EUVC

In this roundtable discussion on the impact of AI on VC, top European investors explore the real secrets behind the transformation of the VC landscape. Topics include the biggest venture opportunities in AI, AI's influence on incumbents vs. startups, strategies to avoid hype cycles, and the societal impact of AI.

Today we have Juliette Audet with us. Juliette is a Partner at Forbion a multi-stage venture fund in Amsterdam and Munich backing biotech companies in Europe and North America to impact the future of medicine.Forbion is investing out of 2 separate funds: Forbion Ventures Fund VI and Forbion Growth Opportunities Fund II, of €750M and €600M respectively, with a total of 3b EUR AUM and an established portfolio of 44 companies, with notable investment including NewAmsterdam Pharma, Gyroscope and Inflazome. At Forbion, Juliette focuses on the Venture strategy, investing in biotech companies from pre-clinical stage to Phase 1b and led the investments in NewAmsterdam Pharma, Mestag and Dualyx amongst others.Jump to the parts that matter most to you 👀00:02:10 - Transitioning from Consulting to Pharma and Biotech00:03:44 - Discipline and Resilience in Career00:05:18 - Recognizing the Moment to Fold00:07:17 - The Importance of Science and Interaction in Investments00:08:50 - The Importance of Board Dynamics00:10:25 - Board Composition and Power Dynamics00:12:07 - Creating Consensus on the Board00:13:37 - The Importance of Governance in Building an Effective Board00:14:53 - Governance and relationship building with board members00:16:35 - The Benefits of Virtual Board Meetings00:18:21 - The Importance of Providing Value00:20:30 - The Value of External Perspective in VC00:22:21 - The Unique Nature of Biotech Companies00:23:57 - Pharma's Need for External Acquisitions00:25:47 - The Inflection Point in BioTech00:27:16 - Slump in M&A Activity in Pharma-Biotech & the dawning opportunity00:28:34 - The Development Process from Preclinical to Phase 300:29:58 - The Dynamic between CVCs and Institutional VCs in BioTech00:33:14 - The Predictability of Biotech VC vs Traditional Venture00:34:54 - Shoutout to Julie Grant from Canaan00:36:33 - Balance and Fulfillment in VC00:38:21 - Getting to know your LPs

Today, we're happy to welcome you to Renaud Visage, co-founder and ex-CTO of Eventbrite, one of Europe’s biggest tech successes and the event platform we’ve all used. Eventbrite IPO'd in 2018 and Renaud left the company in 2021 and is now investing full time out of Paris where he focuses on investing in climate tech startups and on building a ClimateTech Growth Fund where Renaud’s experience from scaling Eventbrite is one-of-a-kind.With more than 75 angel investments to date, Renaud brings a level of operational experience and the skill to help founders solve complex technical problems like none other. On top of this, Renaud is a Venture Partner with the renowned seed firm Point Nine.Jump to the parts that matter most to you and watch our core highlights below 👀00:02:26 - Challenges of Building Eventbrite00:04:20 - Renaud's Angel Investing Journey Begins00:05:25 - Renaud's Accidental First Deal00:06:52 - Lessons from Angel Investing00:09:10 - Renaud’s Investment Thesis and Strategy00:11:28 - Renaud's Value-add for Founders00:12:48 - Evolution in Finding and Evaluating Investment Opportunities00:14:00 - Doubling down on Impact Investing00:16:45 - Going from early to growth stage investing00:19:40 - Generalists vs specialists in Climate investing & investing in hardware00:21:56 - Networks and co-investing in the climate space00:24:55 - The lack of European growth stage financing in climate00:25:30 - Renaud’s core learnings from Angel investing00:27:00 - The importance of your value prop and network as an angel00:29:10 - Follow-on investing as a venture investor00:36:05 - Renaud’s most counterintuitive learning00:37:30 - Top tips to angels wanting to invest internationally00:39:30 - Advice to his own 10 year younger self

Today we have Sean O'Sullivan with us. Sean is a Managing General Partner at SOSV, a global, multi-stage venture capital firm that operates early stage startup development programs, notably HAX, IndieBio, and Orbit Startups. They are the first check in deep tech, starting at pre-seed.SOSV have a $1.5 Billion in AUM and an established portfolio of 1000+ companies including Upside Foods, Perfect Day, Opentrons, and Formlabs. Sean is on the board of Khan Academy, the Tyndall Institute, the Autism Impact Alliance, the Brain Foundation, and a number of private companies.From serving as a janitor to embracing his passions as a musician, filmmaker, and even running a humanitarian organization in Iraq, Sean O’Sullivan’s multifaceted nature reveals a remarkable tapestry of life experiences. Among the intriguing anecdotes is his encounter with a rare viral infection that affected his eye, providing a testament to resilience and adaptability. His ventures extended to the world of television, where he enjoyed a stint as a TV star in Ireland, further exemplifying his versatility.In conclusion, Sean O'Sullivan's venture journey offers a tapestry of experiences, showcasing the significance of perseverance, long-term commitment, and a diverse entrepreneurial mindset. These insights have molded his investment philosophy, guiding SOSV's strategic approach to support startups in their earliest stages and nurture their growth through series B and series C, while emphasizing the immeasurable value of riding the wave with successful companies for the long haul.

Today we’re welcoming Jed Ng on the EUVC pod. Jed is a self-taught angel with 1x exit and has backed 2 startups from seed to unicorn. He started his own syndicate in 2020 and is backed by 1000+ investors today. He is also the Founder of AngelSchool.vc - a venture education program that helps angel investors build their own syndicates in just 8 weeks.As an operator, Jed built the world’s largest API Marketplace with RapidAPI (an a16z backed company).

Today, we're happy to welcome you to Charlie Delingpole, founder of ComplyAdvantage, an AI-driven financial crime risk and detection technology powered by Complydata. They have raised $100m from Index Ventures, Balderton Capital, OTPP and Goldman Sachs with global hubs in London, New York, and Singapore. In this episode you’ll learn:The importance of being part of a strong angel community with peers you trust and whose opinion you valueHow Charlie thinks about activating his network as part of his diligence processWhy Charlie is going from a more international strategy to a more nationally focused oneWhy Charlie believes it’s important to impose systematic professional processes on himself when angel investing

Hello everyone and welcome to “At The Cap Table” podcast - the exciting new series dedicated to hearing from the top European female investors who are taking the VC industry by storm.Our next guest is the brilliant Ruth Foxe Blader, Partner at Anthemis!Ruth is a fintech investor, emerging technology & communications expert with 15 years-international experience at Fortune 500 companies. At Anthemis, Ruth leads strategic investment efforts across Europe and North America. Ruth specialises in technology-enabled business models, insurance technology, risk transfer, early stage investing, product strategy and digital transformation.Prior to joining Anthemis, Ruth worked for Allianz SE, where she led digital innovation efforts. She was a founding member of the AllianzX team, where she led investments in startups including Lemonade, MoneyFarm, Argus Cyber Security and SimpleSurance.A New Jersey native, Ruth has spent the last decade between New York, London and Paris. In 2018 and 2019, Ruth was recognized for her outstanding contribution to the global financial technology ecosystem and listed among the Women in Fintech Powerlist by Innovate Finance. She currently serves on the boards of Axle, Demex, Hokodo, Hometree, Kaiko, Proportunity and Stable.Alongside Sophie Winwood, she is the co-founder of WVC - a movement that promotes inclusion, empowerment and integration of VC in Europe and beyond.

Welcome to today’s roundtable on raising in a bear market. We have some of Europe’s best and most active LPs with us to discuss the following three topics: LP views on the state of the current market and when you see the light at the end of the tunnel?The most important considerations the panel sees managers having today and the tactics they employ to be successfulAdvice from the panel to managers thinking about embarking on the raise of their first fund today.Speakers:David Dana - Head of VC Investments at EIFJoe Schorge - Founding Partner of Isomer CapitalChristian Roehle - Head of Investment Management at KFW CapitalMichael Sidgmore - Co-Founder & Partner at Broadhaven Ventures by Broadhaven Capital PartnersAnd finally, we just wanna give a massive shoutout the sponsor of this roundtable: Affinity without whose continued support we couldn’t dedicate all our time to create content like this roundtable for you. So if you’re not yet a client, our message is clear: do reach out, say thx and consider if they’re the platform for you!

Today we're happy to welcome Agate Freimane, Founding Partner of Norrsken, one of Europe's leading impact venture capital funds born out of Norrsken Foundation, which hosts events, operates co-working spaces, and runs accelerator programmes across the Nordics, Iberia, and Eastern Africa.Their fund is dedicated to investing in early-stage startups focusing primarily in climate tech and they've led the investments into almost 50 companies, highlights including Northvolt, Einride, 1komma5 and Matsmart.Jump to the parts that matter to you 🎧00:00:00 - "Tear down this wall"00:01:04 - Disclaimer and Introduction00:03:10 - Journey into venture00:12:00 - Impact Investing in Europe00:15:24 - The Decline of Opportunity Funds and LP Appetite00:17:52 - Shifting Topics in the Impact Space00:18:27 - LP Appetite & The Challenging Environment 00:22:09 - The Drive for ESG Reporting in Europe00:24:49 - The Challenge of Impact as a Business Model00:28:19 - The Importance of Finding the Right Problems00:31:02 - Agate’s Core Learnings in Life 00:36:12 - Building Team and Culture as a VC Firm00:38:23 - Assumptions and Feedback in Team Building and Culture00:39:38 - Capital Deployment and Small Bad Bets00:40:31 - Ego in VC & Professional Development 00:45:19 - Regrets and Priorities00:45:35 - Top Tips for Fundraising In Europe

Today we are happy to welcome Niels Fritze, Head of Scale Invest, a young Single Family Office, where he oversees all aspects of the family's financial affairs, including investment management, estate planning, and wealth preservation.Niels utilizes his expertise in financial analysis, risk management, and strategic decision-making to optimize the family's wealth and ensure their long-term financial security.Jump to the parts that matter to you 🎧 and watch the highlights below 👀00:00:00 - European VC on Marc Penkala’s Rooftop Terrace00:02:26 - Transitioning to a Family Wealth Management00:05:25 - The Black Swan Year and Market Uncertainty00:07:18 - Diversifying Your Portfolio with Alternative Assets00:09:13 - The Popularity of Alternative Investments in the US00:11:18 - Family Offices and VC Investment00:14:23 - Understanding Family Office Investment Approaches00:16:54 - The Benefits of Slow and Steady Growth in Startups00:19:07 - The Importance of Deploying Capital Efficiently00:22:17 - The Role of Fees in VC Fund Investing00:23:42 - Assessing the Return on Capital Efficiency in Family Offices00:28:23 - Commitment to Impact Investments00:30:00 - Active vs Passive Investment Strategies00:36:01 - The Importance of Brand Building in the Family Office Space00:36:57 - Co-investment Opportunities and the LP Perspective00:40:06 - Family offices vs venture capitalists00:45:18 - Lessons Learned from LP Investing00:46:45 - Quickfire Round and Tips for Emerging VCs🔫 The Quickfire Round 🔫Q: What advice would you give to your own 10 year younger self?A: Enjoy your life to the fullest.Try to look left and right all the time. Do something else than just VC, like physically, some sort of handcraft work. Q: What advice would you give to VCs fundraising? A: Know how to pitch your VC and get expert help.Q: What is the most counterintuitive thing you've learned since you've started investing in venture?A: Sometimes it really pays out way more when you reinvent an old idea which is already in place, than invent something new which has no use.Watch the full episode on eu.vc