VCs with a focus on Europe.

2100 funds screened, 1000 GP relationships, 50+ sectors, 48 funds invested, 103 GPs/Partners, 1359 portfolio companies, 156 outliers, 23 unicorns, 1 decacorn.

Eugene Foo: Your take on Masayoshi Son and SoftBank?

00:00 - Roadtrip Across China and Beyond

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Cyrus Yari is Co-Founder at Rational VC, formerly a podcast going deepdives with VCs, now investing $250,000 to $1 million in pre-seed to series-A rounds.

Cyrus Yari joined Eugene Foo at YUVC sharing his journey from one of the UK’s lowest-performing schools to co-investing with silicon valley big-name VCs.

00:00 - Cyrus's Journey to Rational VC

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Eugene Zhang is Founding Partner at TSVC (formerly TEEC Angel), 1st angel fund in Silicon Valley founded by Chinese American investing the ticket ticket into global Chinese and beyond.

With 9 unicorns in the portfolio, TSVC is named a top unicorn investor in the US by PitchBook.

00:00 - Always about Startup

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