Published inPlayfair Blog·PinnedA path to Partner in VC: what I wish I’d knownContents NB. This is a long piece, so I’ve summarised the key sections here to help you find what’s most relevant to you: Introduction Setting the scene Lesson 1: hone your soft skills Lesson 2: be a good investor Lesson 3: founders come first Lesson 4: your working values are your…Venture Capital24 min readVenture Capital24 min read
Published inPlayfair Blog·Oct 4AMA Series: Hacking the VC process (or how to maximise your chance of getting funded)TL;DR: There are no true hacks to getting venture investment. However, these tips and tricks from our recent “Ask me anything” webinar should help illuminate how the world of venture works. We hope this transparency is valuable to you in your fundraising journey. 1. Securing meetings 1a. Use LinkedIn Although warm introductions are preferred, LinkedIn’s search…VC7 min readVC7 min read
Published inPlayfair Blog·Jun 15Why we invested in TrezyTrezy has raised €3m led by Playfair and Seedcamp to expand its AI-driven predictive cash flow management platform to the UK. Kima Ventures and Discovery Ventures also contributed to the round. How it all started Trezy and its founders Quentin Lacointa (CEO) and Pierre Houdyer (CTO) were referred to João in his second month…Startup6 min readStartup6 min read
Published inPlayfair Blog·Aug 30, 2022Why we invested in Protex AIProtex AI has raised $18m from Notion, Playfair, Firstminute, Elkstone and Y Combinator to empower health and safety teams and protect workers with AI-powered technology. How it all started Dan Hobbs and Ciarán O’Mara, CEO and CTO of Protex AI, approached us via our website’s open pitch form in April 2021 and were also…Startup7 min readStartup7 min read
Published inPlayfair Blog·Jul 20, 2022Why we invested in PassionfruitTL;DR: Passionfruit’s exceptional, forward-looking founders are making freelance work not just a viable option, but a superior option for skilled professionals. …VC7 min readVC7 min read
Published inPlayfair Blog·Mar 30, 2022“8 Questions with Playfair” ft. Victor Dewulf @ RecycleyeThis is the fifteenth in our “8 Questions” series — in which we sit down with founders in the Playfair portfolio to share their entrepreneurial journey. We first invested in Victor and Peter, founders of Recycleye, in March 2020. At the time the company was armed with just a v1 treadmill and GoPro to prove their AI-powered recycling solution. Since then, they’ve taken massive steps towards their vision of building the leading European waste management platform…Startup6 min readStartup6 min read
Published inPlayfair Blog·Sep 22, 2021Our Investment in RecycleyeTL;DR Recycleye is building the leading European waste management platform. The world has a major waste problem; we have the computer vision and robotics technology needed to fix it; Victor and Peter are building the team to turn the world’s trash into treasure. Backing Recycleye from pre-seed to seed We led Recycleye’s £1.2m pre-seed round with…Venture Capital5 min readVenture Capital5 min read
Published inPlayfair Blog·Sep 1, 2021Life as a VC Associate: Lessons from 2.5 YearsI got my shot in venture capital 2.5 years ago when Fede, Chris and Joe brought me on board as Playfair’s first ever Associate. …Venture Capital15 min readVenture Capital15 min read
Published inPlayfair Blog·Jul 20, 2021Our Investment In WorldrWorldr has raised $3m from Playfair and IQ Capital to protect remote conversations and launch an end-to-end encryption layer for Microsoft Teams. How it all started Our Managing Partner, Chris, first met Max and Dima, the two founders of Worldr, back in January when they were asking for advice about raising their first round…VC5 min readVC5 min read
Published inPlayfair Blog·Jan 20, 2021Turning up the heat on VC cold inbound pitch formsTL;DR: Some VCs don’t value cold inbound; we do. Not only should it be a crucial part of the ecosystem’s access and inclusion efforts, but it strengthens dealflow too. Win-win. Why? How many VC firms talk about access and inclusion, but are actually impossible to reach? If you’re a founder from…VC4 min readVC4 min read
