Optimist Ventures

We are happy to invest in companies with nothing but an idea and a founding team. We have a lot of experience as investors and founders taking companies from this stage to the next level. We also invest at the Seed Stage. We partner and invest in companies with strong mission driven teams. We have a track-record of being founders ourselves. That is why we always are happy to work with each team the way that fits them the best. We’re happy to be hands-off investors and let you do what you know best. We’re comfortable jumping into the deep end and dealing with problems head-on and spend time with you in the challenges that you face. Region: USA, Nordics Initial Ticket: 200k€ - 1M€ Company Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed Participation type: Lead + Co-Lead + Follow Follow-on Investments: 50% of the Fund Investment Themes: Theme-focused, Generalist Failup Ventures is happy to lead pre-seed and seed stage rounds but we are also comfortable co-leading with other investors. We know where we can bring value and we also can follow in rounds where we are not the leading institutional investor. We like to invest in the following 5 themes, but we also invest in other sectors:Future of Work Future of Consumption Dynamic Marketplaces Digital Infrastructure Commercial Climate Tech We want to partner with entrepreneurs who are defining tools and ways of working of the future, to power a new wave of efficiency and happiness at the workplace for the next generations. The pandemic accelerated the change in how we work. As of Spring 2022, 58% of Americans have the opportunity work from home at least one day a week. 35% percent have the option to work from home five days a week. When people have the chance to work flexibly, 87% of them take it. These dynamics apply widespread across demographics, occupations and geographies in the US. This represents a tectonic shift in where, when and how Americans want to work and are working. Currently companies are using tools that were not built for this purpose of serving full-time remote employees, hybrid employees and dedicated onsite ones or a combination of these possibilities. Companies are still defining the guidelines and standards to how they want to structure the future. Trying to kill off remote policies has been met with backlash from employees and companies have had to backtrack on such plans. If companies were to go back to fully on-site arrangement, they would risk losing up to 39% of the workforce. The current breakthroughs in artificial intelligence provide new opportunities to improve efficiency at the workplace. As is also apparent in the current movements in the AI and Machine Learning industry that these tools are here to stay and assist the workforce. All companies from smaller to enterprises are starting to find new ways of using these tools to improve efficiency at work. Startups and smaller companies have always been innovative and unique in their ways of working. However changes will now be happening on all levels from SMB’s to schools to S&P500 companies. We do not know what work at blue collar or white collar job looks like in 5 to 10 years. We don’t know how hiring will change for that modern workplace. We see new key indicators for employees such as well-being as a metric that employees are looking for in their evaluation of employers. These changes present terrific opportunity for new companies to provide value for SMB and enterprise companies. We at Failup Ventures have always been excited to support flexible and innovative ways of working that can offer a competitive edge. This provides a huge opportunity for new software providers. There is opportunity for pioneers who can introduce new methods of working and tooling for this. After companies start adopting sustainable standardised ways of working, the next wave of companies can start building customised tooling for this market which will be huge. We also want to know how the meaning of work will change in the future. Jobseekers are paying attention to other factors beside the money: healthcare, well-being, in person experiences and a sense of purpose. We hope to see solutions that address these factors in the evolving job market. As is also apparent in the current movements in the AI and Machine Learning industry that these tools are here to stay and assist the workforce. All companies from smaller to enterprises are starting to find new ways of using these tools to improve efficiency at work. We want to support companies defining this wave for the next version of work.

DVC is currently backed by 95+ investors, including many active unicorn founders, GPs of VC firms, and angel investors. Most of us have a tech background, some of us also bring finance, artistic or content creator experience. Active and most value-added investors in our community become Deal Advisors, Deal Captains, or Venture Partners in the fund and share the carried interest. Investment Focus: early-stage tech startups in the US founded by repeat founders. Target Areas: AI/ML/Robotics, Future of Work, Future of FinTech, Enterprise 4.0, EdTech, Creator Economy, Food/AG tech (IT/ML-enabled), Biotech (IT/ML-enabled). Target Models: software, SaaS, platforms, managed marketplaces, focus on recurring revenue models. Target Stages: Inception to Series A. Target Check Size: $50-200k per deal as the first check, co-invest with larger reputable US VC firms. Larger checks for follow-ons within the portfolio. Investment strategy: Make a large number of small early-stage deals (25-30 per year), identify winners, and follow on with larger checks increasing our shareholding above pro-rata in subsequent rounds. Pipeline origin: 50% Focused research (Review of key growth areas, identify key value-creating elements, find the best teams in there, get in), 50% inbound from the existing professional network. Portfolio management: Focus on creating maximum value per % ownership for portfolio founders through the community of investors, partners, and advisors of Davidovs VC. Additional details and fees: Each quarterly fund = a separate 10-year fund (Delaware-based limited partnership) with a 3 months investment period managed by Angel List. Every fund charges 2% of contributed capital as an annual management fee. Returns above the total sum (across all quarters) of the investment are subject to a standard 20% carried interest. AngelList provides software and back-office (accounting, legal, admin, and compliance). ND and MD are responsible for all other organizational and legal costs of the funds. Target Quarterly Fund Size: $1.5M per quarter in the first year, accept more capital to ramp up to $2.5M per quarter after 1st year (up to 50% of each quarterly fund after 1st year to be invested in follow-on deals). Additional remaining pro-rata (after the fund invests its maximum) in portfolio companies is offered to active investors of the fund on a “first-come-first-serve” basis. Proposed individual investor subscription amount: $30-50k per quarter.

AngelList is the parent company of AngelList Venture, AngelList Talent, and Product Hunt. We have more than 20 unicorns in the portfolio, we've supported millions of job-seekers in their search, and we've helped makers launch over 100,000 products that will define the future of tech. We champion startups and the people who empower them, and we can't wait to share what we're building next.

Investing in Ambitious Start-ups Changing the future of work. Whether providing access to work opportunities, improving career development, enhancing diversity and inclusion, providing financial stability, supporting wellbeing, or fostering flexibility, worker-centric transformation is possible. Our portfolio companies provide solutions that add up to a positive impact on workers and improve value for employers. Our Approach. High-Conviction, Hands-On Investors to Early-Stage Companies We establish relationships throughout the venture lifecycle and, depending on the stage of the business, apply different investment strategies and support. We encourage shared learning and synergies across our portfolio, and provide relevant advice and hands-on value-add in the following areas: Team development & leadership alignment Go-to-market & sales process build Governance & business process development Commercial strategy Product & technology strategy Our Values. Our Values Guide Our Culture Across NoBa and our portfolio, it’s essential we embody our values, practice what we preach and create an example for the venture ecosystem to walk the talk. Honesty: Pragmatic honesty enables trust. Collaborative: Demanding collective excellence. Difference Makers: Prideful risk-taking for impact. Agile: Logic-driven speed creates efficiency. Disruptive: Challenging the status quo.

As the corporate venture capital arm of Mediahuis, we're committed to funding startups that are developing innovative technologies for students and the modern workforce. We invest in high-growth, cutting-edge startups that are leveraging emerging technologies to re-imagine how people learn and work. Mediahuis Ventures is an corporate venture capital fund with a track record of successful investments in disruptivetechnology–driven companies, including Lepaya, MySkillCamp, and Bunch. We are looking for entrepreneurs with ambitionto create game–changing products and services within the media ecosystem and we work closely with our portfolio companies to help them scale their business and drive revenue growth. We’re in it for the long haul A LONG-TERM PARTNER If you need multiple investment rounds to support your sky-high ambitions, we have the investment capacity to support you. Once we invest, we support your growth to market leadership. AMBITION AND TRUST A shared ambition and belief in the founder’s ability are the cornerstones of our investment decisions. Once we’re in, we take a hands-off yet supportive management stance, giving you the resources and independence you need to succeed. INVESTMENT LEADERSHIP We double down on what we believe in. That’s why we prefer a lead investor role and aspire a path to a majority stake in all our investments, without ever compromising what is best for the future of your company. SUSTAINABLE GROWTH We encourage healthy scaling without compromising business longevity, helping you build a foundation that canst and the test of time. THE IDEAL EXIT We work with you to achieve the exit that balances the needs of all investors and shareholders and that works best for the sustainability of your business. We may choose to remain as a majority shareholder, or exit, and are guided by our commitment to the best choice for the business. Investment Thesis Our investment thesis is laser-focussed. We understand the market and are very specific about the companies and sectors we support. Partnering with us gives you access to all industry knowledge at our disposal. EdTech The education industry has been slow to adapt, and the gap between what schools are teaching compared to what employers want is growing. EdTech can close that gap by facilitating learning providing valuable skills to students. The world is changing, and education needs to change with it. Human Resources Technology The future of work is now! Remote work, rise of gig economy and automation is disrupting the way people work. From onboarding, employee engagement and payroll to L&D and employee wellbeing, we invest in the entrepreneurs that help companies invest in their people. MediaTech Mediatech companies help to improve the relationship with readers, to deliver content from media companies to the right target group and to provide a paywall at the right time. Mediatech companies also advise on the development and implementation of pricing strategies and customer loyalty. Real estate data Proptech is accelerating the real estate market in the recent years. We specifically see a bright future for companies focusing to shift property data into knowledge and insights. We invest in companies that drive transactions, enrich financial solutions, collaborate to meet ESG criteria and enabling consumers and businesses to make better decisions through the use of data. Recruitment Marketing Recruiting the right candidates is very important for the growth of companies. New channels and models emerge every day and we invest in companies helping their customers efficiently recruiting the best candidates.

Coalition Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with the best entrepreneurs in Europe to help them shape the digital economy. We partner with entrepreneurs and invest in spaces where tectonic technological shifts like Artificial Intelligence are creating extraordinary opportunities. It is our believe that the biggest companies of the next decade will be solving the world’s most pressing challenges, leveraging the power of AI along the way. From redefinition of supply chains, the improvement of worker's mental health, disruption in financials services, cybersecurity to bridging the digital skills gap, we see it as our mission to help solve real-world problems. Coalition is thesis-driven and we are focused on Europe. We bring a true pay-it-forward mentality: invest time first, money second. We are convinced that true value and sustainable returns can only be created with a long-term strategic vision and a plan around the growth of organizations. It is our goal to patiently build companies into global leaders. We laud actual achievements, not artificial milestones of every increasing funding round valuations. As a break-out team from Inkef and Prosus, we are venture and growth equity veterans who have helped build iconic companies across the world. Often, we joined in the early innings and helped scale these businesses into category-defining multi-billion-dollar global gorillas. Under the flag of Coalition we intend to do it again. We accelerate growth…We prefer capital efficient, scalable companies with proven product-market fit and a defensible model. We partner with hungry overachievers to take those companies from: Local hero to a global champion 1 to 10 and then from 10 to 100 We invest from Seed to Series B; And can be a lifetime partner until you go public … of the digital economy…We go beyond the hype of ChatGPT: It is our belief that the proliferation of new technologies like AI will enable the creation of a new generational companies Those that solve real problems in trillion-dollar industries or provide the ‘picks-and-shovels’ required to drive tectonic technological change …in EuropeWe believe Europe’s moment is now We are Europe-native VCs with a global outlook We are un-European in our ambitions and drive; Introducing US/Asia-style execution and pace We focus on creating new generational companies solve real problems in trillion-dollar industries or provide the ‘picks-and-shovels’ required to drive tectonic technological changeAI and Data ToolingDataOps Design Cybersecurity Code Search DevOps Productivity Knowledge management Future of CommerceAI-driven commerce enablers (e.g. pricing, inventory management) Supply chain management Re-commerce Next-gen (B2B) marketplaces Future of FinanceEmbedded finance Verticalized solutions Payments Supply chain finance Data driven investing Compliance / AML Future of WorkNext Gen HR stack Digital skills building Worker’s mental health How we are differentCollaborative Investment EthosWe prove our worth to you by investing time first Lead, follow, or stay stealth, board seat or not, we take your lead We understand that building durable companies takes time; we support in good times and bad times We offer real help where it matters most: topline acceleration and the people function We aspire to be the Most Valuable Player on the cap table Radically Thesis & Data-drivenWe are radically thesis-driven and understand your business like no other investor does We operate a conviction-based approach; always working from first principles We eat our own dog food and drink our own champagne by leveraging AI to identify the most promising businesses Connected & experiencedWe are venture and growth equity veterans with experience in building iconic global gorillas (and obsessed about doing it again) We bring an unrivalled industry network, opening doors to global tech giants and enterprises We offer a unique global view on tech trends and scaling