Jaroslav Trojan

🚀 Investment Criteria and Fundraising Success 🚀 🔍 Techstar’s Marting Schilling delved into the success of 58 companies in the Tech Start DeepTech Berlin portfolio (2022-2024), analyzing 17 investment criteria to identify the strongest signals for early-stage fundraising success. 💡 💰 Top Indicators of Success: Monetisation Potential (0.61) Domain Expertise (0.59) Speed of Execution (0.57) Market & Timing (0.55) ❌ Least Correlated with Success: Role Clarity (0.12) Team Co-Location (0.08) Number of Cofounders (0.02) 🌟 To attract investors, founders should emphasize the top 4 categories and spend less time optimizing for less impactful factors like role clarity or co-location. While these might have other benefits, they don’t significantly boost fundraising success. 📈 #Investment #Fundraising #Techstars #DeepTech #StartupSuccess #VC #EarlyStage #Monetisation #DomainExpertise #MarketTiming #ExecutionSpeed

7

A mentor equips startups with the tools, insights, and confidence to pitch effectively, turning intimidating scenarios into opportunities to win investor trust and support.

8

For deep tech companies, if you need help in the below areas....

13

🚀 This Company Raises $244 Million at a $1.7 Billion Valuation for Its Online Tutor Marketplace in their Series C Round 🚀 - GoStudent, a leading European edtech startup, has raised $244 million in its latest funding round, bringing its valuation to an impressive $1.7 billion! 💰 - Let's take a detailed view on this funding round. 👉🏻 Key Highlights: 🔷 Funding Amount: $244 Million 🔷 Valuation: $1.7 Billion 🔷 Lead Investors: DST Global is leading the round, with SoftBank (via its Vision Fund 2), Tencent, Dragoneer Investment Group and previous backers Coatue, Left Lane Capital and DN Capital also participating. 🔷 Purpose of Funding: To accelerate international expansion, enhance platform technology, and increase tutor offerings. 👉🏻 Why This Matters: 🔷 Edtech Boom: GoStudent is at the forefront of the online education revolution, providing personalized 1:1 tutoring at scale to meet the global demand for quality education. 🔷 Scalability: This new capital infusion will enable GoStudent to further expand across new markets and solidify its presence in existing ones, making its services more accessible to students worldwide. 🔷 Technological Advancements: Investment in AI and data analytics will allow GoStudent to refine their matching algorithms, ensuring students are paired with the best possible tutors for their needs. 👉🏻 Facts & Figures: 🔷 Total Funding: With this round, GoStudent has raised over $590 million, positioning itself as one of the top players in the global edtech market. 🔷 Rapid Growth: The company’s valuation jumped from $1 billion in 2021 to $1.7 billion in 2024, reflecting explosive growth in both user adoption and revenue. 🔷 Global Reach: GoStudent currently operates in over 20 countries, providing tutoring services to thousands of students in subjects ranging from math to languages. 👉🏻 Strategic Focus: 🔷 Global Expansion: With new funding, GoStudent plans to target underserved markets and expand their tutor network to meet growing demand in regions like Asia and Latin America. 🔷 Platform Innovation: They aim to continually improve their platform, focusing on better tutor-student matching through AI and more tailored educational content. 👉🏻 What’s Next? - GoStudent’s mission to make quality education accessible to all is being supercharged with this significant capital raise. - With their innovative approach, they are poised to reshape the future of online education and revolutionize how tutoring is delivered globally. 👉🏻 Takeaway for Founders: Strategic funding is not just about raising capital—it's about leveraging it to scale rapidly and innovate continuously. GoStudent's journey is a lesson in harnessing technology to address real-world educational challenges. 🔰 P.S.: Let me know in the comments which startup's deck you'd like to see next! #startups #founders #funding #edtech #growth #innovation #gostudent #education

26

4 komentáře

"Three building blocks of the resilient founder" from "The Psychological Playbook for VCs and Startups" written by Noa Matz (Ex- F2 Venture Capital) and Ben Tytonovich ( Ex- Vintage Investment Partners) 1. Emotional Regulation. Emotional Regulation is all about staying strong and cool in the face of change, hardships, and failure. Not getting easily upset and managing to raise energy levels and project them when needed. Experiencing and expressing a range of emotions in a manner that is tolerable to those around and being sufficiently flexible. 2. Intrinsic Motivation It is a powerful and unique type of motivation that is produced as a result of doing things we love and are passionate about. The opposite of pursuing goals for the sake of external rewards (which often involve monetary gains). 3. Mental Flexibility Mental flexibility allows founders to abandon a thought pattern, a habit, or a perspective when it no longer serves a valuable purpose and finds an alternative direction. At its peak, mental flexibility pushes founders to navigate smoothly through a variety of options and alternatives, even at times of significant stress. It supports them in adapting to new and unexpected situations quickly and efficiently. We see that mentally flexible founders are the more coachable ones; they are receptive to feedback, happy to accept constructive criticism and implement it quickly. They tend to show great interest in external insight and constantly seek feedback from their network: investors, customers, colleagues, and employees. I feel the last one is more important than the other two. Find the link to the playbook in the comment section. #startup #venturecapital

3

1 komentář

One of the most important things is to collaborate with people that genuinely inspire you and have expertise and passion in what they do to inspire others to lead. This week, Tatjana Nebel and I had an amazing opportunity to collaborate on a workshop that enables #GPs, #funds, #SMEs and #family businesses to better realize the value of their investments, value-creation initiatives, and how to target the right investments to future-proof their activities from both an innovation and investment perspective. In a market where increasingly #SMEs are seeking to diversify their activities and work alongside innovative younger companies, #family offices that are allocating to #VC and increasingly participating in direct investments, #CVCs that have had varied results in creating value throughout the entire organization and #institutional capital that focus on #valuecreation to spur realized gains- together we see that embedding innovation and investment is critical for success. Tatjana (yes, you get the two Tatjana's) has driven #innovation leadership for some of #DACH most legendary businesses- not only at Ricola, but ETH Zürich Liip and OUTFITTERY and embeds a deep innovation, strategy and growth know-how that can take a current or future innovation and investment portfolio to the next level. We're so excited to deliver complimentary value and a different perspective to our clients together. If this resonates with you, you're seeking a 360 degree perspective on your innovation and investment portfolio and you want your leadership team to realize measurable value from a strategic and financial perspective- feel free to reach out to either one of us!

16

1 komentář

What makes you Exceptional, Remarkable or Extraordinary?? As a pre seed / seed founder, this is what you should be pitching to investors. Well, at least that’s my opinion. What’s your thought on this? Very well described by Sam Marchant in his post ⤵️ #founders #investors
#alwaysbelearning #changethewaywework #thefutureofworkisnow #firstdegree

4

Europe’s 20 biggest 2024 funding rounds of women-led startups   The momentum in European VC ecosystem is electrifying, fueled by founders building startups driven by true passion and 💯 dedication. Among them, the women founders are truly standing out, making remarkable waves in Europe's bustling startup scene. Let's celebrate these top 20 trailblazers having successfully raised the biggest funding rounds so far.   Huge shout out to:   1/ $145M in Series D for Eléonore Crespo, Romain Niccoli, and team Pigment led by ICONIQ Growth 2/ $107M in Series B for Klara Forslund, Anders Forslund, and team Heart Aerospace led by Sagitta Ventures 3/ $100M in Series B for Vidya Peters and team DataSnipper led by Index Ventures  4/ $100M in Series D for Shrestha Chowdhury, Tushar Ahluwalia, Dr. Oliver Dlugosch, Christoph Felix Gamon, and team Razor Group led by Presight Capital 5/ $40M in Series B for Eleanor Lightbody and team Luminance led by March Capital 6/ $27M for Priscilla Rozé-Pagès, Antoine Coutant, and team AgriLife Studio led by Bpifrance 7/ $27M in Series A for Pauline Glikman, Joseph A., and team Payflows led by Balderton Capital 8/ $26M in Series B for Vilve Vene, Myles Bertram, and team TUUM led by CommerzVentures 9/ $24M in Series B for Delphine Groll, Martin Raison, and team Nabla led by Cathay Innovation 10/ $16M Series A for Romina Coll, Carlos Serrano García-Lisón, Antonio Berga, and team Embat led by Creandum 11/ $15.4M in Series A for Drs. Sara Marquart and Max Marquart, and team Planet A led by World Fund  12/ $15M for Shelley Copsey, Anish Patel, Karl Simons, and team FYLD led by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan 13/ $15M in Series A for Cassidy Daly, Lucas Vogelsang, Martin Quensel, and team Centrifuge led by ParaFi Capital and Greenfield 14/ $13M in Series B extension for CEO Kate Henningsen, and team Information Grid co-led by Keyframe Capital and A/O 15/ $13M in Series B for Michaela Wachtel, Dr. Sascha Bach, Marcus Stein, Ronald Claus von Nordheim, and team Wattron led by the Circular Innovation Fund and ECBF  More in the comments below.   👩🏾‍🎤 So far 38 gender-diverse startups have already notably raised Series A+ with a huge pre-seed and seed pipeline of startups also having secured money to build generation defining businesses. Huge congrats! #pavingtheway That said, we know there are a lot of founders who are working extremely hard to reach those critical financing milestones. 💸 Let’s roll up our sleeves and collectively shape a more diverse, equal, and inclusive future of European tech. 💡 For all venture capitalists aiming to further diversify deal pipeline and portfolio feel free to comment with a “yes” for last years funding list of gender-diverse startups in Europe. #startups #captablediversity the Evangelistas #founder

128

14 komentářů

Just launched — Europe’s first free VC Accelerator to empower emerging managers https://buff.ly/3Uj6Z9j Europe's first free venture capital accelerator has just been launched, aiming to empower and support emerging managers in the investment field. This initiative seeks to provide budding venture capitalists with the resources, mentorship, and networks necessary to thrive in a competitive environment. By offering a no-cost program, it democratizes access to critical industry knowledge and opportunities, fostering innovation and growth within the European startup ecosystem. For more information, visit the link: https://buff.ly/3Uj6Z9j. #VentureCapital #StartupGrowth

3

#notoptional is likely the most impactful startup policy initiative in Europe so far. Germany on par with US in stock option policy was unthinkable a few years ago. 1. Exposed the problem: Created global rankings that showed just how ridiculously bad Germany's policies were. 📊 2. United the tech community: Got top founders on board to demand change. 🤝 3. Offered solutions: Showed policymakers exactly how to fix the mess. 💡 Great work by Vojtech Horna and Index Ventures.

20

4 komentáře

I'm proud to have signed the petition calling for a unified ‘EU Inc.’ structure for European startups. Europe has the talent, innovation, and drive to build world-leading companies, but our fragmented startup ecosystem is holding us back. By creating a standardized corporate structure across Europe, we can make it easier to scale, attract more investment, and unlock our full potential. With just 6 weeks before the new EU commissioners set their agenda, now is the time to push for real change. Take a moment to read, sign, and share the petition, and let's build a stronger future for European startups together. 👉 https://www.eu-inc.org 🇪🇺 #EUInc #EuropeanStartups #Innovation #PanEuropean #TechEcosystem #Startups

125

4 komentáře

🚀 Fundraising Strategies That Worked in 2024 🚀 - Fundraising in 2024 isn’t just about convincing investors—it’s about showing the right blend of innovation, scalability, and resilience. - 2024 has been a defining year for fundraising in the startup ecosystem! - The landscape has changed, and those who adapted with strategy and resilience thrived. - As a startup founder, navigating this journey requires not just a great product, but also a solid plan to attract the right investors. - Having mentored many startups this year, I’ve seen what really works in today’s dynamic funding landscape. 👉 Key Learnings from 2024: 💠 Clear Unit Economics: Investors are no longer swayed by growth alone. Solid unit economics is a must. Proving profitability per customer has become a key differentiator. 💠 Founder’s Vision: Investors want to see a bold, clear, and adaptable vision. Founders who can communicate not only where their startup is today but where it can be in 5-10 years are the ones sealing the deals. 💠 Data-Driven Pitches Win: Investors in 2024 demand concrete numbers. Founders who presented strong metrics—like Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), and Lifetime Value (LTV)—stood out. 💠 Storytelling is Still King: Numbers are crucial, but telling your startup's story—the "why" behind your mission—is equally powerful. Investors back founders with passion and purpose. 💠 Diverse Investor Pool: Successful founders diversified their investor base by tapping into angel networks, corporate VCs, and strategic partnerships, rather than relying on traditional VC routes alone. 👉 Future Roadmap: 💠 Sustainability & Impact: Investors in 2024 are leaning towards businesses that make a positive impact. Founders who embed ESG principles into their business model are getting noticed. 💠Strong Founder-Backer Relationships: Post-funding support matters. Build relationships with investors who add strategic value, not just capital. 💠 Flexible Fundraising: Traditional equity rounds aren’t the only way forward. Founders who explored alternative methods like revenue-based financing and SAFE notes found better terms while retaining control over their vision. 🔑 Key Aspects: - As a mentor, I’ve witnessed the power of preparation, clarity, and strategic thinking in securing funding. - I’ve seen that those who master the art of storytelling, back it up with data, and maintain authentic relationships with investors thrive. - The key is to stay flexible and proactive. The fundraising game has changed make sure you’re playing it right! - Remember, fundraising is not just about securing capital—it’s about building lasting partnerships that propel your startup forward. Let’s take these strategies and make 2024 the year your venture gets the backing it deserves! 🌟 #fundraising2024 #startupstrategy #investorrelations #foundersjourney #mentorship #fundingtactics #ingrainscapital

15

10 komentářů

Buddy.ai raises an $11M Seed Round from BITKRAFT Ventures, Educapital, Goodwater, J Ventures, LETA Capital, One Way Ventures, Point72 Ventures, and angels to bring fun, AI-powered language learning to kids globally! 🕹️💡🎉 Big congrats to Ivan Crewkov, Dima Plotnikov and the fantastic Buddy.ai team with a decade-long track record of successful entrepreneurship in cross-platform intelligent assistants, natural language processing, and voice/touch-based user experiences! Originally started to support his own family’s learning needs after moving to the U.S. 7 years ago, they have quietly grown with high capital efficiently ever since. The traditional 1-on-1 teacher-to-child education model is unaffordable for many families and not scalable for teachers. Buddy.ai is the world's first multimodal, conversational AI tutor designed to teach young children English, in their mission to make quality education accessible and bring bright smiles to every child. Besides their outstanding talent in AI and Early Learning, Buddy.ai differentiates through: 😄 1. Making learning fun: Engaging interactive learning experiences with an animated AI tutor, Buddy, to make language acquisition feel natural and fun. 🌍 2. Global access: With 50M downloads and 20M monthly active users, Buddy.ai is already democratizing language learning across the globe. 🎯 3. Personalized tutoring: Adapting to each child’s learning pace, dynamically tailored lessons create high efficacy for every session. ⚙️ 4. Technical depth: COPPA-compliant speech recognition, purpose-built to understand and engage children safely and effectively—outperforming other systems by a mile, as it understands young, accented speech across 9 languages (and much more!). 💪 5. B2C & B2B Traction: Strong engagement and top-tier metrics in B2C, and executing B2B opportunities across education and entertainment IP stakeholders. 🎙️ TechCrunch Interview with Ivan: https://lnkd.in/gDgUT3_Y We’re very grateful for the opportunity to lead the team’s Seed round, and put our shoulders behind Buddy.ai alongside old and new friends. This funding will accelerate Buddy.ai's mission to reach even more kids worldwide, expand their learning experiences, and continue pushing the boundaries of what AI can achieve in education. If you’re a parent, give it a try at https://buddy.ai/. If not, tell other parents about it! :) We can’t wait to support Buddy.ai as they set out to lead the AI revolution in early childhood education! 🚀 Cc: Candace K., Scott Rupp, Marie Geneste, Géraldine Fillet, Alexandre Glaser, Coddy Johnson, Leonard Langenscheidt, John Nordin, Sergey Toporov, Eugene Malobrodsky, Benjamin Shor, Ishan Sinha, Oksana Kubushyna, Brendan Mulligan #EdTech #Gaming #VentureCapital #Seed #AI #LanguageLearning #EarlyLearning #BuddyAI #BITKRAFT

177

16 komentářů

How To Handle VC Negotiations: What To Expect And How To Respond https://buff.ly/3ZXGJVt Understanding VC Negotiations: What to Anticipate and How to React effectively is crucial in the world of startups. Being prepared for the dynamics of venture capital discussions can significantly impact the outcome of your business endeavors. By familiarizing yourself with common negotiation tactics, such as valuation strategies and equity distribution, you can navigate these interactions with confidence. Remember, VC negotiations are not just about funding; they are about building strategic partnerships that can propel your company to success. Stay informed and proactive to make the most out of these opportunities. #VC #NegotiationTips

1

Success of a Startup: Right Time, Right Place. Bill Gross, drawing from his extensive experience launching startups in the Idealab incubator, writes that the decisive factor for success is not the uniqueness of the idea, the level of the team, the quality of the business model, or even the availability of capital, but rather the timing of the launch. In other words, riding the wave of success means choosing the right time to launch. According to Gross, timing is the critical factor in 42% of cases, making the choice of launch time paramount for the success or failure of a venture. Examples that support his idea include Airbnb and Uber. In the case of Airbnb, alongside a solid strategy and idea, a crucial element of the company's success was its timely launch. Airbnb launched its platform during an economic downturn when people were compelled to rent out extra space to earn additional income. Similarly, Uber's success can be attributed to a combination of a brilliant idea, a well-thought-out business plan, and impeccable timing. During the economic downturn, many people were looking for ways to earn extra income, and Uber capitalized on this demand. Research involving over 3,000 startups showed that approximately three out of four startups fail due to premature scaling. This underscores the importance of aligning investments with a market that is truly ready to support them. Of course, Gross's idea does not claim to be the definitive explanation for startup success. Its value lies in highlighting the necessity of thorough market analysis and choosing the right moment to launch. #startups #businessstrategy #businessinsights #startupadvice #startupideas

1

🚀 UVC Partners: Driving Europe's Leading Deeptech Startup Ecosystem 🌍 Munich’s UnternehmerTUM stands out as a powerhouse in Europe’s startup scene, largely thanks to UVC Partners, a key player providing vital early-stage funding for B2B deeptech, climate tech, software, and mobility startups. 🚗 A Hub for Innovation and Growth📈 Founded within UnternehmerTUM in 2011, UVC Partners has grown significantly, helping to transform the funding landscape for European startups. 💰Initially starting with a modest €25 million fund, UVC Partners now manages around €400 million in assets and is currently raising its fourth fund, targeting €200-250 million. This impressive growth reflects the firm’s success in identifying and nurturing startups with the potential for world-changing innovations, such as space technology platforms and flying taxis. A Changing Funding Landscape💰 The shift in funding dynamics is stark. In 2012, deeptech companies across Europe received a mere €400 million. Fast forward to 2023, and German deeptech startups alone secured €1.6 billion, with the German government announcing a €1 billion fund for deeptech and climate tech growth-stage companies. UVC Partners has been at the forefront of this evolution, closing its third fund generation in 2021 with €260 million raised across two funds. Strategic Connections and Deep Expertise🤝 UVC Partners benefits from its close ties to UnternehmerTUM, leveraging a vast network of corporates, Mittelstand companies, universities, and government figures. This network provides startups with unparalleled access to industry leaders and policymakers, a significant advantage highlighted by many portfolio companies. “We have a unit called Value Creation that focuses on customer creation and knowledge,” explains UVC partner Benjamin Erhart. This unit taps into UnternehmerTUM’s business relations, offering startups tailored introductions to industry heavyweights when needed. Success Stories and Flagship Investments UVC Partners has a strong track record of successful investments and exits. Notable investments include: Flix, Isar Aerospace, Vimcar, FAZUA, Aleph Alpha, Reel The Future of European Deeptech🤖 UVC Partners' commitment to fostering innovation and connecting startups with essential resources has solidified its role in Europe’s leading startup ecosystem as an early-stage backer of B2B deeptech, climate tech, software, and mobility startups that are working on potentially world-changing innovations, reported Sifted. ✅ Looking to raise capital for your #fund and increase the international pool of your LP #investors?   🤝 Need warm #LP introductions?   📝 Selling #secondaries to increase liquidity?   🧐 Looking for co-investments?   ▶ G+QUANT's link for inquiries and fund decks: https://lnkd.in/gjC_EuTE 🌟 #VentureCapital #Startups #Deeptech #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #UVCPartners #TechFunding #MunichTech #ClimateTech #EuropeanStartups

8

How to secure your first angel investments? Tips from Szymon Sypniewicz, the co-founder & CEO of Ramp Network! Partner up with funds that have an international presence. Help them find founders. Then, you can tag along to their investments. Be present. Be visible. So they can notice you and your activity! What other advice would you give to an angel investor? Curious to hear your thoughts below. #venturecapital #angelinvesting #startupfunding #fundraising #europe

28

1 komentář

Many founders are afraid of making mistakes. They don't want their shortcomings to be seen by their audiences (customers, users, partners, etc.). This is mainly because we live perfect lives on social media. During your pre-seed stage, you should ship every week (or at least every two weeks). I recall reading somewhere that Facebook shipped every Tuesday. Even afterwards, you should ship at least once a month. Some customers will crucify you, and that's okay. Being ridiculed, laughed at, or criticised is the price you have to pay to be a successful entrepreneur. You win by iterating frequently, NOT by being first to market.

72

10 komentářů

🚀 The Struggles of Early-Stage Startups in Europe: Insights from Draghi’s Report 🚀 The 2024 Draghi Report exposes a pressing issue for Europe’s startup ecosystem: early-stage startups and scale-ups are facing significant challenges due to fragmented markets, weak funding networks, and regulatory complexity. Key takeaways from the report: 💸 Early-Stage Funding Gaps: Europe lacks deep pools of angel investors and early-stage capital compared to markets like the U.S. and China. As a result, young startups struggle to secure the resources needed to grow. This shortage of local funding is forcing many to seek investment abroad or delay their scaling efforts. 🧑‍🔬 Innovation Bottlenecks: While Europe excels in generating groundbreaking research, many ideas from universities and research institutions don’t reach commercialization. Weak connections between academia and local startup ecosystems leave innovations stuck in early stages. 🌍 Fragmented Capital Markets: The absence of a unified, robust capital market makes it difficult for startups to scale across borders within Europe. This forces some of the most promising companies to relocate to markets like the U.S., where they find better opportunities for growth. 📉 Late-Stage Scaling Struggles: Even for startups that manage to grow, the lack of late-stage funding and regulatory complexities in Europe hinder their ability to scale. Just 5% of global VC funding flows into European tech, compared to over 50% in the U.S. As a founder, these challenges resonate strongly. Navigating fragmented regulations and securing local investment presents a real hurdle. Europe has the talent, innovation, and ideas. What’s needed is an ecosystem that better supports early-stage growth and scaling. The Draghi Report makes it clear: if Europe doesn’t address these gaps in funding and regulatory support, we’ll continue to lose our best startups to markets that are more equipped to nurture innovation. It’s time to rethink how we invest in our future.

16

2 komentáře