EUVC EUVC #247: Colin Daymond Hanna, Balderton on purpose, empathy and prioritization
Nov 16, 2023
57:11
Today we have Colin Daymond Hanna with us. Colin is a Partner at Balderton. And I think it goes without saying that I need not introduce this firm; but just in case anyone listening in has just started in venture, I’ll say that in the two decades since Balderton’s founding, they have worked with hundreds of extraordinary European founders, and have raised eight funds totalling more than 3bn Euros.
At Balderton, Colin invests in purpose-driven, product-focused founders spanning verticals including Cloud, Consumer, Crypto, and Fintech. Colin has led the investments into Fuse Energy (formerly Tesseract), Ory, Supernormal, AnyType, Clue (note: the links go to Balderton’s annoucements, interesting reading!). Colin is also part of the team at Balderton responsible for driving the firm's Sustainable Future Goals initiatives.
Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Colin Daymon Hannah
00:02:54 - Growing up in Asia & the US and transitioning to venture
00:07:28 - Taking a Leap of Faith to Berlin
00:09:51 - The Role of Luck in Decision Making
00:12:05 - Prioritization and Communication
00:14:27 - Balderton's Purpose as a Partner for European Entrepreneurs
00:16:38 - Clue: Empowering Women's Health
00:18:56 - The Local First Mentality and Censorship Resistance
00:21:31 - Lack of Empathy in VC and Overstretching
00:23:40 - Importance of Investor Alignment
00:26:03 - On Purpose and Prioritization
00:28:35 - Prioritization & Portfolio Management
00:30:49 - Transparency in Investing
00:32:54 - Building Networks with Investors
00:35:10 - The Importance of Strong Communication and Vulnerability
00:37:17 - Communication and Gratitude
00:39:12 - How Sports Shape Your Path
00:41:31 - The Importance of Trusting the Process
00:44:01 - Transparency in Achieving Global Goals
00:46:07 - Investing in companies aligned with SDGs
00:48:32 - Express Championing of Positive Externalities
00:50:26 - Tips for Emerging VCs in Europe
00:52:46 - Focusing on the Purpose, Not the Valuation
At Balderton, Colin invests in purpose-driven, product-focused founders spanning verticals including Cloud, Consumer, Crypto, and Fintech. Colin has led the investments into Fuse Energy (formerly Tesseract), Ory, Supernormal, AnyType, Clue (note: the links go to Balderton’s annoucements, interesting reading!). Colin is also part of the team at Balderton responsible for driving the firm's Sustainable Future Goals initiatives.
Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Colin Daymon Hannah
00:02:54 - Growing up in Asia & the US and transitioning to venture
00:07:28 - Taking a Leap of Faith to Berlin
00:09:51 - The Role of Luck in Decision Making
00:12:05 - Prioritization and Communication
00:14:27 - Balderton's Purpose as a Partner for European Entrepreneurs
00:16:38 - Clue: Empowering Women's Health
00:18:56 - The Local First Mentality and Censorship Resistance
00:21:31 - Lack of Empathy in VC and Overstretching
00:23:40 - Importance of Investor Alignment
00:26:03 - On Purpose and Prioritization
00:28:35 - Prioritization & Portfolio Management
00:30:49 - Transparency in Investing
00:32:54 - Building Networks with Investors
00:35:10 - The Importance of Strong Communication and Vulnerability
00:37:17 - Communication and Gratitude
00:39:12 - How Sports Shape Your Path
00:41:31 - The Importance of Trusting the Process
00:44:01 - Transparency in Achieving Global Goals
00:46:07 - Investing in companies aligned with SDGs
00:48:32 - Express Championing of Positive Externalities
00:50:26 - Tips for Emerging VCs in Europe
00:52:46 - Focusing on the Purpose, Not the Valuation