EU-Startups Podcast

In this episode we catch up with Jan Lozek, Founder and Managing Partner of Future Energy Ventures. Future Energy Ventures is a unique venture capital and collaboration platform that brings together corporate partners and world-class startups to shape the future energy landscape. The fund managed by Future Energy Ventures already has a volume of 110 million euros and a target size of 250 million euros. With an average initial ticket size of between €1-10 million for early-stage investments and with operational hubs in Germany, Israel and Silicon Valley, Future Energy Ventures looks for startups whose mission is to accelerate the energy transition and decarbonize society. Marcin and Jan discuss the evolution of climate tech, the challenges and misconceptions faced by startups in the energy sector, and the importance of collaboration across global ecosystems. Jan shares insights on the urgency of addressing climate change, the role of emerging technologies like AI, and the need for sustainable practices in urban planning. The conversation emphasizes the potential for innovation and investment in climate tech, as well as the importance of engaging decision-makers in the energy industry. Takeaways 1.The energy transition is now economically viable with available technologies. 2.Changing established energy systems is a complex challenge. 3.China's leading the way with its massive investment in energy transition. 4.AI will be crucial for managing future energy systems. 5.Collaboration across global ecosystems is a must to drive climate innovation. 6.Even small personal choices can significantly impact emissions reduction. 7.The future of climate tech looks promising with potential unicorns on the horizon. EU-Startups Podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with Vanta it can be super simple. Trusted by over 7,000 companies, Vanta automates the pricey, time-consuming process of prepping for ISO 27001,SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and more. Learn more here: http://vanta.com/eustartups

In this episode, we catch up with Maya Raichoora, UK's leading mental fitness expert who's building the Nike of mental fitness to help C-suites, founders & elite athletes become the top 1% by mastering their mind and performance. Maya also has her new book "VISUALISE" coming in March 2025. She was diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis- an incurable inflammatory bowel disease. She endured crippling physical, emotional and mental pain. Visualization saved her life and now she is teaching this powerful technique to others. Maya shares her journey of discovering the transformative power of visualization in her own life. She explains the difference between mental fitness and traditional mindfulness or meditation practices. Maya discusses the common challenges faced by high-performing individuals and how Remap's techniques help overcome them. She guides listeners through a mini visualization exercise to manage emotions. Maya also talks about the impact of mental fitness live events and the importance of community and personalization in mental fitness. She debunks the myth that the brain stops changing after a certain age and highlights the key mindset shifts and practices of top performers and much more. Takeaways 1.Visualization is a powerful mental training technique that can be used to improve performance and well-being. 2.Mental fitness goes beyond traditional mindfulness or meditation practices and focuses on actively training the brain. 3.High-performing individuals often struggle with balancing high performance and well-being, as well as suppressing their emotions. 4.Visualization and self-talk are key mindset shifts and practices that set top performers apart. 5.The brain is constantly changing, and it's never too late to train and rewire it. 6.Community and personalization are crucial in making mental fitness accessible and effective. 7.Building confidence and belief in oneself is a fundamental mental fitness challenge. EU-Startups Podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with Vanta it can be super simple. Trusted by over 7,000 companies, Vanta automates the pricey, time-consuming process of prepping for ISO 27001,SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and more. Learn more here: http://vanta.com/eustartups

In this episode, we catch up with Marcus Behrendt and Kasper Sage, Managing Directors of BMW i Ventures. BMW i Ventures has offices in San Francisco and Munich and invests in high-performance companies and helps them execute quickly by delivering agile precision ensuring real-world impact on hardware, software, sustainability across manufacturing, transportation, and services. Marcus and Kasper share insights on their successful investments and the future of mobility technology. They talk about the unique perspectives brought by their locations in Silicon Valley and Munich, the value of being affiliated with a large corporation, and the importance of sustainability in startup investments. The conversation also covers the challenges of innovation in the automotive industry, the investment decision-making process, and the differences between European and American startup ecosystems and much more. Takeaways 1.Sustainability has to become the core value in evaluating startups. 2.The automotive industry requires a unique approach to innovation. 3.Successful startups often target multiple industries for scalability. 4.Late-stage funding is a significant challenge in Europe. 5.The European startup ecosystem needs to foster a more risk-taking attitude. EU-Startups Podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with Vanta it can be super simple. Trusted by over 7,000 companies, Vanta automates the pricey, time-consuming process of prepping for ISO 27001,SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and more. Learn more here: http://vanta.com/eustartups

In this episode, we catch up with Julia Hawkins. Julia is General Partner at LocalGlobe and Latitude, having previously set up Universal Music’s corporate venture arm, as well as being stationed at Goldman Sachs, Last.fm, and BBC Worldwide. LocalGlobe is a London-based venture capital firm that seeded impactful founders since 1999 at places like Citymapper, Improbable, Lovefilm, Moo, Wise and Zoopla. Investments that Julia has led include Oxford Nanopore, Vaccitech, YuLife, AccuRx, CoMind, Vira, Hertility and Spore Bio. Julia is on a mission to back ambitious, thoughtful and diverse founders to transform healthcare from scarcity of clinicians and appointments to ease of access through technology and to enable new and better treatments to reach patients. Julia talks about the overlooked trends in healthcare innovation, particularly drug shortages, and how personal experiences navigating healthcare with her daughter shaped her investment decisions. Julia shares insights on heath tech, the importance of building effective teams, and the challenges in healthcare procurement. She also explores the role of technology, especially AI, in transforming healthcare and the exciting intersections of health tech and deep tech. Takeaways 1.Early detection and building technology that enables it is crucial in transforming healthcare. 2.Drug shortages in healthcare are a significant issue. 3.Procurement processes in healthcare need urgent reform. 4.Successful founders excel at clearly articulating why they're building it, why they're the best people to do it, and why now. 5.Investors should practice visualization with founders about their future. EU-Startups Podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with Vanta it can be super simple. Trusted by over 7,000 companies, Vanta automates the pricey, time-consuming process of prepping for ISO 27001,SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and more. Learn more here: http://vanta.com/eustartups

In this episode, we catch up with Sophia Velastegui, former Microsoft Chief AI Officer and Fortune 100 Executive who worked with companies like Google and Apple. Sophia was named ‘The Most Powerful Female Engineer’ from Business Insider. Additionally, her roles as Co-chair at the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council and as a board director at BlackLine, Inc. (NASDAQ: BL) highlight her engagement in shaping transformative initiatives thru strong business fundamentals. Sofia talks about her journey through major tech companies, her passion for AI, and the cultural transformation at Microsoft. She shares her insights on the challenges of AI development, the future of AI with multimodal innovations, and the differences in the European tech ecosystem compared to the US. Sophia also touches on the importance of women in tech, balancing career and family life, the value of curiosity in leadership and much more. Takeaways 1.Transforming Microsoft involved both technical and cultural shifts towards AI. 2.The future of AI lies in multimodal innovations that integrate various data types. 3.The European tech ecosystem biggest challenges are regulatory fragmentation and investment size. 4.Gen Z women are becoming the most tech-savvy group of people. 5.Curiosity and intentionality are key to a long-term career success. 6.Leaders should foster a customer-centric culture by leading by example. EU-Startups Podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with Vanta it can be super simple. Trusted by over 7,000 companies, Vanta automates the pricey, time-consuming process of prepping for ISO 27001,SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and more. Learn more here: http://vanta.com/eustartups

In this episode, we catch up with Paulo Rodriguez, Head of International at Vanta, who's on a mission to secure the internet and protect consumer data. Funded in 2018, Vanta is the leading trust management platform that helps simplify and centralize security for organizations of all sizes and has customers in 58 countries with offices in Dublin, New York, San Francisco and Sydney. Last summer, Vanta has raised a $150 million Series C funding round led by Sequoia Capital. The company is now valued at $2.45 billion, up from $1.6 billion in 2022, and has raised a total funding of $353 million. Paulo talks about the importance of early security planning for startups, the strategic risks involved in market expansion, and the impact of AI regulations on innovation. He emphasizes that compliance can serve as a competitive advantage and shares insights on mediating conflicts between sales and engineering teams. He also highlights the need for proactive security measures and the importance of educating families about cybersecurity. The conversation concludes with Paulo sharing exciting initiatives at Vanta aimed at helping startups achieve compliance faster. Takeaways 1. Start planning early to build your security. 2. Compliance can be a competitive advantage. 3. Cultural nuances affect compliance strategies. 4. Understanding customer needs is key to success. 5. Building a security routine is vital for startups. EU-Startups Podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with Vanta it can be super simple. Trusted by over 7,000 companies, Vanta automates the pricey, time-consuming process of prepping for ISO 27001,SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and more. Learn more here: http://vanta.com/eustartups

In this episode, we catch up with Gerard Grech, Managing Director of Founders at the University of Cambridge, a new strategic initiative focused on accelerating the formation and scaling of new deep technology-based companies. Gerard is also the founder, advisor and former Chief Executive of Tech Nation before it was acquired by the Founders Forum Group. Under his leadership, Tech Nation went on to shape Europe’s most productive digital ecosystem, creating dozens of nationwide programs that helped grow some of Britain’s biggest tech stars, from Monzo to Skyscanner, with over 1300 companies in between. A third of all tech unicorns ever created in the UK’s history graduated from one of Tech Nation’s programs, fuelling a 5x increase in the number of UK cities with a tech unicorn or more and securing the UK’s digital leadership position in Europe. The company was the 9th fastest growing technology-focused company in the UK public sector in 2022, making a return on state investment of 20x. Gerard talks about the unique aspects of various startup ecosystems, particularly comparing Europe and the US, and delve into the lessons learned from Tech Nation. Gerard shares insights on the importance of community, collaboration, and culture in scaling startups, as well as the role of universities in fostering innovation. The conversation also touches on the transformative potential of AI in tech and education, leadership lessons from Gerard's experience at Tech Nation and much more. Takeaways 1. A third of UK unicorns emerged from Tech Nation's programs. 2. One of the biggest mistakes startups make is scale too quickly without solid foundations. 3. The US has a way more risk-tolerant investment culture than Europe. 4. AI will transform not only tech companies but the educational institutions that are breeding tomorrow's innovators. 5. When you start to combine AI with new computational power like quantum computing the impact will be absolutely huge. EU-Startups Podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with Vanta it can be super simple. Trusted by over 7,000 companies, Vanta automates the pricey, time-consuming process of prepping for ISO 27001,SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and more. Learn more here: http://vanta.com/eustartups

In this episode, we catch up with Diyala D'Aveni, Head of Vento, an Italian chapter of Exor Ventures. With $520M invested in 76 startups globally, Exor Ventures is focusing on discovering exceptional founders with the ambition to build great companies and backing them from pre-seed to pre-IPO. Diyala is also the organizer of Italian Tech Week, the leading tech conference in Italy that has attracted some of the absolute tech legends such as Brian Chesky, Sam Altman, Doug Leone, Sarah Guo, Mike Volpi and many more. Diyala talks about her journey in the startup world, her insights on personal growth, the mission of Vento, and the future of the Italian startup ecosystem. The conversation also touches on the importance of community, the challenges faced by founders, and the underrated trends in the Italian tech scene. Diyala shares her experiences from Italian Tech Week, gives a sneak peak about attracting tech legends to come to Turin, and emphasizes the significance of empathy and building strong personal relationships. Takeaways 1. Don't let your internal biases stop you from fulfilling your full potential. 2. It's all about investing in people first rather than the technology or the idea. 3. Having a global ambition from day one is crucial for founders. 4. Italian startup ecosystem needs deep structural changes to be able to catch up with other European countries. 5. Too many highly talented people in Italy are leaving the country and looking for opportunities elsewhere. EU-Startups Podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with Vanta it can be super simple. Trusted by over 7,000 companies, Vanta automates the pricey, time-consuming process of prepping for ISO 27001,SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and more. Learn more here: http://vanta.com/eustartups

In this episode, we catch up with Peter Hirsch, Head of Sustainability at 2150. 2150 is a London-based venture capital firm investing in technology companies that seek to sustainably reimagine and reshape cities and the industries that power them. 2150’s mission to deploy ‘Constructive Capital’ is centered on the conviction that sustainability provides both superior returns and meaningful impact in the face of today’s challenges. To achieve this mission, they embed impact considerations across all aspects of their business from investment evaluation, to company and founder support, to investor engagement and our platform, and in their day-to-day operations. They developed the 2150 Impact Framework to help evaluate the impacts and sustainability of their investments, and to inform their decision making. They also publish an annual Impact Report, which catalogues and benchmarks the fund’s and our portfolio companies’ impacts and contributions to solving most pressing sustainability challenges. Peter and Marcin discuss the implementation of a carbon tax, the balance between immediate impact and long-term innovations, the challenges and opportunities within urban environments, and the importance of resilience in the face of climate change. Peter emphasizes the need for sustainable investments and the role of cities in driving innovation, while also addressing the risks of greenwashing and the significance of measuring Scope 3 Emissions and much more. Takeaways 1.The EU must foster sustainable innovation to remain competitive. 2.From 2022 onwards, 2150 has been among the first venture capital funds to self-impose a carbon tax of €100 per tonne across Scopes 1-3 - compared to most VCs who heavily discount Scope 3 Emissions. 3.2150’s unique investment approach: balance between both decarbonizing solutions for today’s stubborn, dirty industries and tomorrow’s moonshot tech. 4.2150 estimate the projected impact of their portfolio every year - to ten years ahead. 5.From 17 total investments, 2150 reduce or remove 481,500 tonnes of carbon per year, which will total a projected 10.3m tonnes by 2030. EU-Startups Podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with Vanta it can be super simple. Trusted by over 7,000 companies, Vanta automates the pricey, time-consuming process of prepping for ISO 27001,SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and more. Learn more here: http://vanta.com/eustartups

In this episode, we catch up with Sander van de Rijdt, Co-Founder and CEO of PlanRadar. Based in Vienna, PlanRadar has emerged as a leading player in the construction and real estate project management software industry. Since its inception in 2013, the fast-growing scale-up has grown to approximately 500 team members and has raised over €100 million in funding. PlanRadar’s success is a testament to its innovative approach to digitizing construction and real estate projects. Sander talks about the PlanRadar's success and expansion as well as about developing new technologies, such as AI-driven drone 360-degree capturing and PlanRadar SiteView, a head-mounted 360-degree camera for construction site documentation. As PlanRadar aims to become the category leader worldwide in the construction industry, Sander highlights the importance of having a product that can scale and evolve over time, as well as the need to retain top talent and focus on execution. He also shares insights on the challenges and pitfalls of expanding into global markets, emphasizing the importance of finding the right balance between a centralized approach and local expertise. He concludes by discussing the effective methods for acquiring and retaining customers, including outbound sales and delivering real value through the product. Takeaways 1.Having a product that can scale and evolve over time is crucial for your company's success. 2.Understanding what drives people and helping them succeed in their own targets is essential for retaining top talent. 3.Expanding into global markets requires finding the right balance between a centralized approach and local expertise. 4.Acquiring customers can be achieved through outbound sales and direct communication, but retaining customers relies on delivering real value through the product. 5.Staying cool under pressure is a must for a CEO. 6.It's important to be authentic and have a common base with team members to resolve conflicts. 7.Leaders should allow their team members to make their own mistakes and learn from them, rather than solving everything themselves. EU-Startups Podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with Vanta it can be super simple. Trusted by over 7,000 companies, Vanta automates the pricey, time-consuming process of prepping for ISO 27001,SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and more. Learn more here: http://vanta.com/eustartups