Vojtech Horna

Taavet Hinrikus and I made the Financial Times Due Diligence email. https://lnkd.in/ez2AuGQx One 'unintended consequence' is that if there is a 45% tax on carry and CGT (raising £40m per year, remember) it for all intents and purposes closes the door on new VCs in the UK. Especially started by teams from non-traditional backgrounds. To meet the GP commit, you need to be already part of the 'wealthy' as you cannot rely on the value you create - nearly half of it will disappear - to fund it. We have both had extremely successful startups which are few and far between. The smaller number of new VCs will therefore more likely increasingly be for people who have inherited the capital or can draw it from their already rich family. Probably not want they have in mind with this policy.

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🇬🇧 Calling all UK startups: stepping into the venture capital arena can be a thrilling yet daunting experience, but you're not in this alone. I’ve curated a list of 10 top-notch venture capital firms in the #UK, each a leader in their unique sector. Whether you're revolutionizing #tech, transforming #healthcare, or breaking new ground in another industry, aligning with the right #VC partner is vital for your growth and success. 1. Ascension Focus: Seed and Pre-Seed Ventures Sector: Software, Internet, FinTech Top Portcos: Heatio, Saltroad, Nebu~Flow 2. Fuel Ventures 🚀 Focus: Seed and Pre-Seed Ventures Sector: Software, E-Commerce, Internet Top Portcos: Lunio, Eleos, StudioSpace 3. Force Over Mass Focus: Seed and Series A Ventures Sector: Software, Information Technology, FinTech Top Portcos: CUR8, Artificial Labs, SuperFi Finance 4. Northstar Ventures UK Focus: Seed, Funding Round and Series A Ventures Sector: Software, E-Commerce, SaaS Top Portcos: Lightox, DayaTani, Circadacare 5. Octopus Ventures Focus: Series A, Seed, and Series B Ventures Sector: Software, Health Care, Artificial Intelligence Top Portcos: Sidekick, ExpressionEdits, Swiipr Technologies 6. MMC Ventures Focus: Early-Stage, Pre-Seed, Seed and Series AVentures Sector: Software, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning Top Portcos: LiveEO, Stanhope AI, Eatron Technologies 7. SFC Capital Focus: Pre-Seed and Seed Ventures Sector: Software, Artificial Intelligence, IT Top Portcos: Lemon, Unibloom World, Blue Skies Space 8. Episode 1 Ventures Focus: Seed, Series A and Pre-Seed Ventures Sector: Software, Artificial Intelligence, SaaS Top Portcos: Lawhive, Superlinked, Viable 9. Maven Capital Partners Focus: Seed and Series A Ventures Sector: Software, Information Technology, SaaS Top Portcos: Carcinotech, Metrion Biosciences, McKenzie Intelligence Services Ltd 10. Notion Capital Focus: Seed, Series A and Series B Ventures Sector: Software, SaaS, IT Top Portcos: TechWolf, Caeli Wind, Harbor Lab Ready to connect with the perfect investor for your startup? Drop a “LIST” in the comments, and we’ll tailor a personalized investor lineup just for you. Got a favorite UK-based VC firm that deserves a shoutout? Let us know in the comments below. At Thunder.vc, we excel in pairing your startup with venture capital firms that align with your specific sector, growth phase, and objectives.

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The new pronouncements on AI are a big step in the right direction by Keir Starmer, but won't be successful unless the whole of government aligns policy making to optimise for technology and for growth, Rt Hon Rachel Reeves and HMRC included. https://lnkd.in/dcA5tN9d

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VC funds can receive up to 60 pitch decks a week 😲How do you stand out from the pack? Startup fundraising consultant extraordinaire Eva Dobrzanska shares her actionable insights in our free guide. 👀 https://lnkd.in/eVdGDEg3 We grill 7 active angels and VCs to find out what impresses them and what doesn’t. Download now for the inside scoop. 🍨

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VC in the UK – Q1 2024 👉 The Dealroom.co report in partnership with HSBC Innovation Banking highlights that Q1 2024 UK venture funding was $3.9bn. 👉 UK VC investment levels have stabilised following a global rest in H2 2022. 👉 Early-stage investment in Q1 closed higher than the 2 previous quarters. UK start-ups raised $279m in pre-seed & Seed rounds (defined as rounds <$4m) in Q1 2024, while Series A ($4m-$15m) rounds totalled $769m. 👉 Investment at Series B ($742m) and C ($715m) has remained relatively steady in Q1.  There were 6 late stage mega rounds of $100m+, totalling $1.4bn. 👉 See full report here 👇 https://lnkd.in/d-gFuwqu Mat Lauren #VC #investors #entrepreneurs

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"CTO titles should be earned, not given out without understanding the responsibilities that come with the title ..." 👀 Episode 19 of Now We Build by Forward Pursuit is now live! I was super lucky to be joined by Hubert Behaghel, former Head of Technology at Sky, Marks and Spencer, Typeform and now the CTO at Veriff! In the episode we covered: 👉🏽 How Hubert builds high functioning tech teams. 👉🏽 Why CTO titles need to be earned and not given out. 👉🏽 Why every startup needs to focus on it's internal tech alongside product. The episode is now live and you’ll find the links in the comments below 👇🏽 Proudly supported by Carta, Google Cloud, Fuelled | B Corp and Seven Legal. #founders #vc #startup #tech

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What to Include in a Data Room for Investors? — Advice From VC Fund GP https://buff.ly/4eEUahI Investors look for comprehensive data rooms to make informed decisions. A well-organized data room should include financial statements, legal documents, market analysis, and growth projections. Providing detailed information on past performance and future strategies is crucial. Additionally, incorporating visual aids like charts and graphs can enhance understanding. According to a study by PwC, data rooms with thorough documentation increase investor confidence by 40%. Ensuring the data room is secure and easily accessible is also essential. #InvestorRelations #DueDiligence

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Which are Bristol's most promising startups? I spoke to VCs to find out who they've got their eyes on. --- The UK’s “Golden Triangle” startup hubs — London, Oxford and Cambridge — are the runaway leaders in the country’s tech funding — but Bristol is next up on the roster. Since 2020, its startups have raised over $2bn, according to Sifted data and comparable data from Dealroom. While that’s someway behind the $84.7bn London has raised over the same period, Oxford — the third-best funded ecosystem in the UK — picked up 3.6bn. The southwestern English city has also built a pedigree in semiconductors and quantum. Chipmaker Graphcore — which spun out of another Bristol-based semiconductor startup Xmos — raised $682m before being acquired by SoftBank earlier this year. The world’s best-funded quantum startup, Silicon Valley-based PsiQuantum, was founded in Bristol, before moving to the US and raising $1.6bn. Beyond deeptech there’s also Ovo Energy, which has picked up $569m since launching in 2008, and warehouse logistics startup Huboo, which picked up the city’s biggest round of 2024 in a £45m raise to bring its total funding to nearly $200m. To find out which startups could be among the next cohort of Bristol tech darlings, I spoke to Catherine Fletcher — SCVC, Harry Alexander — QantX, Matt Penneycard — Ada Ventures, Johnathan Matlock — Empirical Ventures and Julian Dennard — Mercia Ventures. There was just one rule: investors couldn’t nominate startups they’d already invested in. https://lnkd.in/eUQHe4e2

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A few reflections on last week's Budget, from me, and a bunch of our fabulous FieldHouse Associates' clients. https://lnkd.in/exrefrpt #tech #innovation #investment #venturecapital #startups #scaleups #regulation #government #PR #publicaffairs #consultancy

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The UK investment market allocates less than 1% to impact ventures. ...Let that figure sink in. So many of the brands we read about on LinkedIn are purpose-driven, and while they are rightly celebrated on the platform, the investment market is yet to catch up. Wondering why? Many institutions still believe that purpose and profit can't coexist. ❌ But the data shows that this is a myth. Our goal is to close this perception gap and fast-track impact founders towards investment. At Unrest, we've connected with 700+ purpose-led businesses, and supported 60 companies through four cohort programmes, we know what impact founders are capable of. That's why I'm so excited that we've launched the first round of Impact <> Investor Office Hours, an opportunity for 60 impact founders to pitch their businesses to an investor from Speedinvest, Seedcamp, Octopus Ventures Molten Ventures and many more in a 30-minute virtual session. Applications close this Friday 18th October – and it takes less than 10 minutes to apply. Get your application in now! (link in comments)

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How I went from a conversation about Gen Z with Snapchat's UK CEO, Bridget Lea, on-stage at London Tech Week to writing about Snapchat in my latest column for The Times! ✨📰 My column is focused on helping businesses and founders reach Gen Z, and there was a stat that Bridget mentioned to me that floored me onstage... 90% of all 13 to 24-year-olds are on Snapchat here in the UK 🤯 My 22-yr-old younger sister has a 3,000+ day Snap streak with her best friend, meaning they've logged into Snapchat every day for the past 8.5 years. That is CRAZY to me, but speaks volumes for why Snapchat is so powerful for the next generation. Snapchat was created a decade ago, yet has managed to maintain its staying power with Gen Z (and now even Gen Alpha), and my answer as to "why" has been their emphasis on community building - with creators, brands, and even through IRL events. A tagline I saw at one of their recent events confirms this, "Less social media, more Snapchat." There were AR mirror activations with Boots, Depop, Cosmopolitan... they collabed with the National Portrait Gallery to get more Gen Zers to hang out in person on National Museum Day... and countless other examples I share in the column. People often ask me how I figure out what I want to write each month for my column, and the honest answer is just talking to people (especially operators & founders) to understand their vantage points on what's interesting, new, and working for their business. It makes my job exciting to interview such incredible leaders, and also fun to go deep into new spaces and trends :) Hope you enjoy this month's column! I'll link it in the comments <3 #snapchat #genz #socialmedia #columnist #genzmarketing #brandactivations

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HNY! Hope everyone had a great break. Quiet on here as head down. Such a lot of exciting things coming up: - More Tools for all scaleups to improve their growth trajectory - More Founders using VenturePath to secure their Series A-B investment rounds - More VCs joining VenturePath's VC Network - More Events (including a VC dinner for 50 on the 22nd and SuperScalers female founders event on the 30th) - More Partners joining our scaleup support ecosystem - More Data to publish on 2024 VC trends for the UK ScaleUp Investment Mission Busy January! We'll share more on these when we have a minute... If you can play a part, as a founder, VC, investor, partner, sponsor, data provider etc., there's still room for a conversation or coffee with you though 😉

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How much deal flow are you missing out on? How many startups are missing out on the right investors? Huge congratulations to Sophie Winwood Rachel Drapper and the team at WVC:E for their latest report. Here’s the deal: having female VCs on your team brings a collective sharpness and depth that’s hard to find elsewhere. They’ve encountered different challenges, navigated different networks, and bring new insights that others might miss. It’s about seeing opportunities through a lens that broadens your reach—because the market isn’t one-size-fits-all, and neither is the talent. By bringing in these perspectives, you gain a strategic edge, spotting the talent and opportunities that others might overlook. It’s not just about adding women to your firm—it’s about setting yourself apart as the VC that consistently identifies and backs the winners. Stop the leaky bucket! To discover how delve into the report. Link in the comments. If you like this post, 🔁 Reshare it, and if you want more like this, 📬 subscribe to our newsletter! ✨https://lnkd.in/ejfaPcpR

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Industry experts call for tailored AI rules in post-election UK

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What are some of the best practices for emerging fund managers to secure Limited Partners (LPs)... Diverse emerging fund managers are key to diversifying venture capital. So how can we help them approach potential limited partners (LPs) and what exactly are they looking for? Head to the comments to read the insight we captured on the night 👇 Ada Ventures is looking to have a positive impact on the whole industry. By 2030, as part of our impact goals, we aim to catalyse VC to make it more inclusive and help diversify the check writers in UK VC. One of our initiatives is a series of dinners to nurture conversations and relationships between some amazing diverse emerging fund managers and established LPs in our network. Some of these LPs have invested in Ada Ventures; some of these emerging fund managers are part of the Ada Ventures network. I wanted to thank Abel + Imray, the patent and trademark attorneys. We’re delighted by our partnership with them and their commitment to support diversity at the fund manager level. The night was a winning combination of talent, expertise, and potential. I’ve included everyone’s LinkedIn profiles so you can look them up and see what they’re doing. Limited partners: 👉 Dave Neumann, Molten Ventures 👉Michael Joyce, Isomer Capital 👉Sergio Ung, Guy's & St Thomas'​ Foundation 👉Scott Mackin, Emerging Manager LP, PE Partner. Fund managers: 👉Vera Elizabeth B., 4P CAPITAL 👉Rupa Ganatra Popat, Arāya Ventures 👉Gosbert Chagula MBE 👉Rebecca Hunt 👉Andy Davis, 10x10 👉Joy Jack, Nexterra Capital

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Mountside - 400+ VC firms with fresh capital and UK focus https://lnkd.in/eERd3pHS Mountside Ventures keeps track of VC forms that recently raised a fund - they are most likely to be actively investing. The focus is mostly, but not exclusively, UK. ----- ♻️Like, Comment, Share Follow Startup Vencha for more, Stop Thinking & Start Doing.

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Today we have a superb episode with an absolute legend, Alan Patricof, Co-Founder of Primetime Partners, Greycroft, and Apax Partners. It’s hard to explain just how important Alan has been for tech and VC. He’s one of the true pioneers in venture capital worldwide, having started his first VC firm in the 1970s, Alan Patricof and Associates, which later became Apax Partners and currently has over ~$80Bn AUM. Alan is an inspiring figure, not only because of his success in the business world but also because of his vitality and contagious optimism. He joined us a day after his 90th birthday and candidly, he had more energy than most people I know. We recorded live on stage at Rise, created by Barclays in NYC for the 2024 Gilgamesh Ventures Summit, an annual meeting where we gather over 150 limited partners, founders, investors, and friends for a series of events and discussions about the future of tech and financial services. In this episode, we discuss: - The early days of Venture Capital and Tech in the 1970s and beyond - Alan grew up in NYC and built his career in NY – how was the city back then? - Building primetime partners to invest in the fastest growing market, people over 60 - Staying healthy. How Alan keeps fit, focused and is closing deals at 90 Years Old - Why your reputation is all that matters in this business… and a lot more! Special thanks to Morgan Borer, Jessica Schaefer, Carlee Snyder, Courtney Dawson, and Carina Oriel! https://bit.ly/4g1HNMU

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Yesterday I had the pleasure of appearing on CNBC to talk about the state of tech in the UK and Europe, touching on the state of IPOs vs PE acquisitions, sectors to watch and where the opportunity lies. Thanks for a great discussion Arabile Gumede! Some thoughts from the interview: Signs of Success: The acquisition of UK tech companies by prestigious private equity firms like Thoma Bravo is a testament to the strength and success of the UK tech sector. It's a clear indicator that UK companies are building substantial value and attracting significant international interest. Vibrant Ecosystem: Despite challenges, the UK and Europe boast a vibrant tech ecosystem, particularly in AI, cybersecurity, and fintech. The market has now stabilised post-pandemic, offering a fertile ground for emerging companies to thrive. Opportunity for scale-up investment: Looking at investment into SaaS companies, Europe is on par with the US in the early stages. It is at the scale-up stage that a divide appears – support and more investment into Europe and the UK’s growth companies will further strengthen the region’s tech scene. Watch a clip from CNBC here: https://lnkd.in/d7J8_FNP #Oxx #UKtech #VC #growth

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