Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator
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Diego Ballesteros is one of Spain's most prominent serial entrepreneurs and business angels, backing some of the most successful acquisitions in Spain and Latin America. He made his first disclosed investment in 2016, as an angel investor of Spanish femtech WOOM’s pre-seed and seed funding rounds. He is currently the sole founder of Bewe SaaS for beauty and wellness professionals.Ballesteros started his first enterprise in 1997, an online classified ads platform Ocioteca.com and also MundoSalud that was acquired by Sanitas of Bupa Group. Cabify and co-investments with Seaya Ventures also form part of his investment portfolio. One of his biggest successes is on-demand food delivery platform SinDelantal with operations in Spain and Mexico. In 2013, the Spanish delivery company was acquired by Just Eat that later also bought the Mexican company in 2015.
Diego Ballesteros is one of Spain's most prominent serial entrepreneurs and business angels, backing some of the most successful acquisitions in Spain and Latin America. He made his first disclosed investment in 2016, as an angel investor of Spanish femtech WOOM’s pre-seed and seed funding rounds. He is currently the sole founder of Bewe SaaS for beauty and wellness professionals.Ballesteros started his first enterprise in 1997, an online classified ads platform Ocioteca.com and also MundoSalud that was acquired by Sanitas of Bupa Group. Cabify and co-investments with Seaya Ventures also form part of his investment portfolio. One of his biggest successes is on-demand food delivery platform SinDelantal with operations in Spain and Mexico. In 2013, the Spanish delivery company was acquired by Just Eat that later also bought the Mexican company in 2015.
Established in 2015, Unovis Asset Management is a New York-based investor focussed on the alternative protein sector. It has raised two funds to date, the New Crop Capital Trust and The Alternative Protein Fund. It aims to transform the global food system by investing in solutions that facilitate sustained behavioral change and eliminate the consumption of animal protein products. It partners with entrepreneurs developing innovative plant-based and cultivated replacements to animal products, including meat, seafood, dairy and eggs. It currently has 33 companies in its portfolio and has managed three exits to date including Beyond Meat. Its recent investments include the undisclosed convertible note round of Spanish plant-based meat startup Foods for Tomorrow in May 2020 and in the $28m seed round of US plant-based startup Alpha Foods in February 2020.
Established in 2015, Unovis Asset Management is a New York-based investor focussed on the alternative protein sector. It has raised two funds to date, the New Crop Capital Trust and The Alternative Protein Fund. It aims to transform the global food system by investing in solutions that facilitate sustained behavioral change and eliminate the consumption of animal protein products. It partners with entrepreneurs developing innovative plant-based and cultivated replacements to animal products, including meat, seafood, dairy and eggs. It currently has 33 companies in its portfolio and has managed three exits to date including Beyond Meat. Its recent investments include the undisclosed convertible note round of Spanish plant-based meat startup Foods for Tomorrow in May 2020 and in the $28m seed round of US plant-based startup Alpha Foods in February 2020.
Scottish Enterprise, a public arm of the Scottish Government, facilitates investments and economic growth of businesses in the eastern, central, and southern areas of Scotland. Led by Chairman Bob Keiller, Scottish Enterprise fulfills the objectives of the Scottish Government. It employs 1,100 staff across 14 offices in the UK and 33 overseas.Founded in 1975 as the Scottish Development Agency (SDA), it changed into Scottish Enterprise in 1991. Its operative structure was initially formed by Local Enterprise Companies (LECs) with boards led by local entrepreneurs. Since 2000, former limited companies have become wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Scottish Enterprise.Based on its performance report for 2017–2018, Scottish Enterprise has helped portfolio companies with £315m in R&D funds and secured capital investment of £215m.
Scottish Enterprise, a public arm of the Scottish Government, facilitates investments and economic growth of businesses in the eastern, central, and southern areas of Scotland. Led by Chairman Bob Keiller, Scottish Enterprise fulfills the objectives of the Scottish Government. It employs 1,100 staff across 14 offices in the UK and 33 overseas.Founded in 1975 as the Scottish Development Agency (SDA), it changed into Scottish Enterprise in 1991. Its operative structure was initially formed by Local Enterprise Companies (LECs) with boards led by local entrepreneurs. Since 2000, former limited companies have become wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Scottish Enterprise.Based on its performance report for 2017–2018, Scottish Enterprise has helped portfolio companies with £315m in R&D funds and secured capital investment of £215m.
The Boston-based Grantham Environmental Trust is part of the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment. The philanthropic organization was founded in 1997 by entrepreneurs Jeremy Grantham and his wife Hannelore as a private foundation controlled by family members. Grantham is chairman and co-founder of investment management firm GMO. The charitable trust has independent trustees like the CEOs of World Wildlife Fund US and the Rocky Mountain Institute. The trust’s Neglected Climate Opportunities LLC invests in little-funded yet promising climate change prevention technologies. Recent investments include the $12m Series A round of Vence, a US-based producer of a virtual fencing wearable for livestock management in May 2021 and the January 2021 investment round of US sustainable electrofuels producer Infinium.
The Boston-based Grantham Environmental Trust is part of the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment. The philanthropic organization was founded in 1997 by entrepreneurs Jeremy Grantham and his wife Hannelore as a private foundation controlled by family members. Grantham is chairman and co-founder of investment management firm GMO. The charitable trust has independent trustees like the CEOs of World Wildlife Fund US and the Rocky Mountain Institute. The trust’s Neglected Climate Opportunities LLC invests in little-funded yet promising climate change prevention technologies. Recent investments include the $12m Series A round of Vence, a US-based producer of a virtual fencing wearable for livestock management in May 2021 and the January 2021 investment round of US sustainable electrofuels producer Infinium.
Crevisse Partners is a South Korean investor and venture builder with an impact focus. Its name stands for “Creative, Visionary and Social Entrepreneurs”. Originally incorporated in 2004, Crevisse claims to be the first impact investor in Korea, even before such terms became commonplace. The company strives to develop businesses in sectors “where the market principle wasn’t working”.Crevisse has internally incubated a number of companies in South Korea, such as reusable drinking cup company BringYourCup, sustainable forestry firm Forest Trust, and fundraising service DONUS. Crevisse Ventures is the company’s dedicated VC arm that manages a $20m fund and a number of blended finance funds through collaborations with government agencies and financial institutions. In particular, Crevisse Ventures focuses on startups that solve problems in four major areas: urban communities; climate and energy; education and welfare; as well as jobs and economic growth.
Crevisse Partners is a South Korean investor and venture builder with an impact focus. Its name stands for “Creative, Visionary and Social Entrepreneurs”. Originally incorporated in 2004, Crevisse claims to be the first impact investor in Korea, even before such terms became commonplace. The company strives to develop businesses in sectors “where the market principle wasn’t working”.Crevisse has internally incubated a number of companies in South Korea, such as reusable drinking cup company BringYourCup, sustainable forestry firm Forest Trust, and fundraising service DONUS. Crevisse Ventures is the company’s dedicated VC arm that manages a $20m fund and a number of blended finance funds through collaborations with government agencies and financial institutions. In particular, Crevisse Ventures focuses on startups that solve problems in four major areas: urban communities; climate and energy; education and welfare; as well as jobs and economic growth.
Gerard Olivé is a serial entrepreneur based in Barcelona. He is currently the co-CEO and co-founder of Antai Venture Builder, in charge of a multimillion-euro advertising inventory. He graduated in Audiovisual Communications at Barcelona's Ramon Llull University. As an angel investor, Olivé made his first disclosed investment in 2016 when he participated in the pre-seed and subsequent seed funding rounds of Spanish femtech WOOM. He founded BeRepublic, a strategic consulting firm specializing in digital businesses in southern Europe and Latin America. In 2015, he co-founded BeAgency, an interactive marketing agency with offices in Barcelona and Madrid. He is also a co-founder and mentor of Connector Startup Accelerator. He has also co-founded startups like Wallapop, Glovo, CornerJob, Deliberry, Shoppiday, Shopery, BePretty, Mascoteros, Marmota, Havet, Prontopiso, Medox and Trendier.
Gerard Olivé is a serial entrepreneur based in Barcelona. He is currently the co-CEO and co-founder of Antai Venture Builder, in charge of a multimillion-euro advertising inventory. He graduated in Audiovisual Communications at Barcelona's Ramon Llull University. As an angel investor, Olivé made his first disclosed investment in 2016 when he participated in the pre-seed and subsequent seed funding rounds of Spanish femtech WOOM. He founded BeRepublic, a strategic consulting firm specializing in digital businesses in southern Europe and Latin America. In 2015, he co-founded BeAgency, an interactive marketing agency with offices in Barcelona and Madrid. He is also a co-founder and mentor of Connector Startup Accelerator. He has also co-founded startups like Wallapop, Glovo, CornerJob, Deliberry, Shoppiday, Shopery, BePretty, Mascoteros, Marmota, Havet, Prontopiso, Medox and Trendier.
Launched in 2015 in Brussels, EIT Food was established by the not-for-profit European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) and funded by the European Union as an investor and accelerator. Its aim is to support mainly European startups in foodtech areas ranging from traceability to alternative proteins, with sustainability a key deciding factor in the startups it backs from pre-seed to Series-B level. The organization currently has 55 startups in its portfolio, which raised more than €91m in investments in 2020. Its most recent investments include 700,000 Swiss francs (€637,000) in the seed round in January 2021 of Swiss biotech SwissDeCode, a company that applies DNA testing to food traceability. Another investment was the December 2020 €900,000 seed round of Spanish compostable-packaging tech Food Sourcing Specialists.
Launched in 2015 in Brussels, EIT Food was established by the not-for-profit European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) and funded by the European Union as an investor and accelerator. Its aim is to support mainly European startups in foodtech areas ranging from traceability to alternative proteins, with sustainability a key deciding factor in the startups it backs from pre-seed to Series-B level. The organization currently has 55 startups in its portfolio, which raised more than €91m in investments in 2020. Its most recent investments include 700,000 Swiss francs (€637,000) in the seed round in January 2021 of Swiss biotech SwissDeCode, a company that applies DNA testing to food traceability. Another investment was the December 2020 €900,000 seed round of Spanish compostable-packaging tech Food Sourcing Specialists.
Entrepreneur First is a global entrepreneur incubator program and early-startup investor. The incubator is an intensive six-month program for founders and aspiring entrepreneurs to help them develop ideas that can go into building their own companies. The program is held in six cities around the world: Bangalore; Berlin, London, Paris, Singapore and Toronto (Canada).Participants do not need to have a startup or a specific business idea to participate, and those who have established their own companies can seek partners or co-founders at the program. Roughly 40-50% of the cohort reach the “Launch” phase, where the participants have established their own companies and received investments from Entrepreneur First and potentially other VCs. Entrepreneur First can invest in a startup built by program participants in exchange for 10% equity. The exact amount invested varies: £80,000 for the European programs; S$75,000 for the Singapore and Bangalore programs; and C$100,000 for the Canada program.
Entrepreneur First is a global entrepreneur incubator program and early-startup investor. The incubator is an intensive six-month program for founders and aspiring entrepreneurs to help them develop ideas that can go into building their own companies. The program is held in six cities around the world: Bangalore; Berlin, London, Paris, Singapore and Toronto (Canada).Participants do not need to have a startup or a specific business idea to participate, and those who have established their own companies can seek partners or co-founders at the program. Roughly 40-50% of the cohort reach the “Launch” phase, where the participants have established their own companies and received investments from Entrepreneur First and potentially other VCs. Entrepreneur First can invest in a startup built by program participants in exchange for 10% equity. The exact amount invested varies: £80,000 for the European programs; S$75,000 for the Singapore and Bangalore programs; and C$100,000 for the Canada program.
Lever VC was founded in 2018 by Nick Cooney, an early investor of Beyond Meat and Memphis Meats. He is also the co-founder of Good Food Institute. Lever has currently invested in 14 startups from the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America.Focused on investments in early-stage alternative protein companies, the firm announced the first close of its Lever VC Fund I in August 2020, with its fourth close at $46m in April 2021. The final close will be completed by June 2021. Investors in the fund include NFL and NBA athletes, British nobility, food businesses, alt-protein companies and family offices as limited partners.In June 2020, Lever launched a $28m joint investment fund and accelerator to invest in Chinese plant-based and cell-cultivated meat and dairy companies. The Lever China Alternative Protein Fund will invest RMB 40m in alt-protein companies in mainland China over the next four years.
Lever VC was founded in 2018 by Nick Cooney, an early investor of Beyond Meat and Memphis Meats. He is also the co-founder of Good Food Institute. Lever has currently invested in 14 startups from the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America.Focused on investments in early-stage alternative protein companies, the firm announced the first close of its Lever VC Fund I in August 2020, with its fourth close at $46m in April 2021. The final close will be completed by June 2021. Investors in the fund include NFL and NBA athletes, British nobility, food businesses, alt-protein companies and family offices as limited partners.In June 2020, Lever launched a $28m joint investment fund and accelerator to invest in Chinese plant-based and cell-cultivated meat and dairy companies. The Lever China Alternative Protein Fund will invest RMB 40m in alt-protein companies in mainland China over the next four years.
Founded in Amsterdam in 2011, Rockstart is a global accelerator-VC focusing on sustainability startups across market segments. Rockstart also runs specialist programs like agrifood in Copenhagen, healthcare in the Dutch town of Nijmegen and also in emerging tech in Bogota, Colombia. It specializes in developing business relationships for portfolio startups with global corporates such as Maersk, Shell and the Dutch Ministry of Health. Rockstart has invested in more than 250 startups, valued at €750m in total.Launched in 2019, Rockstart’s €22m agrifood fund secured investment partners including Vaekstfonden’s Green Future Fund and global dairy cooperative Arla Foods. It has invested in 20 food enterprises like Swiss zero-waste supermarket Lyfa and Danish alt-leather startup Beyond Leather Materials in 2021. Rockstart’s energy fund recently invested in the €730,000 pre-seed round of Danish carbon sequestration corporate marketplace, Klimate, in September 2021. Exits include Wercker, iClinic, Brincr and 3D Hubs.
Founded in Amsterdam in 2011, Rockstart is a global accelerator-VC focusing on sustainability startups across market segments. Rockstart also runs specialist programs like agrifood in Copenhagen, healthcare in the Dutch town of Nijmegen and also in emerging tech in Bogota, Colombia. It specializes in developing business relationships for portfolio startups with global corporates such as Maersk, Shell and the Dutch Ministry of Health. Rockstart has invested in more than 250 startups, valued at €750m in total.Launched in 2019, Rockstart’s €22m agrifood fund secured investment partners including Vaekstfonden’s Green Future Fund and global dairy cooperative Arla Foods. It has invested in 20 food enterprises like Swiss zero-waste supermarket Lyfa and Danish alt-leather startup Beyond Leather Materials in 2021. Rockstart’s energy fund recently invested in the €730,000 pre-seed round of Danish carbon sequestration corporate marketplace, Klimate, in September 2021. Exits include Wercker, iClinic, Brincr and 3D Hubs.
Co-CEO, co-founder of Psquared
Argentinian native Nicolas Araujo Müller is co-CEO and co-founder at Psquared, Spain’s first flexible workplace management and design company for hybrid workspaces. He has worked there since its foundation in April 2018, originally as part of startup hub CoBuilder, and is now its CFO. He is also a part-time advisor and investor at startup development agency We Are Grit, since its launch in 2020.Earlier, Araujo was CFO and co-founder at digital talent agency Bandit, for two years, until 2017. Before that, he held the same roles at his previous Barcelona-based startup, Nubelo, another tech recruitment agency for freelancers, between 2012 and 2016, when it was acquired by Freelancer.com. In 2016, Araujo was a visiting professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona on digital economy.His first startup was Work At Home in Argentina, where he was a co-founder for two years from 2011–13, for which he won local innovation prizes. Prior to this, Araujo held various management consultancy roles, working in business analysis and research at Ernst & Young, Standard & Poor’s and Accenture, from 2008–2012, and completed a stint at the US embassy in Buenos Aires. He is also a founding member of Argentina’s entrepreneur organization, ASEA, established in 2013. Araujo holds a degree in economics from CEMA University, Buenos Aires and a qualification from Harvard University in negotiation. In 2017 and 2013, Araujo was named in Forbes Argentina’s 30 Promesas list of young entrepreneurs.
Argentinian native Nicolas Araujo Müller is co-CEO and co-founder at Psquared, Spain’s first flexible workplace management and design company for hybrid workspaces. He has worked there since its foundation in April 2018, originally as part of startup hub CoBuilder, and is now its CFO. He is also a part-time advisor and investor at startup development agency We Are Grit, since its launch in 2020.Earlier, Araujo was CFO and co-founder at digital talent agency Bandit, for two years, until 2017. Before that, he held the same roles at his previous Barcelona-based startup, Nubelo, another tech recruitment agency for freelancers, between 2012 and 2016, when it was acquired by Freelancer.com. In 2016, Araujo was a visiting professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona on digital economy.His first startup was Work At Home in Argentina, where he was a co-founder for two years from 2011–13, for which he won local innovation prizes. Prior to this, Araujo held various management consultancy roles, working in business analysis and research at Ernst & Young, Standard & Poor’s and Accenture, from 2008–2012, and completed a stint at the US embassy in Buenos Aires. He is also a founding member of Argentina’s entrepreneur organization, ASEA, established in 2013. Araujo holds a degree in economics from CEMA University, Buenos Aires and a qualification from Harvard University in negotiation. In 2017 and 2013, Araujo was named in Forbes Argentina’s 30 Promesas list of young entrepreneurs.
British Oxford-educated engineer William Reeve is a serial investor and entrepreneur who built two successful businesses Fletcher Research and LOVEFiLM.com from scratch and led them to successful exits. He is currently Chairman of online investment management platform Nutmeg.com, CEO of proptech accelerator Goodlord and Non-Executive Director of Dunhelm Soft Furnishings. He was also Co-CEO and Chairman at grocery delivery company Hubbub.co.uk and was Non-Executive Chairman at healthy snack startup Graze.com. He was Head of Operations at Paddy Power betting agency, Managing Director of Oxalyst Systems and has been a non-executive director at a host of online platforms including Secret Escapes, Zoopla! and DealChecker.co.uk.
British Oxford-educated engineer William Reeve is a serial investor and entrepreneur who built two successful businesses Fletcher Research and LOVEFiLM.com from scratch and led them to successful exits. He is currently Chairman of online investment management platform Nutmeg.com, CEO of proptech accelerator Goodlord and Non-Executive Director of Dunhelm Soft Furnishings. He was also Co-CEO and Chairman at grocery delivery company Hubbub.co.uk and was Non-Executive Chairman at healthy snack startup Graze.com. He was Head of Operations at Paddy Power betting agency, Managing Director of Oxalyst Systems and has been a non-executive director at a host of online platforms including Secret Escapes, Zoopla! and DealChecker.co.uk.
Future Positive Capital is a Paris-based VC with a second office in London. Its investments cover deep-technology companies applying AI, biotechnology, synthetic biology, as well as robotics. Co-funded in 2016 by ex-Index Ventures associate Sofia Hmich along with Alexandre Terrien and Michael Rosen; it has made 18 investments to date. In 2019 Future Positive raised over $57m pan-European impact investment fund, claiming that most European VCs are continuing to staying focused on sectors, such as consumer, fintech, and marketing, or web and mobile technologies. Future Positive’s belief is that there is instead, a long-tail of investment opportunities to back businesses that actually tackle “the world’s most pressing problems”.Through this fund, it will back throughout Seed and Series A stages, with the possibility to follow up on Series B investing between around €300,000 and €5m. Since then the company has backed startups in the like of BioBeats, an AI company focused on preventative mental health, cell-based startup Meatable, and more recently NotCo, the Chilean unicorn disrupting the food and beverage sector with AI-enabled plant-based products.The team counts on an extensive network of mentors, innovators, impact angel investors and entrepreneurs such as F1 pilots Nico Rosberg, the MD of Alibaba France Sebastien Badault, the Omid Ashtari the President of Citymapper amongst others.
Future Positive Capital is a Paris-based VC with a second office in London. Its investments cover deep-technology companies applying AI, biotechnology, synthetic biology, as well as robotics. Co-funded in 2016 by ex-Index Ventures associate Sofia Hmich along with Alexandre Terrien and Michael Rosen; it has made 18 investments to date. In 2019 Future Positive raised over $57m pan-European impact investment fund, claiming that most European VCs are continuing to staying focused on sectors, such as consumer, fintech, and marketing, or web and mobile technologies. Future Positive’s belief is that there is instead, a long-tail of investment opportunities to back businesses that actually tackle “the world’s most pressing problems”.Through this fund, it will back throughout Seed and Series A stages, with the possibility to follow up on Series B investing between around €300,000 and €5m. Since then the company has backed startups in the like of BioBeats, an AI company focused on preventative mental health, cell-based startup Meatable, and more recently NotCo, the Chilean unicorn disrupting the food and beverage sector with AI-enabled plant-based products.The team counts on an extensive network of mentors, innovators, impact angel investors and entrepreneurs such as F1 pilots Nico Rosberg, the MD of Alibaba France Sebastien Badault, the Omid Ashtari the President of Citymapper amongst others.
Virtuleap's VR games provide a mental workout, boosting brain health
Used by the AARP and Veteran's Health Administration in the US, Virtuleap’s games with AI-enabled assessment work to improve cognition and to counter degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's
“Good thing about my style. Some like it, some hate it but everybody recognizes it.” @sofíabenjumea
Outspoken with a hands-on management style, Sofía Benjumea is a force to reckon with at Google’s Campus Madrid
FIWARE Accelerator: More open source ecosystem than accelerator
The European open source initiative to boost smart infrastructures and solutions is calling for new participants to join its unique acceleration ecosystem
Women entrepreneurs get ahead faster in Portugal
Still a long way to go for equality, but female founders in Portugal have made significant headstarts as tech innovators
Future Food Asia: Covid-19 sparked dramatic shifts in agriculture in China and India
Key Chinese players from e-commerce giant Pinduoduo and and agritech VC Omnivore share their insights at last week’s agrifood conference by ID Capital
US non-profit investor New Energy Nexus seeks to kickstart Indonesia’s clean energy sectors
With a “patient capital” approach to investments and a variety of programs, New Energy Nexus hopes to show that startups can lead the way in renewables and smart energy
Big Idea Ventures Founder Andrew D Ive: Asia will lead cell-based meat innovation
In a wide-ranging interview, the managing general partner of the US- and Singapore-based foodtech investor also expounds on his goal to extend sustainability to the rest of the food sector, combining good returns with doing good
Xu Jinghong: Champion of young entrepreneurs and high-tech startups
Under Xu Jinghong’s leadership, Tsinghua Holdings grew its assets sevenfold and incubated over 10,000 businesses. In his new role as VC investor, Xu wants to nurture startups into future global leaders
TheVentures founders launch Singapore VC to drive deals in Southeast Asia
The Korean Viki co-founders return to Singapore as venture builders and investors, offering South Korean partnerships and “CTO-as-a-service” in Southeast Asia
BJTech: Chatbots to help young entrepreneurs and SMEs run businesses online
As more businesses go online during Covid-19, BJTech is using chatbots to help them manage customer service, inventory tracking and more
Accelerating Asia bets on unicorn wave from MSME digitalization, logistics
The investor-accelerator’s sixth batch will start accepting applications in December, with greater ESG focus and a pledge to donate 1% of profit on investments to charity
Patamar Capital’s impact investing: On preferred business model, backing women, Mapan
The pioneer in impact investing in Asia gives us the lowdown on its investment criteria, its new focus on women entrepreneurs and related sectors, how it helps its portfolio companies and more
Portugal oceantech II: Single-minded efforts to build an ecosystem of international reference
With dedicated accelerators and investment programs, supported by the EU’s vote of confidence, Portugal appears on track to lead in oceantech
New Food Invest: Opportunities in the European alt-protein space
With a record €2.4bn investment in 2019, Europe’s foodtech sector appears poised for continued growth, but startups, corporations, governments and even universities can do more, experts say
Jesús Encinar: The Man Behind Idealista and 11870.com
Entrepreneur, angel investor and down-to-earth idealist
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