Paua Ventures

Flashpoint Venture Capital invests in Western Tech Companies founded by expats from Emerging Europe & Israel. By combining our capital and expertise with the vision and talent of tech founders we are always pushing for the next flashpoint. Our sweet spot is business-to-business software-as-a-service solutions and business-to-consumer applications in the initial revenues stage (late seed-round “A”). We are happy to learn about any innovative software solutions, even in pre-revenue stages. StrategyFocus on late-seed and Series A stage companies, however could consider seed investments in areas of our sector expertise or with co-investors we know. The sweet spot is business-to-business software-as-a-service solutions, however, we also invest in compelling business-to-consumer applications. Our focus is on software or software enabled companies, but we could also consider “software-first” hardware businesses. Initial check size of US$1-4m, following up to US$15m over the life of our investment. We are seeking 10-20% stakes with Board roles to enable our value-add. We are sector and business model agnostic. Investment criteriaA team of expert founders having achieved good initial traction (US$50-200k MRR) and tackling a sizable problem. Compelling product with sticky customers and low/negative churn. Business models with solid economics and LTV/CACs above 3x. Scalable sales/marketing channels, either inbound or outbound. First-mover or other lasting competitive advantage. Time horizon to potential exit is not a major consideration. Investment processWe like meeting companies early on in their development. Even at that stage before we invest, we could be helpful with our network or professional advice. We apply a structured analytical approach to evaluating the company. We are always interested in learning more about financial and operating metrics. Our investment terms are company friendly and could be tailored to particular needs and situations. Post term sheet signing we have a standardised due diligence process across main business areas – business, tech/intellectual property, finance, legal, tax, and others. From term sheet signing to closing a transaction the process can take one or two months depending on the speed of the company in assisting in the due diligence process.

Our approach keeps founders at the heart of everything we do. We areConviction-led: We value independent decision-making and lead all our investments. Long-term partners: We stay fully committed to founders' vision, no matter how long it takes. Sector specialists: We each focus on specific sectors to build a deep, informed point of view that fuels our investment strategy and portfolio support. Transparent: We keep founders in the loop and prioritize honest communication, making us partners they never have to second-guess. Engaged: We believe in staying actively involved through meaningful board participation and functional support. Our journey started like many other startups – in a Bengaluru basement 2016 When we set out to raise our first fund, the Indian VC landscape was shaky at best. Investors were cautious, several foreign VC majors had left the ecosystem, and successful exits were hard to come by. Amidst skepticism about the Indian market, we defiantly believed that the "golden decade" of Indian technology was upon us. We saw an opportunity for VC 2.0 in India – one that was stage-focused, expertise-driven, and committed to prioritizing real growth alongside valuations. Undeterred by a tough fundraising climate, we knocked on 1,200 doors to raise Stellaris’ first fund. These early struggles shaped Stellaris’ culture, allowing us to fully resonate with the fundraising challenges faced by early-stage entrepreneurs. 2017 We launched our first fund of $90 million. From the outset, we established a principle of having specialists on our team, enabling us to tap into deep sector knowledge, spot promising opportunities, and provide tailored support to the companies we backed. Out of our 19 investments in our first fund, 9 surpassed a valuation of $100 million, with several others on track to achieve this milestone. 2021 We closed our second fund of $225M and backed 25 companies, many of which are poised to become the leaders of tomorrow. We also had our first significant exit in the portfolio when 6Sense, a US SaaS company, acquired Slintel, in which Stellaris was the first institutional investor. 2023 Our portfolio company, Mamaearth, which we backed at the Series A stage in 2018, successfully completed its IPO. 2024 We launched our third fund of $300M and are now managing over $600M in assets. We're ready to support the next wave of innovative businesses with the same grit and determination that brought us here.

The most powerful ideas, companies, and industries aren’t created overnight. With a community built on collective experience and fueled by curiosity, Slow understands the entrepreneurial journey. Investing at the center of technology and on the edges of science, society, and culture, Slow gives curious founders the resources, connections, experiences, and empathy required to build strong, sustainable companies. We are generalists and invest in early stage teams and ideas ranging from Social Networking to Consumer Brands to SaaS, and Crypto. We believe - and have seen proven time and again - that great things frequently take time to inflect, and believe that our number-one job is to back great founders on their journey. In the last ~decade we have invested in the earliest rounds of over 500 companies, including… Consumer-Ish Nextdoor Private social network for your neighborhood Hipcamp Discover and book the best campsites in California Postmates Same day urban delivery platform Birchbox Subscription commerce for beauty products Allbirds Environmentally friendly footwear. Casper Digitally introduced brand of mattresses. Birdies Fashionable women’s slippers. BarkBox Subscription commerce for dogs Even Interest-free credit to keep your paycheck steady. Citizen People protect each other Good Dog Find puppies from responsible breeders. Fintech-Y Robinhood Mobile stock brokerage Venmo Social payment app Teamshares employee ownership for small business. Eco One balance to save, spend, and make money HM Bradley Unlock your money’s potential VGS Payment data security & compliance infrastructure Human Interest 401(ks) for SMBs Astra The Automation Platform for Money Movement Wax Insurance Protect your passion SaaS-Ie Airtable Modern database software. Domino Data Lab Enterprise data science platform. Frontapp Customer management platform Tonkean Next generation management platform. Otter AI-powered voice translation app. OpenPhone Mobile app for a business phone number Slack Work messaging Amplio Risk prediction & component sourcing Consumer-Medical-Ish Ro Direct-to-consumer telehealth. Livongo Health Personalized Tools for Chronic Condition Management Plume Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy From Anywhere Pillpack Simplified Pharmacy Fairsquare Medical Your Medicare One-Stop-Shop Wheel powering virtual care Brightside online treatment for depression and anxiety Embark Dog DNA & health testing Flossy For patients without dental insurance Creator-Y Juice Banking trusted by the best creators Stem distribution and payments for musicians Human DAOs lead by creators Pearpop creator collaboration on demand Real-World-Ish Astra Lower cost rocket launches. Common Technology-enabled residential operator. Running Tide Automated ocean harvesting technologies. Zipline Global on-demand delivery. Metropolis mobile commerce and modern parking Pollen Own your network Crypto Solana Scalable blockchain infrastructure. Klaytn The Ground for All Blockchain Services Chia A new blockchain and smart transaction platform Aleo Where Applications Become Private. Algorand A pure proof of stake blockchain platform. Diem A trusted and innovative financial network. Ampleforth The rebasing currency. Lightning Labs layer-two bitcoin. Fold Wallet Bitcoin wallet. River The best place to buy, sell BTC And Many More….

Antai Ventures is a Barcelona-based venture studio with presence across Southern Europe and Latam. Since 2012 we have co-founded +25 companies including Glovo, Wallapop, Nemuru, PlatanoMelon and Vitaance. Our ventures have raised more than $1.5B in funding, have generated more than $3B in shareholders value and currently employ more than 3.000 people. At Antai, we partner-up and invest in the best co-founders to build global companies willing to disrupt multi-billion dollar industries. In the last 10 years, we have gained experience in a variety of business models (E-Commerces/DNVBs, B2B SaaS, Marketplaces) operating in a wide range of industries including Edtech, Grocery, Healthtech, Fintech, Insurtech, Proptech, Autotech among others.

Early-stage venture firm led by experienced investors with a passion for consumer businesses. Your First Institutional Investor: We invest in exciting consumer businesses (& their enablers) from Seed to Series A. Lead with Conviction: We lead rounds; we don’t borrow conviction from others. Sector Focus: Digital Consumer businesses and their Enablers Ticket Size: 'First cheque' sizes of INR 10-150 million Subsequent Rounds: We have reserved significant capital for follow on investment in our portfolio companies Partner of Choice: We’ve been helping founders build businesses through good times and bad for two decades The Story behind the People We have 30+ years of cumulative experience managing third-party capital Partners in several consumer journeys at multiple stages across categories. We have professionally and personally invested across 20+ consumer businesses from seed stage to growth. We believe in marrying rigor with agility and are deeply engaged in value creation with our founders. We are looking to play the long game with people willing to play the long game. PRATH is a labor of love for us to translate our passion for consumer investing into an institution, that we hope, will far outlive and outshine us.

Our investment package includes a tailored 6-month program designed exclusively for our startups, providing essential tools for scaling within our asset management framework. REASONS TO JOIN THE NCA STARTUP PROGRAM: Product Market Fit: Easy testing with best-in-class commerce industry-related corporates assures working business models for our portfolio companies. Coaching: Coaching & support from passionate and experienced people. They’ve built companies before and are experts in their respective fields. Funding: NCA invests up to EUR 125k in each startup. Additionally, founders get prepped for follow-on investment. We become long-term partners for startups beyond our 6-month program. Ecosystem: Become part of an exclusive ecosystem. The mix of industry experts and like-minded startup founders defines the NCA network.