Exceptional Ventures

🎄 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 The holidays are a wonderful time to relax, connect, and celebrate – but they can also disrupt the routines we’ve worked so hard to build throughout the year. With a little intention, you can enjoy the season to the fullest 𝚊̲𝚗̲𝚍̲ stay on track with your mental and physical wellness. Here are some tips that work for me (note:  I normally put on 1 or 2kgs in Italy over Christmas, which evaporate when I get back to enjoying my own cooking in London ): 🤩 𝗘𝗮𝘁, 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 – 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁-𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 This is a time for celebration! Enjoy wonderful food and drinks with your loved ones and don’t let guilt creep in. This is what puts 𝘑𝘰𝘺 into 𝗝𝗼𝘆𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻™️. 📋 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲 You don’t have to let go of everything you’ve worked on because you are indulging. Maintaining small habits, like your workout schedule or morning meditation, keeps you anchored. 🍽️ 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗘𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 The holidays are about sharing meals with your people. I prioritise those moments by skipping unnecessary snacks or breakfasts when I can, saving my appetite for the meals that matter to me. For example, I skip the morning yoghurt + Bio&Me granola but fully enjoy the pandoro with chantilly cream in the evening with family. Pro tip: You could play with 𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼-𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 practices that suit your lifestyle. But don’t arrive at the table starving! Drinking plenty of water - sparking water especially - makes me feel fuller and curbs my appetite. So do black coffee and tea. Staying hydrated also helps with recovery and digestion. 🏋️♂️ 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 Whether it’s hitting the gym, skiing, or a run, I aim to get in 3-6 workouts during the week. I also enjoy long family walks, hot yoga, or a group spin class. Exercise keeps your metabolism and hormones in check, making it easier to bounce back to normal after the holidays. 💤 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽 After a busy year, the holidays are a perfect time to catch up on rest. Sleep in, relax, and let your body recover. Your mind will thank you 💪 ❤️ 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝗸 Lean into your close relationships. Spend time with loved ones, laugh, and create memories. Strong connections recharge your spirit and give you purpose. 🎁 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 You worked so hard this year, you deserve it 🎉 💪 The holidays are about joy, not perfection. Stick to a few consistent habits, and you’ll find it much easier to pick up where you left off in the new year. Wishing you a healthy, happy, and merry festive season! Exceptional Ventures #HealthTech #Wellness #VC #HolidayHealth #Joyspan™️

🚀 𝟰𝘅 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀! 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝟭 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳. As we approach the end of 2024, we’re crunching numbers on our portfolio to ensure we’re on track - just like any of our startups would do. We decided to isolate and analyse our Year 1 portfolio to better understand their growth and trajectory. During our first year of operation, in 2022, we invested in 𝟭𝟰 𝙀𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 (7 in HealthTech, 5 in FoodTech, and 2 in Financial Health), averaging slightly more than one new investment per month. This first cohort of 14 businesses has now at least 2 years of operations under the belt. Here’s what their growth looks like: ☝🏼 During the year 2022, these 14 companies collectively generated £𝟭𝟭.𝟴𝗠 in revenue for the calendar year. ✌🏼 In CY 2023, the aggregate revenue for the same 14 companies totalled £𝟭𝟵.𝟮𝗠 (𝟲𝟮% year-on-year growth). 📈 In CY 2024, it reached £𝟰𝟬.𝟭𝗠, a nearly 𝟰𝘅 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 in two years! While we always invest with strong conviction in each company’s “winner” potential, it’s incredibly rewarding to see time and results validating our initial hypotheses. This traction has exceeded even our expectations, and we’re impressed by the scalability and momentum these businesses are demonstrating. That said, we had 1 failure out of these 14 cohort companies - but entrepreneurship is never easy... Even with a small failure, we remain incredibly excited and confident about the potential of this group and our whole portfolio! Our 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝟭 (𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮) cohort has set a strong foundation for long-term success. With Fund I now maturing and new investments continuing, we’re equally excited to track performance from our 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝟮 (𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯) and 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝟯 (𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰) cohorts. This progress reinforces our mission to help our founders achieve their full potential to improve human health and maximising Joyspan™️. Here’s to the continued growth and success of our portfolio in the years ahead! 🌟 Paolo Pio, Matt Cooper, Michella Botto Andrade, Anna Fortuny-Gomez, PhD, Katharina Soell, 👋 Alexander Söderman, ACCA #ExceptionalVentures #VC #PortfolioPerformance #GrowthTrajectory #HealthTech #Wellness #Joyspan™️

Yesterday, we had the privilege of speaking on the HealthTech VC Insights panel in London, this time for InterSystems' inaugural Emerging VC Fund and Incubator evening. It was an honour to share the stage with Jed Rose (Antler), Agata Maria Bendik (Plug and Play UK), and Evgeny Shvarov (InterSystems CVC Fund). We believe the VC landscape is evolving. The sector is ready and hungry to get more specialised and technical. At EV, we’re proud to have a focused mission: to find, back, and support visionary founders building a healthier future and expanding human Joyspan™️. A big thank you to Kateryna Golushko from Launch Club Capital for organising the event and including us. We’re confident you’ll achieve great things! Matt Cooper, Anna Fortuny-Gomez, PhD, Michella Botto Andrade, Katharina Soell, 👋 Alexander Söderman, ACCA, Simone Cimminelli #HealthTech #VC #Longevity #WellnessRevolution #Joyspan™️ #ExceptionalVentures #ImpactBeyondInvestment

A great way to end the year with the West London VC Community!

🚀 Back from an inspiring couple of days at Health Tech Forward 2024 in Barcelona, and I’m still buzzing with excitement! 🌞✨ Representing Exceptional Ventures, I had the privilege of being on the jury panel for 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 startups, 𝗔𝗜-𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲, and 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗫 a wide range of innovative solutions. It was a powerful reminder of how critical innovation is in building an 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. While we navigate different regulations and systems from border to border, at the core, 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀.  The journey ahead may still be long, but seeing so many groundbreaking ideas gives me hope that we’re moving in the right direction—towards a healthier, more efficient future for everyone. 🙌🌍✨ What made this event even better? 💬 Connecting with both 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 and 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 in the field. 🌟 Witnessing the sheer 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 and 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 of the startups driving change in the industry. 🌞 Enjoying Barcelona’s 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 and sunshine while diving deep into discussions about the future of health tech. A heartfelt thank you to the incredible Health Tech Forward team for organizing such a fantastic conference! Your hard work shone through every detail, making this a truly impactful and memorable event. 👏 Representing Exceptional Ventures, I’ll continue to be on the lookout for groundbreaking ideas in health and longevity that align with our mission to help people live 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿, 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀—maximizing what we call the 𝗝𝗼𝘆𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻™️. 💡✨ Can’t wait to see how the connections and ideas sparked here will 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲! 🚀 #HTF2024 #HTC2024 #ExceptionalVentures #JoySpan™️ #HealthTech #Longevity #Innovation #VC #HealthTech #FoodTech #FinancialHealth Bartė Šimaitytė, Paolo Pio, Matt Cooper, Michella Botto Andrade, Anna Fortuny-Gomez, PhD, Alexander Söderman, ACCA (P.S. Adding some snapshots from the event because pictures speak louder than words! 📸👇 Credit to the event organizers!)

🌟 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀! 🌟 I’m honored to announce that I’ll be joining the 𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 at Health Tech Challengers during Health Tech Forward 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 in Barcelona. Representing Exceptional Ventures, I’ll be on the lookout for groundbreaking ideas in health and longevity that align with our mission to help people live 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿, 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀—maximizing what we call the 𝗝𝗼𝘆𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻™️. 💡✨ This incredible event gathers some of the brightest minds in health tech innovation, so mark your calendars: 📅 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟰-𝟱, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 📍 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗮, 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 Are you attending? Let’s connect and explore the future of health together! And here’s an extra treat: 👉 Use code 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝟮𝟱 for a 𝟮𝟱% 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 on your ticket. A huge thank you to the amazing Health Tech Forward team for organizing such a top-tier event for the industry! 🙌 Join the movement, and I’ll see you there! 🚀 #HTF2024 #HTC2024 #ExceptionalVentures #JoySpan™️ #HealthTech #Longevity #Innovation #VC #HealthTech #FoodTech #FinancialHealth Bartė Šimaitytė, Paolo Pio, Matt Cooper, Michella Botto Andrade, Anna Fortuny-Gomez, PhD, Alexander Söderman, ACCA 🎟️ 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/eEV24Bha

A Big Win for Exceptional Ventures! We’re thrilled to share that EV was named the One to Watch: Emerging VC Fund of the Year at the Growth Investor Awards 2024! 🏆 This recognition means a lot to us. It reflects the passion and dedication of our team, our visionary founders, and the amazing EV Community. Together, we’re riding and driving the wellness revolution – one startup, one investment at a time. 🌍💪 Thank you to Intelligent Partnership and Mountside Ventures for hosting such a fantastic evening. And huge congratulations to Blume Equity and all the other finalists - your impact is truly inspiring! What’s our secret sauce? 🔥 Mission-Driven: We combine deep subject matter expertise with a genuine passion for improving human health and wellbeing, backing and supporting founders who are leading this change. 🧠 Entrepreneurs First: We’ve been there and we know the journey. It’s about building relationships, offering tailored support. Our job is to unite all the pieces and create a collaborative space where impossible things become possible. 💛 Relationships Matter: By leading with integrity, empathy, and respect, we attract the most purpose-driven, passionate founders in HealthTech, FoodTech, and Financial Wellbeing - often before they hit the wider market. 🎉 Value Beyond Investment: From strategy calls and expert-led sessions to fitness workouts and breath work sessions, we strengthen our community and maximise our shared Joyspan™️. 🌟 The EV Flywheel: Our expertise and community-driven approach amplify portfolio success, driving the health and wellness revolution forward. The work we do is inherently impactful. We're addressing some of the most pressing global challenges, such as: 🌱 Good Health & Wellbeing (SDG 3) 🤝 Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10) 🌍 Net-Zero Climate Goals (SDG 13) We’re on a mission to transform how society thinks about health, wellness, and longevity. This is just the beginning and we're grateful for all the support. Here’s to creating more joy, more impact, and a whole lot more wellness! 📈 Matt Cooper, Paolo Pio, Michella Botto Andrade, Anna Fortuny-Gomez, PhD, Katharina Soell, 👋 Alexander Söderman, ACCA, Mithi Thaya, Simone Cimminelli, Valerie B., Stefano Gurciullo, Doug Kerr MD, PhD, MBA Jonathan Hollis, Alex Reed, Guy Tolhurst, Claudia Winkleman #ExceptionalVentures #GrowthInvestorAwards #HealthTech #WellnessRevolution #Longevity #ImpactBeyondInvestment #Joyspan™️ #VC #EmergingVC

Congratulations to Exceptional Ventures as One to Watch in Emerging VC of the Year! Their potential to shape the VC space is something to watch. Awarded in partnership with Mountside Ventures #GrowthInvestorAwards #ImpactBeyondInvestment

🚀 𝗞𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 Slush 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶! ❄️ I’m thrilled to share that I’ve recently joined Exceptional Ventures, an early-stage VC fund focused on 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆; maximising what we call the 𝗝𝗼𝘆𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗻™ . Moving from a corporate VC and family office background in Germany to a fund with multiple LPs has been a game-changer—a new rhythm, new opportunities, and a chance to work alongside a new 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺. The EV team? They’re not just experts in the field but also 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆. From 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 to 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, this team is all about empowering startups to 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲, 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱. Oh, and did I mention 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸? Whether it’s sports, healthy habits, or pushing for excellence, we live the values we invest in. 🌟 Slush 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 was the perfect launchpad: ✨ 𝗠𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿, and what a whirlwind it was! 💬 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 with founders, fellow investors, LPs and innovators. 🎉 A jam-packed schedule of 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. ❄️ Oh, and the 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 Slush experience—with snowstorms and canceled flights to boot! To the 𝗦𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, hats off for creating such an epic event. To my new 𝗘𝗩 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆, thank you for the warm welcome. I’m so excited to dive deeper into the investment ecosystem and be part of this incredible mission to build a healthier, longer-living world - maximising everyone's 𝗝𝗼𝘆𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗻™. 🌍 Stay tuned—more updates (and stories!) to come. For now, here some snaps of an unforgettable week! 📸✨ Paolo Pio, Matt Cooper, Michella Botto Andrade, Anna Fortuny-Gomez, PhD, Alexander Söderman, ACCA #vc #health #wellness #longevity #slush2024 #foundersfirst #newbeginnings #joyspanTM #exceptionalventures #wellnessrevolution #startup

The EV Family just got a dash more exceptional (and international, like it wasn’t enough already!) — welcome aboard, Katharina Soell! Originally from Germany and now based in Paris, Katharina joins us as our newest Investment Associate. Previously at Orthomol pharmazeutische Vertriebs GmbH’s corporate venture arm, she led investments in HealthTech and advised on high-impact deals with Die Höhle der Löwen (Germany’s Shark Tank). She went through the entrepreneurial journey herself, having co-founded a tech startup in Paris during her college years, guiding everything from product development to fundraising. She speaks FIVE languages (guess which ones 😉), and of course, loves all things health and wellness with a special passion for CrossFit. She recently certified as a CrossFit instructor too 💪! She has great EV energy and we feel very lucky to have her as we continue to ride and drive the wellness revolution. It's no accident that the introduction came from Valerie Bures, to whom we'll always be grateful! Katharina will come with us to conquer Slush and Helsinki this week. Come and meet her too! #ExceptionalVentures #Joyspan™️ #Health #WellnessRevolution #Longevity #VC Matt Cooper, Paolo Pio, Michella Botto Andrade, Anna Fortuny-Gomez, PhD, 👋 Alexander Söderman, ACCA