Bootstrap Europe

One of our portfolio clients Animaj (who Sifted dubbed, "the French startup taking on Disney and Pixar") recently announced its new 'Sketch-To-Motion' AI tool, which will disrupt the traditional kids' animation industry. With concerns about AI's impact on ownership and the creative process, Animaj has made a promise to keep full creative control in the hands of the artist, with AI automating the technical automation. “Sketch-to-Motion changes everything about how we create animations,” said Sixte de Vauplane, CEO and co-founder of Animaj. “It’s not just faster; it’s smarter. Artists now have the freedom to iterate endlessly and see their ideas come to life instantly. This tool isn’t replacing creative artists—it’s empowering them.” The full article can be found below.

We loved Innovate Finance's recent UK FinTech Impact Report, showcasing UK's fintechs acting as a force for good through its products and services. The piece featured one of our brilliant portfolio clients, Habito, as a fintech making a positive impact by "broadening access to affordable housing and finance". Ying Tan, Habito CEO, contributed to the report and stated: "“At Habito we're revolutionising the traditional mortgage process by leveraging cutting-edge technology to simplify every step. With our digital processes we aim to reduce the environmental impact of mortgages by reducing paper-based processes. We make finding and securing a mortgage, super transparent and jargon free.” Full report can be found here: https://lnkd.in/e69qFWWX

It was great to see Bootstrap Europe co-founders and Managing Partners, Fatou Diagne and Stephanie Heller (Galantine) in Berlin this week. The topic of the night -- why growth debt is such an attractive financing option for the tech ecosystem. Thank you to The Delta Campus, CODE University of Applied Sciences and University of St.Gallen for being involved, it was a much-needed conversation around the financial tool, and why it makes sense for so many of Europe's fast-growing, healthy technology companies.

Time and context is everything. So, when should businesses consider growth debt as a financing option? 1. Bridge financing for exits. 2. Extending runway between equity rounds. 3. Milestone financing to avoid dilution. 4. Meeting working capital needs. 5. Enhancing capital efficiency. You can read the full outline where we share our thoughts on when growth debt might be right for you over at StartupReporter.

Thank you, StartupReporter, for publishing co-founders and Managing Partners, Stephanie Heller (Galantine) and Fatou Diagne thoughts on when growth debt is the right choice for a business. Throughout the piece, the Bootstrap founders outline why it's not necessarily a viable option for more than (roughly) 90% of European tech businesses, and the specific scenarios for when it is most beneficial to take on growth debt. The full piece can be found over at Startup Reporter.

As recognition for the benefits of growth debt increases, it's always good to balance the narrative with reality and understand when its best to avoid it as an financing option. Co-founder and Managing Partner, Stephanie Heller (Galantine) outlines a number of situations where it is prudent to avoid this financing route in EU-Startups, and warns that "timing and context are crucial". You can read the full piece below.

Thank you Leah Hodgson for mentioning Bootstrap in your piece over the summer on why European startups are picking debt over equity. Education and increased visibility around growth debt as a financing tool for certain businesses is a necessity for the sector. Berlin-based VC, Target Global's Founder and Partner, Shmuel Chafets noted that venture debt has historically been used less in Europe than the US, in part due to a lack of education, and added that startup mindsets are changing. As the European ecosystem matures, the region’s startups are becoming more comfortable with venture debt as a financing tool. Just one of many insightful pieces by PitchBook's Leah Hodgson covering the ecosystem in great depth. You can read the full piece below.

We are thrilled to welcome UK-based robotics and data intelligence startup, Dexory, to Bootstrap's portfolio of clients. Dexory has seen a 5-10x increase in growth over the past 12 months as it launched its hardware and software as a commercial product last March. The business expects to grow its headcount by another 50% over the next year as they look to expand operations in the US. Bootstrap Europe participated in their $80m Series B round with investors such as DTCP, Latitude Ventures, Wave X and existing investors, Atomico, Lakestar, Capnamic and several angels from the logistics industry. You can read the full announcement over at Sifted and the Dexory website.

This Wednesday (9th October, 6:30pm, Delta Campus, Donaustr. 44, 12043 Berlin-Neukölln), we are excited to be a part of The Delta Campus' event, Behind the Fund: An evening with Bootstrap Europe. In partnership with Business Buddies GmbH and the University of St. Gallen alumni, both Fatou Diagne and Stephanie Heller (Galantine) will be discussing the role of growth debt in today's world, their journey since Bootstrap Europe's inception, and, of course, their landmark acquisition of the German Silicon Valley Bank portfolio. If you are in Berlin, register below to secure your place, we would love to see you there.

It's incredibly important to choose the right provider for investor reporting, and last week, we were delighted to welcome Quantium as our chosen partner. Robert Uren, Bootstrap Europe's Fund Controller, stated: "As Bootstrap enters a new phase of growth, we were looking for a provider to power our portfolio and fund reporting process which is aligned with the same innovative DNA we are weaving into all of our processes. Quantium allows us to continue scaling and streamlining our operations in line with our ambitions. It is vital for our team to have a single source of truth for portfolio, fund and investor data. Quantium provides all of this and more, with toolkits to generate forecasts, performance dashboards, and investor reporting." Find out more about our partnership over at Quantium.