Contrarian Ventures’ Post

🎙️ NEW Episode (179)! Are You Tough Enough for 'Tough Tech'? Solving Billion-Dollar Climate Challenges, How AI Increases Velocity, Bridging the Gap Between Innovation & Adoption Rokas P. is the Founder and Managing partner of Contrarian Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in climate tech investments across Europe and Israel. With a background in trading and finance, Rokas brings a unique perspective to venture investing. On this episode we talk about: - Why climate tech investing is difficult - Why Scaling ClimateTech startups is difficult - How to build companies that create both economic and environmental value - How artificial intelligence can accelerate ClimateTech solutions Follow us for more content like this. Links to the full conversation in Comments👇

ICYMI: We asked emerging manager mentor eric sippel where he is currently focused on investing in venture: “I am always excited about Deep Tech. I feel like investing in areas where you don't have a technology advantage is where you're really focused on execution is much, much harder, then where you have a real technology advantage. And I continue to believe that immigrants are not receiving the level of capital that they should be receiving. So as an example of funds Unshackled Ventures. Another example is Foothill Ventures, which invests in primarily immigrant PhDs in the deep tech space.” Which other funds come to mind in these categories? > For the full episode: link in comments. Earnest Sweat Swimming with Allocators #VC #DeepTech #FirstGenGP

Ready to learn about deep technology investments with Tal Slobodkin, Managing Partner at StageOne Ventures? Join us for an exclusive interview where we discuss the innovative strategies behind StageOne's $500M AUM VC fund. From seed to early-stage, they're revolutionizing B2B-focused companies with transformative deep technologies! Discover how StageOne goes beyond funding, leveraging its expertise to identify breakthrough trends and provide market access, technical mentorship, and invaluable business insights. 🌐💼 Hosted by Yoel Israel, this interview is a must-watch for tech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and investors alike! 🎬✨ Link to the full video in the comments section 👇

📽 Watch a great interview with Tal Slobodkin and Yoel Israel as part of IsraelTech, where they discuss how StageOne Ventures supports entrepreneurs in achieving their vision and scaling their companies Watch here: https://lnkd.in/d_TtSQae

I’ve long been fascinated by the density of startups and innovation in the Bay Area. While there are many reasons behind this phenomenon, I believe “risk capital” (i.e., venture capital) stands out as a key driver. The constant influx of money placed on outstanding potential rather than incremental certainty fuels the cycle of bold ideas and rapid growth. In my quest for deeper understanding, I recently completed an outstanding course recommended by Eva Nahari (thank you!). The program not only provided clear content to map out the landscape, but the office hours—featuring fund managers, entrepreneurs, and emerging fund managers—were particularly enriching. It was also refreshing to go beyond my usual tech and AI bubble and talk with folks from other areas including life sciences, angel investors, secondary markets, corporate venture firms. I’m grateful to Adam Sterling and Maryam Haque for their guidance and for patiently answering all our questions. There’s a lot to unpack, but I now have a clearer perspective on how risk capital influences innovation, particularly in our AI enabled world, where first-principles thinking and bold reinvention are essential. Next week, I’ll be diving into the technological side—especially the algorithmic innovations of deep learning—at NeurIPS. If you’re attending, please come say hello.

🔥 Hot topic: Data-driven VC! Been talking about how the venture game is hunting for that magic algorithm to find top-tier startups, especially in tough times. 💼✨ Enter startups analyzing company data to help funds make decisions beyond just gut feeling. In today's data-driven VC newsletter, I found a cool breakdown of investor types: Traditional VC, Augmented VC, and Quant VC. Let's dive in! 🏊♂️ 🔵 Traditional VC: The OGs of the industry who believe venture capital is more art than science. Deals are made through connections and intuition. These VCs often overlook their biases and rely heavily on their impressive track records. 🔵 Augmented VC: The best of both worlds! Here, machines crunch massive data sets to highlight where human investors should focus. This approach allows deeper relationships with a select group of founders, leveraging data for coverage but leaving the final call to humans. 🔵 Quant VC: The new kids on the block who trust algorithms over humans for investment decisions—think pure-play quant public funds style. No human touch, all machine speed and precision. They believe removing people from the equation increases profit chances. Which team are you rooting for? 🤔💡 #VentureCapital #DataDriven #StartupLife

Meet our judges—leaders with decades of experience in impact strategy, who will decide which ventures receive a £10,000 grant! We’re counting down to the GoodTech Ventures Showcase—the grand finale of our first Accelerator cohort! On September 19, our visionary founders will pitch their impact tech solutions to five expert judges. Each judge brings deep expertise in social innovation and impact investing, and they’ll be making the all-important decision on who will walk away with £10,000 to accelerate their venture. Introducing our judges → Edward Evans – CEO at Social Tech Trust Rebecca Garrod-Waters – CEO at Ufi VocTech Trust Chi K. – Local Development Director at Catch22 Manjul Rathee – CEO and Cofounder at BFB Labs Theo-Lee Houston – CEO and Founder at Slinger We meticulously chose a diverse panel of judges with a proven track record of identifying ventures that strive for commercial success and measurable social impact. Their insights will challenge the founders and help push their ideas to the next level. Join us for this exciting day of innovation, inspiration, and the chance to see which venture will claim the £10,000 prize! RSVP here: https://lu.ma/umt2c0ks #GoodTech #TechForGood #SocialImpact #VentureShowcase #AcceleratorProgram #ImpactInvesting #InnovationForChange

🚀 What do you think about “warm intros” in the VC startup world? Join us for this week’s episode of Zero One Hundred Conferences ESG & Impact Talks as we delve into this topic and many others with Paul Miller OBE, Managing Partner, and CEO at Bethnal Green Ventures and a pioneer in tech for good since 2008. Bethnal Green Ventures has a “no warm intro” policy to ensure equal opportunities for all founders to participate in their Tech For Good Programme. This commitment to equity and accessibility has earned Paul recognition in the UK for his services to startup investing, culminating in the prestigious Order of the British Empire (OBE) a few years ago. In this insightful conversation, Paul shares his perspectives on the impact of "warm intros" on the VC startup ecosystem and how initiatives like Bethnal Green Ventures are driving positive change in addressing the climate crisis, inequality, and health. By the time we recorded this episode, Bethnal Green Ventures had recently closed its Spring 2024 Tech for Good Programme. In April they had already released the first cohort of startups joining the program and receiving investment from their latest fund 😎 Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain valuable insights into the evolving landscape of startup investing! 💡 What are your thoughts on "warm intros" in the VC world? Share your insights in the comments below and join the conversation! #techforgood #equalilty #impactivesting #diversity

Have you ever thought about investing in startups but don’t know where to start? Treat yourself to a Christmas gift with our brand new, self-paced Angel Investing Essentials online course for only €130 until the end of the year. As the co-leader of the investment vehicle COREangels Big Data & AI Europe, I have collaborated with COREangels International, together with Cintia Mano, Ela Zohrevandi, Urs Rothmayr, Jorge Martínez-Arroyo, and Rui Falcao, to create a course specifically designed to equip you with the essential skills. Whether you're new to angel investing, looking to enhance your existing skills, or are a startup founder, this course provides a solid foundation for your journey. Angel Investing Essentials is now available, and I invite you to be part of it. Go to: https://lnkd.in/dqZ_VNVD.

So happy to have Nihal Mehta, co-founder of Pitch and Run (PnR) and Eniac Ventures, to shares his daily routine, the concept behind PnR, and the origins of Eniac Ventures. Added bonus: Some jogging with Nihal!!! We discussed the importance of maintaining a balance between work and family life, the significance of having a coach for startups, and the collaborative culture at ENIAC. Nihal emphasized the significance of in-person interactions with founders. Nihal also highlighted the evolution of their investment focus, now that they are on Fund VI ($160 m), the role of AI in disrupting traditional industries, and shares his admiration for his wife, Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code and an advocate for social causes. We talked about Girls Who Code, University of Pennsylvania, Elon Musk, Perplexity.AI and AI Hackathons and the the importance of political involvement and upcoming elections. https://lnkd.in/eN3SAFUx (full 17 min video) https://lnkd.in/edXDgjm9  (20 Second Highlight: Every Day is a Success If you are helping and learning) https://lnkd.in/eEsD8Wxq (35 Second Highlight: Cheers to all the Founders: You are doing the Impossible)