EUVC

At this year’s EUVC Summit, the “Newcomer of the Year” award didn’t go to someone just making noise—it went to a team making real moves. A team built for the long game. A team proving that even when entering late, you can lead early.Shapers VC took home the honor. And in the words of Phil himself:“Being new is not easy. But this team makes it look easy.”What makes a great newcomer?At EUVC, we looked for three things:Performance — Are they picking winners or building platforms?Perspective — Are they differentiated, or derivative?Community & Conviction — Are they lifting the ecosystem around them?Shapers VC showed up on all three.Backed by over 60 FinTech founders and operators, they’re building the kind of platform that’s more than capital. It’s signal. It’s support. It’s sweat equity from people who’ve been in the trenches.“Community is core to us. Most of our LPs are strategic—it’s what makes our model work.”– Greg Brown, Shapers VCGreg put it simply:“When everyone else left the party, that’s when we showed up.”Shapers wasn’t chasing a trend. They were responding to a gap—stepping in when others were stepping back. In FinTech, timing is everything. And they timed it with intent.“It probably feels weird to receive an award just as we’re getting started. But shining a light on emerging managers matters—and we’re honored to be in that spotlight.”Phil’s closing message was one we believe in deeply:“There are so many strong emerging managers striking out on their own right now. Some are in this room. Recognizing them isn’t just nice—it’s necessary.”At EUVC, we don’t just celebrate the legends. We champion the next ones.And if this year’s award is any sign—Shapers VC is one to watch.Why It Matters: Community, Conviction & TimingThe Power of Showing Up Late (and Ready)

At the EUVC Summit 2025, a riveting debate unfolded over the merits of solo GPs versus larger funds. Anthony argued that solo GPs are uniquely positioned for success due to their focus and speed, while Sarah emphasized the importance of performance over sheer scale. They discussed navigating the evolving European investment landscape and the critical balance between specialization and overall strategy. The conversation highlighted how personal connections and tailored fund sizes could redefine venture capital dynamics.

Carlos Moreira da Silva brings a rare blend of insight: a deep B2B operator, a specialist investor at 33N, and a leading force behind Europe’s cybersecurity coordination efforts through ECSO. Together, we explore why cybersecurity is Europe’s opportunity to lead, not follow, in the new geopolitical tech stack.Here’s what’s covered:01:15 What is ECSO and Why It Matters for European Cyber03:30 Mapping the Cybersecurity Investment Gap: US vs Israel vs Europe05:20 The Tech Stack Power Shift: From Cloud to AI, and Why Security Must Catch Up07:30 Europe’s Fragmentation Problem—Or Its Untapped Advantage?09:45 The Role of ECSO in Building a Unified European Cyber Strategy11:45 Why Europe Needs Specialist Cybersecurity VCs15:30 What Other Movements Can Learn from the ECSO Playbook20:00 Cybercrime vs Cyber Spending: The 10 Trillion Dollar Wake-Up Call21:30 Building Global Champions in Cyber (Not Just Regional Winners)25:00 What Startups Should Look for in a Cyber VC (Beyond the Check)26:30 Invest for Cyber @ SuperVenture: Why the LP Community Should Pay Attention28:00 Where Cyber Ends and Defense Begins—Drawing Ethical Boundaries at 33N

Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC Podcast, where we bring you the people and perspectives shaping venture — this time with a lens on Southeast Asia and India.This week, David Cruz e Silva, founder of EUVC, and Ambika Behal from Circle Capital sit down with Tanuja Rajah, Partner at M Venture Partners (MVP) in Singapore — an early-stage fund backing founders from day zero across Southeast Asia and India.Tanuja’s path is not your typical VC story: a PhD in immunology, a startup built on trial and error, and a mission now to fund the region’s next generation of founders tackling healthcare, trust, access, and affordability — without the science risk.🎯 This Episode’s Themes:How a science background shapes a founder-first investment lensSoutheast Asia vs. India: where the next breakout health techs will come fromThe truth about exits in Asia: secondaries, roll-ups, & why IPOs are hardAI hype vs. reality: why MVP waits before jumping on the AI bandwagonGoing from B2C to B2B: the maturity curve in regional digital healthThe realities of being an emerging fund manager in an overheated early-stage ecosystemTanuja’s biggest lesson: great teams are not enough — markets matter more🕒 Here’s what’s covered:01:30 | How a PhD in immunology landed Tanuja in venture03:00 | Starting a company with no playbook: lessons from Malaysia to Singapore05:00 | Why MVP backs healthcare — but avoids the science risk07:00 | 25% of the world’s population: why India & Southeast Asia are consumer goldmines10:00 | Biggest VC lesson: ownership matters (and why it’s so hard for new funds)12:30 | How MVP balanced brand building with early fund modeling15:00 | Why angels and micro-funds make Southeast Asia so competitive17:00 | Healthcare’s future: physical + digital or nothing19:00 | AI: hype, scribe startups, and the real wedge that matters22:00 | Portfolio spotlight: how HD used real-world data to build a regional moat25:00 | Can Southeast Asia’s healthtech scale into Europe?28:00 | Where follow-on capital is (and isn’t) coming from30:00 | Exits done right: why secondaries and &A trump IPO dreams35:00 | Strong beliefs overturned: why the best teams still need the best markets39:00 | Advice for emerging fund managers: pick your people and sharpen your USP42:00 | Book of the Week: how Siddhartha Mukherjee’s “Emperor of All Maladies” shaped Tanuja’s mission

Welcome to a new episode of the Impact Highlight Series, powered by EUVC, Impact VC and Impact Supporters. Today, we’re joined by Tony Jamous, founder and CEO of Oyster. Oyster is on a mission to reverse brain drain and reduce wealth inequality by democratizing access to global job opportunities. Before founding Oyster in 2020, Tony took his previous software API company public on the New York Stock Exchange.Together, we dive into how Tony built Oyster into an impact unicorn, what it means to lead a mission-driven company, and why he believes impact and financial success are collinear. From hiring across 45 countries to creating a billion-dollar company in just two years, Tony shares the lessons, challenges, and values that guide him.This is the playbook for building impact unicorns — straight from the founder’s journey.🎧 Here's what's covered:02:11 Witnessing the Power of Global Hiring in 45 Countries05:02 Why Oyster Started: Democratizing Access to Global Jobs08:27 From Zero to $1B in Two Years — How the Pandemic Accelerated Demand12:04 Impact Entrepreneurs: Using Technology as a Means, Not an End15:43 Aligning Financial Success with Impact — The Virtuous Cycle20:12 The “Inner Rock”: Sticking to Your Values Under Pressure24:05 Playing the Infinite Game: Building for the Next Generation27:44 Recruiting for Mission Alignment & Emotional Stability33:02 Why Impact Businesses Attract the Best Talent and Investors37:19 The Oyster Framework: Wellbeing as a Core OKR41:08 Choosing Impact-Driven Investors with Real Frameworks46:30 Actionable Tip for Generalist VCs: Get Curious and Start Testing

Mike Maples Jr., the legendary co-founder of Floodgate and early backer of Twitter, Lyft, and Twitch, joined EUVC to deliver a masterclass in contrarian venture investing. His message to European GPs and LPs was clear: the biggest winners don’t follow the rules — they break them.He not only challenged European venture capitalists to rethink their playbooks but also distilled years of hard-won wisdom into a framework he calls Inflection Theory, urging GPs and LPs alike to focus on pattern breakers instead of pattern matching.In typical fashion, Mike was sharp, candid, and even a bit irreverent, dropping truth bombs about everything from what makes a founder truly breakout to why fund size is a VC’s destiny. This essay captures those key insights and explores what they mean for European investors who aspire to back the future’s biggest winners.Mike Maples Jr. has never been one for incremental change. As our conversation revealed, he believes venture success comes from “changing the subject” entirely – defying conventional wisdom and waging “asymmetric warfare on the present”. European GPs and LPs tuning in were treated to a masterclass on identifying unreasonable founders who don’t fit the mold, and why the usual check-the-box approach to startups misses the mark. From Inflection Theory and the anatomy of breakout founders to the transatlantic culture clash in tech, let’s dive into Maples’ playbook – and see how it challenges us all to up our game.

Welcome back to another episode of Upside at the EUVC Podcast, where , of and from unpack what’s happening in European tech and venture capital.This week: Why Series A in Europe now often means “multi-seed” and what founders should do about it, Germany’s €100B industrial policy push and whether it can actually deliver, and the Bank of England’s rate cut as a red flare for the economy. Plus: the OECD’s warning on corporate underinvestment, why the EU’s Chips Act 2.0 risks missing the AI boom, and the latest in the global AI race from GPT-5 rumours to billion-dollar raises. Also: Clay’s $100M relationship-intelligence war chest, N8N’s unicorn momentum, and a Spanish autonomous tractor that’s rewriting farm economics.🎧 Here's what's covered:01:12 Series A Reality Check: US vs Europe timelines, bridge rounds, and why naming matters.06:04 The Multi-Seed Era: How European founders should think about funding milestones.10:47 Germany’s €100B Deutschlandfonds: Ambition, execution risk, and industrial policy priorities.17:58 UK Rate Cut at 4.0%: Red flare for growth, modest boost for VC competitiveness.22:31 OECD on Corporate Investment Stagnation: Why regulatory drag is Europe’s silent growth killer.29:44 Europe’s Chips Act 2.0: From missed targets to high-value manufacturing opportunities.38:11 AI Corner – GPT-5 Rumours & Claude 4.1: Funding surges and the open-source shift.45:27 IP & AI Models: Data leakage risks and the Napster-era copyright parallel.52:03 Deals of the Week: Clay, N8N, and Voltrac’s autonomous tractor breakthrough.57:46 Closing Takeaways: Focus, speed, and execution as Europe’s competitive levers.

At EUVC Summit 2025, () didn’t give a talk—he threw down a gauntlet.Forget polite panel chatter. This was part existential reckoning, part investor roast, and part Radiohead reference. It left the room laughing, nodding, and—if we’re honest—slightly uncomfortable.Which was the point.“Venture is lending money to people believing one future. That’s what I do at least.”2019: The Climate Fundraising GauntletHampus opened with a flashback to 2019, when fundraising for climate still meant fighting disbelief.“One third of LPs didn’t believe in climate change. Another third didn’t understand the business models. The rest were waiting for someone else to go first.”Fast forward to today, and while climate events are louder, many investors still hesitate.“The expected value of climate change is huge. So why are we still asking if there’s upside?”Fossil Fuels vs. Electrons: Which Sounds Dumber?In classic Hampus form, he took aim at the status quo with punchy simplicity:“We burn things that explode to move forward. Or we could use electrons that fall from the sky for free. Which sounds smarter?”He skewered half-hearted circularity narratives and ESG buzzwords, pointing out the absurdity in how valuable materials (like titanium in aerospace) are wasted—literally thrown out next to cigarette butts.Radiohead, Trump & the Venture Job DescriptionAt one point, Hampus invoked a line from Radiohead:“If you're a plastic surgeon, you gotta know—gravity always wins.”Then added:“Sorry, Trump.”It was funny—but also cutting. The message was clear: You can deny physics and climate reality for a while, but eventually, gravity wins.How Venture Can Actually MatterHampus made one thing very clear: he’s not in climate to feel good—he’s in it to win.That means:Bigger roundsBigger companiesBigger exitsAnd fewer excuses“Let’s stop pretending it’s complicated. Let’s raise, build, scale—and let’s be less dumb.”

At the EUVC Summit 2025, of delivered a data-backed reminder: If we’re serious about building global companies from Europe, we need to stop treating the US as a rival—and start treating it like the deeply connected partner it already is.Robin Klein & the Power of Ecosystem BuildersThe session opened with a heartfelt nod to Robin Klein, this year’s Hall of Fame inductee. When Frontline asked leading investors across the continent “Who has been most influential in your journey in European tech?”—four out of five said Robin.“Building an ecosystem isn’t just about investing. It’s about building a fund, a culture, and a movement. Robin has done all three.”His recognition is a signal to us all: the best investors aren’t just backing startups—they’re laying foundations for the entire ecosystem to thrive.Europe vs. US? The Data Tells a Different StoryYou might think Europe and the US operate as separate tech spheres. The media often frames it that way. Politicians like Trump make it seem that way. But the data tells a different story:45% of the world’s internet traffic flows through just 17 transatlantic cables—every single day.In consumer tech, nearly 75% of global spend comes from Europe + the US combined.Signal AI, a Frontline portfolio company, analyzes global news in 150+ languages—yet a major share of its revenue comes from the US.“We’re already collaborating—just not always intentionally.”Think Big. Think Global.William’s message to investors was crystal clear:“We shouldn’t be advising founders to go small or to ignore the US. Europe and America are economically and digitally intertwined—and always have been.”He cited the powerful example of Dr. Katalin Karikó (Europe) and Dr. Drew Weissman (US)—the Nobel-winning team behind mRNA vaccines. Global breakthroughs, enabled by global collaboration.Yes, it’s harder today to build across borders. But that’s where investors need to step up—not retreat.Let’s not let political headlines shape our investment strategies.Let’s help our companies build globally, because that’s how we build lasting, category-defining businesses.And let’s take a page from Robin Klein’s book: invest in the ecosystem, not just the deal.

Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC Podcast, where we bring you the people and perspectives shaping European venture.Today, we’re joined by Ties Boukema, Head of Data, Tech & AI at Dawn Capital, one of Europe’s leading B2B SaaS and Fintech investors. With a background spanning law, statistics, Google Health, and five brain surgeries, Ties brings a rare mix of grit, optimism, and technical firepower to Venture and he’s putting it to use by building Rolodex, an internal AI-powered operating system for Dawn.This is not an AI trends episode. This is an inside look at what it takes to build and deploy technology within a venture firm—and why the industry has been lagging behind.🎯 This Episode’s Themes:How a near-death experience shaped Ties’ perspective—and his edgeWhy most software in VC is “surprisingly bad” and what to do about itHow Dawn is building Rolodex: AI-powered prep, network graphs, and event intelligenceThe myth of “no data in early-stage” and why private markets still need softwareWhat Gawande’s checklist manifesto can teach European ventureHere’s what’s covered:02:00 | Meet Ties: From New York brain surgery to Google to Dawn04:00 | Life Before Surgery: Growing up with 200+ hospital stays09:30 | A Second Life: What changed post-op—and how it shaped his drive11:00 | From Sales to AI: Ties' journey at Google and pivot into health12:45 | Why Venture: “These people are smart… but why are they fixing slides at 2 AM?”14:00 | Perspective as Edge: Handling pressure, breaking rules, and ignoring experts17:30 | AI vs Experts: The false trust in tradition—and how AI challenges it20:00 | The Speed Mismatch: We can produce info 100x faster than we can understand it24:00 | Building Tech for Venture: The reality, the resistance, the rewards29:00 | Buy vs Build: Why VC firms should think like operators, not tinkerers32:00 | Rolodex Origins: The deal Dawn lost—and what it taught them36:00 | Entity Resolution Hell: Why syncing your contacts is harder than you think40:00 | Rolodex in Action: Deal prep, relationship mapping, board meeting alerts44:00 | Quantifying Network Power: How Dawn tracks angels & co-investors46:00 | Strong Opinions, Loosely Held: Why Ties changed his mind on VC’s “human core”50:00 | The Checklist Revelation: What brain surgeons taught him about process