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❤️ Founder Stories ❤️ 🌍 Today we recognise the amazing efforts and shine a huge light on an amazing start up called BIND London. 🏃♀️ BIND London is a fashion sportswear brand. They specialise in fitness headwear for all hair types! 🎀 The work that Kayleigh Benoit has been achieving over the last year has been phenomenal! ❤️ A question for the team at BIND London- How has your journey shaped the identity of BIND London? Kayleigh Benoit #founderstories #founder

🌍 A €130m Bet on Climate Innovation! 🌱 Wind, a French early-stage VC, is leading the charge in climate deeptech. Founded by serial entrepreneurs Thierry Vandewalle and Xavier Gury, the fund has closed €90m of its €130m target to invest in European startups addressing climate adaptation and mitigation. 💡 The focus? Innovation that tackles real-world needs. From energy storage to green IT, Wind’s portfolio backs solutions for breathing, eating, moving, and sheltering. They’ll target regions with untapped talent, avoiding overly competitive hubs. 🤝 A question for the team at Wind- How does Wind plan to identify untapped talent in underrepresented European regions? Xavier Gury Thierry Vandewalle Jean-Sébastien CRUZ Yorick Ser Olivier Mougenot Michel de Guilhermier #fund

💡€2M Fund Launched for Dutch Early-Stage Tech Startups 🚀 A group of six seasoned entrepreneurs and angel investors have joined forces to launch the Dutch Operator Fund I, a €2M fund focused on software, SaaS, and circular economy startups. With investments ranging from €75K to €200K, they’re addressing the gap in pre-seed funding in the Netherlands. 💬 “For many institutional investors, early-stage investing is considered ‘too early,’” says co-founder Geert-Jan Smits “We aim to change that.” 🌱 With 30 companies built and 13 exits between them, this team offers more than funding—they bring invaluable networks and experience to founders. 💭 A question for the team at Dutch Operator Fund-How do you aim to empower founders to scale beyond the Dutch market? Geert-Jan Smits Quinten Selhorst Rutger Teunissen Sjoerd van Berkel #fund

🌟 Founders: Have You Paused to Reflect on 2024? 🚀 “Taking time to step back is vital,” says Alicia Grimes, cofounder of The Future Kind Collective. As founders, we’re often caught up in the hustle. But reflection can unlock clarity, growth, and balance. 🌳 Create Space for Reflection. Step away from your daily grind. A walk in nature or quiet moments with pen and paper can work wonders. Use the Design Your Life framework to evaluate Work, Play, Love, and Health. Where do you thrive? What needs work? 🛠️ Redefine Your Focus. Audit your year—your wins, challenges, and energy investments. Seek feedback from your team or advisors to gain a fuller picture. Are your personal goals in sync with your business vision? ✍️ Plan for the Year Ahead. Try writing a “future letter” to yourself. Set clear intentions for 2025 and revisit it next year to track your progress. 💬 Question for all founders: How will you ensure 2025 aligns with your goals, values, and passions? Lea Rozencwajg Henry Corinna Bordoli Amy Grilli Hannah Chappatte Laura Fullerton ⚡️ #goals

❤️ Founder Stories ❤️ 👖 Today we wanted to highlight a fantastic founder named Hollie. 😵 Running a start up called GSM, Hollie discusses how she found her affordable clothing brand last May! ❤️ Let’s show a lot of love to Hollie, making the steps to build her start up! We hope to see more of her and highlight her adventure in 2025! #founder

🌍 European Tech 2024: Progress or Plateau? 📉 The numbers don’t lie: VC funding is down, early-stage deals are at a decade low, and Europe is losing talent to the US. While the past decade saw explosive growth, 2024 brings new challenges. 💸 Venture debt is on the rise, hitting record levels, but the gender funding gap has widened further. At pre-seed, all-women teams raised just 4.9% of funding in recent years—down from 13.2%. 🌱 Bright spots remain. Deeptech dominates investor interest, and climate tech funding makes up 21% of the European total—double the US share. 🤔 What’s your perspective on Europe’s tech future? Growth or stagnation? #VC Credit goes to Kai Nicol-Schwarz for this amazing article ❤️

❤️ Tuesday Founder Stories ❤️ ⛰️ Today we want to highlight the amazing work Ama Amo-Agyei is doing with PLANTMADE 🌹 PLANTMADE is one of the fastest wellness brands in the UK! In short, they are creating plant powered haircare! 🌍 Due to the amazing success of PLANTMADE- we wanted to ask a question to the founder and wider team- What’s your vision for Plantmade’s impact on redefining hair care standards in the UK and beyond? Ama Amo-Agyei Bejay Mulenga MBE Marian Medic Travis Hill Simon Adjei-Baah #founder #stories

🌱 Kost Capital: Redefining Food Tech in Europe 🍴 Fueling Innovation: Danish VC Kost Capital has launched a €25M fund to revolutionise European food tech. With early investments in startups like Äio (palm oil alternatives) and Nutrumami (next-gen ingredients), the fund is set to tackle global food challenges. 🌍 A Vision for Change: “The bioeconomy is key to solving climate and health issues,” says General Partner Bodil Sidén. “Food tech is underfunded, but the opportunity is massive.” 🗣️ A Question to the amazing team at Kost Capital: How can we accelerate innovation in food tech while scaling sustainably?Bodil Sidén Paul Archambeau Mark Emil Hermansen Jacob Lee Ørnstrand #fund

❤️Founder Stories ❤️ 🧇 We wanted to highlight and bring to your attention the work Ella Harland and Sophie McGregor are doing at GRIDDLE | B Corp™ 🌍 They are now available in most supermarkets, and in their latest achievement, Asda have chosen to stock them! 🏡 A question for the founders and the team at GRIDDLE | B Corp™ - How has your strategy and vision for Griddle evolved as you’ve grown, and what has been the most empowering part of your journey as two female founders scaling a startup in the food industry? Sophie McGregor Ella Harland Symon Meikle David Wagstaff Mario C. Bauer Keeep going we love what your building ❤️ #founder #stories

🚀 £22M First Close: Iona Star LP’s New AI & Data Fund 🌟 Iona Star LP has secured a £22M first close for its AI and data-focused fund, backed by Castelnau Group and Frasers Group (£10M each). The fund aims for a £40M final close by Q4 2024. 💻 Investing £1M–£3M globally, the fund targets companies at the cutting edge of AI, data, and technology, empowering innovators to scale transformative solutions. 🔥 Led by seasoned operators, Iona Star brings deep expertise and a proven track record in scaling high-growth businesses. 💬 A question for the fund partners at Iona Star- What key traits do you look for in companies to ensure not just high growth, but sustainable, long-term impact in the evolving AI and data landscape? Kevin McGivern Isobel Buggy Gerry Buggy #fund #AI