Amy Francetic’s Post

So proud of Genevieve LeMarchal for being featured on Forbes! Yesterday, Tom Bilyeu posted this on his LinkedIn: "Mr. Wonderful (aka Kevin O'Leary) says, "75% of my returns come from female founders." The reason will piss off every "10x thinker" on LinkedIn. O'Leary tracked returns across his entire Shark Tank portfolio. The pattern was clear. Female founders consistently delivered higher ROI. Not a little better. Substantially better. He dug into the data to figure out why. It came down to one thing… goal-setting. Female founders set goals their teams could actually hit. Male founders threw goals so far into the trees that nobody could reach them. When teams hit their goals consistently, they stay motivated. Morale stays high. Top talent sticks around." Could the same be true of female VCs? Instead of promising moonshots and unrealistic returns, female VCs set real tangible goals and actually hit them. One example is Genevieve who is running a top decile fund. We need more female VCs leading, investing, and being good stewards of capital! Congrats on all your success! #womeninventure #femaleGPs #goals #motivation #VC #venture #capital

Today we launch 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐈— $88m, Europe’s largest dedicated pre-seed fund. Built for founders with just a concept and the conviction to chase it. In the last three years with Fund I, the Concept team has partnered with 44 companies at day zero — saying yes when others say no. We’ve led 90% of our rounds, backed founders in every sector from commodities to robotics, and stood behind their ambition to build multi-billion-dollar outcomes from the very first cheque. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: •⁠ ⁠$88m — significantly oversubscribed, with first close in just 3 weeks •⁠ ⁠Backed by world-class global LPs: Top Tier Capital Partners, Marktlink Capital, Aldea Ventures, Dominus, Granite and Integra Partners. •⁠ 70%+ of our Fund I portfolio founders joined as LPs, alongside some of Europe’s best founders — including unicorn founders Mati Staniszewski (ElevenLabs), Amar Shah (Wayve), and Michele A. (Faceit) •⁠ ⁠Fund I is a top 1% fund globally for its vintage on all metrics, with $450m+ raised by our founders so far 𝐓𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦: Anrea Munsamy, Ariel Rahamim, Jeff Chowdhry, Lauren Sauerland, Oliver Kicks and Seyon Indran — building Concept with you as outsiders to VC has been my greatest joy. From late nights to tough decisions, from wins to crises — sharing those highs and lows with you has shaped a people-first fund that truly reflects who we are. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐏𝐬: those who believed on day one, with a 90% re-up rate — thank you for believing in our concept and backing us again. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: thank you for trusting us at day zero. This fund is for your ambition. A huge thank you to Alex Macdonald and the sequel team , as a value add LP, for helping us bring this incredible video to life (watch to the end!) At Concept, we don’t see sectors, we see people. Whether you’re in UK, Italy, Poland, Spain or beyond — first-time or repeat founder — if you have the ambition to build globally from Europe, our door is open. Just bring your Concept!    www.conceptventures.vc

As a VC, I never regret the investments I did make — no matter how badly they turned out. Sure, I get frustrated when founders turn out to be less ambitious or relentless than I hoped. But if they fought hard and lost, I’m fine with that. What I do regret are the investments I didn’t make — the deals I missed or the ones I hesitated on. Because in VC, the losses don’t really matter. 90% of my portfolio will end up as write-offs or small returns anyway. What matters is the few that win big — the startups that can return the whole fund on their own. Those are the dragons. 🐉 That’s why we’re called SMOK Ventures — “smok” means “dragon” in Polish. We’re constantly hunting for dragons. In our first fund (2020): - 14 companies are write-offs (on paper or in my head). - 5 are doing fine, maybe a 2–5× return — nice, but not fund-defining. - The last 5? Dragons in the making. Their growth, markets, and valuations are strong enough that each could return the entire fund, maybe more. In the grand scheme of things, dragons are all that matters. That’s why I obsess over ambition, market size, and pace of growth — not the small losses. Because venture capital isn’t about the bad deals you make. It’s about the good ones you don’t miss.

Harry Stebbings recently shared a story that perfectly captures one of the biggest misconceptions in venture investing. He said his best investment ever came from breaking the advice everyone gave him: “Don’t write small checks. If it’s less than 1% of the fund, it won’t move the needle.” He ignored that rule. He wrote a $50K check, and today, that investment is worth $8.7M. That story deeply resonates with us at OW Ventures and our AngelsWay 🔷. When we launched it, we made a deliberate choice: ➡️ To invest €50K tickets in early-stage, pre-seed companies. ➡️ To back bold founders early, when conviction matters more than spreadsheets. ➡️ And to create a fund that educates and empowers new investors to participate in venture capital. Today, 436 investors from diverse backgrounds are part of AngelsWay. Many are writing their first checks, learning how venture works, and joining a global community driven by curiosity, courage, and long-term belief. Yes, AngelsWay is about developing investment literacy and giving new investors a seat at the table. But make no mistake: it’s also about finding those rare companies that turn small checks into fund-returning outcomes. Because sometimes, the bets everyone overlooks are the ones that redefine portfolios. And the smallest checks can tell the biggest stories. #VentureCapital #Startup #VC #PreSeed #Investing #Entrepreneurship #Innovation

London-based Concept Ventures is today announcing the close of an €75 million Fund II to back the UK and Europe’s most promising early-stage tech talent – becoming the largest dedicated pre-Seed fund in Europe 🇬🇧 🚀 The raise was backed by LPs including Aldea Ventures, Top Tier Capital Partners, Marktlink Capital, Dominus, and Granite Capital Management. 80% of the funds’ institutional investors are US-based. In addition, over 70% of Concept Ventures’ portfolio Founders have also joined as LPs in this latest fund, including ElevenLabs CEO and Co-founder, Mati Staniszewski. Reece Chowdhry, Founding Partner at Concept Ventures, comments: “As outsiders to VC, we’ve always believed pre-Seed investing requires true specialists – partners who can spot and support Founders before the wider market sees their potential. Raising an oversubscribed $88 million fund from a majority-US investor base (as well as making first close in just three weeks) is a huge vote of confidence in this thesis and in the European market at large." https://lnkd.in/dK-kg3bW

Day 19/30 day post for Startup & VC Insights: The most powerful advice for fundraising isn't about your deck. It's about building Investor FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Fundraising success often hinges less on convincing one investor and more on creating a perception of scarcity and high demand among several. VCs are herd animals; their primary fear is missing out on the next big deal that their peers secure. You cultivate Investor FOMO by running a tight, synchronized process: 1. Massive Top-of-Funnel: Engage 20+ VCs simultaneously. 2. Staggered Pitches: Schedule initial meetings close together (within 1-2 weeks). 3. Synchronized Decisions: Push all interested VCs to a decision-making deadline (e.g., "We're aiming to close the round by the end of this month as we have term sheets pending"). 4. Communicate Momentum: Disclose interest from *reputable* investors (without naming names if asked to be confidential) to create social proof. The goal isn't to be manipulative; it's to be efficient. When investors feel they might lose the opportunity to a competitor, their diligence speeds up, and their offers become more competitive. Insight: VCs are rational, but their decision-making is heavily influenced by the perception of competitive scarcity. Your process is your product here. Before reaching out, create a spreadsheet with 25 target firms. Plan to send your first emails on the same day and manage your schedule ruthlessly to keep them moving through the funnel in lockstep. What's the most effective piece of "process-focused" advice you've received for running a successful fundraise? #startups #venturecapital #founder #fundraising #investing

Looking for Money to Fund Your Next Big Idea? Here’s How Kjøller Ventures Invests differently. Lately, I’ve received several inquiries from founders and partners curious about how Kjøller Ventures operates — especially whether we invest directly and what stages we focus on. Here’s a quick breakdown 👇 ✅ Direct Investments Using Own Capital Kjøller Ventures is a privately held investment company founded and owned by Magnus Kjøller. All investments are made directly using internal capital, not through external funds or limited partners. This gives us flexibility and speed in decision-making — and allows us to partner with businesses based purely on potential and strategic fit. ✅ Stages We Invest In Our portfolio spans from early-stage startups with proven concepts to mature companies seeking growth capital, expansion, or strategic restructuring. What matters most is not the stage, but the strength of the team, product, and growth potential — what we call the “3 P’s”: People. Product. Potential. At Kjøller Ventures, our philosophy is simple: We don’t just fund businesses — we empower them to grow through hands-on support, strategic guidance, and access to a broad network of investors and experts. #InvestmentStrategy #VentureCapital #KjollerVentures #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #PrivateEquity #AfricaStartups

Fhunded recently hosted a special Founder X Funder session in Preston in partnership with Sustainable Ventures and RedCAT. With a focus on some of the specific funding challenges faced by startups and scaleups working within the low carbon and net zero sectors, delegates came away with lots of practical advice and valuable insights regarding how to pitch opportunities to investors.   In case you missed the Preston event, Stuart Ferguson – one of Sustainable Ventures' climate tech VCs – has shared with us some of his tips for founders looking to raise within the green economy. It's now live on the Fhunded website 👇 https://lnkd.in/enhw7efd  

ICYMI, this was a cracking event hosted recently at OneCoWork - Flexible Workspaces in Preston - a Fhunded special focused on the green economy. Delivered in partnership with RedCAT and Sustainable Ventures, the session featured Stuart Thompson, Niamh Donovan and Nicola Merritt discussing the challenges facing founders looking to raise VC finance for low carbon and climate tech ventures. For those who couldn't make it, Fhunded has just published some top tips from SV's Stuart Ferguson which highlights some of his golden rules when pitching environmentally-driven opportunities. ⬇️

Week 6 at Hub71: The Fundraising Realities Nobody Warns You About 🤫💰 Last week was a masterclass in venture capital - and a stark reminder of just how cut-throat this industry can be. 13 pages of notes later, here's what stood out: 🎯 GETTING THE MOST OUT OF VCs with Michael Lints, Partner at Golden Gate Ventures First impressions are everything. Your 30-second intro must be second nature and include social proof and quantified impact. The brutal truth: Understand fund deployment timing. It doesn't matter how good you are if their capital is already committed. "Let's keep in touch" isn't a strategy for moving things forward. Be specific on next steps. 💡 FUNDRAISING BOOTCAMP with Basil M., Managing Partner at Key Capital Different investors want different things: • Angels want the "dinner story" - give them content for those conversations • VCs want winners that enhance their portfolio - you're always relative to everyone else in their fund The harsh reality: First-time founders should exit as quickly as possible. Everything is exponentially easier as a second-time founder. The system rewards those who've already won. Companies now take 14 years to exit vs. 6 in the dot-com era. This is a long, grinding game. 🚪 STRATEGIC EXITS PANEL with Jude Hamod, Managing Director at VC Majlis | Basil M., Managing Partner at Key Capital | Dhikra Bahri, Director of Private Equity at BlueFive Capital | Roman Glazkov, Executive Director at Goldman Sachs Your goal? Never NEED to exit. Desperation shows and costs you. Besides, investors want their money used for exponential growth, not cleaning up messes or maintaining operations. ⚖️ CAP TABLE MANAGEMENT with Omar Maayeh, Partner at Latham & Watkins Where founders lose: • DON'T stack SAFE notes - you can unwittingly dilute yourself out of ownership of your own company (with no recourse) • NEVER give away right of first refusal • Avoid a "clown car cap table" - utilize SPVs to roll up individual investors • Consider "pay to play" clauses: if investors don't participate in next rounds, they lose preference • Be creative about everything EXCEPT legal documents. Keep those standard. 💍 THE MARRIAGE ANALOGY The founder-investor relationship is legally binding and long-term. Due diligence your investors. Talk to founders in their portfolio. None of the legal stuff matters if you have the RIGHT partners. But it also won't save you if you have the WRONG ones. Choose carefully. ✨ THE BOTTOM LINE This industry rewards the prepared, the strategic, and increasingly, those who've already succeeded once. It's not fair. It's not forgiving. And understanding that reality is the first step to navigating it successfully. What's the most brutal fundraising lesson you've learned? #HUB71 #Fundraising #VentureCapital #Startups #Founders #UAE #RealTalk