DataPostie was one of close to 2,000 applications we received for Focal in May 2023. They were also one of: The 250 companies founded that same year The 951 applicants that came from an underrepresented background The 477 companies who classified themselves as a SaaS platform The 318 applications that…

This week we questioned Marc Cohen who is the Sole Partner at unbundled vc. Marc has developed a meticulous structure for networking and vetting his next investments, which we delve into. unbundled vc’s investment strategy? Marc knows exactly what he wants. He wants individuals who are doing something new or…

As an ardent admirer of Samaipata’s exceptional work, we’re stoked to share with you this week’s conversation with Stephanie. Samaipata is a pan-European fund investing in digital businesses with network effects at the early stage. Samaipata’s investment strategy? At Samaipata, they focus on making big change, but making change together…

Jake previously worked as an Investment Associate at Mercia Asset Management, but eager to try his hand at corporate venture capital, he joined Wayra. What makes Wayra stand out is that they help start ups scale by securing commercial partnerships within Telefonica. Wayra’s investment strategy? Strategic investments into companies at…

Welcome! We’re kickstarting our blog with a series of introductions to our partner VCs. By providing these brief introductions, we aim to familiarise you with the funds that make Focal tick, which forms part of our master plan to make the fundraising process exponentially more transparent and accessible. Throughout…

I’m ecstatic to have joined the Focal team in London as a Principal. Focal (previously, The Stage) runs Europe’s leading startup demo day, without the resource commitment of an accelerator. No workshops, just one pitch in front of thousands of the world’s best investors, twice a year. And that’s just…

TL;DR Paris-based VC Breega led Send’s first institutional round, alongside Mercia, of £9m An accomplishment in the current market reflecting the momentum and potential of what the team is building They’re tackling a high-growth market, with the opportunity to be category-defining The team has gone from strength to strength in the…

TL;DR London-based VC, Crane Ventures, has launched a £112m fund to back early-stage deep tech startups operating in areas including development tools, cloud infrastructure, and AI/ML across Europe, the US & Israel. We spoke with Scott Sage on the fund's decision to go cross-continental, aiding founders with their GTM and their…

TL;DR Europe’s most significant climate tech fund emerged from stealth with a stern belief that companies who help us to achieve a decarbonised world will be the most valuable over the next decade. We spoke with Victoria McIvor on the pace of the European market, measuring ESG in portfolio companies and…