We had a great conversation with Mauricio Magaldi, a London-based crypto connoisseur and blockchain thought leader who guides 11:FS clients into the world of Web3 and DeFi.I was prompted to interview Magaldi as he was billed as the main author of a report entitled 'How Web3 is changing the future of finance', a great read on the subject.Fortunately for you, we recorded that conversation and you can watch it in all its glory below. You can also watch it on YouTube here (subscribe!) and follow Mauricio on Twitter here.You can ALSO check out Mauricio's mad drumming skills here.

We sat down with Franck Lebouchard, chief executive of French acoustical engineering company Devialet for almost five years now, to talk about the firm's challenges and opportunities in a world very much in turmoil.Founded in 2007, Devialet designs and builds high-end audio tech products such as amplifiers, speakers, wireless earbuds, and a soundbar, and also licenses some of its patented technology to other companies.The company's on a mission to "elevate sound in people's lives" and its future product roadmap will address new audio categories in that regard, Lebouchard tells us, even if it's up against some really big companies in that space, and pandemics, wars, and geopolitical issues continue to disrupt supply chains around the world.

Coming to Molten Ventures from the world of finance, management consulting, and angel investing, Vinoth focuses on the firm's investments in the sectors of fintech, insurtech, proptech, and climatetech.In the interview for Tech.eu Podcast, Vinoth discusses his approach to fintech investments and the way he approaches the industry, looking for B2C companies that "bridge the trust chasm" and B2B ones that build the fundamental infrastructure for people's interactions with money. In addition to that, he talks about Europe's prospects as a climate tech powerhouse, the value chain of VC, and the benefits of lateral thinking.To hear all this and more, check out the Tech.eu Podcast episode with Molten Ventures' Vinoth Jayakumar.

In this episode, Tech.eu sits down with Ampler Bikes' CEO and co-founder Ardo Kaurit about the Estonian firm's commitment to design, and quality and how quietly going about its business has led them to build an almost cult following in its existing markets.All this, and Dan's (not) patented 'Lighting Round' that gives us more insight on our guest(s), well beyond the 9 to 5.

Prior to Molten Ventures, Christoph was with Rocket Internet in Asia and Australia, where he helped build The Iconic and Lazada. Previously, Christoph worked as an Investment Manager at Seven Ventures, where he focused on consumer and e-commerce investments. Responsible for Molten Ventures' activities in the German-speaking market, a strong pull for Christoph are both the deep tech and industry tech sectors. Posting the largest number of deals closed within the firm, he sits on eight boards, has done nine investments in the past two and a half years, and on average aims to make three to four investments per year. He also lays out his two favourite questions to ask a potential hire at Molten. So if you're looking to get into the world of VC, you won't want to miss this episode. All this and more, with Molten Ventures' Christoph Hornung.

Immediately following last week's announcement of London and Berlin-based fintech giant SumUp's €590 million round, we had a chance to talk to one of the company's co-founders about the capital injection, which values it at €8 billion.That valuation reportedly came in much lower than initially projected, which is a topic Marc-Alexander Christ didn't shy away from discussing (pointing out that the valuation is still 20 times higher than its last one).Have a listen/watch to learn more about SumUp's early days, its plans to become the financial services partner for millions of small businesses around the world, its international expansion, and M&A strategy, and the likelihood of the company pursuing an IPO in the future.The video that accompanies this audio can be found at Tech.eu

Nicola McClafferty, partner at the London-based VC firm Molten Ventures, estimates that it would've taken at least a decade to see as many people switch from brick-and-mortar to online shopping experience across the world if not for the lockdowns that saw a big part of the global population confined to their dwellings for months on end.While presenting a huge opportunity for the companies who were ready to handle this shift, this shift has also emphasised the shortcomings and issues of today's e-commerce and adjacent industries."We're looking at a large volume of retail and a change in purchase behaviour happening online that's leveraging an infrastructure, be it software or physical infrastructure, that has been built to service previous generations of retail," McClafferty said.This and similar issues in the field of consumer tech — or rather the startups that can solve them — is what McClafferty focuses on at Molten. We sat down to discuss what the future holds for this segment, and what trends are the most important to follow.

Founded in 1995, Menlo Park-based TCV specialises in providing growth-stage capital. The firm has raised over $19 billion and invested over $16 billion in more than 350 tech companies over the last 27 years, accounting for some 145 IPOs and acquisitions.Having established, and operating out of TCV's London office, General Partner John Doran shares his thoughts on how the firm has been so successful, where they're heading next, and the health of the European tech ecosystem.All this and more on today's episode!

Alexa. To trust or not to trust: That is the question.While you might be quite well versed in most things Amazon, just how much do you know about Amazon's Alexa service? It's benefits for the blind and deaf? For an aging population?Moreover, what do you know about the safeguards the company has baked into the device since day one, asking consumers to allow, ney, invite their technology into and become a part of their homes?And Tech.eu founder Robin Wauters also reveals a few fun facts that are sure to impress your friends and neighbours, and perhaps even Alexa, at your next dinner party.All this and more on today's episode!

In today’s episode, Andrii sits down with Cristobal Alonso, Global CEO & El Patron at Startup Wise Guys.Cristobal talks us through Startup Wise Guys' acceleration of investments during the pandemic, up to 60 to 80 per year, expanding beyond the Baltics and across Europe, entering Africa, and the challenges associated with each.With 212 active portfolio companies, Startup Wise Guys is shifting away from its primary Europe focus, and actively working to establish links to the US to, "help companies who, even from the beginning" want to go to the US.Alonso helps position Startup Wise Guys as Europe's premier accelerator through three key factors: the ability to follow on, recognising and partnering with "brand name" syndicates and angel investors through co-investments, promoting a global mentality.All this and much more ...