Sherin Maruhn

Top tips for angel investors for more international deals. From Eva Spannagl, Managing Director of Climatos. The easy part: 👉 Build connections with international investors. 👉 Reach out proactively to international teams. 👉 Use Linkedin The tough one: 👉 Define your unique value proposition for this type of founders 👉 Preach what you want to do a thousand times. Talk about what you want. And the actions will follow. What do you think? What other tips will you add to the list? Join the conversation. #venturecapital #startupinvesting #angelinvesting #europe

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Series A Engineering: How does Dreamcraft Ventures support startups towards a successful Series A? 🚀 Find out in our Bits & Pretzels Masterclass in Munich on 30 Sep, which will be hosted by Nico, Founder Enablement Partner, and yours truly 🙌 We will cover how we invest and support portfolio companies. Using Hiber as a case study, I will talk about our collaboration with Michael and his team, and give you insights into how they raised their $15m Series A led by EQT Ventures 🤩 Nico will do a deep dive into crucial building blocks for early-stage startups. Based on his +15 years of experience from VC-backed startups like Trustpilot and Platypus, which he co-founded, Nico will provide hands-on advice for hiring, creating structural trust, retaining talent and building a performance culture 💪🔥 Are you going to Bits & Pretzels? Then join our Masterclass or reach out to myself, Nico or our colleague, Mads, if you want to meet up elsewhere! 💬 #Bits24 #venturecapital #vc #startup

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Excited to share what I learned from Sandro Stark, founding partner at Vanagon Ventures backing FrontierTech from Munich/DACH 🚀 to the World at the YUVC video podcast (links in comments) 💡 Above all, Sandro is a super nice person to get along with and has a great NPS from founders 👋 Here 3 Core Takeaways ✨ 1. Vanagon’s approach to startup evaluation 👀 - Distribution capability is now the key differentiator, not just technical innovation - Customer "stickiness" and deep industry understanding - The solution must demonstrate both climate impact and profit potential 2. Why is Munich's ecosystem strategic? 🇩🇪 - Part of DACH region - third-largest market globally after China and US - Rich concentration of technical talent and corporate headquarters - Untapped potential in Mittelstand venture engagement 3. What's the philosophy behind sustainable success? 😉 - Don't postpone happiness for future achievements - True leadership creates more leaders, not followers - Consistent effort matters more than breakthrough moments Now listen in for more insights! ❤ Kudos to his great co-founders/GPs @Vanagon: Susanne Fromm Axel Roitzsch Shoutout to their amazing portfolios: Senken Particula Renoster youba The Landbanking Group LoopID heartstocks Learn.xyz ExoMatter and more

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𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫! 🚀 With this, I am super excited to announce that Scripe closed its pre-seed fundraising round – with a group of amazing, experienced angel investors! 🙌 Since day one, I am a huge fan of the product. Scripe is a is a content workspace that enables companies to position their whole team on LinkedIn – from the intern to the CEO. Imagine everyone having a personal high-end ghostwriter assistant in their pocket. Their mission: Empowering the world's professionals to share their stories. And they are doing everything they can to get there. My favorite features so far are: - YouTube uploads turn into endless content ideas. - Plan your content week in advance with ease. - Reports are 1000X better than LinkedIn's native tools. (Sorry, LinkedIn! 😉) I look super forward to being part of their journey and to support them with my experience in Sales, Content Creation & Scaling 🙌 I am very happy about the other investors who are working with me to make scripe the next Unicorn 🦄 : Glenn Miseroy, Daniel Frese, Richard van der Blom, Robert Heineke  Laura Raggl, Nina Kani, Tony E. Kula, 👋 Michael Kamleitner, Julius Göllner, Roman Geugelin, 🛠 Nico Axtmann, Michael Streit, Emanuel Jöbstl, Stefan Smulders, Nicoleta Danu. If you want to give Scripe a try and get an extra month for free, comment SCRIPE in the comment section. 👇 #Scripe #Contentcreation #AI #PersonalBranding

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Europe unfortunately is a combination of many individual capital markets, some bigger and some smaller, which is keeping the industry's growth modest and never really challenging the US. #vc #funding #startups #privatefunding #privatecapital #investmentstrategies #growth #deeptech #seed #startupcapital

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I am very thrilled to announce that we have recently participated in follow-on rounds of existing portfolio companies as well as backed two new exciting digital health companies: Doccla is the leading remote patient monitoring provider in Europe led by Dag Larsson and Martin Ratz. In their recent round led by Lakestar, and supported by Elaia and Optum Ventures we are excited to keep supporting their journey alongside General Catalyst, Giant Ventures, Speedinvest deepc, an orchestration platform for AI, starting with Radiology as the first vertical and led by Dr. Franz MJ Pfister, MD, MBA, where we followed-on alongside Sofinnova Partners with participation from new strategic investors KHP Ventures and SwissHealth Ventures who are supporting the market expansion Guardoc Health led by Hadassah Backman develops a compliance integrity platform to support understaffed and heavily overworked nursing staff with daily documentation, ensure compliance with regulations and improve the audit and billing process in care homes. We seeded the company together with our friends Pitango and the US investor Springbank among others Pi Health led by Geoffrey Kim and Bobby Reddy, MD has built an unique end-to-end software stack for clinical trials. Pi Health was recently spun out of BeiGene, and we invested in their series A together with AlleyCorp and Obvious Ventures    These investments take our Bertelsmann Investments Next growth program to yet another level.   We’re proud to backing the exceptional founders and their teams. We are fully convinced that these companies do make an important contribution to improving healthcare.   cc: Thorsten Wirkes Tim Schneider Agnes Eva Uhr, LL.M. Maximilian Boner #BertelsmannNext #VentureCapital #DigitalHealth #Growth #HealthcareInvestments https://lnkd.in/eDm4JXAh

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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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If you are a founder or funder in Austin on Wednesday, November 6th, join us at Stubb's BBQ 🍖 to hear these six pitches from startups visiting from Switzerland: ​- Magnes AG offers a cutting-edge solution for monitoring walking patterns in patients with neurological disorders. Smart sensors embedded in sneakers collect data during daily activities, and AI generates reports and real-time feedback to prevent falls and freezing. ​- MYNERVA has developed a groundbreaking medical device combining AI and neurostimulation to artificially restore the sense of touch and decrease pain in patients suffering from diabetic neuropathy. ​- Authena advances supply chains with real-time technology, improving transparency, efficiency, and sustainability. Their eco-friendly IoT devices and AI analytics, developed with leading Swiss universities, offer single-unit visibility for tracking and actionable insights. ​- Auxivo AG, a Swiss exoskeleton spinoff from ETH Zurich, enhances worker safety with wearable exoskeletons that reduce physical workload and injury risk. The company has quickly established itself as a leading developer, launching multiple products in the market. ​- ORamaVR aims to transform global healthcare with advanced XR and deep learning technologies, addressing the urgent issue of inaccessible and unaffordable surgical care by modernizing outdated medical training systems. ​- Biosimo Chemicals specializes in sustainable chemical production using renewable resources and green chemistry. They combine bioprocessing with advanced catalysis to create environmentally friendly, scalable solutions. In partnership with FIESTA. https://lnkd.in/gi6q8ged

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🌟 Spotlight on Female Founders in European Venture Capital! 🌟 The latest Q1 2024 European Venture Report from Pitchbook reveals intriguing trends in VC activity, especially concerning female-founded companies. While the overall investment landscape has been challenging, the resilience and innovation of female entrepreneurs stand out. 📉 Current Trends: Deal activity for female-founded companies started slower this year, with €1.9 billion in deals, marking a 28.6% drop YoY. Despite this, the ecosystem for female-led companies is vibrant, with sectors like femtech showing promising growth. 🚀 Top Deals: The largest female-founded deal was with Everphone, securing a whopping €270 million in venture growth funding. Other notable deals include Medical Microinstruments and Razor Group in the healthcare and B2B sectors. 🔍 Looking Ahead: Female-founded exits appear more buoyant, showing a healthy exit/investment ratio, which highlights the growing investor confidence in female-led startups. With increased focus on diverse and inclusive funding, the future is promising for female founders. Let's celebrate and support the incredible achievements of female entrepreneurs in Europe. Their success is not just a win for gender diversity but a testament to the innovative spirit driving the European venture ecosystem forward. #VentureCapital #FemaleFounders #EuropeanVenture #Innovation #DiversityInTech #StartupEcosystem

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🚨 Red Alert for Germany’s Startup Ecosystem: A 30% Drop in Active Investors – How Can We Keep the Innovation Engine Running? A recent article from Handelsblatt (link in comments) points out that early-stage startups are especially at risk during this downturn since they depend on venture capital to scale. The expanding funding gap will further stifle growth in areas where innovation is most needed. Yet, within this challenge lies opportunity: 🌱 Resilient Sectors Lead the Way Sectors like #GreenTech and #AI are still drawing investment, showing their potential to drive innovation. These industries highlight where Germany can have the most significant impact. 🏠 Family Offices as Growth Catalysts As traditional investors pull back, family offices can step up. By leveraging patient capital, they can empower promising startups and lay the foundation for long-term success. 🤝 Venture Clienting as a Key to Co-Innovation Strategic partnerships between startups and established businesses bridge the funding gap. These alliances not only drive digital transformation but also deliver mutual value and foster innovation. At D11Z. Ventures, we believe Germany’s competitive edge depends on collaboration. That's why we invest in high-potential startups and create co-innovation opportunities with family offices and industry leaders. Together, we're fostering an ecosystem that drives innovation and supports long-term growth. 🚀 💬 How can family offices and industry leaders support the next wave of startup innovation? Share your ideas below! #D11ZVentures #Innovation #StartupEcosystem #VentureCapital #InnovationLeadership #FamilyOffices #CoInnovation #ArtificialIntelligence

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My VC-tech newsletter for the first half of September can be summarized in 5 words - Summer Slump and AI Hype - https://lnkd.in/eHuihDec European VC Market 📉 August was the worst month for European startup funding since April 2017, with only €1.8bn raised across 247 funding rounds. 📈 Despite this, median late venture rounds are growing in size, with the median Series B round size up 40% year on year. Global VC Trends 📉 The number of VC transactions continued to decline in Q2'24, to 4,207 from 4,452 in Q1. 📈 However, aggregate value ticked up to $69.4bn from $61.2bn, boosted by tech deals. 🚨 Exits continued at a very moderate pace, with only 13 VC-backed IPOs in Q2 compared to 44 in Q1 2024. AI Update 🤖 AI features prominently among the 6,868 VC funds currently in market worldwide, aiming to raise a combined $462.6bn. 💰 The US has increased its domination of VC in recent years, with prominent funds like Andreessen Horowitz and Balderton Capital investing heavily in AI (A16Z did close their Miami shop which Khosla shrugged off). Mega-Deals and IPOs 🚀 Safe Superintelligence raised a $1+ billion round at a reported $5 billion valuation, while OpenAI and Coreweave are out to raise unprecedented rounds. 💰 Sequoia Capital bought $861 million worth of Stripe shares. IPO 🔔 Companies like OpenAI, CoreWeave, and Rebellions are reportedly planning IPOs. Come along for much else on how VC valuations shaped up in early Sep, the California AI act, AI eating jobs at your favourite BNPL shop, Paul Graham's awesome new article on 'founder mode'. #VC #Startup #Tech #AI #IPO #VentureCapital #Funding #Innovation

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Last month, we at World Fund announced our investment in Faircado. I’ve written a ‘why we invested in’ blogpost, looking at why we led the deal - and what excites me about this startup. Founded by the brilliant Evoléna de Wilde d'Estmael 🌱and Ali Nezamolmaleki, Faircado is an AI-powered browser extension that makes sustainable choices more accessible and mainstream for millions of consumers online. Our collective closets overflow with items we no longer need but that others could use. We need to embrace a circular economy, and Faircado can help us break this ineffective cycle - perpetuated by awful brands like SHEIN - by helping us make better buying decisions online. You can read the full piece here: https://bit.ly/4coXxYy

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4️⃣ SaaStock Fundraising Chatter: Finding the Right VC for You. A key takeaway from Tuesday’s post was how important it is to qualify your investors. With so many options, here's how to be strategic: 🔎 Qualify ruthlessly. Treat your investor funnel like a sales funnel. AlbionVC, for example, invests $1-10M in UK-based B2B software and deeptech. If you’re a Paris-based consumer marketplace raising $20M, it’s a non-starter. Founders waste precious time crafting outreach to funds outside their scope. 🥇 Prioritise Smartly. Rank your target funds by both appeal and likelihood of success. 💘 Find a Warm Intro. If you don’t know the fund directly, network like you would for sales. Get a concise, compelling intro via a mutual connection. Remember a “pass” could even lead to a referral to another, better-fit fund. 🎮 Sequence Pitches. Start with lower-priority VCs to refine your pitch with early feedback. Then, approach your top picks with a polished narrative. Generating interest early creates momentum in your process. ⚠️ Requalify Your VCs! It’s as important to assess us as it is for us to assess you. ➡️Ambition Alignment: Are their expectations aligned with yours? ➡️Personal Fit: Grab a coffee, breakfast, lunch, go on a walk: will you enjoy working with them for years? ➡️Support: What do you need? Do your diligence to ensure they deliver it. ➡️References: Talk to portfolio companies, successes and struggles. Were they fair? were they kind? ➡️Partner Stability: The partner who leads your investment will be emotionally and intellectually invested in you and your vision. They will be on call. They will fight for you when things get tough (bridge rounds, etc)…far more than someone who replaces them later. Also, high turnover at a fund could signal cultural issues. #SaaS #Fundraising #VC #AlbionVC

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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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Wondering what InstaDeep is up to since its groundbreaking acquisition by BioNTech SE? Turns out its game just got an extra nitro boost. "Combining forces with BioNTech hasn’t slowed innovation at InstaDeep. Future projects with massive human impact range from using AI for personalized cancer vaccines to “moonshot” to automate railway scheduling with Deutsche Bahn, the largest rail operator in Europe." InstaDeep is building a new office in Kigali, Rwanda to get homegrown talent to tackle problems unique to Africa like predicting locust breeding grounds using satellite data. Catch the conversation between Karim Beguir & Linda Rottenberg here: https://lnkd.in/denxYhwe #IndustrialAutomation #AI #EmergingMarkets

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Germany’s Investor Drop – Why Climate Tech is Bucking the Trend A recent article by Nadine Schimroszik in Handelsblatt today mentioned that the number of active investors in Germany has dropped by 40% this year. Based on PitchBook data, the conclusion is that venture capital in Germany has become significantly more challenging, particularly in early-stage and growth-stage investments. However, for Climate Tech, the story is different. Despite the overall decline in venture capital, the sector continues to attract attention, with a 16.2% increase in pre-seed and seed investments. Indeed, we have seen some positive developments recently: 1. Growing Commitment to Addressing the Climate Crisis 🌱 2. Long-term Investment Horizon ⏳ 3. Robust Capital Availability for Scalable Solutions 💰 Big thanks to Nadine Schimroszik for raising awareness on this important issue. As investors, how can we ensure we're not just reacting to trends, but actively driving the transformation needed for a sustainable future? 🌍🔋 #ClimateTech #SustainableInvestment #VentureCapital  

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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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𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹: 𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗩𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗜 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗰𝗮𝗽, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆-𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲! 🚀 🌍 When we started with Vsquared Ventures deep tech was a niche to many and it has been great to see and experience that this has changed. Right now there is immense opportunity for #Europe to become a global deep tech powerhouse and to make the continent future-proof. Companies that solve real problems through real technology on a global scale will be successful and these are the ones we partner with. We are excited to have already invested in amazing companies with Vsquared II (Synthara AG NEURA Robotics, cylib, Quantune Technologies GmbH Dynelectro constellr , Atrandi Biosciences | Droplet Genomics , Lace Lithography). As we continue to drive forward with Vsquared II, we remain dedicated to leveraging not only capital, but also our expertise, extensive partner and network for our founders, with the goal in mind to prove that the next global deep tech leaders can and will be European. Thank you to the LP’s for trusting and supporting us on this journey and the best team, for being part of this! Thanks a lot to Miriam Partington at Sifted and Nadine Schimroszik Handelsblatt for the coverage 🙏🏽! (Link to the articles in comments) Cc: Lise Rechsteiner, PhD , Dr.-Ing. Herbert Mangesius , Benedikt von Schoeler , Patrick Tucci , Ferdinand Vermersch , Michael Jobst , Jakob Lingg , Gina Krymalowski, Patrick Hümmer

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