Episodios

  • VC | E512 | Riding First Tracks: Circularity, Purpose & Leading Beyond Hierarchy

    VC | E512 | Riding First Tracks: Circularity, Purpose & Leading Beyond Hierarchy
    Jul 4 2025
    Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC Podcast, where we bring you the people and perspectives shaping European venture.

    This week, Andreas is joined by Oliver Brunschwiler, purpose-driven entrepreneur, former pro snowboarder, and longtime systems thinker, along with Enrique Molina from Chi Impact Capital, co-hosting this deep dive into what it means to lead with purpose, design for circularity, and build organizations that reinvent themselves from the inside out.

    Oliver’s journey goes from first tracks on fresh powder to first tracks in organizational design—helping companies ditch rigid hierarchies for role-based, purpose-led systems. Enrique brings the investor lens, showing how these principles translate into impact capital and portfolio building today.

    In this episode, they break down how circularity is moving from hype to hard reality, why trust and leadership still matter in the most “self-organizing” teams, and how the best founders navigate the tension between market dips and mission-driven staying power.

    This Episode’s Themes:
    • Holacracy, role-based teams & why leadership still matters
    • Circularity’s gap phase—and what’s quietly thriving
    • Industrial impact: batteries, PET, and supply chains redesigned
    • Policy tailwinds: how the EU is making circular the new norm
    • First tracks mindset: from snowboarding to systems change
    Here’s what’s covered:
    • 00:00 | From pro snowboarding to purpose-driven business
    • 02:00 | Sports, freedom & the roots of Oliver’s entrepreneurial DNA
    • 04:30 | The value of pushing limits—on boards and in boardrooms
    • 08:00 | Holacracy & new work: why “no boss” usually fails
    • 12:00 | Purpose is boss: role-based systems done right
    • 15:00 | AI, agents & managing the unmanageable—what changes, what doesn’t
    • 19:00 | When people don’t want ownership—why clear leadership stays vital
    • 20:00 | Circularity: beyond the hype cycle and into tough reality
    • 24:00 | Surviving the stock dip: founders reconciling mission and market
    • 28:00 | Industrial scale impact: batteries, chemical recycling & what’s next
    • 32:00 | Where Oliver sees big opportunities now (food, upcycling, building)
    • 36:00 | Corporates, supply chains & Fairphone as a case in point
    • 40:00 | The EU Green Deal, Right to Repair & why policy matters
    • 44:00 | Final thoughts: trust the purpose, ride the dip, build the system
    Más Menos
    43 m
  • VC | E511 | EUVC Summit: Lessons from Building Index with Bernard Dalle & Thomas Kristensen, LGT Capital Partners

    VC | E511 | EUVC Summit: Lessons from Building Index with Bernard Dalle & Thomas Kristensen, LGT Capital Partners
    Jul 3 2025
    At the EUVC Summit, Bernard Dalle (formerly of Index Ventures) and Thomas Kristensen (LGT Capital Partners) shared candid reflections on how to build a venture firm from the inside out. Instead of fixating on star hires and grand strategies, their talk emphasized the compounding power of cultural alignment, junior talent development, and early operational investment.

    Drawing on first-hand experience, they unpack what it takes to build enduring institutions—where team, trust, and time matter more than titles.

    Whether you're raising your first fund or scaling your platform team, this conversation offers timeless lessons from one of Europe’s most respected firms.

    Here’s what’s covered:
    • 00:45 Betting on People: Why hiring for cultural fit beats chasing CVs
    • 02:20 Long-Term Talent Playbooks: Junior hires, long runway, big impact
    • 03:50 Under-hiring on Purpose: Why Index rarely hired GPs straight out
    • 05:10 The Operations Edge: Building support teams early pays dividends
    • 07:00 The Index Blueprint: Early days with David, Pascal, and a deep ops bench
    • 08:30 Institutional Memory: Capturing partner insights across the portfolio
    Más Menos
    22 m
  • VC | E509 | This Week in European Tech with Dan, Mads & Lomax

    VC | E509 | This Week in European Tech with Dan, Mads & Lomax
    Jun 30 2025
    Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC podcast, where Dan Bowyer and Mads Jensen of SuperSeed and Lomax from Outsized Ventures, gather to unpack the macro forces and micro signals shaping European tech and venture.

    This week, the trio tackles one of the most geopolitically charged, capital-heavy, and morally complex episodes yet:

    🎯 This Week’s Themes:
    • The global reshuffling of power: Israel, Iran, Russia, Ukraine
    • Why defense is back—and what it means for VCs
    • Europe’s space ambitions and what the ESA’s new satellite project signals
    • China’s trade plays and Europe’s rare earths vulnerability
    • AI, IPOs, and why founders might want to stay private longer
    • Surgical robots, ambient AI, and who’s building the future of healthcare
    • Plus: Daniel Ek gets flak, SPACs sneak back, and why VCs are speed-running $15B deals in one week
    Here’s what’s covered:
    • 02:00 | War & Markets: Iran, Israel, oil prices & the Bank of England holds steady
    • 06:00 | Defense Budgets: Why Europe is (finally) spending
    • 10:00 | VC Taboo: Why investing in weapons gets complicated fast
    • 15:00 | EIF Restrictions: Sex, gambling, and no defense
    • 20:00 | The Rise of Helsing: Europe’s $12B defense unicorn
    • 24:00 | Strategic Autonomy: Europe’s new military satellite constellation
    • 30:00 | ESA vs Starlink: Earth observation gets serious
    • 34:00 | China, Trade Wars & Rare Earths: Why Europe’s exposed
    • 40:00 | EU-US Tariffs & Trump’s Pharma Threat
    • 42:00 | IPO Boom: Chime, Circle, and the SPAC comeback
    • 47:00 | CMR Surgical: UK’s $4B robot exit—is that enough?
    • 53:00 | Lessons from Intuitive Surgical & deeptech M&A
    • 56:00 | Deal of the Week: Nabla’s AI for clinicians, Helsing’s big swing, and Scale AI’s lightning-fast cash
    • 1:02:00 | Founders in Government: Alex DePledge & Matt Clifford’s impact
    • 1:05:00 | Meta’s AI Transfers: Zuck goes full football transfer window
    Más Menos
    54 m
  • VC | E508 | Betting on Better Humans: Inside Exceptional Ventures’ Health & Longevity Playbook

    VC | E508 | Betting on Better Humans: Inside Exceptional Ventures’ Health & Longevity Playbook
    Jun 30 2025
    Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC Podcast, where we bring you the people and perspectives shaping European venture.

    This week, Andreas Munk Holm sits down with Paolo Pio, co-founder and Managing Partner at Exceptional Ventures — a mission-driven early-stage fund investing in the future of human health, fitness, nutrition, and longevity.

    Paolo shares how a personal obsession with sleep, metabolism, and fitness evolved into a structured thesis for investing in businesses and technologies that help us live better, longer — and how Exceptional Ventures plans to back over 200 founders across three funds to deliver returns that match the mission.

    🎯 This Episode’s Themes:
    • Why health, fitness, and prevention are ripe for VC investment
    • How personalized, continuous monitoring unlocks true wellness
    • The 4-pillared thesis: prevention, early detection, smarter care & delivery
    • Lessons from Fund I: 3,600 companies reviewed → 37 investments
    • The case for “high-volume VC” in Europe: why more bets matter
    • From sleep hygiene to nanobots: the future of health innovation
    • Community, LPs, and morning workouts at SuperVenture
    Here’s what’s covered:
    • 01:00 | The Mission: Improving the human joy path through health & longevity
    • 03:00 | Why Now: Obesity, metabolic health & the need for smarter prevention
    • 05:00 | The Four Pillars: Sleep, exercise, early detection & delivery innovation
    • 08:00 | Exceptional’s Model: Fund I learnings, Fund II targets, Fund III ambitions
    • 10:00 | The Volume Bet: Why Europe needs funds backing 50+ startups per cycle
    • 12:00 | Sourcing & Screening: From 3,600 companies to 37 portfolio bets
    • 15:00 | Backing Founders on the Edge: From glucose monitoring to rural US clinics
    • 18:00 | The Big Vision: 200+ founders backed, 30,000+ community members
    • 21:00 | Big LP Names & Co-Investors: How the wider venture stack leans in
    • 24:00 | Why Community Matters: The morning workouts, the events, the energy
    • 27:00 | Longevity & Fund IV: Why the best is still ahead
    Más Menos
    51 m
  • SV | E507 | Björn Tremmerie, European Investment Fund — Tech Sovereignty, DPI Realities & Europe’s Venture Evolution

    SV | E507 | Björn Tremmerie, European Investment Fund — Tech Sovereignty, DPI Realities & Europe’s Venture Evolution
    Jun 29 2025
    In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm sits down with Björn Tremmerie, Head of Technology Fund Investments at the European Investment Fund (EIF), live from the EUVC studio at SuperVenture 2025.

    They delve deeply into the true state of European venture capital, examining long-term performance trends, the role of EIF as Europe's policy-aligned capital allocator, and how sovereignty, resilience, and maturity are reshaping the ecosystem.

    Here’s what’s covered:
    • 00:00 SuperVenture Loyalty & Ecosystem Energy
    • 01:02 The Mood in Market: Storms, Maturity & Resilience
    • 03:04 What Makes This Moment in Venture a Real Opportunity
    • 03:31 Recap of Björn’s Panel with Joe from Isomer
    • 05:15 DPI Truths: The Top 50 Funds & A Look Back to 2017
    • 06:04 Defense Tech & Dual-Use: What EIF Will (and Won’t) Fund
    • 09:34 Sovereignty ≠ Isolation: The Real Role of the EIF
    • 11:00 Later-Stage Funding Gaps & Europe’s Infrastructure Problem
    • 12:36 Satellites, SpaceX & European Strategic Dependencies
    • 14:14 Learnings From 25+ Years in the Game
    • 15:01 Philosophical, But Practical: What VC Responsibility Means
    • 16:17 A Clear Statement on Openness, Not Isolation
    Más Menos
    19 m
  • SV | E506 | Andre de Haes, Backed VC — Building the Davos for Founders, Redefining VC Edge & Embracing Authenticity

    SV | E506 | Andre de Haes, Backed VC — Building the Davos for Founders, Redefining VC Edge & Embracing Authenticity
    Jun 28 2025
    In this episode, David Cruz e Silva sits down with Andre de Haes, founder of Backed VC, live from SuperVenture 2025 in Berlin.

    Backed is one of Europe’s boldest early-stage funds, known not just for investing in frontier tech but for pioneering a new model of VC community. In this conversation, Andre unpacks the philosophical and practical foundations of their work—from turning a value-add into a moat to why “edge” in venture is mostly a myth—unless you build your own rules.

    Who should listen:
    • Emerging managers figuring out how to build true differentiation
    • LPs trying to evaluate durable edge in a saturated VC market
    • Founders deciding what kind of capital partner they want long-term
    Here what’s covered:
    • 00:00 Who is Andre de Haes & What is Backed VC?
    • 00:32 Frontier Tech Focus: Fintech, Bio, and Manufacturing Software
    • 01:30 Why Community is a Core Offering—Not a Side Show
    • 02:15 Behind the Scenes: The SuperVenture Speaker Dinner & Rooftop Surprise
    • 04:00 Playing the Long Game: Trust Built Over 20-Year Cycles
    • 05:08 Stage Preview: What it Means to Build VC Edge
    • 07:50 Advice for LPs on Identifying Real Differentiation
    • 10:50 Biggest Learnings: Humility, Leverage & Contrarian Courage
    • 15:00 Investing at the Frontier: Computational Bio, Optics & Non-Invasive Brain Tech
    • 16:00 What Munger & Buffett Teach Us About Capital Efficiency in VC
    Más Menos
    19 m
  • SV | E504 | Jan Miczaika, Partner at HV Capital — ESG, Defense, and Deep Tech from a Pan-European Heavyweight

    SV | E504 | Jan Miczaika, Partner at HV Capital — ESG, Defense, and Deep Tech from a Pan-European Heavyweight
    Jun 27 2025
    Live from SuperVenture 2025 in Berlin, Andreas Munk Holm sits down with Jan Miczaika, Partner at HV Capital, one of Europe’s largest and longest-standing venture capital firms.

    Together, they talk about macro trends shaping the future of VC, HV Capital’s unique positioning across funding stages, and offer a refreshingly honest take on ESG, DEI, defense, hype, LP dynamics, and the challenges of building a VC fund.

    This episode is a must-listen for:
    • LPs trying to understand how established firms see the world
    • Emerging managers finding their product-market fit
    • Founders building across deep tech, defense, and climate
    💡 What you'll learn:
    • Why SuperVenture is a cultural paradox in Berlin—and why Jan loves it
    • How HV Capital operates with flexibility across €500K to €50M investments
    • The future of ESG & DEI in a depoliticized, impact-first world
    • Defense investing: HV’s bets on Quantum Systems & Rocket Startups
    • What the G in ESG means—and why it's more relevant than ever
    • Advice for emerging managers: Fund I is hard, Fund II and III are harder
    • A reflection on being humbled by VC, even after successful exits
    Here what’s covered:
    • 00:00 SuperVenture, Berlin, and Capitalism in the Radical Left’s Hometown
    • 01:00 The HV Capital Model: From €500K to €50M in One Platform
    • 02:00 ESG, DEI & Fiduciary Duty: Past the Pendulum, Toward Balance
    • 04:05 Why Impact Companies Still Win: A Case Study from Copenhagen
    • 05:05 Defense Tech & ESG: Not Contradictory, But Complementary
    • 06:54 Advice for Emerging Managers: Fund Fit, Hustle & Dual Product-Market Fit
    • 10:02 Words for LPs: Don’t Dismiss Venture as “Too Risky”
    • 11:45 Lessons in Humility: From Founding Two Companies to Becoming a VC
    • 13:00 Betting Big: Why NeuroRobotics Said No to Focus & Yes to Full Stack
    Más Menos
    16 m