Tensor Ventures

Last Tuesday, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Angel Club, hosted by the Innovation Centre of the Olomouc Region. The room was buzzing with energy - founders, investors, and passionate people who care about building exceptional projects in their region. I had a chance to talk a bit about how we do things at Tensor Ventures, why we're into real deep tech, how we think about risk when the ideas are a little crazy (in a good way), and what we look for in founders who are out there exploring the edge of what's possible. Also loved hearing from Ján Kasper, PhD., MBA, PhD. from ZAKA VC, who spoke about why investing in startups is worth it, and from Katerina Syslova, Adam Kocik, Tomas Cironis, and Pavel Černík during the panel. Lots of real talk about what makes early-stage investing so tricky and so fun. And honestly, it's just nice to get out of the Prague bubble once in a while. The energy in Olomouc is shifting, and I’m curious to see what comes next.

🧬 What’s really happening inside language models? A look at Claude 3.5 Haiku This week at Tensor Ventures, we’re diving into Anthropic’s latest interpretability research: 🔍 “On the Biology of a Large Language Model.” Using a new tool called attribution graphs, the researchers studied Claude 3.5 Haiku to uncover how the model actually “thinks.” What they found draws surprising parallels to biology - with internal “features” acting like cells, forming the basic building blocks of intelligence. Here are a few wild insights: 🧠 Reasoning happens internally: The model doesn't just parrot facts - it performs intermediate reasoning steps, like deducing that Austin is “the capital of the state containing Dallas” by internally representing Texas. ✍️ Planning in poetry: Before writing each line, the model selects possible rhymes, then builds the line around them - a glimpse into true forward planning. 🌐 Multilingual thinking: It blends both language-specific and abstract, language-agnostic circuits to support flexible multilingual reasoning. 🩺 Medical reasoning: Given symptoms, it internally identifies likely diagnoses and generates follow-up questions - all before producing output. 🚫 Handling harmful requests: The model aggregates harmful behavior patterns into a single “refusal” feature to guard against misuse. Why does this matter to us as investors in deep tech and bio-related AI? Because these kinds of interpretability breakthroughs unlock the ability to trust, steer, and eventually collaborate with models in complex, safety-critical fields like biotech and healthcare. Full study: https://lnkd.in/e-W3EYJK

Last week, I had the pleasure of spending an inspiring day in Olomouc 🇨🇿 for the 1️⃣st Edition of the ICOK Angels Club. The area is being called the "Emerging Region of the Czech Republic" — and after this event, I can see why. I was honored to be one of the 🎤 speakers, taking on a simple yet complex topic: Why invest in VC. Alongside me there was Roman Smola from Tensor Ventures and we followed with a great panel discussion on Angel & Pre-Seed Investing, featuring  Katerina Syslova from Startup Kitchen, Adam Kocik from J&T Ventures, Tomas Cironis from Ilavska Vuillermoz Capital and Pavel Černík from Sušánka & partneři a.s.  Big thanks to the Innovation Centre of the Olomouc Region and Vladislava Závrská, Filip Navrátil, Jakub Vylíčil and Tomáš Dostál — for the warm welcome and flawless organization. Activities like this are incredibly valuable in strengthening the startup ecosystem and creating better conditions for local talent to grow and thrive. It was truly a pleasure to be part of it! 🚀

🚀 Connecting with Innovators at Technology Day 2025 We were proud to take part in Technology Day at University of Pardubice - an inspiring event that connects researchers, startups, and industry to turn scientific knowledge into real-world impact. At Tensor Ventures, we’re constantly exploring new ideas and supporting early-stage startups. Events like this are an incredible opportunity to meet the next generation of innovators and explore future partnerships. Our own Jan Faflík, Senior Associate at Tensor Ventures, served on the expert jury evaluating scientific projects - and also gave a talk on how VC funds support scientific ideas, sharing insights on how research can successfully transition into venture-backed startups. Huge thanks to the university and organizers for hosting such a forward-thinking event. We’re excited about the energy, talent, and ideas we discovered!

🚨 We're moving from X to Bluesky Social. At Tensor Ventures, we believe in building within ecosystems that prioritize openness and user autonomy. As digital platforms evolve, some have become more centralized - shaping content distribution in ways that don’t always support meaningful or nuanced discussion. Bluesky offers a refreshing alternative. Built on the open-source AT Protocol, it empowers users with customizable algorithms, community-driven moderation, and control over their data and experience. As a public benefit corporation, Bluesky is committed to fostering open, decentralized public conversations. We're excited to join a platform that aligns with our values and encourages thoughtful, community-led engagement. 👉🏼 Follow us on Bluesky: https://lnkd.in/e-Zt-Uxp Let’s continue the conversation in spaces that reflect the future we want to build.

📣 Webinar alert! Join our authentication experts, Boris Filčák and Mario D., who will explore the challenges and opportunities of transitioning to quantum-resistant systems. Learn why banks need to act now to secure their authentication processes, ensure compliance, and protect their customers from emerging threats. Why Post-Quantum Authentication Needs Your Attention Today 🗓️ April 23, 2025 🕙 9:00 AM BST | 10:00 AM CEST | 4:00 PM SGT Mark your calendars and secure your spot!

🚀 Bringing the american VC mindset to European deep tech A great read on how deep tech investment in Europe is evolving, with a more bold, high-risk, high-reward mindset, inspired by the American VC approach. The future of Quantum, AI, and next-gen computing is being shaped by investors who think big and act fast. At Tensor Ventures, we see this shift firsthand. Deep tech startups need patient capital, strategic backing, and a global outlook - and it’s exciting to see more European funds embracing this approach. As we connect with founders and investors across Quantum, AI, and FPGA spaces, one thing is clear: the deep tech revolution is here, and it’s only getting started. Let’s keep building the future, one bold investment at a time. Thanks for inviting us to have a thoughtful conversation! 🔗 Read the full article at Hospodárske noviny (in Czech): https://lnkd.in/eih2qVyh

🔥 If i went through what Kinga Matuła did, I’d probably be a self-centered, narcissistic arsehole–and i’d want everyone to call me King(a). But she’s just pure class. 🚀 I had the pleasure of hosting her on the Startup Kitchen Podcast, and I did not know if I was amazed, shocked, jealous or in love - probably all at once. She: 🔬 discovered her own cancer cells while building a detection platform – and three surgeries later, she was back & driven as ever. 🛶 got Tim Draper on board as an investor, survived his brutal Navy SEAL-style program at Draper University, lived there with 2$ per day and stole (traded, she says 😘) Draper's kayak paddle, leaving him stranded in a lake. Now, that's my style of pitch. 🧪 co-founded QurieGen with Maciej Jarzab and turned it into a biotech force that’s changing the way we discover and develop new drugs. 🏆 got awarded most innovative biotech startup in Poland and selected for the prestigious NATO DIANA program. 💰 just closed their 2,2M$ funding round backed by: Tim Draper / Draper Associates, Tensor Ventures, Lighthouse Ventures Moondust Ventures, BSV Ventures, 22 Hor Invest – congrats to all the investors and massive kudos to the team for their work. 🎧 listen to her wild story -> https://lnkd.in/eCP6_H3V Thanks Jan Faflík, for pitching Kinga to our podcast! #biotech #startups #femalefounder #timdraper #curigen #investors #deeptech #healthcare #innovation #nato #diana #podcast #leadership

🚀 V Olomouckém kraji vznikla nová platforma, která propojuje svět startupů a investic – ICOK Angels Club 🟡   Naším cílem je vytvořit aktivní komunitu angel investorů, kteří mají chuť podílet se na rozvoji těch nejlepších inovačních projektů z našeho regionu. A právě to se začalo dít na prvním setkání, které se uskutečnilo 8. dubna v olomouckém Café Kitchen. ☕   👥 V neformální a otevřené atmosféře se potkali investoři, startupisté i podnikatelé, aby sdíleli know-how, zkušenosti a hledali nové příležitosti. 🎤 O inspirativní vstupy se postarali Ján Kasper, PhD., MBA, PhD. ze ZAKA VC, který mluvil o tom, proč má smysl investovat do startupů, a Roman Smola z Tensor Ventures, který představil svůj pohled na technologické trendy budoucnosti.   💬 Panelová diskuze pak otevřela praktické téma: Na co by si měli investoři dávat pozor při investování do startupů. Do diskuze přijali pozvání Katerina Syslova, Adam Kocik, Tomas Cironis a Pavel Černík – děkujeme za jejich cenné vhledy! 🙏   💡 Platforma má ambici stát se místem, kde se budou propojovat investoři se startupy, vznikat partnerství a růst inovační potenciál Olomouckého kraje.   📆 Už teď připravujeme další setkání na podzim. Tohle je teprve začátek.   🙏 Obrovské poděkování patří i partnerům akce: Sušánka & partneři a.s. Tensor Ventures HAVEL & PARTNERS BDO Czech Republic Startup Kitchen ČSOB   Děkujeme všem, kteří byli u toho! 🙏

#ThrowbackThursday to our first time in the Baltics! 🇱🇻 In early February, we had the opportunity to attend TechChill 2025 in Riga - our very first time experiencing the startup energy in the region. From ambitious founders to visionary investors, TechChill brought together a vibrant community shaping the future of deep tech and AI. An incredible space to explore bold ideas, strengthen relationships, and connect with local innovation - made even better by sharing it with our QurieGen co-investors, BSV Ventures. We’re always excited to discover new ecosystems and meet the people pushing boundaries. Thanks, Riga, for the warm welcome and strong first impression! ✨