CVC | E371 | Redstone's Samuli Siren on the challenges of working with corporate investors

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas and our in-house CVC expert, Jeppe Høier, are joined by Samuli Siren, CEO of Redstone, one of Europe's most successful venture capital firms.

Together, we’ll dive deep into Redstone’s approach to corporate venture capital, exploring how they’ve built a portfolio with around €600M across ten different funds. Redstone specializes in Series A rounds and is headquartered in Berlin, focusing on DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and global markets—particularly the U.S.

Redstone's focus spans multiple sectors, though always with a digital and B2B edge. Some of their standout investments include PlanRadar, Liqid, Psy, Finanzguru, Atlas Metrics, and Yoto. With Samuli, Redstone has excelled in attracting corporate investors, making his insights invaluable to anyone looking to understand how to raise capital from corporates.

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

Chapters:

01:53 The Journey of Building Redstone
03:32 Challenges in Venture Capital
04:42 Working with Corporate Investors
07:03 Managing Corporate Relationships
14:07 Fundraising Strategies and Insights
16:15 The Importance of Investor Relations
19:32 Long-Term Relationships with LPs
24:01 The Importance of Professional LPs
24:32 Key Strategies for Success with Corporates
25:05 Making Startup Innovation Fun
25:33 Personal Touches in Business Interactions
26:50 Tailoring Pitch Decks for Corporates
28:33 The Pain of Cold Outreach
29:49 Fundraising Buckets and Success Rates
33:01 Balancing Passion, Family, and Self
34:11 Advice for Young CVC Professionals
40:52 Challenges in Corporate Digitalization