JC Heyneke

“Nobody wants to have a nice-to-have product” In our newest episode, we are featuring Matthijs Metzemaekers. Nick van Eeten, walks through his incredible founder journey, from his early career to exiting two successful companies and raising $10M in seed funding for his newest venture Carv. 💡 Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ Importance of working with talented people while building a company  2️⃣ Focus on problem-solving and validation with your start-up idea 3️⃣ Insights on hiring best-practices and work-life balance 🎧 Listen Now: Episode 🔗 in the comments.

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Anterra Capital and SaaS Masters Join Forces to Accelerate the growth of Anterra’s incubated businesses and portfolio companies Amsterdam, The Netherlands – 8th of January 2025 SaaS Masters and Anterra Capital are excited to announce a partnership focused on helping Anterra’s portfolio grow and succeed. This collaboration brings together Anterra’s experience in incubating and supporting SaaS companies with SaaS Masters’ hands-on expertise in tackling the operational challenges many startups face. Anterra Capital is known for incubating and backing companies at seed and Series A, like Smartwyre, ZebiAI, and Agryco.com and has been a strong supporter of SaaS businesses. With this partnership, Anterra is strengthening its commitment to helping its portfolio scale effectively and sustainably. SaaS Masters specializes in providing practical, fractional leadership through a network of experienced B2B professionals. By teaming up with Anterra, they aim to offer actionable guidance and support that addresses the everyday needs of growing SaaS companies. Maarten Goossens, Founding Partner at Anterra Capital, commented: “The partnership with SaaS Masters increases the access to talent for both our incubated businesses and portfolio companies. As a specialist VC we’ve been fortunate to work with great entrepreneurs and industry leaders. Now, with SaaS Masters, we can help them tackle day-to-day operational challenges as they navigate their way to long-term success.” Wolter Rebergen, Co-Founder of SaaS Masters, added: “A lot of the SaaS businesses we work with come to us while preparing for funding rounds or exits, looking for the expertise they need to stand out. By partnering with Anterra Capital, we can bring that expertise directly to their portfolio companies, helping them hit the growth targets and build the compelling stories they need to attract investors and buyers.” In 2025, SaaS Masters and Anterra Capital plan to co-host several SaaS-focused events to share insights, strategies, and tools with SaaS companies. Stay tuned for updates on this partnership and details about upcoming events.

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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞’𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬? According to Innovation Origins, it is! A recent analysis by Dealroom.co reveals that our country boasts an impressive 14.9x ratio between ecosystem enterprise valuation and venture capital investments over the past decade. Additionally, Dutch startups secured 2.4 times as much late-stage funding compared to the same period last year. This capital efficiency and diverse investment landscape signal robust growth and innovation for the Dutch tech ecosystem. It’s an exciting time to be part of the Dutch tech sector! What are your expectations for the Dutch tech sector in the coming years? Read the full publication by Innovation Origins here: https://lnkd.in/eTxGZwcK #innovation #tech #startups

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👉 Full story: https://lnkd.in/eR2v_pXD 🚨 A group of 10 tech entrepreneurs is sounding the alarm and uniting under the name 'Tech Champions'. In their eyes, The Netherlands lacks the innovation and business climate in which scale-ups have the opportunity to be successful. Compared to the US, deep-tech scale-ups in the Netherlands grow four times slower. As united scale-up CEOs they call on government, investors and companies to commit to deep-tech scale-ups to ensure the future prosperity of the Netherlands. 💬 "We, the 10 Tech Champions below, have united to shape the future of the technology sectors from the NTS together. Consistently implementing the NTS (National Technology Strategy) with a focus on scale-ups is crucial to create value in a healthy and sustainable way and preserve the level of prosperity in the Netherlands. This is far from self-evident. We call on investors, the government and companies to join us in the challenge for the successful implementation of the NTS. This is how we create an economically strong, independent Netherlands, with a sustainable, healthy and safe future." The statement is signed by these 10 entrepreneurs: - Johan Feenstra (SMART Photonics) - Mattijs Slee (Battolyser Systems) - Koenraad Wiedhaup (Leyden Labs) - Merel Boers (Nicolab) - Hamed Sadeghian (Nearfield Instruments ) - Elise de Reus (Cradle) - Christian Rood (LeydenJar) - Fabrizio Del Maffeo (Axelera AI) - Joep Gommers (EclecticIQ) - Matthijs Rijlaarsdam (QuantWare)

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FLOAT’s co-founder, Jannis, will share valuable insights and his experience, gathered from conversations with 100s of SaaS companies, during his keynote at SaaSiest Amsterdam. He’ll be discussing “Is Debt the New Equity? How SaaS Founders Use Credit to Maximize Shareholder Value.” 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬: - Learn why debt is gaining popularity in the SaaS world - See how SaaS companies use debt strategically - Get practical tips on whether debt is right for your business and how to leverage it Plus, Jannis has left us with a few fun riddles to solve! 🧩 Drop your answers in the comments, we’d love to hear your thoughts! 💡🌟

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Is cutting-edge tech the silver bullet for manufacturing challenges? Not quite! 🤔 Willemijn Schneyder, CEO and Founder of SwipeGuide, drops some wisdom in Episode 193: "Technology is only a catalyst. It's not the solution." Tech alone won't solve your problems. You need to pair it with cultural shifts and a commitment to reskilling your workforce. Want more insights like this? Check out Episode 193 of Manufacturing Happy Hour, where we dive deep into the skills gap over some beers. Find the full episode on our website. #workforceinsights #manufacturingindustry #reskilling

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Driving innovation together: How startups and corporates collaborate at HLTH Europe Gabor Heltovics, CEO of SERDA therapeutics, will be speaking at the upcoming HLTH Conference in Amsterdam at the NLC Pavilion. Gabor will be sharing his insights fostering collaborations between startups and corporations. Session highlights: 🌱Benefits for startups: -Mitigating market entry barriers: Strategies to navigate and reduce obstacles that prevent new healthtech startups from entering the market. -Mitigating reimbursement challenges: Tips on how startups can manage and overcome the complexities of the healthcare reimbursement landscape. 🌱 Benefits for corporates: -Externalized innovation: How partnering with startups can bring fresh, innovative ideas and solutions to established corporations. -Pipeline building: Insights on leveraging expertise from the world’s leading R&D organizations to build effective and productive innovation pipelines. 🌟 Visit us at NLC’s pavilion! 🌟 Meet us at the NLC Pavilion during the HLTH Conference. This is an exciting opportunity to discuss potential collaborations, find out how the NLC is influencing the future of health technology, and find out how startups and corporations together can overcome obstacles when bringing scientific discoveries to market. 📅 Mark your calendar! Catch Gabor's session on 19th of June from 16:00 - 16:15 at the NLC Pavilion to learn more about strategies that empower healthtech ventures to thrive in complex markets. #NLC #HLTHEurope #Startups #Corporates 

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🚀 'When to sell your company? Look for these signals' 🔥 A must-read for investors and founders looking to level up! 🌱 Check it out here: www.blog.pitchndeal.com" 🔥 Part of the mythology of Silicon Valley is the committed founder driving the company to a blockbuster IPO. In reality, startups are 16 times more likely to get acquired. It’s not an outcome that’s frequently discussed, either.  “It’s one of these things that a lot of people don’t really talk about. In Silicon Valley, we […] 🚀 🔥 https://lnkd.in/e2SZXkgt 🚀 Whether You're an Investor or a Startup, Discover Game-Changing Insights! Check Out Our Blog. #Leadership #Innovation #Marketing #Technology #Entrepreneurship

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🚀 Get the inside scoop on fundraising best practices from our latest xday 🚀 In this session we had the honor to welcome two remarkable experts sharing experiences and best practices on fundraising. 🤓 Here are their top takeaways on venture capital finance: Nico Schoenenberger, investor at 10x Founders highlighted the importance of making sure that VC is actually the right fit for your company. Not all businesses need VC money, and for many entrepreneurs there are way better funding options than venture capital. Further, Nico shared that it is crucial to be sufficiently prepared once you have started conversations with VCs, as some – if not all of them – also pay attention to how long it takes you to prepare materials and answer questions.   Benedikt Schneider, founder of Floy mentioned the importance of running a clearly defined process. First, develop a clear view on your funding needs, then prepare all required materials (Pitch Deck, Financial Model, Data Room), plan a targeted outreach, and aim to talk to a significant number of suitable investors to create buzz. 𝐏𝐫𝐨-𝐭𝐢𝐩: Try to get warm introductions by portfolio founders the VCs have previously invested in. A reference from a founder is worth more than that of an investor.   Thank you both for joining us for this relevant topic for our founders 🤝 #fundraising #xday #acceleration #founderlearnings

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VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 2) 8. Monica Molenaar and Anne Fulenwider's Alloy, a healthcare startup focused on menopause care, has raised $16 million in its Series A round led by Kairos HQ with participation from PACE Healthcare Capital, Emmeline Ventures, and Amboy Street Ventures. Alloy aims to expand further after moving from profitability to growth. https://lnkd.in/eF67upAy 9. Jorge Mazal’s Outsmart College, a still-stealth-mode edtech company co-founded by former Duolingo executives, has raised $13M in seed funding led by Khosla Ventures. The company is focused on tackling affordability in higher education, and has garnered additional support from Karman Ventures, Latitud, and Lightspeed. https://lnkd.in/enHyrUiq 10. LAKE (LAK3), led by a team in Geneva, has secured $12.4 million to reshape the global water economy through blockchain technology innovation. The round saw participation from investors like EMB Ventures, Artaize Invest, and MSM family office. https://lnkd.in/e7yz2H_6 11. MIND, a Seattle-based data protection startup, has raised $11 million in its seed round led by YL Ventures. The company is working to develop technology that helps mitigate data risks for prominent clients like Guild, Akamai, and Lionbridge. https://lnkd.in/eGv8-CrC 12. Dr.-Ing. Dennis Michaelis's GEMESYS , a European AI hardware startup, has raised €8.6 million ($9.15 million) in its pre-seed round led by Amadeus APEX Technology Fund and Atlantic Labs. NRW.BANK, Sony Innovation Fund, and Plug and Play Tech Center also participated in this round. https://lnkd.in/exZGicHt 13. Matthias Auf der Mauer and Christian Hardenberg’s juna.ai, a company focused on optimizing manufacturing processes for heavy industries, has raised $7.5M in a seed round with backing from Kleiner Perkins, Norrsken VC, and John Doerr. The Berlin-based startup aims to enhance energy efficiency and reduce waste through advanced technology. https://lnkd.in/eXf7j2A5 14. David Rigterink's Cytomos, a cell analysis technology company, has raised £5 million ($6.36 million) to scale its platform. The round was backed by ARCHANGELS, Old College Capital, Scottish Enterprise, and the British Business Bank. https://lnkd.in/edwWYiEz

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⭐️ Meet our speaker - Alexander Sumarokov Analyst at Acrobator Ventures. 🔥 Alexander is Venture analyst at the Dutch early-stage fund Acrobator Ventures by day, humble wingman to a Top 50 SuperAngel worldwide, and a seasoned CMO with over 12 years of marketing adventures. He has launched global campaigns, growth-hacked startups, and started learning to spot founders with that special spark. 🗣️ Alexander will talk about - Adventures of a Shaman-Analyst in Venture Land. Working as an analyst in a venture fund and serving as a wingman to a Super Angel Investor has given him a unique perspective on what really matters in the startup world. From skimming thousands of pitch decks and managing countless founder calls, Alexander has seen firsthand how the smallest details can set a startup apart. In this session, he will share powerful insights from these experiences: practical tips for refining your pitch deck, building genuine relationships with investors, and understanding the key questions investors ask. What are they really looking for? How do they evaluate founders and ideas? And what signals can make or break your pitch? This talk is about showing you how to refine your pitch to highlight what matters most to investors. Sometimes, it’s the little things that create the biggest impact. 🎟️ Get your Pass now: https://lnkd.in/dCpViNs7

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🚀 **Scaling Your Startup: Insights from Think & Grow** 🚀 In the latest episode of Inhouse Ventures our co-founder, Jonathan Jeffries (JJ), shares his expertise on driving rapid growth for tech startups and scale-ups. 🌍 With over a decade of experience, Think & Grow has supported high-growth companies across Australia, the US, Europe, Dubai, and Singapore. In this episode, JJ dives into strategies for accelerating growth by building the right systems, processes, and teams to support revenue and scalability. He also sheds light on key challenges that scale-ups often face, particularly around market prioritization and using data-driven insights to thrive in international expansion. ✨ Learn from real-world examples and gain valuable takeaways on how to grow your business from $100M to $1B ARR. Don’t miss out on expert advice from one of the leaders in the fast-growth ecosystem. #TechStartups #BusinessGrowth #InternationalExpansion #RevenueGrowth #ThinkAndGrow #ScaleUps #Leadership

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𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭. 𝐑𝐨𝐛 𝐃𝐞𝐤𝐤𝐞𝐫 In this blog, we catch up with Robert Dekker, an accomplished Fractional Leader. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠: https://lnkd.in/e46r2MAy Here, Robert shares his journey into fractional consulting and provides valuable advice for startups and scale-ups aiming to drive sustainable growth. "Especially with businesses in scale-up mode, there’s a risk that people who’ve been involved from day one can become too close to their product, brand, or industry. This can make them lose perspective, leading to a focus that’s too product-driven, repetitive, or even self-serving." #FractionalLeaders #BusinessGrowth #ScaleUpSuccess #LeadershipInsights

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If your business relies on Stripe, understanding your market landscape can unlock significant growth opportunities. 🌐🔍 Stripe Customers List from InfoClutch provides an in-depth view of companies currently using Stripe, enabling your marketing and sales teams to connect with the right decision-makers efficiently. Whether you’re looking to identify the best-fit companies for your solutions or stay ahead of competitors, our detailed insights will give you the competitive edge to make well-informed business decisions. Don't rely on guesswork. Our Stripe users' database provides reliable, current data, ensuring your outreach is precise and impactful. 📊 Want to learn more? Check out our page and see how these data solutions can support your business in reaching the right audience. https://lnkd.in/dW4Jtd6v #StripeCustomersList #InfoClutch #DataDriven #MarketInsights #BusinessGrowth #B2BMarketing #LeadGeneration #DataSolutions #CustomerAcquisition #MarketResearch #SalesStrategy #TargetedMarketing #DataAccuracy #VerifiedData #DecisionMaking #BusinessIntelligence #EffectiveOutreach #PrecisionMarketing #DataInsights #B2BConnections #MarketingStrategy

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You need to condition teams for change. Anyone who’s worked in start-ups or scale-ups knows that change is part and parcel of business as usual. How we react as a marketing org to changes in the market, results we see from tests or any research we’ve conducted makes all the difference. And we can’t be precious about what we need to abandon if we learn there’s a better way. Which means it’s my job to condition my team for change. Like any form of conditioning it is built over time and it takes practice. For example, very recently I came to the conclusion that how we had our demand generation function set up wasn’t the most streamlined or logical way to achieve OKRs with what the business looks like today. For context, this was the old way: - Demand Gen Managers and Demand Gen Content Managers were paired together in pods, working on a persona, e.g. Marketing, Sales and RevOps. - This worked well for a long time as it allowed them to become persona experts, which really drove our demand creation efforts. - However it did mean each of these teams tended to become siloed and attention was split in too many competing ways. So coming back from Mat leave and reviewing our goals for 2024, as a team, we decided we needed to pivot. So we restructured the team: - Our DG managers now own a specific region or segment and DG content is a standalone team, working like an agency to support them. - When our DG managers have ideas for campaigns for their region or segment, they submit a request to the DG content team. - The DG content team now owns the content process from end-to-end, allowing for more control and oversight. This change was made very quickly and the transition was relatively short. Additionally it was met with positivity from the team vs resistance. Why? I believe that over the last 5 years we have as a team learned to condition ourselves to expect change and to see it as an opportunity. Importantly we always bring the team along with us in any pivots we make. We allow space for thorough review and brainstorming, giving people the ability to think through all the implications fully. Within 2 weeks of making this switch each team member had built a revised plan and started executing. Change does not need to be daunting if managed correctly, and building that muscle as you grow and scale is really important. #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration

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The #1 question asked by Profitual users: "What do investors want to see in my financial model?" This newest tool is for you. Introducing: Forecast Evaluator, by Profitual. An AI-powered financial forecast evaluator for pre-seed founders. Completely free. Simply upload your financial forecast and receive a comprehensive analysis in less than three minutes. Trained on thousands of real start-up financial model data points. Feedback includes: ✅ How accurate the forecast is - are there core calculation errors? 💰 How VC-ready the forecast is - is it ready to show investors? 📑How comprehensive the forecast is - does the model include the critical components that will help you operate better? Try for yourself & share with a fellow founder: https://lnkd.in/g4KSsbaa

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