EUVC

Today we are happy to welcome Rune Hven-Jensen and Andreas Green Rasmussen, Co-Founders and General Partners of Ugly Duckling Ventures, a VC firm that invests in Nordic companies at the pre-seed, seed and early stages, currently raising their first fund and about to announce their closing.In this episode you’ll learn:- How they pivoted their raise from the tech ecosystem to family offices- Raising through the best and the worst time possible to raise a fund- The rationale behind allocating 75% of their fund to follow-ons- Why the team targets the layer just below the consensus layer of normal VC and how this led an LP to refer to Ugly Duckling as “the PE firm of VC”

Today we are happy to welcome you to our favorite type of episode: our memo episode! That means we’ll be diving deep on a fund that the EUVC LP Syndicate is investing into together with the GP team. So, please welcome Borys and Diana, Founding Partners of SMOK Ventures, an operator-led VC fund focusing on top serial founders from the CEE region.At EUVC, we’re hyped about this investment because SMOK Ventures have risen to become the first-choice fund among many serial entrepreneurs in less than two years of operation by delivering on their promise of connecting the CEE and Global venture ecosystems with more than 80% of the money raised by portfolio startups coming from outside the region.What is more, Borys and Diana are amazing human beings who our syndicate investors can count on to not only deliver returns, but also insights, learnings and access to the region. We hope you’ll enjoy meeting Borys and Diana in this episode and invite you to reach out if you wanna learn more about how to join the EUVC LP syndicate.

Today we are happy to welcome Premysl Rubes, Founder and Managing Partner of Presto Ventures, a Prague-based VC firm investing in early-stage (pre Series A) startups built by exceptional founders from Central and Eastern Europe.In this episode you’ll learn:- Premysl’s journey from entrepreneurship, to angel investing to VC- Learnings going from a single GP & LP firm to multiple-partner team with a large LP-base- The importance of alignment of interests in a single LP set up- Why Presto Ventures double down on a high velocity investment strategy with multiple deals done per month and investment cycles of 2 years

Today we are happy to welcome Annie Theriault, Managing Partner at Cross-Border Impact Ventures (CBIV), an impact venture capital firm investing in health technology companies addressing large international markets. Cross-Border focuses on expanding access to world class technologies within North America and Europe as well as to reach people living in emerging economies. Prior to founding CBIV, Annie worked with high impact companies to mobilize more than $100 million in non-dilutive capital as a venture capital investor and advisor.In this episode you will learn:- How come Cross-Border is one of the funds selected for the Innovative Funds at WEF and what's to come on the Program- Why the only way to make money is with great co-investors- And why any VC telling you they did it all by themselves is full of sh*t

Today we are happy to welcome Michiel Kotting, Partner at Northzone, a venture capital fund shaped by lives as entrepreneurs and investors. He leads Northzone’s investments focusing on SaaS, marketplaces, healthcare and AI.In this episode you’ll learn:- The journey from entrepreneur into VC- How Northzone have managed to be relevant to founders as they’ve far outgrown their Nordic outspring- The importance of culture and why the art of investing lies in mentoring people- What emerging themes Michiel sees coming in VC- How Michiel thinks about the tech crash, Northzone’s role and going forward from here

Today we are happy to welcome Monik Pham, co-founder of Pact VC, an early stage tech fund backing mission driven founders with global ambitions. They have over 40 years’ experience building businesses in Asia, Middle East and India, and a strong track record investing in them in the UK and Europe. Pact invests in seed-stage companies under three themes which they call their ABCs - Access, Betterment, and Climate.In this episode you’ll learn:- On Pact’s origin story and raising a fund, the route to their name and having Anne Hathaway as an LP- Everything about Pact’s ABC thesis and how it connects and leverages the team’s track record and experience- Why Pact enters with large initial tickets and how it impacts their operational setup- A deep dive on impact & diversity in VC

Today we are happy to welcome Fridtjof Berge, Chief Business Officer and co-founder of Antler, a day zero investor and early-stage venture capital firm. Fridtjof works with a global team dedicated to developing the next generation of world-changing technology companies. He oversees external activities across the firm globally and serves as a member on its investment committees.In this episode you’ll learn:- The founding story of Antler, where the name came from & where the team drew inspiration from- Why and how Fridtjof and the team built a rapidly scaled global VC firm- The Antler GP Talent Thesis- How Antler thinks about marrying local and global and the role of process and systems in doing so efficiently- How Antler thinks about building GP teams for new locations- Why Antler launched out of Singapore

Today we are happy to welcome one of Europe's true OG LPs: Chris Wade, co-founding Partner of Isomer Capital. With an extensive career as a founder, startup mentor and LP with more than 50 Venture fund investments under his belt, Chris is a guy you should want to know. At Isomer, Chris co-leads their fund investments and leads their co-investment program - and has a weekly section in the EUVC newsletter where he shares his perspectives and learnings from the week gone by. Tune in for the second of a two-part episode where we reflect on the year that has gone by and predict what is in stock for 2023.In this episode you’ll learn:– Why Chris believes 2022 was a year of landmark achievements in technology that we should all remember and why perseverance and necessity are key to innovation– Why 2022 was also a year of tears, how Chris thinks about the war in Ukraine and it’s impact on society and venture capital– What gives Chris hope going into the year of 2023

Today we are happy to welcome one of Europe's true OG LPs: Chris Wade, co-founding Partner of Isomer Capital. With an extensive career as a founder, startup mentor and LP with more than 50 Venture fund investments under his belt, Chris is a guy you should want to know. At Isomer, Chris co-leads their fund investments and leads their co-investment program - and has a weekly section in the EUVC newsletter where he shares his perspectives and learnings from the week gone by.Tune in for the first of a two-part episode where we, in this instalment, explore .In this episode, you will learn: How Chris’ path as an entrepreneur has formed his thinking and behavior as a limited partnerWhy Chris chose to devote his life to found and build Isomer CapitalWhat guides Chris as an LP and how it informs you in your work with LPsWhy venture capital is like the road to enlightenment for a buddhist monk

Today we are happy to welcome Patrick Newton, co-founder of Form Ventures, an early-stage VC focused on investing in startups that are disrupting regulated markets, or building in new markets that will face regulation. Patrick helps founders break down policy barriers and shape winning regulatory strategies.In this episode you’ll learn:- How Patrick got to found Form Ventures to fund the future regulated markets- The surprising story about how Form was started as a 1M€ fund I to a 30M€ fund II- How Patrick thinks about VC brand building from a strategic and tactical point