Fri, 18 May 2012 07:53:00 -0800WeeblyFri, 18 May 2012 07:32:34 -0800http://www.venturepreneurs.org/2/post/2012/05/the-value-of-design.htmlAt the 9th Venturepreneurs’ Summit in Gavà we had the pleasure of having Smart Design come speak to the group about the value of Design. Agnete Enga, Associate Director of Industrial Design and a founding member of the Femme Den, gave us a brief history of design, followed by the way Smart Design works, the importance of designing around people and finally getting into Femme Den, which is about design focused on the female consumer.

It’s about People

The presentation revolved around the idea that ‘design is about people’. As intuitive as this might sound it is not always executed well in companies. In the connected and digital world in which we live, people define companies. Through social media and ecommerce websites like Amazon, the consumer is now the one that defines companies.
Companies have been doing marketing research, trying to figure out what consumers want and then allowing the user to choose between two products. This is not the way it should be. It is the role of companies to do what Smart Design calls Design Research. In this process it is the company that works alongside the consumer, understanding their pains and solving real problems to come up with new products and services.
Design has now come back to its original purpose which is to come up with solutions to real life problems by: collaborating with the users, innovating, differentiating, creating valuable user experiences, being simple, creating brand loyalty and having an holistic approach.

Learning from Smart Design

Smart Design’s objective is to improve daily life by creating products, services and experiences around people. It is not about conducting focus group research or gathering quantitative data anymore, it is the in depth questioning and analysis with a few people that really yields the right insight to inspire new products.
Real, valuable insights emerge when the researcher goes deep. When a user interacts with your website there are 3 levels that can be observed. The Observable: what you can see the user doing, here the fixes are obvious. The Hidden: this is more about the user and her/his life and values and how the product can appeal to that. The Hidden Deeper: which is about prototyping new experiences for the user and see the new response.
And this is how innovation occurs, by understanding the user, solving pains, but also coming up with new solutions to the problem and seeing the new way the user interacts with this problem.

How to please a woman?

Every man would like to know the answer to this question, yet as men, we don’t try hard enough. We’re obviously still talking about products and services ;-) There are many examples where companies roll out products and experiences that either undermine woman or simply forget about them. Pregnant women and airbags, gas stations and the sense of security, gym clothes and the different shapes a woman’s body can have. Why does this happen? The most convincing example that Agnete gave is that men are men most of the times, while women take on different sides depending on the task they are doing. When a woman is in the office she might take a more masculine-like kind of stance just like when she is repairing something in the house. Other times she is more feminine and ‘motherly’. When developing a website or an experience we need to keep in mind what are the differences between women and men without thinking of the clichés but rather taking these difference seriously to make both men and women comfortable in the purchasing process and use of the product. As Agnete says ‘ a happy woman = a happy man = a happy life’.

The key takeaway from this presentation was the way that a design consulting works, the focus that companies need to have on consumers and the importance of the research process. Therefore, make sure that in your company you really understand your customer and create experiences that really please him or her. If you do this, your sales will increase and as a result your shareholders will be happy!
]]>Fri, 18 May 2012 07:29:19 -0800http://www.venturepreneurs.org/2/post/2012/05/the-top-trends-for-201213-according-to-the-venturepreneurs.htmlThe Venturepreneurs’ Organisation is a pan-European organization of serial entrepreneurs and investors. They meet twice per year to discuss trends, share their network and stories as well as collaborate on new projects. One of the most interesting sessions of the 9th Summit that was held in Gavà this year in May was the ‘Trends session’. In 2 hours each Venturepreneur discussed what he thought to be the trend to follow in the next few years. Below we can explore these 13 trends that might shape our future.

1. Mass Customization
3D printing has been around for some time already. It is now making it’s way to mainstream and the technology has improved so much that 3D printers can now replicate themselves – robots creating robots! Once technology makes its way to the street and the masses can take more control over it imagine the kind of potential that could be unleashed. Toys, clothes, electronics, furniture – all you want could be replicated and personalized across the entire world.

2. Banking/Mobile payments
We all know that mobile payment will somehow emerge as the form of payment for many. The question is who will be the winner in this space? Will it take the shape of the credit card industry with a MasterCard, Visa and Amex or will there be many more players?

3. Proximity Based Services
We are living two lives, one in the physical space and another in the digital space. It only makes sense that there be an ever increasing merging of these two worlds. Mobile has immensely helped this transition with location based communities. More and more applications will find a way to have proximity based services take over many aspects of your life, such as messaging, dating and advertising.

4. Online Bookings
Vertical online bookings are a reality and can only become bigger. Book your flight, hotel, restaurant and whatever you need online. Some spaces are cluttered already but there are many possibilities for websites to become the no.1 booking site for the vertical industry they represent.

5. Online Education
Education as we know it has not changed very much since World War 2. The content might have somewhat evolved and been updated, but the majority of education takes place in classrooms with a professor and 20 or more students taking notes from the blackboard. It is time to change this and in the next 10/20 years we will observe an educational revolution where students will prepare for class before school via online videos given by the best professors in the world.

6. eCommerce
This industry has taken off in the past years and Amazon is the absolute winner in this space from a global perspective. But there are still many opportunities. Redesigning the experience, going into new industries and ‘owning’ a customer for life are some of these opportunities.

7. HTML5 & apps
It would seem like HTML5 is the winning technology for future apps for mobile devices. Therefore start developing your apps in HTML5 because this technology allows you to have an app on different platforms and at the same time keeping and adapting the design, look & feel.

8.Social Validation
We are many on the web and we are looking for ways to stand out from the crowd. The internet is a much bigger crowd than your high school, college or workplace. Social validation systems, ways and services that rank your social status online will be ever more important.

9. Second Screen TV
The TV industry is another industry that is moving very slowly. We still watch TV from our sofa. Many have switched to online streaming, but we still watch TV from a screen and take in what is displayed on the screen. That’s why we are seeing, slowly, the emergence of 2nd screen TV’s. 2nd screen TVs are applications on your mobile device that allow you to further engage with the program you are watching on TV. For example; as you are watching Formula 1 on TV you can see extra facts and figures about the race on your tablet. In addition you can also interact and share what you are watching on your social networks.

10. Last but not least…. Mobile
We have not mentioned it but from the above trends the simple truth comes out that mobile, smartphones, tablets are becoming our major outlet for media, entertainment, messaging and communities. While laptops and computers are where we work. Not to mention the importance of mobile devices in emerging and underdeveloped countries where computers are not even an option.

Trends are an educated guess of the future based on past and present occurrences. The Venturepreneurs are a group of professionals who’s business is to be aware of trends and ‘catch the wave’ of what is about to come. In our opinion something that might have been missed is the cable-free connected home. The idea of having media, appliances, computers, tablets, mobiles and all that is electronic connected and fully integrated on the wi-fi network. What do you see as the next wave?
]]>Thu, 05 Apr 2012 01:02:18 -0800http://www.venturepreneurs.org/2/post/2012/04/mwc-2012-wrap-up.htmlThis year’s Mobile World Congress gathered over 60 000 (official) attendees and, as it was expected, it also brought a lot of novelties that will set the trend in 2013. However it seems that what really made the difference in this year´s edition is that alongside this huge event we could notice countless side events that took place during that busy, not only for the mobile industry, week.

Starting one day before the official Congress, the Mobile Sunday event (free, unofficial, informal meeting that has become a sort of tradition) gathered together the most influent people in the mobile industry chatting and networking with startups and VC’s who were exchanging valuable stories, this year at the City Hall club.  

On day one, TechCrunch Europe organized an interactive event featuring some of the most innovative and interesting startups and investors from the industry who were discussing important issues concerning the mobile ecosystem.

Day two was really busy with a lot of informal events, including a networking cocktail at Gild International sponsored by m8 Capital (a venture capital company from London) with participation of the Active Venture Partners team. A night filled with great ambience thanks to the top notch investors, entrepreneurs and executives from the mobile industry, simply networking and sharing thoughts with each other. Even some of our very own Venturepreneurs: Eñeko Knorr, Richard Murbeck, Christian Mandl and Oliver Holle, attended. The energetic atmosphere was also enhanced by an incredible live jazz band.

Another informal, laid-back event was organized by Helen Keegan on the 29th February, where Swedish Beers were on the menu. A no-guest-list event welcomed all the ones who weren´t suited-up and equipped with the business cards. The main objective of the party was to simply enjoy each other’s company and relax far away from the MWC buzz.

The concluding event on the last day of this year’s congress was organized by MLOVE, who invited a crowd made of entrepreneurs, bloggers, startups, investors and mobile geeks to an exclusive reception that was just a perfect ending to this chaotic yet constructive week.

As far as the official MWC is concerned it wouldn’t be fair not to mention the main trends that we will witness throughout the year. We can definitely expect an increased use of mobile devices and applications and the rising popularity of smart tablets, a trend sustained by most of the mobile manufacturers that showcased their new products. During those 4 days of the conference we saw Microsoft introducing the consumer preview version of Windows 8, a combination of a touch-friendly tablet interface with the traditional Windows desktop. Samsung introduced its Galaxy Beam, a projector screen phone that besides from making phone calls, projects videos, images and even PowerPoint presentations onto any surface. Nokia presented Nokia 808 PureView with its 41-megapixel camera sensor that probably makes it the best camera in the history of mobile so far. On the other hand, HTC´s One X showcased smartphone with its blazing-fast new processor that provides incredibly fast web surfing with a great picture quality on an enormous display. And last but not least Sonny Xperia P surprised with its super bright screen with an additional white pixel to its LCD screen which makes it one of the brightest screens in the industry.

It is been only a month since the event took place and the mobile industry is already getting ready for the next year´s congress, the only thing that we are sure of is that the event coordinators have invited us to a new location: Fira de Gran Vía de Barcelona on 25 – 28 February 2013, the rest is still unrevealed, but who doesn’t like to be surprised?!

]]>Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:32:38 -0800http://www.venturepreneurs.org/2/post/2012/02/davos-2012-and-entrepreneurship.htmlLast year we wrote a blog entry about “Entrepreneurship in Davos and the year ahead”. Entrepreneurship was a leading topic in last year’s discussions, especially because many politicians saw it as a way out of the crisis. After one year we can say that entrepreneurship has been a buzz word for many and we’ve seen amazing things happening from Silicon Valley to the “Mediterranean Valley”. LinkedIn has gone public and now Facebook is following. Skype has been acquired by Microsoft and hundreds of events around entrepreneurship are taking place! It has been a great pleasure to see that at the 2012 World Economic Forum in Davos, Global Entrepreneurship had its own section on the website - further proof of the growing importance.

Although as they say, not all that glitters is gold, in his recent blog post in the Harvard Business Review, Daniel Isenberg argues that entrepreneurship (innovative, high-growth and job creation) is not what is really talked about. Too much focus is placed on self-employment and small businesses that are enough to sustain an individual or a family, but don’t create the type of growth and job creation necessary to make a dent in a country’s economy. Below we will explore what has been said at Davos 2012 and throughout the year see if words have turned into action – something entrepreneurs are very good at doing!

Entrepreneurship and the future

There has been a lot of talk by Klaus Schwab at Davos about the future; the future of jobs, the future of youth, the future of the environment and it seems like all the roads lead to Rome entrepreneurship. Sometimes explicitly, other times inexplicitly, entrepreneurs and innovation have been mentioned as the solution to growth, job creation, saving the environment and in general as those capable of making a dream/idea a reality. On a personal note, we want to remind you that the idea is important, but the successful entrepreneur is the one that can gather the right talent around him/herself and can execute!

Is entrepreneurship the 21st Century career?

At Davos an extremely positive attitude could be seen from everyone when it comes to entrepreneurs. It’s almost as if entrepreneurship has become a career. One can now study entrepreneurship at university and take an idea to an incubator, receive courses around pitching to investors, go to events, grow the company and sell it. It has become somewhat of a structured path like building a CV, to go and work for a big firm. In addition we have seen that the rewards of building a successful startup can be huge with all the investments and exits that are available today. Obviously huge rewards are also linked to greater risk – something important to keep in mind.

Barriers to entry & commoditization of entrepreneurship

The rise of information technology, globalization and increased knowledge sharing have been crucial factors in allowing teams and individuals to find the skill sets needed to create cheap prototypes of their main products that ride the wave of platforms like Facebook or the iPhone. As a result we are seeing many small players creating apps, social games and other software or hardware at a fraction of a cost leveraging resources and talent from different countries and with the advantage of not having to move from behind a computer.

This is all very beautiful, but some key questions arise; are we creating sustainable value or seasonal companies with seasonal apps? Is there valuable intellectual property and ideas that change the world or are we simply fueling a consumer, mindless society? And most importantly, are we blurring the lines between a family bakery and a 3 person developer team with an app selling for €0.99 cents and both with a revenue of €300.000/year?

There seem to be more and more young entrepreneurs, some are high-growth, status-quo changers, many are lifestyle entrepreneurs that are happy creating small enterprises that will stay small. What is apparent is that politicians and world leaders don’t distinguish enough from the two. Both are important and essential, but policies need to differ and the future Facebook, Google, cancer curing company cannot be treated the same as a cupcake store. We want to see a greater support towards those entrepreneurs and startups that will change the world and world leaders are not doing enough, as it was apparent in Davos where entrepreneurship was in everyone’s speeches, but on no one’s agenda!

]]>Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:08:01 -0800http://www.venturepreneurs.org/2/post/2012/01/7-top-tech-trends-for-2012.htmlIn 2011, the technological progress was remarkable. The world of Smartphones and tablets has further evolved. We can’t imagine a world without these changing technologies anymore and we are curious about upcoming trends and innovations. We made a little forecast of the hottest technological trends for 2012. This year we will surely see some new disruptive technology, but some predictions can be made based on what we have seen in 2011.

Cloud Computing

With examples like Apple’s growing iCloud, Cloud Computing will be one of the hottest continuing trends for 2012. It was introduced in 2011 and a lot more seems to come. The security of cloud computing could also be an area of opportunity. While the market remains in its early stages in 2011 and 2012, it will see large enterprise providers fully engaged in delivering a range of offerings to build cloud environments and deliver cloud services such as the successful Startup Nephoscale. It’s a cloud company, which has its own data center and sells on demand. The global cloud computing market will presumably reach $241 billion in 2020 compared to $40.7 billion in 2010 (source: Forrester Research).

Tablet Computers

Tablets consolidated their presence on the market in 2011 after a successful entry in 2010. Inquiries for tablet computers are constantly rising and the iPad 2 shows record-breaking sales revenues for the 4th quarter of 2011. The tablet market is expected to grow to $35 billion by 2012 (source: Reuters).

Online Storage

The amount of data in our world has been exceeding human expectations and analyzing large data sets will become a key in leading to new waves of productivity growth, innovation, and consumer surplus. Managing big data sets will require new technologies such as in-memory DBMS (Database Management System) which will make analytics and data warehousing faster. DBMS is a software package with computer programs that control the creation, maintenance, and use of a database. Online Storage Providers like Dropbox, Carbonite or Box are likely to have huge success in 2012. New startups and other small businesses will make use of these Service Providers and therefore we anticipate a bright future for Online Storage.

Contextual & Social User Experience

Context-aware computing uses information about a user’s environment, activities, connections and preferences to improve the quality of interaction with the end-user. The contextual application anticipates our requirements based on information such as our current location, temperature, activity calendar or even current TV show being watched. It can help build skills in augmented reality, model-driven security and ensemble applications. Social information is also becoming a major source of contextual information to enhance delivery of search results or the operation of applications.

Mobile Apps & App Stores

The Mobile App World continues to grow and now more than ever before people believe to be able to make a fortune by programming an App. This hype is likely to continue in 2012. Many organisations feel the urge to make use of mobile apps and start creating their own corporate apps. Global mobile application store revenues are about to reach $15 billion in 2011, and are expected to grow to $58 billion by 2014 (source: Gartner).

App stores by Apple and Android provide marketplaces where millions of applications are available to mobile users. According to Gartner Android reached a market share of 52,5 % in Q3 with iOS (15,0%) and RIM (11,0%) being far behind. Android’s growth in 2011 is remarkable and is very likely to continue in 2012.

The forecast indicates that by 2014 there will be more than 70 billion mobile application downloads from app stores every year. The role of IT may shift from a centralized planner to a market manager providing governance and brokerage services to users.

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality can be seen in games, location apps and can also be used to search for coffee shops or other locations. An example of an app using this kind of Augmented Reality is WorkSnug, a startup connecting mobile workers to the nearest and best places to work in cities around the world. In future it will be seen related to various different products. Augmented Reality puts a virtual view on top of your real world. Looking up a restaurant in your neighborhood gets a complete new touch and is becoming a real experience. Use tools such as Yelp to see its location, to search for reviews and other restaurants right on top of your on-screen view of the street. Mobile Augmented Reality will show substantial growth and is definitely one of the key trends, not only for 2012. A report from Visiongain indicated that 25% of all app downloads will include some sort of augmented reality.

Internet Television

According to media reports Apple is negotiating with media companies about iTV, Apple’s television. Apple’s intention here is to join competition with Cupertino’s Google TV. The Apple TV is expected to come in two different screen sizes (32 and 37 inches). Almost certainly iTV will integrate its voice recognition system Siri. Customers will be able to control the television with their iPhones and iPads. iTV users will be able to stream films and music via iTunes. According to his biography Apple TV was the last big project of Apple Mastermind Steve Jobs who regrettably passed away last year. A lot of people are very curious about iTV and we’ll see in 2012 how it’s going to be perceived by its potential customers.

2012 will definitely bring some new innovative technologies and we can already see huge progress in the mobile sector and it seems to be only the beginning. We’ll observe these tech trends in 2012 and see whether there will be new ones to be discovered.

]]>Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:50:35 -0800http://www.venturepreneurs.org/2/post/2011/12/2011-european-entrepreneurship-wrap-up.htmlThis year has been exciting for entrepreneurship in terms of numbers, news, conferences and enthusiasm. It seems like there is a ‘must-attend’ conference every week and that startups get created and bought out on a daily basis at valuations we have never seen before. Back in June Steve Blank stated that we were seeing the beginning of a bubble but it was not necessarily a bad thing because we see investments in new technologies. Six months down the road we have not seen the bubble burst yet, but who knows what will happen in 2012?

Startup cities

The advantage that we have in Europe is the variety of countries,  cities, people and cultures. Very interestingly both the Wall Street Journal and Wired reported about the different entrepreneurial cities of Europe; Barcelona, Berlin, Moscow, Tallinn, and more. What is obvious is that each of these ecosystems is seeing a wave of 1st generation or 2nd generation entrepreneurs with good ideas, good teams and anxious to change the status quo. 

Events

We are seeing a growing numbers of local and international events in Europe.  Those that want to go to important international conferences can do that. There is NOAH in London, LeWeb in Paris, and SIME now in Stockholm, Vienna, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Helsinki. Then there are very local or geographic base conferences like Seedcamp and Startup Europe and big award ceremonies like Techcrunch or more niche and very selective summits like F.ounders, White Bull and our own Venturepreneurs’ Summit. It is so motivating and inspiring seeing Europe unifying at these events and work together for entrepreneurship.

EU Emerging stars

In the past years there has been a lot of talk about Europe being the copycat factory of Silicon Valley startups. We don’t doubt that many have copied ideas from the USA, but 2011 has been a year where EU originals stepped on the world stage because of their achievements. Spotify is the music sensation of the web and has now landed in the USA. Skype has been sold to Microsoft in an $8.5 Billion deal. There are hundreds of original startups emerging from Europe - from enterprise software to mobile apps to new internet services and biotech. In the past years these startups have raised money and they are now ready to internationalize and become leaders in their industry.

EU Copycats

Albeit a wave of innovation we do still see many copycats. This is a reality of Europe and not necessarily a bad one. Copycats are not always unimaginative or not innovative. Copying an idea in the same place where it started is much different than copying an idea in a new market with different languages, culture and so on. In addition it creates competition, a necessity to somehow differentiate itself, jobs and experience. Todays copycats could be tomorrow’s innovators and the experience gained by the founder and the team around him can just help the next generation of entrepreneurs. 

2011 was a big year and 2012 might be even bigger. Silicon Valley has always been a step ahead but Europe is catching up at a fast pace and creating a unique and borderless environment. Now entrepreneurs can finally choose where to start a company. Capital, talent, infrastructure, networking, advisors and all the pieces of the puzzle can be found here. Therefore make 2012 the year of the entrepreneurs!

]]>Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:47:39 -0800http://www.venturepreneurs.org/2/post/2011/11/the-venturepreneurs-go-wien.htmlThe Venturepreneurs had their 8th summit in Vienna from the 2nd to the 4th of October. This time around the summit took place in conjunction with the Vienna Startup Week 2011. Not only did two of our Venturepreneurs – Oliver Holle and Markus Wagner – inspire and push forward the conference; Jose Marin, Jan Andresen and Christian Mandl also participated as speakers and lecturers for the entrepreneurs.

The Summit saw more than one novelty, from format to location to members. For the first time the summit was held outside of the Barcelona area. In the future this will become a tradition. One out of the two yearly summits will take place in a European entrepreneurial capital. The purpose is to meet new entrepreneurs and get to know the trends and markets all over Europe.

We are also very happy to announce the addition of a new Venturepreneur, Dirk Freise, founder of blau.de. He is a very successful entrepreneur and investor in the telecommunications/mobile space. Dirk is from Hamburg and manages blau.de which got sold to KPN, one of the biggest phone operators in Europe.

The structure of the summits has also slightly changed to reflect the feedback and the evolution of the organisation. For the first time the Venturepreneurs will create their own investment fund: the Venturepreneurs’ Fund will be a pan-European investment fund. For more information about this stay tuned, you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity of being selected to receive this important investment.

We are very happy that the Venturepreneurs are making giant leaps into transforming the summits into a regular and valuable experience. The organisation is growing at a sustainable and controlled level from a quantity point of view and exponentially from a qualitative perspective. We thank each and everyone for attending and participating and look forward to seeing you back in Barcelona in May 2012 for the 9th Summit!

]]>Thu, 20 Oct 2011 06:49:31 -0800http://www.venturepreneurs.org/2/post/2011/10/rodolfo-carpintier-on-emprendedorescom.htmlOne of our Venturepreneurs, Rodolfo Carpintier, was interviewed by the magazine Emprendedores the last 20th of September 2011. He is a serial entrepreneur with over 27 years of experience in the Internet industry, an active Venturepreneur member and founder of the Internet incubator DaD. In the interview, Rodolfo shares different perspectives on the situation of the industry and on his experience as an investor.

We have summarized for you the main topics of the interview:

DaD – The Internet Incubator
After his experience in Netjuice, Rodolfo created DaD, a 2.0 Internet incubator. Rodolfo explained the process the projects go through in DaD. From more or less 700 project proposals received, they finally decide to invest in 7. Sometimes they help the entrepreneur to build up his corporate team and usually hold 15-25% participation. They usually accompany the entrepreneur along the different stages (from start until exit) for about 5 years. A hint on how to get into DaD? Show that you are an entrepreneur but also have management skills!

An overlook on the Internet industry
According to Rodolfo, the industry has changed significantly during the last years. It used to be very costly to invest in technology in the early days whereas now with €50,000  you can easily get the technology.
The success of projects like Tuenti or BuyVip has increased the number of Business Angels in Spain. It’s not true that there is no money for new projects. There are very few people who are ready to analyze technological projects and thus it’s difficult for technological projects to get funds.
 
To invest or not to invest
First of all, the project needs to be scalable, which means that it will generate average revenues of €200 million after 5 years. To see a balanced team is also a key factor when analyzing a project. It’s very important for entrepreneurs to know how to sell the idea.

Rodolfo explained that a couple of times in DaD they have rejected projects, which later on they realized they were worth the investment, but the initial valuation was too high.

Entrepreneurs’ common mistakes
An unbalanced team and the wrong business model can lead the entrepreneur and the venture on the wrong path. The first common mistake is that entrepreneurs sometimes feel they can handle it by themselves. Secondly relying 100% on advertising and not defining other revenue sources is also a frequent error amongst Internet entrepreneurs. At least 75 % of the revenue should come from other sources.
Experienced Venturepreneur
Rodolfo has been an investor and entrepreneur in the Internet industry for a long time. As an entrepreneur he created two Internet incubators and as an investor  he has been involved in three important Spanish Internet projects of the last decade: BuyVip, Tuenti and Xplane.

The interview provides the reader with very interesting and sound insights of the situation of Internet and start-up these days. We are very proud to have such an experienced member amongst our organisation. Great interview, Rodolfo! 

]]>Thu, 18 Aug 2011 07:19:24 -0800http://www.venturepreneurs.org/2/post/2011/08/post-title-click-and-type-to-edit.html
It has now been 4 years since the existence of the Venturepreneurs’ Organisation. It was 2007 when Christopher Pommerening, Philipp Schroeder and Ricard Soderberg coined the term “Venturepreneur”. The whole concept and organisation are based on very simple but deep and solid ideas. A Venturpreneur is an entrepreneur who also acts as private investor. The Venturepreneurs’ Organisation has the mission to group international Venturepreneurs together.

All of this might seem as any other entrepreneurial association or business angel network, but the reality is that there is a very powerful underlying concept. Unlike a business angel, which term has become very broad, the Venturepreneur Organisation searches for those individuals who have created their own ventures and are now investing actively into new ventures. The added value of a Venturepreneur is the entrepreneurial experience that comes with the investment. Advice is as important as money in a startup as a fragile idea is being implemented into a marketable product or service. This is where the role of the Venturepreneur can really stand out in both experience and network of contacts.

Four years ago it is not to say that Venturepreneurs didn’t exist, in fact many famous entrepreneurs once they finished their first project went on to create a new one and also invested in others. The difference lies in the recognition of such added value and in the “formalisation” of such a term and role.

Since the inception of the organisation the idea has received recognition and the membership is growing at a good controlled base. We now count more than 25 Venturepreneurs from 11 different countries. Each Venturepreneur has an average of 8 investments and has created various companies with many successful exits. All of a sudden one realises the value and worth of these individuals.

The Venturepreneurs will meet for their 8th Summit in Vienna on the 2nd of October. The summits take place twice per year in fall and spring. We have decided this time to have it in Vienna, unlike the usual Barcelona area, because it will take place in conjunction with the Vienna Startup Week.

We are happy that we got some press coverage on Rodolfo Carpintier’s blog, he is also a Venturepreneur in the organisation and it would be a safe bet to say he is the most experienced and gives the group valuable wisdom. From Carpintier’s blog entry also Pablo Martinez from Todostartups.com wrote about the concept of Venturepreneurship. We like to see the concept gain more awareness because entrepreneurs need to know that Venturepreneurs are special individuals who can give added value to a startup and make a difference between success and failure.

]]>Thu, 12 May 2011 08:03:45 -0800http://www.venturepreneurs.org/2/post/2011/05/the-venturepreneurs-organizations-7th-summit.htmlThe 7th Summit of the Venturepreneurs’ Organization took place from the 5th to the 7th of May in Sitges. The main venue of the summit was the spectacular Hotel Dolce. Breathtaking views of the sea and the beach town set the stage for a very productive and enjoyable gathering. 

The working sessions took place in a beautiful conference room facing Sitges and the sea. There were 19 Venturepreneurs that came from different parts of Spain, Germany, Austria, France, Sweden, Romania, Croatia, Mexico and Holland.
 
The Venturepreneurs had 4 distinct sessions during this time:

Session 1:

A short introduction of the new members who just joined the Venturepreneurs’ Organization combined with an update from the existing Venturepreneurs is always a must at the Summits. Here the members describe their “Best & Worst” of their past 6 months in a few minutes in order for others to understand on a professional and personal level where each member stands.                            

Session 2:

The Venturepreneurs are combining their efforts to implement a common project that will enable them to foster entrepreneurship on an international level. As these individuals cover more than 10 international markets around 3 continents they rely on well-established and powerful networks that can really make a difference. We will keep you posted on this project that will make a big difference for seed and start-up entrepreneurs in Europe. 
            
Session 3:

A very important section of the summit is for every Venturepreneur to share what s/he needs (contacts, knowledge, experiences, etc.) in the professional and/or personal life. Each member can share 3 needs and present them to the group and then the others can volunteer to offer their lead on a specific issue.
 
Session 4:

The Venturepreneurs are have gathered many years of experience and are experts in their fields. None-the-less they are also individuals that like to grow companies, people and themselves on a constant basis. This year we invited two highly regarded professionals in order to share their insights with the Venturepreneurs. Verne Harnish, experienced entrepreneur and expert in high-growth companies with Gazelles, and Jose Mestres, Managing Director at Blackstone and expert in the M&A and IPO fields, had rich discussions with the Venturepreneurs. Verne Harnish gave a lot of advice to the Venturepreneurs regarding both their professional and personal lives. A key takeaway is to remember to dedicate time to the venture but without disregarding the wife and children in the family. Jose Mestres gave a very informative talk outlining IPO and M&A strategies and suggesting that now-a-days M&A is a preferred exit for a tech entrepreneur while IPOs are very cyclical and tend to follow the economic patterns of a country.

It was a summit enriched by ideas, facts, figures and especially people. What matters is value and this is what the Venturepreneurs’ found in this summit.  We are happy to announce that the next Summit will take place in Vienna and we all look forward to the next October 2011 Summit – “Venturepreneurs go Wien”!

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