Speedinvest, the pan-European early-stage VC which has invested in several UK-based tech startups has launched its second specialist Networks Effects fund with €33M. The Speedinvest Networks Effects team has also appointed Julian Blessin, co-founder of TIER Mobility, as partner to help manage the fund.
Back early-stage European startups
The new fund will back early-stage European startups that use the power of digital marketplaces and a platform-approach to disrupt industries. With strong recommitments from existing cornerstone LPs, the Speedinvest x Fund 2 has raised two thirds of its intended final fund volume of €50M, which would take the total AUM of the Speedinvest Network Effects team to €100M.
Mathias Ockenfels, lead partner for Network Effects at Speedinvest, said: “It’s an exciting time for the Network Effects space in Europe; the importance of digital marketplaces and platforms is increasing even further as other barriers to business have emerged. We’re proud to be able to launch our second specialist Speedinvest X fund and look forward to working with more of the best marketplace founders in Europe.”
Co-founder of TIER Mobility appointed as partner
Julian Blessin moves from portfolio to partner, joining the Speedinvest team from TIER Mobility, a company he co-founded alongside CEO Lawrence Leuschner and CTO Matthias Laug. Speedinvest invested in TIER Mobility through its specialist Network Effects team in 2018, leading the company’s very first round of funding and participating in its recent $250m Series C round led by Softbank.
Julian Blessin, partner at Speedinvest, said: “I’m delighted to join Speedinvest full-time, after spending the past year as a venture partner. Mathias and the Network Effects team were instrumental in supporting us at TIER from day one, and I’m looking forward to paying their support forward and giving back to a new generation of startups. I hope to bring in all of my operational and recent founder experience, and help Speedinvest in its ongoing mission to nurture Europe’s startup ecosystem with its founder-first ethos.”
Lawrence Leuschner, CEO and co-founder of TIER Mobility, said: “Mathias’ proven track record of discovering Europe’s next great marketplace startups and Julian’s hands-on operational experience and background as a founder make for a winning combination. Startups lucky enough to work alongside them, including TIER, are in amazing hands.”
Speedinvest x Fund 1 has so far attracted over €470M
Alongside TIER Mobility, the Network Effects team has also invested in and worked with other successful European marketplace startups, including CoachHub, Packhelp, Kodit, Planetly, Admix and Schüttflix. In the three years since launch, the portfolio of Speedinvest x Fund 1 has so far attracted over €470M in follow-on funding from top tier investors, such as Softbank, Northzone, Mubadala, Holtzbrinck Ventures and Forerunner Ventures.
Vertical investment strategy
The announcement of the new fund, alongside the appointment of Blessin and the promotion of Jeroen Arts to associate partner, signals Speedinvest’s commitment to its focused, vertical investment strategy. The Speedinvest Network Effects team also runs an annual Marketplace Conference in collaboration with Battery Ventures and Autotech Ventures, spearheaded by Arts.
Speedinvest is a European venture capital fund with €400M+ AUM and more than 40 investment professionals working from Berlin, London, Munich, Paris, Vienna and San Francisco. Employing a sector-focused investment structure, they fund innovative early-stage technology startups in the areas of Fintech, Digital Health, Consumer Tech, Network Effects, Deep Tech and Industrial Tech. Speedinvest actively deploys its global network and dedicated team of in-house operational experts to support our 170+ portfolio companies, including with US market expansion. Learn more:
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