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3 FEB

E689 | Simon Thomas, Founder of Paragraf: Graphene Chips, AI Energy, and the Hard-Tech Road from Lab to Fab

Welcome back! In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm sits down with Simon Thomas, CEO of Paragraf, one of Europe’s rare hard-tech success stories, taking graphene from scientific breakthrough to industrial-scale electronics. Graphene has been called the “wonder material” for two decades. The promise has always been clear: faster, better, and dramatically more energy-efficient electronics. The missing piece has been execution at scale. Simon and the Paragraf team are building that missing bridge, with the world’s first graphene electronics foundry in the UK, a growing portfolio of real commercial products, and a deep conviction that the next era of computing will require new materials, not just bigger data centers. This is a conversation about what it truly takes to build venture-backed hardware in Europe. How you fund capex-heavy deep tech. How do you keep investors aligned when timelines are long. How you keep teams motivated through delays and national security reviews. And why AI may accelerate materials discovery, but won’t replace the brutal, necessary work of turning atoms into real manufacturing. Share What’s covered: 01:27 What Paragraf is building and why graphene matters now 03:50 Graphene wafers and the world’s first graphene electronics foundry 04:23 What graphene changes for power consumption and device life 05:01 Why graphene isn’t already inside data centers 06:13 The future of “2D electronics” beyond graphene 08:02 Foundry versus product company: why Paragraf does both 09:40 Graphene’s 20-year journey from papers to real-world scale 13:15 When venture investors first showed up and what they needed to see 16:58 Sovereignty, British Patient Capital, and why “national backing” matters 24:08 The product-to-foundry loop and how you hook customers early 27:36 Capex, equity limits, and the painful mechanics of deep-tech financing 30:22 Surviving hard moments: people, pivots, and the NSI Act review 38:10 How to structure boards over time, from tactical to strategic 42:23 Keeping teams committed through uncertainty 46:10 Where Paragraf is today: headcount, geographies, and commercialization 49:16 AI in materials discovery and why manufacturing is still the bottleneck

3 Feb

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54 min
19 JAN

E683 | This Week in European Tech with Dan, Mads & Lomax

Welcome back to another episode of Upside at the EUVC Podcast, where Dan Bowyer, Mads Jensen of SuperSeed, and Lomax Ward of Outsized Ventures cut through the noise shaping tech, venture, and geopolitics in Europe and beyond. This week starts lightly, as all good episodes do, with kids, illness paranoia, and the small joys of enforced medical naps. It escalates quickly. From OpenAI’s new health-focused ChatGPT and the FDA’s sudden sprint toward deregulation to Trump’s Greenland fixation and what it really signals about European sovereignty, to Meta buying its way into the AI application layer, pension funds destroying value at scale, and Nvidia’s push into physical AI. This is one of those episodes where everything connects. The common thread is power. Who has it. Who’s losing it. And who’s still pretending nothing has changed. This is Upside, where the takes are sharp, the systems are breaking, and the optimism is… cautiously conditional. What’s covered: 03:00 ChatGPT Health launches and why Europe is locked out 05:00 The FDA’s pivot to deregulation and what it means for health startups 10:00 Using multiple LLMs as a “second medical opinion” 13:00 Trump, Greenland, and the slow collapse of Pax Americana 18:00 Sovereignty, defence spending, and Europe’s strategic wake-up call 23:00 France moves to ban social media for under-15s 27:00 Meta buys its way into the AI application layer 30:00 Kraken spins out of Octopus at multi-billion scale 34:00 Revolut’s Turkey move and the march to 100 million users 37:00 UK pension funds, catastrophic underperformance, and broken incentives 45:00 Why venture returns matter more than fees 49:00 FTSE hits 10,000 and why it doesn’t mean what you think 56:00 CES, Nvidia’s autonomous ambitions, and physical AI 01:04:00 Grok’s $230B valuation and free speech trade-offs 01:07:00 Deals of the Week

19 Jan

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1h 3m
27/09/2024

E358 | Dan Bowyer & Mads Jensen, Superseed: Microsoft's $1.6B Nuclear Investment, France's Energy Legacy, and Predictions for AI in 2030

Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC podcast, where our good friends Dan Bowyer and Mads Jensen from SuperSeed cover recent news and movements in the European tech landscape 💬 Go to eu.vc to read the core take-aways. Chapters: 00:06 Microsoft's Nuclear Energy Plans 00:13 Energy Context in Europe 00:22 UK's Energy Challenges 02:34 Three Mile Island and Energy Needs 06:24 UK's Energy Strategy 09:18 Amazon's Office Return Policy 11:37 Chip Manufacturing in the UAE 13:56 Future of AI by 2030 14:57 Healthcare and AI 16:27 AGI and AI's Impact on Jobs 18:33 Telegram's Privacy Concessions 20:26 Mark Zuckerberg's Orion Glasses 21:48 Neuralink and Future Interfaces 25:44 Foundations Paper on UK Stagnation

27/09/2024

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38 min
05/08/2025

E538 | Julien Fredonie, Honda Xcelerator Ventures: From R&D to ROI: Inside Honda’s Venture Strategy in Europe

In this episode, Jeppe Høier and Andreas Munk Holm sit down with Julien Fredonie, Head of Europe & Africa at Honda Xcelerator Ventures, for a deep dive into how one of the world’s most iconic manufacturing giants is strategically navigating venture capital across Europe. They explore Honda’s global investment strategy, Julien’s views on Europe’s deeptech strengths, the nuanced role of corporate VC, and why Honda is bullish on European innovation—from climate tech to AI and advanced manufacturing. This one’s a rare look into how a global player allocates capital, thinks about strategic alignment, and partners with both startups and emerging funds. Here’s what’s covered: 01:10 Who is Julien Fredonie and what is Honda Xcelerator Ventures? 02:40 The 4 Strategic Pillars: Sustainability, Manufacturing, Mobility, AI 04:15 What "Deep Tech That Sells" Means to Honda 05:30 Strategic Projects Explained: POCs, JVs, and R&D Partnerships 07:45 Fund-of-Fund Activity: Why Honda Also Backs VCs 09:00 Structuring the CVC: The Role of Julien’s Team vs. Internal Honda R&D 11:30 What Startups Get from Honda (Beyond Capital) 13:45 Deep Tech DD: How Honda Approaches Validation from Inside & Outside 23:30 Where Europe Stands Out: Climate, Advanced Industry, AI 25:30 Gen 2 Climate Tech: From Environmental to Industrial Impact 26:15 The State of French VC and Deep Tech Momentum

05/08/2025

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30 min
25/07/2023

EUVC #196 Anubhav Srivastava, Tactyc

Today we are happy to welcome Anubhav, Founder and CEO of Tactyc. Anubhav founded Tactyc in 2019 combining his passions for engineering and finance to solve the major pain points fund managers face with portfolio management and fund modeling. They work with 250 VC clients globally and have a large and growing European presence including clients such as Anthemis and Atomico. At Tactyc they believe in empowering all GPs to be more data-driven. In this episode we will deep dive into the exciting world of portfolio construction and best practices.

25/07/2023

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1h 10m
03/05/2025

E459 | Charles Martin, Kinnevik: Nordic AI Talent, Founder Archetypes, Evergreen Funds and more

In this episode, Charles Martin of Kinnevik unpacks how their evergreen investment model fuels sustainable growth—enabling long-term, hands-on support that aligns deeply with entrepreneurs through every stage. By eliminating the pressure of fixed fund lifecycles, Kinnevik can take a hands-on approach, offering support through various growth stages and aligning closely with entrepreneurs over time. Charles highlights the shift in venture capital, where today’s focus is not just on financial returns but also on building adaptable companies with strong governance and positive societal impact. Kinnevik’s approach exemplifies this broader movement toward deeper, more collaborative partnerships in driving lasting success. Here’s what’s covered: 05:10 AI in the Nordics: Talent and Innovation08:56 The Importance of Operational Talent13:16 Spotting Outlier Talent and Venture Insights25:22 Evaluating Founders: Experience vs. Potential39:02 The Importance of People in Venture Capital44:53 The Future of AI and Talent

03/05/2025

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50 min
04/07/2024

E331 | Sion Evans, VenCap: Big vs. small funds, manager selection, performance & portfolio concentration

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas discusses with Sion Evans, Senior Investment Manager at VenCap, currently investing out of a $340M fund with $2.0bn in total AUM. VenCap was founded in 1987 and is one of the longest-established FoFs around. They are headquartered in the UK and are backing the leading Tier 1 firms from globally — with just 12 core relationships! They count 47 underlying unicorns with notable mentions being the likes of Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Coinbase, ByteDance, and Stripe. In today’s discussion, we're talking about manager selection and big versus small funds, a topic we're constantly debating on LinkedIn, as well as how Sion and Andreas thinks about fund sizing in Europe. Sion emphasizes that good funds outperform, regardless of their size, and whatever the strategy, manager selection is the most important factor in venture. Go to eu.vc for our core learnings and the full video interview 👀 Chapters 00:11 Overview of VenCap's Investment Strategy 03:13 Debating Big vs. Small Funds 04:50 The Importance of Manager Selection 05:42 Analyzing Fund Performance Data 09:39 Fund Sizing in Europe 14:46 VenCap's Global Investment Approach 26:40 Fund Size and Investment Strategy 27:58 Fund Sizes and Portfolio Construction 28:35 Early Stage vs. Growth Stage Strategies 29:02 Global Investment Approach 30:08 Performance Consistency Across Strategies 31:21 Risk and Return in Venture Capital 32:31 Building and Maintaining Relationships 35:14 Performance Dispersion in Venture Capital 44:11 Secondary Investments and Strategy 49:17 Reflections and Personal Insights

04/07/2024

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53 min
13/09/2024

E353 | Dan Bowyer ⁠and Mads Jensen⁠, ⁠SuperSeed: AlphaProteo’s AI breakthrough, EU Competitiveness, UK’s £1trn challenge, and Klarna's SaaS Shakeup

Welcome to a new episode of the EUVC podcast, where we’ll cover recent news and movements in the European tech landscape with Dan Bowyer and Mads Jensen from SuperSeed. Go to eu.vc to read the core take-aways. Chapters: 00:36 Meet Andrew Scott: Investor and Community Builder 01:35 The Value of Events for Investors and Founders 03:20 Insights from Tech Barbecue in Copenhagen 05:05 Highlights from the All In Conference 06:15 Inspiration and Serendipity at Conferences 11:22 The Role of Politics in Business Inspiration 15:35 DeepMind's Alphaproteo: A Breakthrough in Protein Binders 17:50 Implications for the European Ecosystem 18:08 Future Opportunities in Biotech and AI 18:40 Introduction to Investment Focus 18:50 AI in Drug Discovery 20:01 Efficiency and Productivity in Health and Pharma 20:18 Mario Draghi on European Competitiveness 21:23 Challenges in European Innovation 22:25 UK and EU Collaboration 24:33 Regulatory Frameworks and Innovation 27:03 Government Strategy and Short-termism 34:11 AI in Healthcare and Spaceports 36:48 Future of SaaS and AI Integration

13/09/2024

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42 min
04/04/2024

Investing and scaling in Romania and beyond - CO-INVESTIN webinar | E295

In the Investing and Scaling in Romania and Beyond webinar, we talk about the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem of Central and Eastern Europe, with a specific focus on Romania. From celebrating the local technical skills and historical engineering heritage, countries in CEE examine the nuances of building a startup with a global mindset from day one. Our guests discuss the 'UiPath effect', highlighting how success stories like of this one company have inspired new entrepreneurs and attracted increased attention and resources from the venture capital world. In essence, the webinar provides a comprehensive, nuanced, and up-to-date exploration of the Eastern European startup and venture capital landscape, making it a must-watch for investors, founders, and anyone interested in the local tech scene of Romania and its surrounding regions. Listen to it here or watch it on eu.vc for a discussion on: How to crack the code: Understand the challenges and opportunities shaping the Romanian ecosystem.Empowering the future: Delve into the status and growth prospects for women-led startups in the region.Scaling beyond borders: Learn how to overcome challenges and adapt global best practices to the Romanian context from the people who have done it.Pioneering Deep Tech: Explore the intricacies of launching, backing, and scaling a deep tech company in Romania and the region.Success stories: Get inspired by real-life case studies of thriving Romanian scale-ups.This event is a part of the CO-INVESTIN project, focusing on understanding and improving European investment ecosystems. Chapters: 00:26 The Venture Ecosystem in CEE 04:56 Romania's Flourishing Ecosystem: Insights and Success Stories 07:34 The Technical Talent and Entrepreneurial Mindset in Romania 09:37 Challenges and Opportunities for Romanian Startups 12:51 Investor Perspectives: The Appeal of Romanian Startups 17:27 The UiPath Effect: A Catalyst for Romanian Innovation 23:05 The Global Impact of Romanian Startups and the UiPath Legacy 29:40 Investment Strategies and Considerations in CEE 34:06 Investment Trends and Pricing in the Startup Ecosystem 37:42 Local vs. Global: Startup Challenges in the CEE Region 40:07 Unique Challenges of Building Startups in CEE 41:23 The Role of Engineering Culture in Startup Success 43:24 The Critical Need for More Capital in the Ecosystem 55:16 Addressing Diversity and Gender Gaps in Tech

04/04/2024

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1h 8m
10/09/2024

E351 | Andrea Di Camillo, P101: The evolution of Italy's venture ecosystem

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas discusses with Andrea Di Camillo, Founder, CEO & Managing Partner at P101. P101 is one of the most well-known players in the Italian VC landscape and has established a strong position in early-stage investing. Currently, on its third fund, which raised €250M, P101 manages a total assets under management (AUM) of €400M. Headquartered in Italy, the firm focuses primarily on Series A investments, with 70% of their portfolio in Italy and the remaining 30% spread across Europe and the United States. P101's investment strategy spans a diverse range of sectors, including enterprise software, deep tech, health tech, fintech, energy, transportation, and food tech. Notable Investments: 1000Farmacie, Casavo, Cortilia, CyberGuru, Deporvillage, FatMap, Habyt, Musixmatch, Musement, Tannico, Velasca Go to eu.vc for our core learnings and the full video interview 👀 Chapters: 00:25 P101's Investment Focus and Notable Investments 02:46 The Origins of P101 04:57 Italy's Journey to Becoming a Global Tech Player 06:12 Challenges and Opportunities in the Italian VC Ecosystem 12:02 The Role of Corporates and Private Wealth in Italian VC 23:40 Investment Strategies and Fund Management at P101 35:28 The Media's Role in Venture Capital 36:26 Challenges in Italian Venture Capital 37:02 The Importance of Narrative in VC 38:11 Highlighting European Venture Success 41:41 The Impact of Past Investments 45:59 Leveraging AI and Big Data in VC 53:52 The Evolution of Venture Capital 56:59 A Personal Journey in Venture Capital 01:04:28 The Growth of the Italian Tech Ecosystem 01:05:43 Closing Remarks and Future Prospects

10/09/2024

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1h 8m

One place to find them all. The go-to platform to find the best podcasts on the European VC industry. 💥

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EUVC

Top Shows

E689 | Simon Thomas, Founder of Paragraf: Graphene Chips, AI Energy, and the Hard-Tech Road from Lab to Fab

E683 | This Week in European Tech with Dan, Mads & Lomax

E358 | Dan Bowyer & Mads Jensen, Superseed: Microsoft's $1.6B Nuclear Investment, France's Energy Legacy, and Predictions for AI in 2030

E538 | Julien Fredonie, Honda Xcelerator Ventures: From R&D to ROI: Inside Honda’s Venture Strategy in Europe

EUVC #196 Anubhav Srivastava, Tactyc

E459 | Charles Martin, Kinnevik: Nordic AI Talent, Founder Archetypes, Evergreen Funds and more

E331 | Sion Evans, VenCap: Big vs. small funds, manager selection, performance & portfolio concentration

E353 | Dan Bowyer ⁠and Mads Jensen⁠, ⁠SuperSeed: AlphaProteo’s AI breakthrough, EU Competitiveness, UK’s £1trn challenge, and Klarna's SaaS Shakeup

Investing and scaling in Romania and beyond - CO-INVESTIN webinar | E295

E351 | Andrea Di Camillo, P101: The evolution of Italy's venture ecosystem

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