EUVC Newsletter | 28.10.2024
Welcome to our community-sourced newsletter featuring the latest submissions to the eu.vc insights platform — the platform that collects & amplifies the best long-form pieces from the EUVC community.
This week, we feature submissions from Robin Capital, Eka Ventures, Teklas Ventures and many more European firms.
Click here to submit your own articles, events or projects 📥
Making fundraising work for different capital sources.
Something we’ve been getting a lot of questions about is how to keep fundraising flexible while tapping into various sources of capital.
Whether it’s portfolio execs, industry peers, or even family and friends, our structuring team at EUVC has helped us set up feeder structures that allow us to bring in different types of capital smoothly. It’s given us the flexibility we needed without adding complexity.
If you’re in the same boat, reach out - I’d be happy to share what we’ve learned so far.
Living a new life and playing the long game: A conversation with Lomax Ward
Robin Haak, Founder and Managing Partner at Robin Capital | Originally published on Robin Capital.
Why it matters: Lomax Ward, a GP at Outsized Ventures, shares how a cancer diagnosis at 38 radically shifted his priorities—focusing less on work and more on family, health, and impactful investments.
He emphasizes VC’s "ultra-marathon" nature: real success requires patience and consistency, especially as deep tech and health investments often lack the quick wins typical in other sectors. His reflection on building genuine relationships, via initiatives like DragonChasers, and the long-game perspective offers VCs a blueprint for enduring through cycles and slow returns.
Why VCs need to master fund modeling
by David Cruz e Silva, an operator turned angel LP and founder of eu.vc
Why it matters: Fund modeling isn't just a spreadsheet exercise—it's the blueprint for a VC fund’s success. Whether managing a $30M or $250M fund, a solid model helps VCs navigate timing, risks, and strategy. It ensures you're chasing outliers while understanding when to exit. Many funds only return 1-2x because they fail at modeling. For VCs, mastering this skill means balancing efficiency, risk, and scaling to deliver those 70x returns. Smaller funds may require fewer hits, but the model must guide every decision, making this crucial for all, not just partners.
On attracting growth capital and generating DPI in European Venture
with Massimiliano Magrini, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at United Ventures
Why it matters: United Ventures’ Massimiliano shares insights on managing funds across stages and sectors, including their third early-stage fund, UV3 (€150M), and later-stage UVTG, bringing their total AUM to €500M.
With a focus on Series A and sustainable tech, UV’s approach gives a snapshot of Italy’s unique position in European VC, underscoring Italy's growing role in nurturing B2B software, deeptech, and fintech startups. Expect more capital flow into "enabling technologies" for digital transformation across Europe.
Listen to the podcast episode here.
Share your insights to Atomico’s State of European Tech 2024 report.
It takes just 5-7 minutes to complete, and by doing so, you’ll also enter for a chance to win some fantastic prizes, including tickets to Slush, the world’s biggest and most founder-focused VC event.
Your voice can help shape the most complete snapshot of European tech yet!
Be part of it!
Culture: Europe & U.S. Divergence. Part 1.
by Owen Reynolds from Teklas Ventures, the VC arm of a family office associated with Teklas. | Originally published on EUVC.
Why it matters: Owen Reynolds from Teklas Ventures explores the vast cultural and structural divides between European and US tech ecosystems, offering a fresh lens on why Europe lags behind. The article digs into deep-rooted historical, economic, and educational disparities that impact risk-taking, ambition, and even networking dynamics in business.
In his view, European VCs, founders, and LPs face unique constraints—filtered educational paths, cautious career moves, and less visibility of entrepreneurial success—creating a culture wary of ambition and a venture landscape slower to reward talent.
EUVC Masterclass: VC Fund Terms & KPIs: Mastering Metrics for Fund Success
Join us for an in-depth session on VC Fund Terms & KPIs: Mastering Metrics for Fund Success. This workshop will focus on the key performance indicators (KPIs) that drive VC fund performance and the critical timing for measuring these metrics. You’ll gain insights into what matters most to Limited Partners (LPs) and what General Partners (GPs) should focus on internally for effective fund management.
The session will also cover how to set up a comprehensive dashboard, including portfolio tracking, to streamline your reporting and ensure your fund’s success.
Special offer: Join the EUVC Community for 25€ per month and get 100€ off while enjoying access to on-demand masterclasses, tools & templates and monthly AMAs with leading GPs, LPs & experts.
Building bridges: Understanding the nuances of investing in Climate Tech in Europe versus Africa
by Desirée Pettersson, Head of Impact at Satgana. | Originally published on Climate Insider.
Why it matters: Desirée dives into the distinct dynamics of Climate Tech in Europe and Africa, highlighting the need for tailored VC strategies in these vastly different markets. With Europe’s established green ecosystem and Africa’s untapped potential, Satgana's allocation (70% Europe, 30% Africa) positions it to leverage the structured capital and regulatory support in Europe while fueling innovation and accessibility-driven solutions in Africa.
For VCs, this balanced approach reflects a rising trend: combining Europe’s deep tech advances with Africa’s high-impact, low-cost models to maximize environmental and economic resilience across both continents.
On the role of government institutions in VC
with Charlotte Palmer, Vice President at Integra Global Advisors.
Why it matters: Charlotte Palmer offers a peek into her €700M fund strategy, which emphasizes early-stage and emerging managers across global markets (EU, US, LatAm, Israel) with a flexible, sector-agnostic approach.
With stakes in companies like Plural and Fly, Integra illustrates the power of agnostic, cross-border investment and government LPs' role in fostering diverse, high-impact ventures. For VCs, it’s a guide to attracting public capital while balancing regional and thematic focus.
Listen to the podcast episode here.
Keeping drones and other autonomous tech safe and on-task
by Martin SFP Bryant, Founder of PreSeed Now. | Originally published on PreSeed Now.
Why it matters: SAIF Systems, founded by ex-RAF pilot Kyle Thomas and control systems engineer Matthew Harris, is tackling a critical gap in autonomous tech reliability with on-device software that keeps drones and robots on-task even without a data link.
The startup's software, certified to civil aviation standards (DO-178C), offers ultra-reliable mission control, crucial for sectors like defense, mining, and agriculture, where unpredictable environments can cause tech failures. By launching a developer portal and expanding to hardware by 2026, SAIF is primed to lead in autonomous safety—a sector set to reshape how we handle mission-critical, autonomous tasks across air, land, and space.
Exclusive AMA with KfW Capital’s Christian Stiebner
Curious about how one of Europe’s largest LPs, KfW Capital, navigates the venture scene? Join us on November 27th at 13:00 CET for an exclusive AMA with Christian Stiebner, Senior Investment Manager at KfW Capital.
Christian was the first hire at KfW Capital, setting up their operations to invest €500 million annually into the European VC ecosystem. With experience spanning fintech startups, consulting, and private equity, he’s the perfect person to discuss where the industry is heading and the opportunities that lie ahead.
This is a unique chance to ask your questions directly and gain insights that aren’t available elsewhere. Spots are limited, and they’re exclusive to our community members.
by Michael Sidgmore, Co-founder & Partner at Broadhaven Ventures. | Originally published on Alt Goes Mainstream.
Why it matters: In this episode, Steve Young of HGGC and Scott Wood of True North Advisors discuss their partnership, sharing insights on the role of values and cultural alignment in building resilient investment firms.
With HGGC’s $7B AUM and True North’s $3.9B AUM, they highlight how PE-backed wealth management can scale and better serve clients, especially through alternatives. Emphasizing "decading," or long-term vision, they underscore how lasting client relationships and value-driven partnerships are crucial in a consolidating wealth sector.
Listen to the podcast episode here.
Payment Ecosystem Report 2024
by Salim Laouiti, Ventures Associate at Plug and Play. | Originally published on Plug and Play.
Why it matters: The payment ecosystem is shifting fast, with trends like BNPL leading the way as alternative payments surge. Salim Laouiti’s report highlights the rise of account-to-account (A2A) payments and biometrics as they begin to edge out traditional cards, while mobile wallets now account for 45% of e-commerce transactions.
With the global payments market expected to hit $4.78 trillion by 2029, this growth fuels innovations but also heightens competition, particularly as cryptocurrency continues gaining traction. For VCs, these trends underscore massive opportunities in fintech, particularly in payment speed, security, and customer convenience.
Dan Bowyer and Mads Jensen from SuperSeed cover recent news and movements in the European tech landscape.
The AI search startup Perplexity is seeking to raise $1B, potentially hitting an $8B valuation, but faces competition from Google and operational challenges, like copyright issues with publishers that have led Perplexity’s CEO to propose revenue-sharing models.
Meanwhile, Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet AI model marks a step forward in RPA, but security and enterprise adoption issues persist. Palantir’s involvement in the NHS’s digital health initiative raises privacy concerns. Big tech players like JP Morgan and Stripe are buying media companies to boost customer lifetime value, shifting from ads to community engagement.
Listen to the podcast episode here.
EUVC Masterclass: Marketing & VC Fund Narrative
Your brand is everything. It’s what sets you apart, helps you win the best deals, attract LPs, and ultimately drive your growth. For emerging fund managers, building a credible brand and establishing the right marketing foundations early on are game-changers. Yet, many don’t know where to begin.
Your fund’s narrative is what makes the difference between an LP glancing at your deck or deciding they’re ready to write a check. It’s your brand that makes LPs feel confident they’re partnering with someone who knows how to make magic happen.
We’re planning a masterclass on building strong marketing foundations with a top industry leader. If enough people show interest, we’ll make it happen.
A standardized pan-european ‘EU Inc' corporate structure is essential for European startups. We have 6 weeks until the new EU commissioners start working on their agenda for the coming years.
Please join the many who have already signed and shared the petition, including founders of Stripe, Alan, DeepL, Remote, Rohlik, Supercell, Wise, and investors from Index Ventures, Atomico, and Sequoia.
