Quote of the year: “Optimism is a huge asset. We can always use more of it. But optimism isn’t a belief that things will automatically get better; it’s a conviction that we can make things better.” Melinda French Gates
Dear Friends of European Women in VC,
Thank you for being with us throughout 2023! We appreciate your ongoing support, your collaboration and your positive energy!
2023 was filled with opportunities 🤸🏽♀️
As we bid farewell to another remarkable year, we reflect on the collective journey we've undertaken together.
We've had the pleasure of hosting 35 lively LP sessions with national and private FoFs, multi-billion asset managers, family offices, and HNWIs. Among the fantastic participants were VISA Foundation, NN Group, European Investment Group, Reference Capital, and British Business Bank, just to name a few.
Exciting news on the horizon – we've got calls lined up for January and February 2024, with plans to organize a whopping 40 calls!
In 2023 we extended a warm welcome our new members from all over Europe and Israel - Your presence adds so much to our growing community. Speaking of growth, our follower count has soared to 17,000, marking a joyful 28% increase since January 2023. 💙 A big shoutout to each and every one of our supporters!
And let's not forget one of the major highlights of the year – 📑 the launch of the 2023 EWVC Report! The report caused a stir and was referred in several publications, helping to shed a light and raise the importance of diversity in business.
Thank you to all our Report Partners for your unwavering support! And a huge thanks to all Partners who have collaborated with us since inception! You are truly spectacular!
We’re proud that our work resonates so well and continuously contributes to making change happen!
This report dove deep into the positive financial impact of diversity in the investment world, showcasing exciting changes on the horizon.
❗❗Here's the scoop in case you haven’t read it:
1. More women in European VC senior management teams lead to steadier ships and lower volatility in fund portfolio returns. It's a win-win situation!
2. A 10 percentage point increase in women's representation translates to a 1.3 percentage point boost in the IRR of a VC fund. Talk about a secret recipe for success – sprinkle in some diversity, and watch those returns grow!
3. Only half of the VC firms surveyed have a plan for gender diversity, and we believe it's time to step up the game. Let's communicate those diversity and inclusion (D&I) strategies both inside and out, focusing on career development and leadership opportunities for women.
📣 Consider the report a conversation starter! 📣 We’ll continue gathering more data on this and other vital topics, working together to bring parity and open access to capital for everyone aspiring to build careers in Venture and Growth investing and in startups!
Our team grew 📈🔥
We were absolutely thrilled to have had Kasia Piasecki join us as our Managing Partner 🙌, bringing her extensive entrepreneurial knowledge from founding ENNBOW. Kasia had also been deeply involved in business consulting for KMK and M&A for Berenberg Bank.
Adding to our success, we warmly welcomed Marcia Maciel to our team 🙌. Marcia has been around innovation, marketing, strategy and partnerships projects for almost 10 years now. Brazilian based in Madrid, Spain, she has worked with both Latin American and European markets and has a strong background in corporate venture and open innovation. After many years in the corporate world and in the VC ecosystem, she's now our Head of Growth at European Women in VC.
A heartfelt thank you 🙏🏻 goes out to Anna Wnuk, our former Head of Community, who is now the Director at the PSIK Polish Private Equity & Venture Capital Association. We appreciate the incredible support Anna provided for many years, and we're optimistic about the possibility of joining forces again in the future!
Events we’ve been at 🌍
🇩🇰 Launch of the 2023 EWVC Report at Tech BBQ
The EWinVC report took center stage at TechBBQ in Copenhagen, in the panel with Marjut Falkstedt, CEO of EIF, Erik Balck Sorensen - CIO of EIFO and Thomas Kristensen - Senior Partner at LGT Capital, moderated by Kinga Stanislawska. Thank you to EIT Digital for the start of our collaboration and signing of the MOU!
🇫🇮 SLUSH
We were absolutely overjoyed to team up with our fantastic member, Greencode Ventures, backed by the wonderful support of J.P. Morgan (a big shoutout to Folake Shasanya, Alexandra Wyatt, and Holly Comyn), to enhance the European female investors community. A heartfelt thanks to all our amazing members and partners, with special appreciation to TESI and Hellenic Development Bank of Investments for joining us on this exciting evening!
🇪🇺 EU.VC Podcast
Kinga Stanislawska and Juliet Rogan met to talk about the state of diversity in venture.
🇵🇹 The Europas in Lisbon
Thank you for inviting our members to the exciting panel, Dianne and Mike! Mike Butcher from TechCrunch moderated the venture panel featuring EWVC, Jenny Ruth Hrafnsdottir and Ekaterina Almasque.
🇱🇺 Empowering Equity II at EIF
We were thrilled to speak at Empowering Equity Conference organised for the second time by European Investment Fund - thank you Marjut and Elodie!
🇸🇪 The Drop
Thank you, Pale Blue Dot and Transition, for the opportunity to talk climate in Malmo in September at Europe's leading climate tech festival.
🇸🇪 Industrifonden Portfolio Day
Thank you Patrik for the kind invitation - very happy to participate alongside NATO Innovation Fund, Creandum and Innovestor, We met with amazing founders and companies .
🇬🇧 PrivateEquity Europe Forum
We attended MarketsGroup 6th annual event that takes place in London, while Ekaterina, our Founding Member, shared a panel with leading growth and VC investors.
🇬🇧 Women's Private Equity Summit
Kinga was speaker at the With Intelligence event in Windsor - Women in Private Capital. We were thrilled to see Ekaterina of OpenOcean and Elina of Revaia on panels about AI and venture exists.
🇦🇪 GITEX Global and North Star Dubai
Considered the largest tech & startup show in the world attracting over 6,000 exhibitors from 180 countries and around 120,000 attendees. We had the pleasure of speaking at this event where the focus was on AI’s omnipresence and impact investing. In a panel discussion led by inspiring Nezha Alaoui and featuring Aditya Khurjekar, Chiara Marcati, Loubna IMENCHAL, we underscored the pivotal role women play in identifying solutions to global challenges. Thank you EU.VC 🙏🏻💙
🇫🇷 WVC:E
Our Founding Member - Gesa Miczaika of Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund presented the EWinVC 2023 report as a key note speech. Thank you Sophie and Ruth for the opportunity to co-host the pre-event night.
🇦🇱 Innvest
We shared insights and perspectives on the establishment of an ecosystem for sustainable solutions and the promotion of entrepreneurship. We highlighted the importance of having diverse voices at the decision-making table, particularly when it comes to shaping the emerging economy, keeping young talent and developing sectors like tourism and agriculture in a responsible and sustainable manner. Thank you Najada and Fabiola!
🇬🇷 TechTour in Athens
We had the pleasure of speaking with the Greek and wider European VC, investor and startup ecosystem as part of Tech Tour Summit in Athens. Thank you Antigoni!
We were on the panel covering diversity in venture moderated by Evangelos Lakatzis with Myrto Dora Sonia-Denisa Kitty.
🇸🇪🇪🇺 EIC Deep Tech Days - Swedish Presidency of the EU
We attended Sweden’s conference on deep tech entrepreneurship for an innovative, resilient, and competitive internal market. Inka Mero, our Founding Member, of VOIMA Ventures, presented a keynote speech on the importance of diversity in VC. We also attended Sweden 2023 EU.
🇫🇷 Hello Tomorrow
We attended this exciting event that focuses on building a collaborative ecosystem that leverages the power of deep technologies to tackle world challenges. Kinga spoke about different types of financing available for deep tech startups.
🇸🇦 LEAP
We were guest speakers at LEAP, nailing on the importance of Diversity in the Venture space.
🇺🇸 Europe Comes to Silicon Valley
We were part of the March 2023’s Delegation of EU Representatives, led by Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, creating a bridge between EU and US.
We were mentioned in several publications:
Ending the year on a high note 👩🏿🤝👩🏽
Q4 2023 seems to be the strongest quarter in terms of venture capital investment. According to European VC female founders dashboard, entrepreneurs have secured a remarkable €2.4 billion across 289 deals, already matching the capital raised in Q1.
Let's celebrate some outstanding achievements in Q4, including a noteworthy €324 million Series E funding for Butternut Box, the fresh dog food specialist, and a fantastic €129 million Series A for VectorY Therapeutics, the biotech company. It's truly inspiring to witness the success and innovation of these female-led startups.
As we close the chapter on this remarkable year, let's take a moment to celebrate the accomplishments of European women in the venture capital landscape! Your resilience, innovation, and strategic vision are shaping the investment landscape but have also paving the way for a more inclusive and diverse future. As we look forward to the opportunities and challenges that the new year holds, let us continue to champion and support the brilliant women driving positive change in the world of venture capital!
Let's make diversity more than just a checkbox; let's make it a strategic imperative for a brighter future! 🌟
Here's to the continued success of our mission and the positive impact we're making together! Cheers to an even brighter future and stay tuned for 2024 ! 🌟🚀
Join us in shaking up the VC world!
See you next year,
European Women in VC
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