Owen Metters’ Post

I strongly believe that deep-tech startups represents the most robust sector for capital investments, and that the next unicorns in Singapore, will likely emerge from deep-tech domain from Singapore universities and research institutions. However, too often, universities' startups worry much about not getting investors to sign NDAs. Their concern is real as years of research has gone into the making. Therein, lies the elephant in the room. 1. It is rare for investors, particularly VCs, to sign NDAs. They review numerous pitches regularly, and signing NDAs would be impractical. 2. Trust is Key: Investors are in the business of building long-term relationships with founders and startups. Breaching confidentiality would hurt their reputation and future deal flow. Trust is implicit in the investor-founder relationship. 3. Ideas vs. Execution: The value of a startup is typically in its execution rather than the idea itself. Investors are more interested in how well a founder can bring the idea to life. Thus, the risk of someone stealing the idea is often overestimated. 4. Red Flag to Investors: Requesting an NDA can be seen as a sign that a founder is inexperienced or overly protective of their idea, which could be off-putting to investors. 5. Difficult to Enforce: NDAs can be hard to enforce, especially across jurisdictions. No startup wants to get involved in litigation. This limits their effectiveness even if they were signed. Overall, founders should focus on building trust and showcasing their ability to execute rather than fixating on NDAs.

Alongside founders such as Daniel Ek (Spotify) and Niklas Zennström (Atomico), we made several key recommendations in the latest Founders Forum Group Innovation Drivers Report, which emphasises the strategic importance of Big Tech’s role in supporting European startups. #Startups are vital to the ecosystem and fostering them isn’t just beneficial—it’s crucial for Big Tech to unlock new talent, #innovation, and market potential.   🗺️ Diversify beyond #tech hubs: One of the report’s findings is the need to diversify support beyond tech hubs such as London and Paris. This was also highlighted in a recent report by the Social Market Foundation commissioned by OakNorth, recommending that UK government policy should focus on developing clusters of high-growth firms in regional hubs across the country. Cities such as Manchester and Birmingham are already emerging as powerful engines of innovation, and there is huge potential for further growth. 🤝 Provide mentorship: mentorship is another critical element. Startups often face challenges in areas such as tech infrastructure and architecture. With the right guidance, Big Tech can help them avoid early mistakes, ensuring their successful scale-up—and potentially building future customers along the way. Through our programme with the The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and F4S, we're proud to be supporting mentoring programmes for the next generation of entrepreneurs and enterprising talent.   Read the full report here 👇 https://lnkd.in/ecfbkZnm

From studying 10+ companies that Sam Altman, Bill Gates or Peter Thiel has invested in, several key insights emerge about what makes a successful startup and why they attract investment. COMMON SUCCESS FACTORS Innovative technology is a hallmark of these companies. Each leverages cutting-edge technology to solve significant problems or create new opportunities. For example, OpenAI’s advanced AI models, Helion Energy’s fusion technology, and Stripe’s payment processing solutions all represent groundbreaking innovations in their respective fields. Market potential is another critical factor. These startups operate in markets with vast potential for growth. Whether it’s the global demand for clean energy, the need for advanced AI, or the shift towards digital payments, these companies are positioned to capitalize on significant market trends. Visionary leadership drives these companies forward. Founders like Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and the Collison brothers have clear visions for their companies’ futures and the impact they want to make, which inspires confidence in investors. Scalability is crucial for sustained growth. Companies like Reddit and Wave Mobile Money have platforms designed to handle large volumes of users and transactions, allowing them to grow rapidly and sustainably. Impact and mission resonate strongly with both investors and customers. Many of these startups have missions that aim to make a significant positive impact. For instance, Retro Biosciences aims to extend human lifespan, and Wave Mobile Money focuses on financial inclusion in Africa. These impactful missions attract support from those who want to make a difference. Strong financial performance is a key attraction for investors. Consistent revenue growth and profitability, as demonstrated by companies like Microsoft and PayPal, make these startups reliable investments. WHAT WE CAN CLEARLY SEE Studying these startups shows that success often hinges on a combination of innovative technology, market potential, visionary leadership, scalability, impactful missions, and strong financial performance -- a few of these would need to be improve in terms of Lofai Inc. These factors not only make these companies 10x better than their competitors but also attract significant investment from prominent figures like Sam Altman, Bill Gates, and Peter Thiel. Big thanks to Rob Liu 🐸 and the athena.vc team. #AthenaVC #AthenaVC #BuildingInPublic #StartupJourney #MarketResearch #Lofai #FashionTech

WAN Weekly Digest: What happened in the European startup scene this week 👇 -> Relationships between founders and venture capitalists (VCs) have deteriorated recently. A survey conducted by Sifted revealed that 71% of founders believe their relationships with investors have worsened since 2023. They feel that VCs are failing to add value that could help their businesses grow—alarming I must say!   -> LzLabs, a startup helping customers to migrate from IBM computer mainframe onto open source alternatives. Looks like IBM didn’t liked this and decided to sue the little startup on the charges of unlawful technology. LzLabs denies that their tools were developed unlawfully.    -> This is why building an aggressive sales pipeline is important! Swedish digital therapeutics startup Join Academy, lost its biggest paying customer which has led to a potential bankruptcy. Fortunately, the existing investors still believe in the startup and have provided a €16 million convertible note to help it stay afloat.    -> VCs are adding a new clause in their agreements called “portfolio sale clause”. This allows them to sell their shares in a startup without giving other investors the opportunity to sell theirs. Only catch here is that this clause can only be activated when The catch is that this clause can only be activated when the VC fund sells shares across all its portfolio startups to return the money to Limited Partners (LPs).   -> It seems the Speedy Grocery model is no longer scalable, as one of the most promising startups has decided to exit Europe. Getir, a Turkish-based grocery app, is withdrawing from the UK and Europe to focus solely on Turkey, despite the sector once being highly favored by VCs.   -> NATO is exploring space technology to enhance its military capabilities. Defense tech startups, including those in space tech, are increasingly drawing government interest. The main driver? The Ukraine-Russia War. The conflict between Israel and Gaza might have also contributed I believe.    Source: Sifted #startupinvesting #angelcapital #venturecapital

Amsterdam-based Findest™ a company specialising in R&D software solutions, has secured €2.2M in a fresh funding round led by Stockholm-based Partinc, a European investment firm. Findest will use the funds to accelerate its international growth and support the launch of its platform — “The R&D Universe.” Additionally, the company will use the capital to grow its team from 30 to 45 people. “Partinc is a Swedish innovative B2B SaaS fund run by former entrepreneurs. They are extremely ambitious and fast, appealing to a startup with similar growth ambitions. Furthermore, they are willing to invest in the next generation of products. Their expertise and experience scaling software products will help Findest reach the next stage.” says Vincent Franken, Co-founder & CEO at Findest. Founded by Roel Boekel and Vincent Franken, Findest is a spin-off from @ VU Amsterdam. It is a technology scouting company that develops IGOR^AI to help customers like ASML, Philips, Unilever, and Shell find technologies for R&D challenges. Companies using the Universe platform have reported that Findest can increase their R&D output by up to 40 per cent. They have shared that “what normally takes them 10 hours of desk research, they can now do it in 30 minutes.” “We see enormous potential in the Universe product for R&D departments. In today’s world, the need for sustainable solutions has never been more pressing. R&D plays a critical role in developing technologies and practices that address global sustainability challenges. All companies must expand the innovation of new and existing products to keep up with these goals. Therefore, new tools like Universe from Findest will be necessary to improve output and enhance the efficiency of existing R&D organisations,” says Jan B. Sundelin, partner at Partinc. INGEN HOUSZ (Quirijn van Veen, Frans Ruijs, Meelf van Oosten) advised Findest™.

🌍 Is #Finland Missing the Bigger Picture? Time to Rethink #University Spinouts 💡 Finland has the talent and innovation, but are we truly maximizing our potential? As Alexis Dormandy, CEO of Oxford Science Enterprises, highlights: “We need to have BILLIONS in cash, not tens of millions, to build these industries around them. And the last bit we need is the attitude to go after it, because there is a mindset about: what does success look like?” Are we, in #Finland, aiming high enough? 🤔 Too many of our founders are selling their startups in early rounds—often to #US competitors—because the ecosystem here isn’t competitive or well-funded enough to support long-term growth. Is this sustainable? Are we content to be a stepping stone for global players, or should we be creating world-class industries around our innovations? Why aren’t we asking tougher questions? Are we building the right infrastructure to nurture and scale these companies? Are we investing enough, or are we losing our brightest ideas too soon? It’s time to question if our current way of working is holding us back. #Finland can do more than just innovate—we can lead, if we have the vision and investment to back it up. 🔗 Read how #Oxford is building long-term success here: #Oxford Orchestrates Successful Portfolio https://lnkd.in/d5xEcijc #FinlandInnovation #UniversityVentures #ScaleNotSell #ResearchCommercialization #Spinouts #FinnishStartups #VentureCapital #InnovationStrategy #GlobalLeadership #BuildIndustries #RethinkSuccess #FinlandFuture

The results are in: explosive growth in 2024 means European tech is on track for one of its best years yet and the UK has come out on top according to new Dealroom.co data. European tech's relentless pursuit of innovation means that: 💰VC investment came in at £7.4bn so far this year, up 16% from 2023 📈1,450 startups have raised at least £1.5M or more across Europe already this year 💡Late stage had one of its strongest quarters, thanks to mega rounds for fintech, energy and AI companies 🐎 As our co-COO Catherine Lenson told City AM: “As late stage funding returns to Europe and in particular to New Palo Alto, the supercluster of innovation ecosystems, we’re seeing a surge of thoroughbred companies – boasting strong revenues and incredible potential.” https://lnkd.in/d9KEqYUG 

EU to get its first ever commissioner for startups in a move that aims to put research and innovation, science, and technology at the centre of its economy

🎤 Our COO, Rebecca Simmons, enjoyed her time at the first-ever Founders at the University of Cambridge Investor Demo Day last week, participating in a panel discussion alongside Xampla's Alexandra French, 52North's Umaima Malik Ahmad, and Phoenix Court's Saul Klein.      Moderated by Bloomberg's Parmy Olson, the group shared their unique insights on the spinout process, late-stage capital in the UK, and the challenges of scaling deep-tech businesses. Here were three points made during the discussion:     💡"Really think about how you are going to create something scalable - don't keep developing, come up with the best thing and then say 'I can't make this commercially viable. It's going to be too complicated and too expensive'. Think about it early on and build that into your early-stage ID," was some of Alexandra's advice to founders.       💡On the role the government can play in helping companies scale, Bek said, "Grants are extremely helpful, but when you get to a bigger stage, contracts become more important. The government can help de-risk technologies for institutional investors by becoming early customers themselves."       💡 Meanwhile, Umaima spoke about the importance of attracting talent to startups, "In the US, it feels like there is a lot more focus on share options, whereas, in the UK, it doesn't seem to have as much appeal. There seems to be something to be done on mindset in the UK and perhaps through policy to make it more appealing."    Thank you to the Founders at the University of Cambridge for organising a great event, and their ongoing work to move the UK’s tech ecosystem forward! 💫

Over €2.5 billion in fresh capital 💸 Is European Tech back?? In recent weeks, the European tech scene has seen a series of major fund announcements from leading VC firms. VCs including Balderton Capital, Atomico, Outward VC and AENU have collectively raised over €2.5 billion, signalling strong confidence in European innovation and entrepreneurship. Why is this such good news? 👉 Despite global economic uncertainties, these funds demonstrate unwavering faith in European tech's potential. 👉 From climate tech to AI, these investments target areas crucial for Europe's future competitiveness. 👉 With funds covering early to growth stages, we're seeing a more robust funding pipeline for startups at all levels. 👉 There's a growing emphasis on "Impact Capitalism" and building sustainable, socially responsible businesses. 👉 These substantial funds put European tech firmly on the global investment map, potentially drawing more international interest. The details... Balderton Capital: Announced on August 12, 2024 ▶ Total: $1.3 billion (€1.17 billion) ▶ Two funds: $615 million Early Stage Fund IX and $685 million Growth Fund II ▶ Focus: Seed stage through IPO for European tech companies Atomico: Announced on September 9, 2024 ▶ Total: $1.24 billion (€1.12 billion) ▶ Two funds: $754 million Growth VI and $485 million Venture VI ▶ Focus: Series B to pre-IPO and early-stage investments Outward VC: Announced on September 10, 2024 ▶ Total: £51 million ($65 million) ▶ Focus: Early-stage fintech, data privacy, healthcare, and AI AENU: Announced on September 11, 2024 ▶ Total: €100 million ▶ Focus: Early-stage climate tech and social impact startups What do you think? Are we back?? LP ✌️ Pack GTM | SaaS Sales Recruitment in Germany #venturecapital #startups