State of Bavaria Office for South America’s Post

Valery Falkov & Rustam Minnikhanov at RVF 2024 highlight the pivot to nurturing mature startups, emphasizing venture capital's role in boosting tech entrepreneurship & import substitution. #VentureCapital #StartupGrowth #TechInnovation #RVF2024

New $87M Frumtak IV Fund to propel Icelandic tech startups worldwide Frumtak Ventures, the Icelandic early-stage investor, has successfully closed its $87M fourth fund, Frumtak IV, exceeding its target in an oversubscribed round. This latest fund follows the $57M Frumtak III launched in 2021. Frumtak Ventures is known for its focused investment strategy, supporting entrepreneurs tackling real-world problems with advanced technologies. The fund remains sector-agnostic but has a strong track record in B2B SaaS startups at the seed and Series A stages. https://lnkd.in/dz282zdT #venturecapital #funding #nordicmade #icemade #iceland #startups #B2B #saas #trending

How to foster innovation - here a great article on CVC! ✨️ The innovation company Metsä Spring within Metsä Group acts in this field. ✨️ Good comments from CEO Niklas von Weymarn below in the post. 👇 #Innovation #CVC #Future #GrowthWithAFuture #Metsä #Strategy #ESG #Growth #Regenerative #ForestIndustry #Renewal

Twenty startups will share nearly $1 million in funding under the first round of the re-launched MVP Ventures program. However, hundreds of companies have missed out and will need to reapply in the second intake, highlighting the high demand for early-stage funding amid a downturn in venture capital. Minister for Innovation, Science, and Technology, Anoulack Chanthivong, opened the second round of applications on Monday. The revised MVP Ventures program offers matched funding between $25,000 and $50,000 to early-stage startups and SMEs, with $3 million available annually until 2027. Among the recipients is Newcastle-based EM Energy, which received a $50,000 grant to patent technology for converting organic waste into green hydrogen. Other recipients include DDLoop, Universal Accessibility System, Smartizer, and Neuromersiv. Opening round two, Mr Chanthivong stated that the grants provide essential support for startups on their commercialisation journey, ensuring entrepreneurial talent is attracted and retained in NSW. Read more:https://bit.ly/3R88SVb

How do TOP VCs evaluate startup technology? In our series “One question - Five answers,” the VC edition, we pick the brains of top venture capitalists behind Simon Capital, coparion, Cusp Capital, neoteq ventures, and Realyze Ventures as they dish on evaluating new tech compared to the old guard. From game-changing potential to real-world impact, get the inside scoop on what makes them tick when selecting NRW's 'TOP 24 in 2024' startups. This time, we asked: How do you evaluate a startup's approach to technology compared to established solutions in the industry? Kai Panitzki, Realyze Ventures: “We value operational relevance and alignment with industry needs. The technology must fit seamlessly into existing solutions to ensure stakeholder acceptance and usability. Groundbreaking innovations are not always necessary; we look for technological solutions that complement and optimize established processes,  e.g. to improve the energy-efficiency of existing buildings.” Tom Hackenberg, coparion: “We value technologies that solve a customer need and deliver measurable impact. Whether by challenging established solutions or tapping into unmet market potential, we look for ventures that, ideally, can redefine their categories."   Jan Sessenhausen, Cusp Capital: “As early stage investors we fundamentally believe in the power of the new approach – especially when it comes to technology. Our work is understanding the different approaches to solve a problem – along with what target clients really need. We only invest in new approaches by startups, but at the same time have tremendous respect for those already in a specific market. Ultimately this competition of new vs established solutions is what pushes markets and innovation forward.” Dr. Friedrich Droste, Simon Capital: “We evaluate a startup's technology approach based on its potential to change the market for the better, i.e., aiming for increased efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. In that sense, we prioritize startups pursuing disruptive innovation over incremental changes.” B.J. Park, neoteq ventures: “Technology is only the basis. The decisive factor is how well the product solves a problem for the customer, only then will a start up succeed.” Stay tuned for our last post of this series, get more insights and behind-the-scenes moments on the #OUTOFTHEBOXNRW journey to the Hinterland of Things Conference in Bielefeld! **The OOTB.NRW award was initiated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Industrie, Klimaschutz und Energie des Landes NRW MWIKE) and is proudly hosted by Founders Foundation gGmbH .**  #outoftheboxnrw #whatvcssay #ootbgoeshinterland

💥BIG 📰 news out of the McKinney Economic Development Corporation from Web Summit Lisbon with the announcement of the Innovation Fund expansion. 🧱Building out the startup ecosystem in the City of McKinney is top of the ✅ list. We’re continuing to grow the fund, add resources and create relationships to help our portfolio companies to succeed. 🥂 Cheers to doing our part and building an environment where startups can grow and prosper in North Texas! #websummit #lisbon #websummit24 #websummit2024 #medc #mckinneyedc #mckinney #mckinneytx #mckinneytexas #economicdevelopment #innovationfubd #innovation #venturecapital #venture #startups #startup #startupcapital

Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) is playing an increasingly crucial role in the European #startup ecosystem. In the article linked below, Sifted’s Amy Lewin reports that 1 in 4 startup deals in Europe now involve a CVC. 🇪🇺 🌱 We’ve come a long way since 2010, when corporates accounted for just 10% of the funding raised by startups. Furthermore, 89% of corporate investors plan to increase or maintain their startup investments over the next three years. 💪 And it’s not just about capital. Just 13% of surveyed CVCs believed that capital alone was ‘enough’ to offer startups. This is something we understand very well at Metsä Spring, as we invest in and support promising startups and potential innovations that explore new uses for Nordic wood. 🌲 🌲 🌲 Through our strategic collaboration, startups benefit from access to Metsä Group’s industrial assets and knowledge to facilitate R&D and innovation, advancing the forest-based bioeconomy. In fact, through Metsä Spring as its innovation company, Metsä Group has been awarded as Finland’s most startup-friendly company for two years in a row. 🏅 CVCs are more than investors—they’re partners driving growth through innovation. 🚀 https://lnkd.in/dSg8igbN #CVC #Startups #Investment #Innovation

#ICYMI: One of the world's biggest accelerators, Plug and Play Tech Center, is entering the Houston market through an agreement with the City of Sugar Land, TX. For the Houston Business Journal I chatted with the city and with Sherif Saadawi about what to expect: #houstontx #startups #accelerators #VC #innovation https://lnkd.in/g6A4F7M8

Pitchbook equates VC ecosystems with top startup cities, but that isn’t always the case. These VC ecosystems don’t support cities that are growing startups without it. #vcecosystem #entrepreneurialecosystem #startups #entrepreneurship. https://lnkd.in/gpMJ3yXs

Sharing an interesting article from PitchBook on the top cities for startups. According to the article, the top 10 cities for startups are San Francisco, New York, Beijing, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Boston, London, Shenzhen, Seoul, and Tokyo. If you're curious about the methodology behind these rankings, you can read more here: https://lnkd.in/gCxi4Qsy #startups #VC #finding #networking