Jenny Dreier

Three biggest learnings from a fundraising journey. Shared by Rainer Märkle, General Partner at HV Capital at EUVC 1/ Have a time box with a deadline attached. Have a defined horizon & create a clear plan. Have some urgency to get things done at some point. Execute very transparently and reliably. 2/ Stick to your narrative. But don't do it blindly. Tweak it when necessary. Adapt it. Don't let yourself be surprised by major changes. Keep focusing on delivering according to your strategy & plan. 3/ Fundraising is a marathon with many sprints. There are moments when you'll ask yourself - Why do I do this? Is it gonna work out? But don't get too negative during the down phases. Adapting and pivoting is part of our job. As it is for the founder of a company. How about you? What fundraising lessons have you learned? Join the conversation. 🔽 #venturecapital #angelinvesting #startupfunding #europe

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Sharing a few thoughts from my annual migration for #SuperReturn #SuperVenture in Berlin. 1) This continues to be the best VC/LP/PE event annually. Many are at the conferences, and almost everyone has a representative in town. Any managers or LPs not in attendance should consider it next year. 2) The European emerging manager scene is on fire. I met with almost a dozen, some old friends, some new, all as sophisticated as their US counterparts with thoughtful strategies and impressive growing portfolios. 3) Europe lacks the concentration that SF provides the US. Many startup hubs, some larger, but everyone in Europe is spending way more time on planes than their US counterparts. 4) Nobody knows where the market is going, and fundraising has been tougher in the last 18 months than before, but most agree a lot of money is still being put into the venture ecosystem. That's resulting in a return to deal pace & valuation acceleration -- is FOMO back? TBD 5) In an ironic twist, there seems to be strong interest from US LPs in European managers, and from European LPs in US managers. What did you see? What interested you this year? Welcome thoughts. P.S. the conference logistics were tough this year. To all those that shared the burden, thank you. Let's hope next year is better. cc: Dale Chang Stephan Eberle Patrick Murphy Carmen Alfonso Rico 🍫Jaime Novoa Sebastian Blum Paul Pruijmboom Jasper Masemann Marie Schildt David York Lior Litwak Karey Barker Maximilian Claussen Ameer Awadiyeh Jonathan Heiliger Oana O. Philipp Moehring

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It's official! I am both excited and proud to share that HV Capital has published a guide to demystify ESG for startups. Why write it? Because #ESG is not just a feel-good gesture – it’s about driving value and setting #founders up for long-term success. Yet, there’s a lot of confusion about what it is and how to get started. The problem: ESG as we know it from public markets is not fit-for-purpose for startups. We hope that with this guide, our pragmatic and proportionate approach to ESG will help you get started. Interested in knowing more? Download it for free from the link in the comment section. You will find lists of free tools, useful tips and much more to help you turn ESG into a value driver. Thank you to our partners VentureESG and lfca.earth - Community | Leaders for Climate Action who push us to do better! PS: You've got ideas on how to improve the guide? Great! Leave your thoughts below, we all have got a lot to learn from one another!

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Getting ready for an upcoming workshop on angel investing led me to the Angel Next Door Podcast episode on 2024 trends (sharing the link in the first comment 👇). Here are a few key takeaways: 🔍 With AI technology evolving rapidly, it's essential to stick to the basics when conducting due diligence. Asking fundamental questions about the business model, target market, sales cycle, expenses, use of funds, deal terms, valuation, risk assessment, and exit strategy is crucial. Quality data will be a game-changer in evaluating AI companies effectively. 💡 The future is looking brighter for tech industry, and it’s a great time to be an angel investors. Angel investment was the most resilient asset class in 2022, as well as very consistent — capital invested was down but not dramatically different than VC, capital invested per deal and capital invested annually per angel group was similar to previous years. We stay the course in 2024. 🌍 Angel world is changing — Gen Z investors will seek a more tech-savvy approach to investing compared to traditional angel investors. Gone are the days of in-person dinner meetings; instead, transactions will be conducted swiftly and electronically through apps on mobile devices. If you want to be a part of this transformation, join us in ICLUB: https://lnkd.in/dWdsCxp9 #AngelInvesting

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𝙄𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝟮𝙢 𝟰𝟲𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙠 🥵 - 𝙨𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙞𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙚 😎 And what better way to do that than by learning how to leverage storytelling during your fundraising to your advantage? I am super excited to meet the founders of batch #12 of the #GrowF investment readiness program for gender-diverse ventures by Female Founders. As a part of the 5-week hybrid program, I’ll be sharing my expertise in Compelling Storytelling. 💫 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻? First, we will unfold how you become the Chief Storytelling Officer of your startup. Second, we will go full mode into pitching and unfold the different formats of how to craft your pitch narrative. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. 💥  As a Founder, you are the Chief Storytelling Officer. You need to convince investors, employees, customers, partners, and journalists to give you the resources you need — you do that with your story, your narrative. 💥 You're the ally or helper in the story, guiding the hero (the audience). Your presence enhances the narrative, but the audience is the hero. 💥 There are four storytelling formats for fundraising: You can either bridge the founder, value, culture, or credibility gap! We are preparing startups for success in the competitive world of VC funding 💸 #saas #storytelling #diversity #pitchready

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Welcome ecoLocked to the Climentum Capital portfolio! We are proud to have led the €4M funding round together with Matterwave Ventures, and delighted to have existing investors Counteract, Startup Family Office, Sabancı Building Solutions, and VOYAGERS.io joining the round. The investment will support ecoLocked’s mission to revolutionize the construction industry with carbon-negative building materials. Concrete production accounts for 8% of global CO2 emissions, making innovations in this field crucial for achieving net-zero goals. ecoLocked is leading the change by converting carbon captured from biomass into functional, carbon-negative building materials. This funding will accelerate ecolocked's efforts to turn buildings into carbon sinks, scaling their innovative biochar-based solutions and enabling 1Gt carbon removal by 2040. Doerte Hirschberg Morten Halborg Stefan Maard

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💸 ➡️ 🧠 Time to dive back into some REAL work, after a fun week chasing LP in Berlin. Look forward to connecting with AI experts, founders, and corporates to discuss "Autonomous Transformation" for legacy industries. #ai #automaton #aisummit

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***Update on Version One Ventures's thesis*** We back mission-driven founders who are early in new areas. As you know, Boris Wertz and I never stop challenging ourselves to be better VCs - it’s one of our core values! An important part of that work is developing a strong investment thesis, and evolving it as technology improves and markets change. Our current investment thesis, “backing mission-driven founders at the earliest stages,” was introduced back in 2020. It encapsulates our focus on backing a certain type of deeply passionate entrepreneur at an early stage when few people might believe in them.    Those words still hold true but they don’t explicitly spell out something we look for when evaluating an investment opportunity: timing. Investors always talk about “Why now”, and we do too, but the more interesting question for us is “Why not?”   Another way to ask it is “What’s possible?” We’re interested in those rare opportunities where a founder is creating a brand new category. These opportunities are fringy and emerging (some might call them crazy, weird, whacky or wild). There’s nothing obvious or inevitable about it. They’re building something the market hasn’t yet imagined and doesn’t fit neatly into an existing market category. But if they’re right, then the fringe picks up momentum and ultimately becomes a wave. So, going forward, we’re evolving our thesis to be even more explicit about the why now and why not: We back mission-driven founders who are early in new areas. Looking back, we predicted a few waves right and invested early into them: Vertical SaaS in 2012-2014 (e.g. Jobber) Crypto in 2016-2020 (e.g. Uniswap Labs) Climate in 2020-2021 (e.g. Patch) These days, the areas on our radar are a combination of “why now” and “why not”. AI – with a focus on AI-native products (e.g. Ada) VR/AR – especially with the recent launch of Apple Vision Pro (e.g REMIO) Crypto – yes, we’ve been investing in crypto since 2016, but it still feels early given that design space has recently opened with new L2 scaling, and the acceleration of mainstream use cases like payments or tokenization of real-world assets Climate/energy – we are looking outside of software and just invested in a materials company replacing lithium ion with sodium ion (as the world is moving towards electrification) Hardtech/biotech – we recently backed a company building the next illumina for proteins Building a startup is hard enough as it is, but pioneering founders need to build on brand new technology, find new markets, and convince everyone of the market need. BUT this is exactly who we, as venture capitalists, want to back. We look forward to meeting more of these courageous and bold founders creating transformational change!

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Today I visited the GREENTECH FESTIVAL in Berlin with my dear friend Andreas. 💚 To make it short: Good vibes, busy floors and a big startup space. But tbh I wondered if it's really worth it for startups. I remember from my active time as an exhibitor that we weren't honest about the hard costs per lead. We argued a lot: being there is everything, you have to be seen, brand building is important, it's where the industry meets, serendipity happens, if we just get one big order it will pay off... not to forget the parties! That's all true, but the opportunity cost of attending a trade show is very high, especially for startups. And while this isn't meant to be a trade show bashing at all, here are a few suggestions from my experience, on how to make the most of it... - Train your team to proactively approach people. - Initiate a challenge to see who can get the most leads. - Prepare in advance and market your attendance by actively inviting customers. - Consider a small side event, such as a VIP dinner. - Try to book a package with a speaking engagement at the conference, that has always paid off for us. - Use the exhibitor directory for your own prospecting. - Calculate cost vs. lead conversion after the show with real data and decide whether to repeat. - Push your presence on social in real time. Good luck to all exhibitors and happy selling 🚀 ____________________________ Sharing my experience as an entrepreneur and angel investor. Investing in early stage B2B SaaS startups. Happy to connect 👋

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Stay tuned for our upcoming panel at the Health.Tech Conference in Munich 4:35pm tomorrow! We'll dive deep into the world of venture debt with a team of seasoned experts with the lenses of entrepreneurs, investors and venture debt lenders. Join us as we unravel the complexities of this financing tool and explore how it could be the key to unlocking your next growth strategy. Our panelists include: Christian Köhler, Chris Church, Daniel Mallon, George van Dorp, Humphrey Nokes See you tomorrow! #HealthTech #VentureDebt #GrowthStrategy #FinancePanel #healthtech

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Thanks (again) Martin and Jan for the great discussion in today’s Investments & Exits episode of Startup Insider. See the link to the episode in the comments. 👉 TL;DR: (1) Congrats to the team from Caeli Wind GmbH for announcing their 11M EUR Series A from Notion Capital and Santander with participation of existing investors HTGF | High-Tech Gründerfonds. Ben Schlemmermeier and Heiko Bartels are building a platform to match wind park developers 🍃 with landlords of suitable locations ⛳. On top of matching these parties and taking out the friction in the market, the solution provides deep tooling for both sides of the platforn. (2) In that context we discussed the potential expansion opportunities and also the general need to be empathetic with both sides of such a marketplace model 🔄 (3) We all shared our fascination for the model and the team's approach and also highlighted that in many instances the real power of such a solution lies beyond the obvious. 🔍 (4) Finally, we reemphasized that we are both Cavalry Ventures and Picus Capital very open to talk to founders in the very early stage, especially on the non-obvious and tricky challenges that e.g., the #EnergyTech and #ClimateTech space is facing. #StartupInsider #InvestmentsExits #Podcast #PreSeed #Seed #Series A

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Please consider following Periodic Ventures and check out our offering for startup companies in the link below!

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Great insights from Adam Agius on what to consider when raising debt for a search fund buyout. Most relevant to the UK market, but a worthwhile read for all searchers. There's more debt capital keen to support search acquisitions than ever before, but approaching it naively can be very costly...

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🥄🥄 Exciting News from Our Portfolio in Berlin 🥄🥄 Today, I am delighted to spotlight Spoons 🥄, our newest addition to the Berlin-based portfolio, transforming the B2B sales landscape. Spoons is co-founded by sales-guru Cait Kennedy 🏳️‍🌈 🥄 and tech-wizard Tomasz Solak. Did you know that a striking 77% of B2B buyers believe that sales representatives fail to understand their needs, contributing to a substantial 67% deal failure rate. This prevalent misalignment poses a significant barrier to sales efficiency and overall success. It's time to address this challenge and Cait and Tomasz have built all the tools to do so. Spoons automates B2B account research and is the first to identify customer problems in seconds. This not only doubles the revenue potential per rep but also reduces headcount needs by 15%. Something that Cait has consistently achieved in her leadership roles, yet never found the right tools to scale it further - planting the seed to build spoons. Cait Kennedy 🏳️‍🌈 🥄 - A B2B sales expert with 15 years of experience, Cait has consistently doubled revenue per rep and boasts top win rates. She is also a proud Harvard University alumn and an EMBA from Quantic. Tomasz Solak - A seasoned tech leader with past leadership roles at Shopify, Tomasz has spearheaded products from inception to market launch, aligning tech and business objectives. Check out Spoons or hit up the team directly if you share the pain or want to learn more! 🥄🥄

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At our VC firm, we don't just fund companies, we fund your existential crises. Every investment comes with a complimentary philosophy book. #vc #startups #investment

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Having an idea for a product is easy. Making a successful business out of it isn’t. 70% of startup tech companies fail after around 20 months after their first financing round. But, is failing that bad? Well, it depends on who you’re asking.  Startup success doesn't depend only on your idea, funding, or business model. It also depends on the region where you want to start it. For that, you have to understand the pros and cons of the two most attractive entrepreneurial continents: https://lnkd.in/d74Hr8Kq Read more about Catalin Briciu's take on the main differences between European and American startups. Are you part of an American start-up or do you have an idea that needs to be validated? Drop us a line at contact@linnify.com. Let’s build your product. What other differences have you spotted? #StartupSuccess #ProductValidation #USA #EU

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🌟 Empower Women in Angel Investing with NuFund! 🌟 🚀 Join our Women in Angel Investing event for 2024! Dive into the world of angel investing and gain insights from five inspiring women who will share their journeys, lessons, and tips on how they became successful investors. 🔍 Did You Know? Only 2.1% of VC funding in the US goes to startups founded solely by women (source: (PitchBook, 2023). Furthermore, a mere 11% of investment partners at VC firms are women (source: (Harvard Kennedy School, 2024). These statistics reveal a clear gap and a critical need for more inclusive investment practices. 👩‍💼 By supporting and participating in events like ours, we can help bridge this gap and boost the presence of women in the investment community. Meet Angela Steinway , Caitlin Wege , Denise Saltojanes , Dr. Josephine Polich and Victoria Lakers who will share their expert insights and personal journeys in angel investing. These incredible women have paved their paths in the venture ecosystem, making significant impacts along the way. 🎉 If you are an inspiring angel investor or a female funded, don’t miss the chance to learn from these exemplary leaders. 💡 Sign Up Now: https://lnkd.in/gWiMnPDW 🌐 Why It Matters: Women-led startups are proven to deliver higher ROI, yet they face substantial hurdles in securing funding due to a lack of representation in VC. NuFund is committed to changing this narrative by empowering female investors and founders alike #AngelInvesting #WomenInInvesting #EmpowerWomen #FemaleFounders

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Munich-based Vsquared Ventures has successfully closed its second fund, amounting to €214 million, earmarked for early-stage deep tech startups across Europe. Vsquared's commitment to inject between €500k and €5m into approximately 25 companies highlights the huge momentum within Europe’s deep tech sector. With an emphasis on AI, energy transition, space tech, and more, they're poised to foster substantial growth in these industries. The firm's strategic investments in startups like cylib, Synthara AG, and NEURA Robotics underline their dedication to transforming promising technologies into global solutions. Learn more from Miriam Partington on Sifted: https://lnkd.in/e_UrVP-Q #DeepTech #Innovation #VsquaredVentures #TechInvestment #StartupFunding #EuropeanTech

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Do your certification & assessment programs also lack #scale? 😣 I am beyond #excited to be invited to speak alongside my good friend and co-founder Bernhard Waglechner at the upcoming #webinar hosted by Constructor's wonderful Maria Mashkeeva on the topic of how to leverage AI to bring scale to #assessment & #certification programs. 🎉 Bring out your #notepads, and join us on June 10th, 3pm CEST for a great #conversation. 🗒 Sign up #link in the #comments. 💬 Like many others, the assessment and certification industry is facing massive #change, introduced by a changing landscape of customer #expectations and #technological #abilities. It is a huge challenge, and we are right at the beginning of this #transformation. 🤖 Together with many others, the team at Constructor and bizExaminer have been #working hard to provide #answers to the big #questions, and translate them into tangible #solutions for customers. 🙌 Why? Because every moment of change is a #chance to generate #value for our customers, the industry, and the #ecosystem at large. 💡 And we are planning to seize that #opportunity. Together. 🙏 So #join us for the webinar, where we will #share our #experience, provide #insights into the changing market trends, and also walk through a #concrete #example of a customer leading through this change with incredible flexibility. 👊 #assessment #AI #flexibility #education #learning #certification #webinar #experience #solution #transformation

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