EUVC EUVC #273: George Henry, GP at LocalGlobe on Investing in the intersection of tech, culture, and politics.
Jan 25, 2024
55:48
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
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