Associated

We're kicking off Season 5 with a bang! We're super excited to come back from our little hiatus to speak to the marvellous Beata Klein at Creandum! We talk all about her starting a company in Asia, why she chose to join Creandum, what her first year in venture was like and how she stays productive day-to-day.  As the first investors in Spotify, Creandum know a thing or two about spotting potential! Beata gives us the low-down on how the team look at product over team, and always think about what needs to be true for an early stage company to be huge! 

We're ending the year- and what a year it has been!- with a bang and a bonus episode. Lois and Petra are joined by a wonderful trio this week; Finn, Annalise and Kamil from Frontline Ventures, Sapphire Ventures and Notion Capital respectively chat through everything from how to progress through the VC ranks to finding your superpower as an investor and beyond. This group doesn't hold back- you definitely don't want to miss this episode! Finn's Twitter Annalise's LinkedIn Kam's LinkedIn

This week, Hector Mason at Episode 1 sits down with Francesca and Petra- we chat about E1's strong content strategy, what boxes he needs to tick before presenting the company to the partnership and how he goes about finding the best start-ups in the market. We also discuss "The Seed Stage", the inspiration behind starting this initiative and how its win-win structure benefits the founder but also investors.

We're joined by Esha Vatsa, an investor at Pi Labs - the early stage PropTech fund with a corresponding accelerator. Lois and Petra find out how Esha's early career in accountancy and transaction services inspired her moves into the VC industry, and from Delhi to London! We discuss the growing importance of ESG in investing, and how Esha sees its impact in the PropTech space (ESG = Environmental, Social and Governance factors to evaluate companies and countries on how far advanced they are with sustainability). PiLabs Esha's LinkedIn

This week we hop across the pond and speak to Crystal and Jai at New Enterprise Associates- where both are Principals. We find out about how each approached applying for their current role and how they formulate their investment thesis now as investors at what once was the largest VC firm in the world. They tell us  what impresses them in applicants and give very specific advice on candidates who are applying for investing roles- so don't miss out! 

This week Petra and Lois sit down with Daisy Onubogu at Backed VC, where she leads Network and Communities. We unpack exactly what that role entails and how it sets Backed apart as a fund. Among her recounting her journey through studying law to working at Web Summit to ending up in venture, Daisy tells us about the importance of community building and relationship management for the benefit of founders and investors. We also get very candid on the ups and downs of the last few months, dealing with mental health problems and how almost always being online now has affected her.

Lois and Francesca are joined by Hannah Redgewell, Investment Manager at Channel 4 Ventures. They get straight into Channel 4's unique model of exchanging TV advertising for equity in companies, and discuss the incredible reach TV coverage still has. Hannah candidly shares the details of her journey into VC and explains how her time as a Strategy Consultant shaped her passion for media and consumer offerings.  Hannah's LinkedIn Channel 4 Ventures  Channel 4's Portfolio

This week, our guest Rodrigo Mendoza-Smith joins us from Mexico City to chat about his unique journey as a mathematician in VC to founding his own company, Quine. He explains how he uses his unique skillset in the world of venture and how investors leverage using data to benefit the fund and their portfolio. Are you a data scientist looking to get into VC? Rodrigo talks about that as well!...So- tune in!

We're delighted to be joined by Jessica Li in this episode of Associated. For a change of pace, in this episode, Lois and Julia get into the details of how Jessica entered the VC scene at a pretty young age, then moved to an operational role at Zageno as a Growth Marketer. We discuss how to position yourself so that you are seen and heard by the VC community, and discuss Jessica's role as Head of Content at Elpha. Particularly if you're a student interested in entrepreneurship and venture capital, this is not an episode you want to miss! Jessica's LinkedIn ZAGENO Elpha

We're so excited to kick off Season 4 with the inimitable Sam Cash, Principal at Project A Ventures. Francesca and Lois dive straight in to find out about Project A's unique differentiator of providing operational support to its portfolio companies, and to learn how Sam's setting up the organisation's presence in London. They discuss his route into VC via a thrilling tenure at betaworks, and how his experiences inform his approach to recruitment.  Sam's LinkedIn  Project A