Ghaith YAFI

𝐏𝐄 𝐯𝐬. 𝐕𝐂 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞: 𝐀 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 Our latest data at Gain.pro highlights how PE and VC firms invest across Europe: ▪ PE-backed businesses are widely spread across the continent ▪ VC-owned assets are clustered in cities 📊 Sector focus drives this: – VC assets = 47% TMT (vs. 17% for PE) → drawn to innovation hubs – PE = 24% Services + 22% Industrials (vs. 13% & 7% for VC) → broader geographic reach beyond capitals 🌍 Top destinations: – Both: London & Paris lead – VC: 25% of assets in 11 cities (Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam next) – PE: 25% spread across 22 cities (Stockholm, Milan, Madrid stand out) ➡️ Same continent. Very different maps.

٨٤

٢ تعليق

PearX : 🍐 - 90% of the last batch raised seed rounds led by top-tier institutional firms - 1/3 of the batch hit $1mn in revenue by demo day - Small batch: 20 companies selected from over 2500 applications (<0.8% acceptance).

١٩٩

١٣ تعليق

We kick off each Forum Ventures cohort with a State of the Market session with investors. The fundamentals don’t change much, but the "aha" moments always do. This time, it was the importance of having “Did you know…” moments early on. As Mirit Lugassi from Laconia Capital and Michelle Jetton from Citi Ventures put it, the founders who stand out are the ones who can hook us with a surprising fact that reframes the opportunity. It’s not about a TAM slide, it’s about insight. A great “Did you know” might sound like: 👉 “Did you know over 500 million prescriptions go unfilled each year in the U.S.—a $300B problem in preventable costs?” That kind of line does three things at once: - Hooks attention with a surprising fact. - Frames urgency around the problem you’re solving. - Positions you as the expert in the room. Investors don’t remember every ARR chart. They remember the founder who taught them something new.

٨٢

٥ تعليق

So happy to be back from summer holidays and already meeting many startups this week through Office Hours and intros, some common advice kept coming up — so here’s my five friendly tips for early-stage founders pitching VCs: ✅ Be obsessed. Not just interested — obsessed. Know more about your problem space than anyone else in the room. Surprise me with your insights, your homework, your edge. I want to feel like you are the person who has cracked this. ✅ Show me the breakthrough. What you’re building should be meaningfully better — not incrementally. Explain why your solution is 10x better, not 10% improvement. What’s the bold technical, product or business model innovation? ✅ Tell the vision story. This is your billion-dollar moment. Don’t just explain what you do — paint the picture of what happens if you win. What shifts in the market? What becomes possible? What huge value is unlocked? ✅ Sell the team. At the earliest stage, you are the investment. What makes you exceptional? What edge do you have that others don’t? Show me how you’ve built a team that’s not just smart — but complementary, diverse, and uniquely positioned to win. ✅ How you say things are often more important than what. Make sure you lean in with presence, curiosity and passion. Balancing strong confidence with humility. I know this might sound like a lot but I also think startups at this stage don’t need perfect answers to everything — but they do need to make me believe. #startups #venturecapital #founders #earlystage

١٤٣

٧ تعليق