Angelique Schouten

This Monday, I kicked off a project to validate the Dutch market for Metris Energy, a London-based startup that’s reshaping solar asset management. Backed by VCs Octopus Ventures and AENU, Metris is building a powerful new platform that addresses a pain point in the solar industry. 🌞 Currently, many PPA funds and solar asset managers rely on Excel for tracking and reporting - a method that’s often slow, inefficient, and difficult to scale. 🐢💻 Metris is solving this problem with its software, automating key processes like monitoring, reporting, billing, and payments. Making solar asset management faster, easier and scalable. 📈⚡️ ️ With 240+ sites already live in the #UK, Metris is now looking to expand into new markets. And that’s where I come in. Over the next weeks, I’ll be: - Validating market demand - Assessing needs to support a potential entry 🇳🇱 Through targeted interviews and research, we aim to confirm a potential product-market fit and identify essential features for a potential launch. So, do you know anyone in the #solar asset management space? If so, tag them below or send me a DM - I’d love to connect! 💬

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We are excited to welcome TRACT to the Working Capital Fund portfolio! Fragmented sustainability data is a chronic pain point for corporations seeking to operate ethical and sustainable supply chains and Tract offers a unique opportunity to influence sustainability reporting at scale across commodities with well documented risks of labor exploitation. Historically siloed data has obfuscated visibility into labor and environmental conditions of upstream suppliers and forced suppliers to allocate an extensive amount of time filling in redundant forms.  Tract is positioned to help solve this problem as a platform designed by and for industry leaders to align around standardized methodologies, metrics, and schemas. Under the expert leadership of CEO Allison Kopf, Tract will aim to unlock customers' ability to navigate, oversee, and share sustainability data. We are pleased to join Rabo Investments along with existing investors Cargill, Louis Dreyfus Company, ADM and Olam in the effort to drive supply chain transformation in key agricultural commodities. 

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When I was taping my podcast CEO versus CEO with Rogier Thewessen, founder of YoungCapital I asked him what his biggest advice would be for people who want to scale like him… His answer….TEAM When I was CEO I would invest an enourmous amount of time in my people…. These are my 2 cents… 1. Character Over Skills: Skills can be taught, but integrity and compassion build trust and long-term success. 2. Interdependence: Success stems from harmony. Hire team players who thrive on collaboration. 3. Self-Awareness: Mindful individuals who learn from feedback and act with intention make better decisions. 4. Aligned Intentions: Choose those who share your vision and prioritize collective success. And 5…..decide what is and chose your superpower and focus focus focus on this and outsource the rest…. That is why when I invest in #hrtech I invest in companies that align with my vision…. I am super happy that I invested in HirePort, 10x.Team and Lepaya and a big thanks Angelique Schouten, René Janssen, Peter Kuperus, Alexander Leenaers, Remco van de Ruit and Bram Medema for listening to me saying the same thing many times over 😳 By focusing on values, mindfulness, and balance, you’ll not only build a high-performing team but also foster a culture that thrives on purpose and harmony. How are you applying these principles to your team-building efforts? #hrtech #investor #mentor #coach #ceo #podcast #scaling #team

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When I was taping my podcast CEO versus CEO with Rogier Thewessen, founder of YoungCapital I asked him what his biggest advice would be for people who want to scale like him… His answer…. TEAM When I was CEO I would invest an enourmous amount of time in my people…. These are my 2 cents… 1. Character Over Skills: Skills can be taught, but integrity and compassion build trust and long-term success. 2. Interdependence: Success stems from harmony. Hire team players who thrive on collaboration. 3. Self-Awareness: Mindful individuals who learn from feedback and act with intention make better decisions. 4. Aligned Intentions: Choose those who share your vision and prioritize collective success. And 5…..decide what is your SUPERPOWER …… ….. focus focus focus on this and ….outsource the rest…. That is why when I invest in #hrtech I invest in companies that align with this vision…. I am super happy that I invested in HirePort, 10x.Team and Lepaya and a big thanks Angelique Schouten, René Janssen, Peter Kuperus, Alexander Leenaers, Remco van de Ruit and Bram Medema for listening to me saying the same thing many times over 😳 By focusing on values, mindfulness, and balance, you’ll not only build a high-performing team but also foster a culture that thrives on purpose and harmony. How are you applying these principles to your team-building efforts? #hrtech #investor #mentor #coach #ceo #podcast #scaling #team

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Next Tuesday, in our Angel Talks, I welcome Marcia Dawood to talk about The Importance of Angel Investing for You and Society. Marcia is not only an experienced angel investor and Chair Emeritus of the Angel Capital Association. She also hosts the Angel Next Door Podcast and has just launched the book "Do Good While Doing Well" This event is open to the general audience. If you want to participate, register at the link:https://lnkd.in/dpuZ4hfy See you on Tuesday! https://lnkd.in/dGEf6ZdK #angelinvesting #firstbelievers #angelimpact #startups #impactinvesting #angels #investingwithpurpose

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The trend is picking up. Investing in #deterrance & #defence to further support competitiveness and resilience of #European countries. This time Netherlands Ministerie van Defensie is joining other #EU MoDs and national development agencies to facilitate access to funding for #defence #DualUse and #security innovations. Our fund Coinvest Capital was the first in the region, fully authorised to invest in pure #defense already back in March 2023, shortly joined in April by Baltic Sandbox Ventures with #DeepTech focus and the launch of dual-use accelerators by ScaleWolf in October. Just our fund alone already coinvested 6.8mEUR in #aerospace and #defense, including one of the largest regional #VC rounds in Unmanned Defense Systems. Today we will be watching and supporting two teams from #Lithuania - winners of our joint prizes with DEPO Ventures - pitching on stage at #DefSec innovation challenge hosted by Dr. Kristina Soukupova with their solutions for #cyber #security and #drone enhancement, that enables all drone makers to get faster time-to-market. Wishing the best of luck and a solid pitch to the teams of AI Drone.Tech with co-founders Laurynas Česūnas and Domantas Brucas, winners of our prize at the defence #hackathon The Flaming Shield of Lietuvos šaulių sąjunga , and CBRX with co-founder Kazimieras Sadauskas, winners of our prize at the Startup Lithuania annual event #StartupFair

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🦄 Are you following Survival to Thrival on Linkedin? We’ll be sharing excerpts (like the one below) from 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡 and 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝘽𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 that you won't want to miss out on. "Building an enterprise startup from an idea on a whiteboard into a sustainable industry-leading business is every entrepreneur's dream. The Survival to Thrival series delves into the critical stages of building a successful enterprise, mirroring the journey depicted in the graphic above. Every startup journey goes through distinct stages - from figuring out the Founding Idea and early product, to figuring out Go-To-Market and driving growth, all hoping to build a sustainable valuable business that fulfills the mission. Yet, it’s insanely hard. It requires the right idea, the right people, painful setbacks, intense learning— and an immense amount of work and a good dose of luck. Book one’s four main themes: • 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁: For enterprise entrepreneurs maniacally focused on their current major startup milestone, practical advice from the battlefield to help win now and anticipate what’s next along the path from initial startup idea to sustainable industry leader. • 𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸” 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵: Go-ToMarket Fit. Product-Market Fit is a well-known and incredibly important milestone for enterprise startups, but for enterprise startups, PMF doesn’t unlock growth. There is a missing link that doesn’t really have an identity, yet it’s very real and very important. We call it Go-To-Market Fit. • 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: Once a startup achieves GTM Fit, it’s no longer about Survival; it’s about Thrival. Everything changes. Execution changes. Mindset changes. Investors change. It’s maddening and really hard. Much of what used to work no longer works. The very things that used to work for the startup now hold it back. • 𝗗𝗮𝗺𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼, 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁: The enterprise startup journey is fraught with painful situations, difficult changes, and situations for which there is just no good answer." Want all the info now? Both books are available for FREE download here: https://lnkd.in/gCWWH48 #EnterpriseStartup #GoToMarketFit #Entrepreneurship #StartupJourney #BusinessGrowth

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As a limited partner (LP) you need to know how profits are distributed - this is what the waterfall tells you. This 👇is an example of a European waterfall with no preferred hurdle. In our guest post Michael Bjorn Huseby and Kareim Oliphant write about 5 key terms LPs should consider, profit splits is one of them. ~~~ If you invest in funds and syndications, you will want to read this - link in comments

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Excellent piece by Ian Hogarth. - Europe (UK included) will only be able to continue to prosper if it leverages technology-driven growth - It has a good chance along the technology tree if it manages to unleash serial founder led growth - It is this duality of focus on technology and risk-embracing serial entrepreneurship that has accelerated US growth at a time when Europe (UK included) has stagnated

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#KLM #ZeroAvia KLM and electric aviation solutions startup ZeroAvia announced plans for a zero-emissions demonstration flight using hydrogen-electric engines powered by liquid hydrogen. The test flight plans come as a series of initiatives are underway to target rapid aviation sector decarbonization, such as electrified propulsion or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Hydrogen, however, is viewed by some in the industry as a more promising long-term solution, given its potential to be produced through carbon-free methods, and its energy attributes. https://lnkd.in/dSZtA6CF

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#KLM #ZeroAvia KLM and electric aviation solutions startup ZeroAvia announced plans for a zero-emissions demonstration flight using hydrogen-electric engines powered by liquid hydrogen. The test flight plans come as a series of initiatives are underway to target rapid aviation sector decarbonization, such as electrified propulsion or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Hydrogen, however, is viewed by some in the industry as a more promising long-term solution, given its potential to be produced through carbon-free methods, and its energy attributes. https://lnkd.in/dSZtA6CF

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Decarbonize the aviation industry. One of the most critical yet challenging sectors. In the fight against climate change. We are working on something in this sector. Together with Satgana, through our EUVC Syndicate. https://buff.ly/4a2n6NB If you want to find out more details about it, or join us. Send me a direct message here. #venturecapital #angelinvesting #startupfunding #europe

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🚀 57% of our investments are certified B Corp! We just added 2 to the mix: #Untamed | B Corp™ and #KoRo! At Five Seasons Ventures, we do as we preach, so we are also B Corp certified ourselves. Even though the label is far from perfect, it certainly has its advantages: - Fast growing community: from 1.2k certified companies 10 years ago to over 9k today. - Trusted and recognized by consumers and investors - Holistic approach: B Corp offers a comprehensive framework, recognizing companies that prioritize ESG, but also giving companies extra points if their products "promote the health and wellness of individuals" or "reduce toxins or pollution" for example (aka impact) According to our head of Impact Gaetan Kerloc'h: 'there is a strong correlation between certified companies and my own evaluation of their sustainability practices. With the new framework currently in development, I believe this alignment will only grow stronger.' 💚

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✨ Breaking: ECFG Growth Ventures Announces New Fund.- ECFG Growth Ventures Netherlands Enterprise Agency invested into ECFG Growth Ventures seed fund focused on high-tech manufacturing and SMEs in B2B sectors. https://ecfg.nl/ Please share to let other #Founders know For the ❤️ of Startups #Fusion42 #Startups#Venturecapital

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𝗘𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 For a search fund entrepreneur, establishing the benefit of working with you instead of any other buyer is essential. To that, you have to start by being clear about why you're a better choice. One or more of these might apply: - Industry knowledge. - Operational expertise. - Financial structuring. - Due diligence precision. - Speed and decision-making. - Cultural understanding. - Regional expertise. - Technological savvy. Most searchers I work with have an edge that could be described as some combo of the above.

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The journey from startup to scale-up isn’t always straightforward. However, explosive growth is often seen as the secret to startup success... The trouble is far too many promising startups 'grow themselves to death'. That is where extrapolation comes in — a critical stage often overlooked in the venture growth stages. Typically, businesses operate between two modes: // Exploration mode to find PMF // Exploitation mode to optimize business model for steady growth and profits. However, extrapolation is a distinct stage bridging the gap between the two. During extrapolation, you want to achieve two goals: // Confirming PMF demand // Achieving PMF Successfully demonstrating demand and profitability. Key steps in the extrapolation process: → Setting clear, achievable goals → Defining critical assumptions and factors needed for growth → Identifying and fixing limitations in the business model → Repeating until all issues are resolved But to truly succeed in this stage, you must build an ambidextrous team. Remain nimble — within the organization, in looking for promising opportunities, and in growing market reach. Only then can you achieve sustainable growth. Join our newsletter —- We break down acquisition strategies, deal analysis, value creation playbooks, operating concepts +++ For the love of the game // https://lnkd.in/e7C6yZE2 Source: Harvard Business Review #Startups #Innovation #Success #Business #Strategy

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At Movens Capital, we are committed to providing tech companies with essential knowledge and resources for success (#MovensAcademy). We recently conducted a comprehensive workshop on Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), led by Stefan from Samira Advisors (thanks a lot!), to prepare companies from our close network for future growth and acquisition opportunities. Key Highlights: 📚 Introduction to M&A: The workshop began with an overview of the M&A process, emphasizing the importance of early preparation and strategic positioning for a successful merger or acquisition. ⏱ Timing and Valuation: Discussions included the optimal timing for selling a company and how to navigate the valuation differences between the venture capital and M&A markets. 🤝 Strategic Partnerships: The significance of establishing strong strategic partnerships was highlighted as a key factor in increasing a company's attractiveness for acquisition. 💼 Financial and Legal Preparedness: The workshop stressed the need for financial stability and thorough legal documentation, underscoring these as critical elements in the M&A process. 🔄 Shareholder Alignment: The importance of aligning the interests of all shareholders to avoid potential conflicts during an acquisition was explored in detail. 🎉 Post-Acquisition Considerations: The session concluded with insights into the post-acquisition phase, focusing on cultural adjustments and the challenges of integration. This workshop is part of Movens VC's ongoing effort to support our portfolio companies and ecosystem through their growth and development stages, ensuring they are well-prepared for the challenges and opportunities of M&A activities.

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🎙️ New Episode Alert: Ethical AI for Inclusive Democracy! I’m excited to announce the release of our latest Builders' PlayPod episode featuring Evelien Nieuwenburg, the inspiring co-founder of Dembrane. 💡 In this episode, Evelien shares her incredible journey and mission to supercharge dialogue through ethical AI. Here’s a glimpse of what we cover: 🧩 Personal insights: Evelien’s background and what led her to this field. 🚀 Founding story: The origins of Dembrane and Evelien's pivotal role. 🌟 Mission & vision: Why Dembrane’s work is crucial for today’s world. 🔍 Stakeholder analysis: How AI is transforming companies' understanding of their stakeholders. 🌍 Real-world impact: Stories of how Dembrane’s AI solutions have made a difference. ⚖️ Ethical AI: The importance of ethics in AI-driven stakeholder analysis. 💪 Overcoming challenges: The major hurdles they faced and how they conquered them. 🔮 Future vision: Evelien’s vision for the future of Dembrane and AI in the industry. Evelien’s dedication to using AI for good and her strategic insights are truly inspiring. Her journey from concept to impactful solutions is a testament to what’s possible with passion and innovation. 🎧 I hope you find Evelien's story as fascinating and motivating as I did. Don't miss out on this episode! 📹 Check out this snippet from our conversation, where Evelien discusses the technical complexities and the critical need to build trust in innovative AI solutions. Michael #PlayPod #Podcast #EthicalAI #InclusiveDemocracy #Entrepreneurship

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Measuring marketing in Venture is useless. Never one to mince my words, I was back on the EUVC podcast alongside Vincent Touati-Tomas & Jeroen van Doornik to discuss all things marketing in VC. Alongside all things narrative development, positioning, culture, and content and distribution, we also covered one of the hotly debated topics of the moment in the US vs Europe debate and even got into the weeds of the impact of regulation and what funds need to do in order to stand out. If you're curious about the mysterious world of venture marketing then have a listen here:

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