📬 EWVC June: Building relationships in 3D
Welcome to our latest newsletter edition and celebrate with us successes of women in private capital!
Quote of the day: “Stand for something, or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground.” by Rosa Parks
Dear Friends of European Women in VC,
This month has been exceptional for us! 🎉 We participated in several key events, engaged with new acquaintances, and reconnected with familiar faces!
Super Berlin 🇩🇪
🔷 SuperReturn
We kicked off on June 3rd at SuperReturn: Woman in Private Markets forum, where Kinga Stanisławska, along with Dörte Höppner, Inna Gehrt, Tammy McPherson, and Veera Somersalmi discussed the evolution towards sector specialization, the role of AI for private equity and venture funds in managing their businesses and ESG v impact.
🔷 SuperVenture
The true highlight was SuperVenture, where we officially launched our 2024 Flagship Report 🌱🌎 "Beyond Returns: Venture and Growth Fuelling Sustainability & Societal Change" developed in collaboration with Founders Forum Group and Tech Nation, based on 334 VC firms and LPs surveyed across Europe.
Panelists: Kinga Stanisławska (data introduction & moderator), Rachael Reid (BP Ventures), Saemundur (Saemi) K Finnbogason (KRIA), Anne Germain (BPI France) and Maya Ghayad (Id4.vc)
Now that the report is live, we want to thank all of you who support us across media and social media platforms. We have received 🚀 over 110 mentions!
🗞️ We've been also featured in the news: The Recursive | Forbes | Tech.eu | Science|Business | Impact Investor and more. It's clear that the topic covered in our report deeply resonated with many…
“It feels like yesterday but it was over fifteen years ago now that we have evolved beyond the era of simplistic Socially Responsible Investing (#SRI). The game has changed, and the stakes are higher. (…) The days of viewing ESG and returns as separate entities are over. They are intertwined, and it's great to see that the leaders pushing this evolution are often women, driving impactful innovations that do more than just pad the bottom line.”
“Recently, an LP told me, "I don't care about ESG - I care only about returns." My response? "Name me a deeptech product that doesn’t deliver ESG impact."
“This report is a must read for investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers, as it's emphasizing Europe's role in impact investing and the importance of diversity, leading to more creative problem-solving, better decision-making, and ultimately, more successful ventures.”
🔷 LP/GP Lunch
We organized LP & GP Lunch in partnership with Latham & Watkins, KeySearch, Brightpoint Group, supported by Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund, Hello Tomorrow, and Alliance VC.
We connected with 150 LPs, GPs, and industry peers from across Europe and celebrated launch of our report together. It was a fantastic experience, and we're already planning our next event (get ready for September and book your tickets to Copenhagen… 🇩🇰🤫).
Shoutout to amazing panelists: Michaela Bessel (Henkel), Tom Henriksson (OpenOcean), Elodie Donjon (EIF), Kinga Stanislawska and moderator Shing Yuin Lo.
🔷 Side events
EWVC members enjoyed 50 side events throughout the Berlin week, including invite-only dinners, padel tournaments, novel food tastings, and a memorable party at the zoo, making it an unforgettable week.
🙌🏼 People who inspired us lately
🔥 Stephanie Heller & Najada Kumbuli
Stephanie Heller, Managing Partner at Bootstrap Europe & Najada Kumbuli, Vice President at Visa Foundation worked together on the shift in generational wealth that will see women access $30 trilions of assets by 2030 and how asset allocators should allocate to female led-funds as a result.
Learn more here.
🔥 Inés Calabuig
Inés Calabuig, Managing Partner at GoHub Ventures, one of the biggest VC funds in Spain has been included in the "Guía de Mujeres Líderes en el Ecosistema Empresarial."
This guide has been coordinated and elaborated by WITH, who themselves as an ecosystem of women leaders and managers whose purpose is to promote new models of leadership that are inclusive, authentic, connected and adapted to today's environment, transcending gender.
🔥 Jenny Engerfelt
Jenny Engerfelt is the new Partner who joined Voima Ventures as an Investment Director bringing over a decade of early-stage VC experience.
Voima Ventures is also actively recruiting a Life Sciences Investment Professional to capitalise on growing opportunities. This role will navigate the expansive network of research institutes and universities, analyse emerging companies, and implement their life sciences investment strategy.
We also recommend this insightful interview with Inka Mero, where she talks about her fundraising journey and lessons learned.
🔥 Angelica Morrone
Privilège Ventures has appointed Angelica Morrone as their newest General Partner.
With extensive experience in investment and portfolio management, Morrone is already actively contributing to the fund raising of Fund IV focused on gender-mixed founding teams in Europe.
🔥 Elina Berglund Scherwitzl
Elina Berglund Scherwitzl raised a $55M Series C round led by Lauxera Capital. Partners for her medtech startup Natural Cycles.
🔥 Anita Schjoll Abildgaard & Maria Ritola
Anita Schjoll Abildgaard and Maria Ritola raises €7.54m round led by Silverline Capital to accelerate scientific research for their startup iris.ai.
Venture.Forward Academy🚀
We've just wrapped up the first edition of Venture.Forward Academy for mid-career female professionals in VC and growth funds this month. We were thrilled to receive nearly 150 applications!
After thorough selection process, 35 participants had the opportunity to develop technical and soft skills, emotional intelligence, and adaptability in fast-paced environments. What do they say about the Venture.Forward Academy?
🎉 Featuring Benedetta Mariani | Sara Böcking | Duygu Çağman | Marta Laorden
Let's not forget to thank our amazing speakers: Lucyna Stanczak-Wuczynska; BNP Paribas Bank Polska | Christian Rangen; Link Capital | Ed Zimmerman; Lowenstein Sandler LPP | Evgenia Plotnikova; Dawn Capital | Gülsah Wilke; DN Capital | Mari Luukkainen; Identity.vc | Marianna Mamou; UBS | Matt Penneycard; Ada Ventures | Natalia Blagburn; Mercia Ventures | Oya Derindere; Van Campen Liem | Pawel Rogalski; Key Search | Rainer Märkle; HV Capital
The program was co-organized by the EIT Community (Supernovas program) in collaboration with European Women in VC.
This is what we’ve been up to 🤸🏽♀️
30 years anniversary of the European Investment Fund (EIF)
Congratulations 👏 to the European Investment Fund (EIF) on their 30th anniversary!
It was a wonderful anniversary event, with very inspiring speakers: Sara Mangsbo of Uppsala University | Moritz von der Linden of Marvel Fusion | Jan-Gisbert Schultze of Acton Capital. Thank you so much to the entire EIF team for this amazing event! It was great to reconnect with friends and colleagues and expand the EWVC network!
The Official London Tech Week Investor Reception 🇬🇧
During the 🇬🇧 London Tech Week our colleague Alice met with visionaries applying new tech to solve the world’s biggest problems and find the connecting point between the tech ecosystem and investments.
Italians in VC at Founders Factory 🇬🇧
The community of Italians in VC in London gathered up at Founders factory offices to catch up on current trends and state of European (and Italian) VC. Special shoutout to Edoardo Gentili for hosting and organising as well as Paolo Pio for capturing these fantastic photos.
Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit 🇵🇱
The biggest, boldest and most empowering event in Europe and Asia for women in new technologies this time took place in Warsaw, Poland 🇵🇱!
This event brought together leading engineers, programmers, specialists, scientists, entrepreneurs, activists, leaders and start-uppers, students, and women at the beginning of their professional careers, as well as men and all people supporting diversity in STEM, Tech & IT industry.
Special thanks to Bianka, Joanna, Sandra, Kasia for their work at the Perspektywy and others for their contributions to events: Networking Lunch, Women Go Boards meeting, and Startup After Hours; 30% Club Poland, ABSL, GSK, Google
INSEAD Family Enterprise Summit 🇫🇷
The "INSEAD Family Enterprise Summit" event was organized in 🇫🇷 Fontainbleau, France brought into discussion how business families can return to their entrepreneurial roots, leveraging new generations' talents to rejuvenate existing businesses, incubate new ventures, and invest in impactful initiatives.
Kinga joined a panel discussion on “Partnering with Private Capital to Enable Innovation” along with Andreas von Specht, Chinta Bhagat, and Vikas A. Aggarwal.
GCV Symposium 🇬🇧
Our team attended the GCV Symposium in 🇬🇧 London, where global leaders in venture across industries gathered for interactive agendas featuring keynotes, sector roundtables, and networking activities.
You’ll find us next 🧳 at
Global VC Allocator Alliance Pitch Event, June 28th, 🔗 Online.
World Venture Forum 2024, July 1st, 🇦🇹 Kitzbühel, brings us to the 10th Anniversary of the event.
Lunch & Learn on Beyond Venture: Report 2024, July 2nd, 🔗 Online.
Women VC & Angel Investor Meet-up at Tech BBQ, September 11th, 🇩🇰 Copenhagen
TechBBQ, September 10-12th, 🇩🇰 Copenhagen
DLD Capital Nature, September 12-13th, 🇩🇪 Munich
With Intelligence - Women’s PE Summit, September 25-27th, 🇬🇧 Windsor
Gitex Global, October 14-18th, 🇿🇦 Dubai
GIIN Impact Forum, October 23-24th, 🇳🇱 Amsterdam
Valencia Digital Summit (VDS), October 23-24th, 🇪🇸 Valencia
Impact week, November 6-7th, 🇪🇸 Barcelona
SLUSH, November 19-21th, 🇫🇮 Helsinki
Women of Silicon Roundabout, November 27-28th, 🇬🇧 London
With Intelligence - Women's Venture Capital Summit, December 2nd-4th, 🇬🇧 Hertfordshire
What we are reading 🤓 and listening 🎧 to:
First report on women angel investors in Denmark
Angella Invest has developed the first report on the investment behavior, barriers, and opportunities of women angel investors in Denmark 🇩🇰.
This report adds a spotlight on female angel investors to change the gender imbalance in the Danish startup ecosystem, where 9/10 angel investors are men who invest approx and 5-6% in women-only startup teams.
Read the report here
The share of Fortune 500 women-led companies stays at 10.4%.
52% of businesses from the top Fortune 500 U.S. companies by revenue are run by women. Last year, the percentage increased surpassing 10% for the first time ever, but 2024 doesn’t come with good news as numbers remain the same.
Read more here.
Less than a tenth of deep tech startups are founded by all-women teams.
Gender diversity is a problem across all sectors, including deeptech. Only 15% of Europe’s startups in the sector are founded or cofounded by women, with just 7% founded by all-women teams, according to EIT Community Supernovas.
Read more here.
How VCs become assholes
Omri Drory, General Partner at NfX wrote a wonderful article on investors behaviour, challenges, main factors why relationship between founders can change, and why should founders call them out when it happens.
Read more here.
Thailand’s 2004 tsunami inspired one VC to invest in sustainability.
Sita Chantramonklasri is the founder and General Partner of Siam Capital focusing on investments at the intersection of sustainability and consumer technology.
After experiencing a climate disaster when she was only 12 years old, she spent her youth observing her father's work in the energy sector, and now she just launched a $50M fund as a solo GP.Read more here.
You might also like 📚👀
🔷 Interview
about the evolution of women in the VC space, the road to inclusion in the coming years, and how women can be promoted.
🔷 MiVC
If you are looking for the perfect VC workplace in Milan during your visit to the Italian ecosystem to get to know the local VCs? 🍸
MiVC is the place to be! Free access to desks, meeting rooms & phone booths for all international VC investors looking at the Italian tech scene at the epicenter of Italian VC. Here, you can reserve your spot!
We're a squad of over 1000 senior female venture capital wizards from all over Europe and beyond. We're here to flip the script and make things right.
Join us in shaking up the VC world! 🚀
See you soon,
European Women in VC
Follow us on LinkedIn