caesar.’s Post

We've seen a lot of non-European VCs pull back funding for startups in the region, over the last couple of years. This caused a vacuum in early stage funding - key to driving innovation and giving #founders the support they need in those early days. That's why caesar. was born. As experienced angel investors and founders ourselves, we understand how important access, funding and support are to sustainable growth. #weinvestbeforeinvesting #VCinsights #startups #entrepreneurs | 👏 Managing Partners: Carolin & Gregor

😵 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞?  The startup world is facing a reality check. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Time and again, founders, in the relentless pursuit of more money, power, and fame, have pushed themselves to the brink of burnout. As our caesar. partner Carolin Gabor aptly observes, "It is the law of the market and the asset class of venture capital: Seek disproportionately high returns. The drive to achieve such returns means greed." The consequences, as Caro puts it, are clear: "𝘽𝙤𝙡𝙙, 𝙖𝙜𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩 – 𝙞𝙛 𝙬𝙚 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨." And we are already seeing the signs: many founders are stepping back, burned out and questioning the relentless hustle culture. Caro advocates for a more sustainable approach to company building, emphasizing the need for leaders who prioritize long-term stability over quick wins. She highlights the importance of "𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 5" 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥, as defined by Jim Collins in his book Good to Great. These leaders are 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 for a sustainable business future. As we navigate this tectonic shift, it's crucial to foster cultures that support both mental health and sustainable growth. As seen in initiatives by investors like Cherry Ventures, the integration of coaching and mental health resources becomes a positive step forward. 🙏🏼 Let's build a future where startups thrive not just on the balance sheet but also in creating lasting, positive impacts on their teams and society! Access the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gugrb_GD #Startups #Leadership #MentalHealth #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship

👏🏼 Congratulations to our portfolio company MEDEA Biopharma on winning the Bühler Group's competition as part of the MassChallenge Switzerland! Super strong performance 🌟

𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝟏𝟗% 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧! 🚨 The recently published Bitkom FinTech Study 2024 sheds light on the current climate among FinTech founders in Germany and reveals clear potential for improvement. Here are the key takeaways: 🌍📈Germany maintains a strong FinTech ecosystem, with 5 out of the top 12 financial service providers being FinTech companies. With targeted measures, Germany could add €280 billion in company valuations and create 60,000 jobs. FinTechs rate Germany's government policies at 4 out of 6 (1 being very good, 6 being insufficient). However, 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲, 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. Notably, only 19% of FinTech founders would choose Germany again! 🚨 ⚖️ Regulation poses a challenge, with 53% of participants feeling disadvantaged in European competition due to regulatory issues. A significant 82% believe that risk avoidance dominates regulatory implementation, and 72% support a harmonized EU licensing system. 💰 Although financing volumes are rising, there is still a €𝟑𝟎 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐩 and a €𝟐𝟖𝟎 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐚𝐩 compared to European leaders. 𝐓𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: Germany's FinTech sector is ripe with opportunity! Your investments can drive innovation and growth. Now is the time to invest in the future of finance. 𝐓𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Let's reduce bureaucracy, improve financing options, and adopt a balanced regulatory framework. A harmonized EU licensing system could position Germany as a global FinTech leader. Access the full study here 👉🏼 https://lnkd.in/eNTD6ZSx #FinTech #Innovation #DigitalTransformation #BitkomStudy2024 Solaris SE, CLARK, Mambu, N26, Trade Republic, Scalable Capital, Raisin, SumUp, Billie, auxmoney, Banxware, PAIR Finance Carsten Höltkemeyer, Benedikt Kalteier, Fernando Zandona, Valentin Stalf, Christian Hecker, Erik Podzuweit, Daniel Klein, Dr. Matthias Knecht, Raffael Johnen, Jens Roehrborn, Stephan Stricker

🙏🏼 Congratulations on the financing round, dear Vytal | The reuse system team - fantastic achievement! We wish you continued success in achieving your growth targets and look forward to accompanying you on this journey ♻️💡🌎 Dr. Tim Breker, Sven Witthöft, Fabian Barthel 🚀

🤝 Better together. … is the theme for our investor side event at this year’s ZOLLHOF Summer Pitch on July 16th in Nürnberg! We are delighted to join forces with ZOLLHOF – Tech Incubator and Vanagon.vc on this networking event which will take place after the official part of the Summer Pitch ☀️ Meet and mingle with existing and new contacts from VC Funds, Family Offices, Angel Investors, and CVCs. No PowerPoint presentations or agenda. Sounds like something you would enjoy taking part in? Then please get in touch with Nicolas Sievers via [email protected]. See you there! 🥳

Fascinating journey from our caesar. Venture Partner Gerald Schönbucher - congratulations and continued success! 🌟🚀

🎙️ In a recent podcast episode of 20 Minute VC with guest Trae Stephens from Founders Fund, the hosts explored the topic of competitive deals. Among the many gems, one profound statement resonated particularly deeply in today's bustling startup ecosystem: "There is something deeply troubling with #prices getting out of control that has nothing to do with the price itself - usually what an #inflated price means is that the deal is being competed and the founders believe that they have leverage." 💸 These words reveal a crucial truth: the allure of a #competitive deal can sometimes blind investors to its underlying risks. When prices soar and bidding wars erupt, it's easy to lose sight of what truly matters: the intrinsic #value of the investment 💡 Therefore, it's crucial to remember that the most competitive deals aren't necessarily the best ones. In fact, they may be the most perilous. Why? Because in the frenzy of competition, #critical factors such as team alignment and unique value propositions can be overlooked. 💬 According to Trae, the most competitive deals can be the worst ones because they are the ones that create super consensus: everyone rushed to agree on the team and on the thesis; the investment lacks an edge, and everything is going to be expensive in every financing round. Consequently, the expected value of the investment will decrease. Our general partner Gregor Unger agrees: There are opportunities that are obviously good, everyone knows it, and someone wins it. In the past, these opportunities would float around: every investor takes a look, then someone commits to it and wants to lead, and, then, suddenly everyone jumps on board, causing the price to rise. 📈 Of course, there are instances where #competitive #deals are justified. Consider Facebook’s early-stage rounds fueled by its undeniably extraordinary growth rates and massive market. However, succumbing to the allure of competition often leads to compromising investment criteria and foregoing due diligence. In essence, investing in startups is not merely about winning the deal; it's about securing long-term #value and mitigating risks. So, instead of living for the thrill of competition, let's focus on identifying investments with genuine potential and sustainable advantages 🚀 What do you think? Are the most competitive deals the worst? 🤔👇🏽💭 Listen to the full podcast episode here: https://lnkd.in/ezupDQNy #StartupInvesting #VentureCapital #InvestmentStrategy #FoundersFund #20MinuteVC Harry Stebbings

🗓️ Our caesar. analyst Mira is attending #neuland x ATEC | Aachen Technology and Entrepreneurship Congress this year from 2-3 July 2024. Join the event for insightful talks and discussions about the revolutionary technologies of tomorrow and collaborative approaches to addressing future challenges 🧠🚀 Tickets & further information 👉🏼 https://lnkd.in/e3kasksW #ShapeTheFuture #DareNowForTomorrow #Innovation #DeepTech