EUVC

E346 | EUVC | Christoph Klink, Antler on the need for technical founders in Europe with insights from Antler's recent report

Aug 29, 2024

Christoph Klink, a Partner at Antler and former consultant at McKinsey, shares his expertise on the importance of technical founders in Europe. He discusses a significant rise in technical founders, noting that over half of new unicorns are led by those with technical expertise. Christoph emphasizes the need for diverse skill sets in founding teams and the challenges that European tech giants face. Insights from a recent study highlight the critical role technical skills play in startup success and the importance of supporting entrepreneurs on their journeys.

53:53

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Christoph Klink

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Quick takeaways

The need for technical founders in Europe is critical as recent trends show a shift toward deeper tech capabilities among new unicorns.

European tech ecosystems face obstacles like bureaucracy and fragmentation, yet the rise of technical founders signals potential for innovation growth.

Deep dives

The Importance of Technical Founders

There is a significant need for technical founders in the European tech ecosystem, which has historically underperformed in creating industry-defining technology companies. A study conducted showed that around 30% of unicorn founders in Europe have a technical background, compared to 70% in the US. This indicates a focus on business model innovation rather than technological advancement in founding teams across European startups. However, recent trends suggest that the new generation of unicorns in Europe is shifting, as more than 50% of these founders are now technical, reflecting a growing interest in deep tech.

Intro

3min

The Rise of Technical Founders in Europe

27min

Unicorn Founders and the European Tech Landscape

13min

The Critical Role of Commercial Founders and Early Customer Focus

5min

Essential Fundraising Strategies for Challenging Markets

3min

Understanding the Challenges of Initial Customer Acquisition

2min

The Importance of Technical Founders in European Venture Capital

2min

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas discusses with Christoph Klink, a Partner at Antler.

He draws on his background as a Business Angel and Partner with McKinsey & Company. Before joining Antler, he served a range of leading technology organizations, amongst others in the mobility and transportation space, on disruptive strategy and building innovative business models. Building and nurturing top-talent organizations is one of his key passions and a great source of inspiration for Christoph.

Christoph is at the forefront of early-stage investing, and we're thrilled to have him share his insights with us. Christoph is investing out of Antler's first Continental European fund, which has an impressive 60M EUR AUM. What sets Antler apart is their focus on investing and supporting startups from "day zero" to Series C.

In today's episode, we're diving deep into a topic that Cristoph has studied recently: The Rise of the European Technical Founder. Christoph will share some insights from their recent report, and why Antler is doubling down on this area and how it could be a game-changer for European tech.

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

Chapters:

00:02 Meet Christophe Klink from Antler Continental Europe
00:13 Antler's Investment Focus and Portfolio
00:44 The Importance of Technical Founders in Europe
03:12 Christophe's Recent Study on Technical Founders
04:15 Challenges in Building European Tech Giants
06:54 The Rise of Technical Founders in Europe
21:30 Antler's Approach to Founder Team Composition
26:09 The Role of Generalists and Specialists in Startups
28:53 Finding the Right Co-Founder
29:13 Recap of Core Learnings
29:48 European Tech Giants Dilemma
29:54 Rise of Technical Founders
31:14 Meet Christoph: The Investor
33:23 Antler's Work Ethic and Culture
36:48 Challenges of Building Antler
38:24 Olympic Medalists vs. Unicorn Founders
40:35 Top Lessons in Venture Capital 47:16 Advice for Emerging VCs

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