Episodios

  • VC | E475 | Kasper Hulthin on Breaking the “Better” Myth & Building Food for the Many

    VC | E475 | Kasper Hulthin on Breaking the “Better” Myth & Building Food for the Many
    May 23 2025
    In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm talks with Kasper Hulthin, co-founder of Kost Capital and Future Five, to unpack what it takes to build food startups that change the system. Kasper argues that creating better food is not about crafting the perfect health product for the elite, but about designing for impact, scale, and real-world distribution.They explore why traditional VC models often fail food startups, how founders can balance purpose with platform thinking, and what it means to move beyond “more alternatives” into a world of more and better.
    Here’s what’s covered:
    • 00:45 – Why “more” food options doesn’t always mean “better”
    • 03:30 – Why optimizing for Whole Foods isn’t a scalable strategy
    • 06:20 – The ketchup analogy: exclusive vs. inclusive innovation
    • 10:15 – Scaling challenges: distribution, regulation, perception
    • 14:05 – What founders miss about consumer routines
    • 17:50 – Building platforms, not just products
    • 21:10 – The role of storytelling in transforming food narratives
    • 25:00 – What “better” really means: nutrition, access, equity
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    52 m
  • VC | E474 | Günther & Enrique on Redesigning Capital for Circular Futures & Europe’s Systemic Sustainability Shift

    VC | E474 | Günther & Enrique on Redesigning Capital for Circular Futures & Europe’s Systemic Sustainability Shift
    May 22 2025
    In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm is joined by Günther Dobrauz-Saldapenna and Enrique Molina from Qi Impact Capital to explore how capital can be deployed with purpose to accelerate the circular economy. From personal stories to portfolio-level insight, this conversation shows how values-based investing can be compatible with venture returns.Günther and Enrique unpack the urgency of systems change, how storytelling shapes capital flows, and why they believe Europe’s sustainability movement is at a critical inflection point, despite the headwinds.Here’s what’s covered:
    • 02:18 Qi Impact Capital’s Holistic Investment Thesis
    • 03:27 Günther’s Journey: From PwC to Circularity Champion
    • 05:34 Why Capital is the Catalyst for Circular Innovation
    • 06:37 Narratives, Regulation & the Sustainability Backlash
    • 08:50 Storytelling, Identity & Investment Decision-Making
    • 13:30 What ‘Conscious Capital’ Really Means
    • 17:17 Case Studies: OceanSafe, Vital & ID Genève
    • 22:53 Designing Products for Reusability & Impact
    • 25:41 The Financial Returns Behind Circular Success
    • 29:45 Tensions in Consumer Behavior: Circular vs. Fast Fashion
    Más Menos
    35 m
  • VC | E473 | Marcus Behrendt of BMW iVentures: Hedging the Future of Mobility, One Strategic Bet at a Time

    VC | E473 | Marcus Behrendt of BMW iVentures: Hedging the Future of Mobility, One Strategic Bet at a Time
    May 21 2025
    Marcus Behrendt, Managing Partner at BMW iVentures, joins Andreas and Jeppe to explore how corporate venture capital can drive transformation in Europe’s most iconic industries. From autonomy to AI and natural-fiber composites, the episode dives deep into how BMW’s venture arm scans, invests, and hedges across global markets while staying rooted in strategy and sustainability.🎧 Here’s what’s covered:
    • 04:11 Investment Focus: From Smart Supply Chains to Sustainability
    • 09:56 The Auto Industry in Flux: Disruption, Legacy & Tesla’s Vertical Model
    • 14:31 Integration vs. Modularity: What Will Define the Next Automotive Leaders
    • 17:01 Avoiding the Kodak Trap: Why Culture Eats Strategy in Corporate Innovation
    • 25:56 Leveraging the Core: Staying Close to BMW’s Strategic Heartbeat
    • 28:04 Natural Fibers & Rare Earths: Investing for CO2 Impact and Supply Chain Resilience
    • 34:42 Scaling Autonomy in the Real World: From Car Plants to Ports
    • 37:33 Europe's Structural Weakness: Legal Complexity and Inconsistent ESOPs
    • 44:11 Pensions, Politics & the Case for Venture Policy Engagement
    • 47:04 Why BMW iVentures Remains a Single-LP Fund—and Proud of It
    Más Menos
    49 m
  • VC | E472 | Oliver Holle on Europe's VC Momentum, Political Engagement & Global Alliances

    VC | E472 | Oliver Holle on Europe's VC Momentum, Political Engagement & Global Alliances
    May 20 2025
    In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm sits down with Oliver Holle, Founding Partner at Speedinvest, to unpack Europe’s current position in the global venture landscape. Fresh off the EUVC Summit and gearing up for GITEX, Oliver brings the heat — calling out flawed narratives, making the case for political engagement by founders and VCs, and breaking down the strategic implications of geopolitical capital shifts.Oliver shares how Europe is better positioned than its reputation suggests, why AI represents a public narrative opportunity for tech, and how learning from private equity could help European VCs build durable winners. From silent fund shutdowns to the rise of solo GPs, this episode is a crash course in navigating the new European venture normal.Here’s what’s covered:
    • 03:46 Key Relationships in the Founder-VC Dynamic
    • 09:56 Navigating Power Dynamics in Founder-VC Relationships
    • 22:03 The Importance of Team Dynamics in Startups
    • 26:05 Building Effective Communication and Culture in Growing Teams
    • 28:44 The Challenge of Team Dynamics in VC Firms
    • 32:36 Addressing Ego Issues in Leadership
    • 38:32 The Evolving Role of Founders
    • 47:12 Self-Reflection and Personal Growth
    • 55:12 The Importance of Energy Management
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    1 h
  • VC | E471 | Sales and Scaling Strategies from Ryan Lieber, Snowflake’s First SDR and EMEA’s Go-To-Market Leader [Path to Market]

    VC | E471 | Sales and Scaling Strategies from Ryan Lieber, Snowflake’s First SDR and EMEA’s Go-To-Market Leader [Path to Market]
    May 17 2025
    In a new episode of “Path to Market”, our Director Natasha Lytton and her co-host Micah Smurthwaite, Partner at Pipeline Ventures are joined by Ryan Lieber, an experienced Go-to-Market Leader and one of Snowflake’s earliest employees and its first SDR.

    Together they discuss Snowflake’s impressive growth trajectory, the challenges and strategies of category creation, key sales methodologies like MEDDPICC, the best approaches for scaling internationally, and cross-functional sales efforts. Ryan shares his experiences from joining Snowflake when it was an unknown startup in 2014 to its current status as a data giant with over 7,000 employees and a market capitalization of over $50 billion.

    He also delves into when and how founders should hire their first SDRs and sales leaders, the metrics for measuring their success, and the role of marketing alignment in scaling sales. Moreover, he emphasizes the importance of understanding regional cultural and communication nuances, and how to leverage partnerships in new markets.

    Lastly, Ryan discusses his current role leading Snowflake’s startup program in Europe, aiming to help next-generation data-intensive startups succeed using Snowflake’s data cloud.
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    45 m
  • VC | E470 | Joe Seager-Dupuy & Mike Martin on Building a Specialist VC Platform Around Consumer and Retail Tech | Deep Dive Episode v1

    VC | E470 | Joe Seager-Dupuy & Mike Martin on Building a Specialist VC Platform Around Consumer and Retail Tech | Deep Dive Episode v1
    May 16 2025
    In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm is joined by Joe Seager-Dupuy and Mike Martin, General Partners at True, a £ 600 M+ consumer and retail-focused investment and innovation firm, to explore what it means to be a sector specialist in venture—and why that matters more than ever in today’s market.They unpack how True brings together deep operational experience, a robust corporate network, and full life-cycle investment—from pre-seed to public markets. This episode offers a masterclass in building durable advantage in venture through network effects, strategic LP engagement, and sector expertise.Here’s what’s covered:
    • 03:14 Founders' Backgrounds and Experiences
    • 05:50 Overview of True's Investment Strategy
    • 09:02 Sector Specialization in Consumer and Retail
    • 12:00 Leveraging Network and Expertise
    • 15:09 Investment Decision-Making Process
    • 17:59 Ecosystem and Corporate Partnerships
    • 21:10 Consumer Market Opportunities
    • 24:07 Investment Strategy and Focus Areas
    • 27:00 Closing Thoughts and Future Directions
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    30 m
  • VC | E469 | Christian Hernandez on the Real ROI of Adaptation (ImpactVC spotlight series)

    VC | E469 | Christian Hernandez on the Real ROI of Adaptation (ImpactVC spotlight series)
    May 15 2025
    In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm sits down with Christian Hernandez, co-founder and Partner at 2150, to challenge a common VC misconception—adaptation isn’t plan B, it’s a billion-dollar frontier. From heat-proofing megacities in the Global South to tackling the carbon cost of concrete, Christian breaks down why the climate crisis needs more than mitigation—and why adaptation is just as investable.Christian shares how 2150 is building its strategy around deployment readiness—bridging the chasm between early tech and infrastructure-scale solutions. This conversation lays out the economics, urgency, and capital flows reshaping climate tech today—and why adaptation is core to building a livable 2150.
    Here’s what’s covered:
    • 01:35 Scaling for the Switch: When Venture Hands Off to Infra
    • 03:01 Cooling the Planet: Human Limits, Economic Drivers & Air Conditioning
    • 05:06 De-risking for Deployment: The Role of IFC, World Bank & Public Finance
    • 07:42 Software for Adaptation Risk: Interdependencies & Insurability
    • 11:42 Concrete, Meat & Flying: Where Real Emissions Come From
    • 16:50 Why 2150? Long-Termism and Climate Deployment Urgency
    • 18:15 Lessons for Climate VCs: Investing with Impact and ROI in Mind
    • 24:38 Case Study: Vammo's Electric Scooters & Battery Swapping in Brazil
    • 26:15 Open Source Thinking: Sharing Climate Research Across the Ecosystem
    Más Menos
    47 m
  • VC | E468 | Sebastian Pollok on Building Visionaries Tomorrow & Europe’s Deep Tech Renaissance

    VC | E468 | Sebastian Pollok on Building Visionaries Tomorrow & Europe’s Deep Tech Renaissance
    May 14 2025
    In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm talks with Sebastian Pollok to unpack the thesis behind Visionaries Tomorrow, a fund purpose-built to back industrial deep tech founders emerging from Europe’s labs and institutes.Sebastian explores why Europe's frontier innovation requires new LP-GP dynamics, portfolio construction models, and national ambition—and how family offices and sovereign industrial strategy can unlock a generational leap in European deep tech leadership.Here’s what’s covered:
    • 02:30 Why Industrial Deep Tech Needs Purpose-Built Capital
    • 06:45 Founders from Labs, Not MBAs: Rethinking Team Archetypes
    • 10:10 Case Study: Proxima Fusion & Max Planck’s World-Leading Design
    • 13:55 Balancing Moonshots and Pick-and-Shovel Businesses
    • 18:20 Family Offices & Mittelstand: Europe’s Strategic LP Base
    • 22:40 What It Means to Truly Love Your LPs
    • 26:30 The New Portfolio Construction for Deep Tech VC
    • 36:10 Why Capital Efficiency Still Matters in Deep Tech
    • 40:25 Strategic Sovereignty & the Role of the West in Frontier Tech
    Más Menos
    53 m
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