EUVC

EUVC
EUVC
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The home of European tech. Connecting the people, capital and companies building Europe. EUVC features conversations with the founders, investors, operators and policymakers shaping the continent's future. We explore venture capital, startups, AI, deeptech, defense, industrial policy, entrepreneurship and the ideas driving European competitiveness. From emerging managers and unicorn founders to institutional investors and government leaders, EUVC documents the people building Europe's next chapter.

  1. 1d ago

    This Week in European Tech: Is AI’s spending boom creating real value or hiding bigger risks?

    AI infrastructure investment continues to accelerate, but the gap between technical progress and sustainable returns is becoming harder to ignore. In the latest episode of This Week in European Tech, Dan Bowyer and Mads Jensen of SuperSeed, Lomax Ward of Outsized Ventures and Andrew J Scott of 7percent Ventures, discuss volatile tech markets, the economics behind data centre expansion and why stronger AI models do not always translate into meaningful automation. Highlights Why AI and tech stocks are experiencing sharper volatility than the wider marketWhether today’s infrastructure spending can produce sustainable returnsNvidia’s expanding role in financing the AI ecosystemWhy engineering, not model capability, may now be the main bottleneckWhat AI is revealing about post-quantum securityHow sovereignty is reshaping technology supply chainsThis week’s standout deals across nuclear energy, robotics, defence and quantum computing

    This Week in European Tech: Is AI’s spending boom creating real value or hiding bigger risks?

  2. 5d ago

    Episode #4: Consumer Tech Napkin | Building great products in consumer tech

    When software can be built and copied faster than ever, what still makes a consumer product stand out? Episode #4 of Consumer Tech Napkin, produced in partnership with True, explores how strong teams create an edge through user love, distribution, experimentation, learning loops and human judgement. Host Andreas Munk Holm is joined by Neil Tanna, Co-Founder and CEO of Howbout, Graham Paterson, Co-Founder and CEO of Jitty and an angel investor in Howbout, and Mike Martin of True, a consumer and retail-focused investor and an investor in Jitty. Howbout is the shared calendar app for keeping up with friends and has grown to more than seven million users across 125 countries. Jitty is the search engine for finding your next home. They discuss why features rarely create lasting defensibility, what separates a genuine experiment from simply shipping and hoping, how teams balance data with product taste and how AI is changing the speed of product development. Highlights Building great products when features are easy to copyDistribution, user love and learning loopsIdeas versus executionWhat makes a genuine product experimentIncremental improvements versus bigger betsHow Howbout tests higher-risk changesWhere human judgement remains essentialTimestamps (01:00) Building great products when software is easy to copy(04:00) Does a unique founding insight still matter?(08:00) Ideas versus execution(11:00) The rising bar for consumer startups(13:00) Distribution as a moat(17:00) Why learning loops create an advantage(19:00) What makes an experiment?(20:00) Hypothesis-led product development(22:00) Product bets and building for remarkability(25:00) Where to test risky ideas(28:00) How Howbout runs experiments at scale(32:00) Lessons from Deliveroo’s logistics experiments(34:00) How AI accelerates shipping and analysis(37:00) Can AI run experiments autonomously?(39:00) Why human taste still matters(43:00) How audience size compounds learning(45:00) Closing thoughts Subscribe to EUVC, the home of European tech, for more insights.

    Episode #4: Consumer Tech Napkin | Building great products in consumer tech

  3. Jul 28

    Pascal Wittet & Sandy Farmer (Orca Equity Partners): Why Orca backs first-time CEOs to buy their own business

    Many talented professionals never realise there are investors willing to back them to buy and run an established small business, even if they have never been a CEO or worked in that sector before. In this episode of Unsung, host ⁠Will Maunder-Taylor⁠ speaks with ⁠Pascal Wittet⁠ and ⁠Sandy Farmer⁠, Co-Founders of ⁠Orca Equity Partners⁠, the UK’s first and most active fund of search funds.  They explain how Orca backs first-time CEOs across Europe, what they look for in aspiring business owners and why stable, cash-generative and often “boring” companies can offer compelling acquisition opportunities and large returns. They also explore what happens after a deal, from building the management team and introducing better systems to professionalising the business for its next stage of growth. Pascal shares the story of Water Direct, which grew from roughly £3 million to around £10 million in EBITDA and delivered a return of more than five times invested capital in under three years. Highlights Why investors back first-time CEOs with no sector experience How the search fund model works What Orca looks for in aspiring business owners Why stable, cash-generative and “boring” businesses can be attractive How succession creates opportunities to acquire strong companies What new CEOs should prioritise after taking over Why empathy and humility matter when buying from a founder How Water Direct delivered a return of more than 5x For more on entrepreneurship through acquisition, small business ownership and Unsung events, ⁠subscribe to the Unsung newsletter⁠⁠. Timestamps (01:22) Introducing Orca Equity Partners(02:16) How Sandy moved from private equity into search funds(06:32) Why backing first-time CEOs can work(10:07) Search fund returns and CEO incentives(13:42) What makes a strong acquisition target(17:40) How searchers find overlooked small businesses(21:07) Using technology and professionalising acquired companies(29:28) What Orca looks for in future CEOs(36:14) The Water Direct story(42:23) Adam Johnson’s first year as CEO(46:13) Building the right management team(51:51) Water Direct’s growth and liquidity event(58:23) What the story means for aspiring business owners(59:22) Leadership, humility and lessons from the military(1:07:23) Closing thoughts

    Pascal Wittet & Sandy Farmer (Orca Equity Partners): Why Orca backs first-time CEOs to buy their own business

  4. Jul 24

    This Week in European Tech: Can the UK restore growth and stay competitive in AI?

    What would it take to get the UK economy moving again without losing ground in AI and technology? In this episode of This Week in European Tech, Mads Jensen and Dan Bowyer of SuperSeed are joined by Lomax Ward of Outsized Ventures to discuss what the UK’s new government should prioritise, from lowering industrial energy costs and reforming planning to cutting regulation and encouraging more pension capital to back productive UK assets. They also examine possible US restrictions on Chinese open-source AI models, the Hugging Face breach, Alphabet’s rising AI infrastructure spending and Tesla’s bets on Robotaxi and Optimus. In addition, the conversation covers capital concentration in European venture, PayPal acquisition rumours, Travis Kalanick’s Atoms and the week’s major deals, including CuspAI, Arrakis and Delivery Hero. Highlights What the UK’s new government should do to restore growthHow regulation, planning and energy costs are holding back investmentWhether pension capital should be encouraged to back more UK assetsPossible US restrictions on Chinese open-source AIWhat the Hugging Face breach shows about AI and cybersecurityAlphabet’s growing AI infrastructure spendTesla’s Robotaxi and Optimus strategiesWhy venture funding is becoming more concentratedThe week’s major deals, including CuspAI, Arrakis and Delivery Hero

    This Week in European Tech: Can the UK restore growth and stay competitive in AI?

  5. Jul 19

    This Week in European Tech: 100 episodes in, Europe’s tech reality check and what comes next

    In the 100th episode of This Week in European Tech,Mads Jensen and Dan Bowyer of SuperSeed are joined by Lomax Ward of Outsized Ventures and Andrew J. Scott of 7percent Ventures. Two years after the show began, they reflect on how much the technology and venture landscape has shifted. They compare the surge in AI funding, hyperscaler investment and trillion-dollar technology companies in the US with Europe’s progress in company creation, venture activity and strategic technologies. The conversation also explores where Europe continues to lag, from pension capital and scale-up funding to energy, defence and access to space, and whether the continent can reduce its reliance on the US while building globally competitive companies. They then turn to 2028, sharing their views on the next phase of AI, robotics, smart glasses, quantum computing, sovereign technology and the infrastructure needed to support them. Key highlights How European venture has evolved over the past two yearsWhy Europe is creating more unicorns and decacorns while its global funding share remains under pressureThe increasing concentration of capital around AI and the largest US technology companiesWhether Europe can unlock more pension and institutional capital for ventureWhy every AI strategy is increasingly becoming an energy strategyEurope’s position in defence, sovereign technology and space infrastructureThe next wave of robotics, autonomous vehicles and physical AIPredictions for AGI, quantum computing, smart glasses and the companies that could shape 2028————— Love Tomorrow Summit - July 23, 2026, Tomorrowland, Belgium The Impact Circle Investor Lounge - July 24, 2026 EUVC is curating the investment stage. Register ⁠here⁠.

    This Week in European Tech: 100 episodes in, Europe’s tech reality check and what comes next

  6. Jul 17

    Ahmed Achchak (Qevlar AI) & Réza Malekzadeh (Partech): When AI attacks, can AI defend?

    AI is giving attackers cheaper, faster ways to target organisations at scale. On the defensive side, security teams are starting to replace rigid playbooks with AI systems that can investigate incidents, adapt to new attack paths and support faster response. In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm speaks with Ahmed Achchak, Co-founder and CEO of Qevlar AI, and Réza Malekzadeh, General Partner at Partech, an investor in Qevlar AI. They discuss how Ahmed and his co-founder approached cybersecurity without coming from traditional security backgrounds, why that outsider perspective helped them rethink static playbooks and how Qevlar AI is moving security teams beyond manual triage. The conversation also covers why organisations should assume breach, how automated remediation can be governed without turning the system into a black box, how young startups earn trust with major enterprise customers, Europe’s cybersecurity opportunity and why founders need to build security into their products from day one. Highlights How AI is reshaping cyberattacks and cyber defenceWhy static security playbooks are falling behindHow an outsider perspective shaped Qevlar AIHow Qevlar AI investigates and responds to incidentsWhy organisations should assume breachHow startups build trust with enterprise customersEurope’s opportunity to build global cybersecurity leadersWhy security must be built in from day one--- Learn more about the Love Tomorrow Summit and the programmes EUVC is curating, and secure your tickets here. --- Timestamps (02:00) Introduction to Qevlar AI and Partech(03:00) How AI is changing cybersecurity(05:00) From cloud security to the AI shift(07:20) Why small businesses are increasingly exposed(09:00) Building Qevlar AI without a traditional security background(12:00) Why outsider founders can rethink established industries(14:20) How Qevlar AI investigates cyber incidents(18:30) Why organisations should assume breach(21:30) Governing AI-driven security decisions(26:00) Winning trust with enterprise customers(30:30) Europe’s cybersecurity advantage(34:00) Why European companies still need to think globally(37:00) Qevlar AI’s long-term vision(39:00) Why Partech backed the team(40:30) Why security can no longer be an afterthought(43:00) Closing thoughts

    Ahmed Achchak (Qevlar AI) & Réza Malekzadeh (Partech): When AI attacks, can AI defend?

  7. Jul 11

    This Week in European Tech: Europe’s AI wake-up call

    Europe’s AI position is being tested from every direction: Chinese open-weight models are gaining usage, Nvidia could become even more central to the stack and Europe still has gaps across power, chips, data centres and model capacity. In the latest episode of This Week in European Tech, Mads Jensen and Dan Bowyer of SuperSeed are joined by Lomax Ward of Outsized Ventures to discuss the AI power shift between China, the US and Europe. They also cover UK pension capital moving into venture, whether today’s AI market looks like 1999, Anthropic and OpenAI’s IPO pressure, model commoditisation and where Europe may still have an edge. Highlights Why China’s AI model usage is becoming harder to ignoreWhat Chinese model restrictions could mean for EuropeEurope’s AI infrastructure gap across power, chips, data centres and modelsWhether UK pension capital is finally moving into ventureWhy today’s AI market both does and does not look like 1999Where Europe may still have a real opportunity in AI————— Love Tomorrow Summit - July 23, 2026, Tomorrowland, Belgium The Impact Circle Investor Lounge - July 24, 2026 EUVC is curating the investment stage. Register here. ————— Timestamps (01:45) Introduction(03:25) Quick news roundup(05:30) Tesla, SpaceX, Samsung and the week’s market signals(08:00) The UK’s fiscal outlook and the OBR warning(11:10) Government oversight of frontier AI releases(12:00) China’s rise in AI model usage(14:30) Could Nvidia benefit if China restricts model access?(17:00) Europe’s exposure across the AI infrastructure stack(19:15) OpenAI, Anthropic and the pressure to IPO(22:45) UK pension capital starts moving into venture(25:00) Why pension investment matters for the UK ecosystem(28:00) Where pension capital should be deployed(30:00) Incentives, coercion and the role of government(32:45) Is today’s AI market another 1999?(40:30) The case against the dot-com comparison(46:30) AI Corner: Anthropic’s Fable and Sonnet strategy(48:30) Lisbon’s earthquake history and engineering response(54:15) Lisbon’s tech ecosystem(56:30) Europe’s opportunity, deals of the week and what to watch next

    This Week in European Tech: Europe’s AI wake-up call

  8. Jul 8

    Alex Manson (SC Ventures): Corporate venturing is more than CVC

    Corporate venturing works best when investing is only one part of the model. To drive real transformation, corporates need to build, partner and invest in ways that reinforce each other. In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm speaks with Alex Manson, CEO at SC Ventures by Standard Chartered and author of Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained, alongside Jeppe Høier, EUVC’s in-house corporate expert. Together, they explore why SC Ventures was built to operate both inside and outside the bank, how corporates can build independent but institutionally backed ventures and why corporate ventures need to prove themselves through the market. The conversation also covers venture clienting, corporate-startup partnerships, when corporates should invest, why SC Ventures only backs partners it actually works with and why financial returns remain non-negotiable. Highlights Why corporate venturing is more than traditional CVC The role of build, partner and invest in corporate transformation Why SC Ventures builds outside the bank but at bank-grade Why corporate ventures must prove themselves in the market How to balance strategic value with financial returns Timestamps (01:15) Introduction to Alex Manson and SC Ventures (02:05) Why Standard Chartered created SC Ventures (05:40) Building ventures inside and outside the bank (09:20) Governance, risk and compliance in corporate ventures (17:45) Why corporate ventures must prove themselves in the market (24:40) Moving from build to partner (27:15) Why SC Ventures is not a traditional CVC (29:10) Why SC Ventures only invests in partners it works with (35:35) Real partnerships versus innovation theatre (38:35) Strategic value versus financial returns (43:35) Why Alex wrote Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained Learn more about Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained by Alex Manson, CEO at SC Ventures, here.

    Alex Manson (SC Ventures): Corporate venturing is more than CVC
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The home of European tech. Connecting the people, capital and companies building Europe. EUVC features conversations with the founders, investors, operators and policymakers shaping the continent's future. We explore venture capital, startups, AI, deeptech, defense, industrial policy, entrepreneurship and the ideas driving European competitiveness. From emerging managers and unicorn founders to institutional investors and government leaders, EUVC documents the people building Europe's next chapter.

Information

  • Channel
    EUVC
  • Creator
    EUVC
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    759
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © EUVC
  • Show Website
    EUVC

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