Runway Series (Venture Capital, Startups, Crypto, web3), in partnership with Olive Capital.

Social Good, Crypto, Bridging the Digital Divide: Deep Dive into the UNICEF CryptoFund, at the intersection of Ethics, Finance, Technology. I am really excited about this episode with Sanna Bedi and Arun Maharajan from the UNICEF Venture Capital Fund and UNICEF CryptoFund that goes deep into how they tackle complex issues at the intersection of finance, ethics, and technology.

• This episode is an excerpt of the full-length episode you can discover in our premium newsletter called Venture Notes (⁠⁠https://venturenotes.co⁠⁠). If you want to become a premium member and enjoy the full experience, grab until Sep 30, 2023 a special offer : 50% off, €45/year instead of €90/year, link to redeem ⁠https://upcomingvc.substack.com/300923

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The UNICEF Venture Fund was launched in 2016 specifically designed to finance early stage, open source technology that can benefit children. In October 2019, UNICEF launched the CryptoFund, a new financial vehicle allowing UNICEF to receive, hold, and disburse cryptocurrency - a first for the UN. The CryptoFund is a pooled fund of bitcoin and ether and the investments made through the CryptoFund are denominated in crypto. In the context of the UN Venture Fund, cryptocurrency is an additional way for UNICEF to make investments into early-stage startups in emerging and developing economies. The CryptoFund is a prototype fund for UNICEF to explore the use of digital currencies, and what it means to operate in a digitally financed future.

Sanna and Arun discuss reconciling financial returns with the ethical imperative of prioritizing children's well-being and address equitable distribution of technological benefits. The conversation explores promoting open-source solutions, inclusivity for women in tech, and striking a balance between short-term gains and long-term sustainability. Sanna and Arun provide an overview of the UN CryptoFund's alignment with UN goals and its project selection criteria and cover what they understand by successful projects and their impact, geographic focus, cryptocurrency funding, transparency, and the concept of digital public goods. The episode concludes with a glimpse into the future plans of these funds, offering a comprehensive overview of how unique this UN initiative is.

In summary:

1. Balancing financial returns with the ethical imperative for children's well-being.
2. Equitable distribution of technological benefits and addressing the digital divide.
3. Promotion of open-source solutions and implications for intellectual property.
4. Fostering inclusivity and empowerment for women in the tech industry.
5. Balancing short-term financial gains with long-term sustainability.
6. Geographic focus, cryptocurrency funding, transparency, and future plans of the UN CryptoFund and Venture Capital Fund.

Let's get into the episode right now.

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The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit, Venture Talks & Solo-GP Series are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠upcoming.vc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco (⁠⁠⁠olivecapital.vc⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠rapha.elgrie.co⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠raphael-grieco.com⁠).

This episode is an excerpt of the full talk (13th out of 13 talks in total) that was held during our second ⁠⁠«Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success»⁠⁠. Head to ⁠⁠summit.runwayseries.co⁠⁠ to get the full episode and detailed shownotes. Enjoy the show!

- - -

Over 3 days on June 1-3, 2021, during break lunches (11.30 - 1.45) and at the end of the day (5.30 - 7) and in 4 time zones, we received 39 guests (28 VC & 11 CEOs) including 31 who had already come on the Runway Series podcast. With ⁠⁠«Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success»⁠⁠, the idea is to take a step back from the usual discussions on execution, in order to understand what are the fundamentals of success, with 13 panels covering the DNA of entrepreneurship, the dynamics of co-founding teams, branding, focus, change, remote, data, creativity, diversity and inclusion. And unique fact, these 13 talks are hosted by the 39 guests who themselves are the moderators of these talks, which mechanically increases the quality of the talks. Top speakers from French startups / scaleups (Double, Labellevie, Supermood, Medadom, Convelio..) and French VCs (Frst, Elaia, Ventech, Cap Horn, Ring, Kima, Eutopia, Axeleo and many others) participates but also European VC partners, such as Evgenia from Dawn, Sia from Seedcamp, Jon from e.ventures, Louis from Point Nine, Mathias from Speedinvest.., as well as investors such as Marguerite from Cherry, David from Brighteye or Vincent Head of MarComm's at Northzone which also shows the attractiveness of the French scene for discussing structuring and fundamental subjects.

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit, Venture Talks & Solo-GP Series are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (⁠⁠www.upcoming.vc⁠⁠), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco, and in partnership with Olive Capital (⁠olivecapital.vc⁠).

I am really excited about this episode, which is a deep dive into DeFi (decentralized finance) and decentralized lending, web3 leadership and communities, and the transformative potential for communities of Kairos Loan.

• This episode is an excerpt of the full-length episode you can discover in our premium newsletter called Venture Notes (⁠https://venturenotes.co⁠). If you want to become a premium member and enjoy the full experience, grab until Aug 15, 2023 a special offer : 50% off, €45/year instead of €90/year, link to redeem https://upcomingvc.substack.com/150823

In this conversation, I have the chance to welcome Joseph Bosselut⁠, Co-Founder & CEO at Kairos Loan.

Kairos Loan is a new type of lending protocol allowing you to borrow instantly using an NFT as collateral and with the best rates on the market, according to Joseph. As the use of NFTs increases in various industries, NFT lending platforms are becoming increasingly important. This is due to the fact that NFTs are illiquid by nature, making it challenging for holders to access the value of their holdings.

However, NFT loans offer a solution to this problem by allowing holders to use their assets as collateral to borrow funds. These platforms allow NFT holders to use their tokens as collateral for loans. This creates a new financial market for NFTs, as lenders can earn interest on their funds while borrowers can unlock the value of their NFTs without having to sell them.

As the NFT market continues to grow, NFT loans have the potential to bring a new level of liquidity to the space and unlock even more use cases for these unique digital assets.

As part of the recent €1M fundraise, Jo announced that “Kairos aims to democratize and revolutionize the finance surrounding NFTs. Their flagship tool, Kairos Loan, is a collateralized lending protocol that enables instant value mobilization without the need to sell your NFTs, offering the most favorable terms in the market.”

According to Kairos, the startup wants to “prioritize improving the user experience for borrowers while maximizing capital efficiency for lenders. With just a few clicks, users can leverage any type of NFT to get a crypto loan, completely eliminating liquidation risk and ensuring the best terms available”.

Kairos protocol initially supports the most popular NFT collections on the Ethereum network such as Bored Ape Yacht Club, Doodle or Azuki.

In this podcast, we talk about:

• The principles of decentralization and empowering users to take control of their financial futures through Kairos Loan.
• Balancing innovation and progress with the potential risks and downsides of new financial technologies.
• The role of NFTs in the future of gaming and how Kairos Loan is shaping that future.
• The evolution of Kairos Loan in the next 5-10 years and its impact on the world of finance.
• The broader landscape of DeFi and blockchain-based finance, including opportunities and challenges for the industry.
• Defining and communicating a compelling shared mission for community-first companies, building thriving communities, and measuring success beyond traditional financial metrics.

Let's get into the episode right now.

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit, Venture Talks & Solo-GP Series are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (⁠⁠⁠⁠upcoming.vc⁠⁠⁠⁠), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco (⁠⁠olivecapital.vc⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠rapha.elgrie.co⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠raphael-grieco.com)

• This episode is an excerpt of the full-length episode you can discover in our premium newsletter called Venture Notes (⁠https://venturenotes.co⁠). If you want to become a premium member and enjoy the full experience, grab until July 15, 2023 a special offer : 50% off, €45/year instead of €90/year, link to redeem https://upcomingvc.substack.com/150723

In this conversation, I have the chance to welcome Clarisse Hagège, Co-Founder & CEO at DNFS.

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DFNS is a cybersecurity company providing wallet infrastructure for web3. From banks to gaming studios, developer teams rely on their decentralized custody network to build seamless applications and deliver smooth experiences for crypto.

DFNS develops a custodial wallet-as-a-service (WaaS) protocol for developers to build on top of “highly secure” cloud environments, by leveraging MPC, ZK- based cryptography, and modern networking technology.

DFNS is today able to decentralise custody in a unique fashion.

This episode is a deep dive into DFNS’s own definition of security and freedom when protecting crypto assets and how the companies executes to strike the right balance between the two.

In this podcast, we're:

• exploring DFNS's revolutionary custodial solutions and the technology behind their wallet-as-a-service protocol.
• understanding the benefits of ZK-based cryptography in decentralized custody solutions like DFNS's protocol.
• unraveling how DFNS ensures privacy and security using ZK-based cryptography for user transactions and data.
• discussing the challenges and advancements in ZK-based cryptography and their impact on decentralized custody and the broader crypto ecosystem.
• delving into the design decisions and trade-offs made by DFNS to balance security, usability, and scalability in their wallet infrastructure.
• examining the role of interoperability in web3 projects and the evolving landscape of DeFi in the web3 context, including opportunities and challenges that arise as DeFi continues to mature.

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit, Venture Talks & Solo-GP Series are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (⁠⁠⁠⁠www.upcoming.vc⁠⁠⁠⁠), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco (⁠⁠https://olivecapital.vc⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠https://mint.rapha.elgrie.co⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠https://www.raphael-grieco.com⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠https://rapha.elgrie.co⁠⁠)

This episode is an excerpt of the full talk (12th out of 13 talks in total) that was held during our second ⁠«Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success»⁠. Head to ⁠summit.runwayseries.co⁠ to get the full episode and detailed shownotes. Enjoy the show!

- - -

Over 3 days on June 1-3, 2021, during break lunches (11.30 - 1.45) and at the end of the day (5.30 - 7) and in 4 time zones, we received 39 guests (28 VC & 11 CEOs) including 31 who had already come on the Runway Series podcast. With ⁠«Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success»⁠, the idea is to take a step back from the usual discussions on execution, in order to understand what are the fundamentals of success, with 13 panels covering the DNA of entrepreneurship, the dynamics of co-founding teams, branding, focus, change, remote, data, creativity, diversity and inclusion. And unique fact, these 13 talks are hosted by the 39 guests who themselves are the moderators of these talks, which mechanically increases the quality of the talks. Top speakers from French startups / scaleups (Double, Labellevie, Supermood, Medadom, Convelio..) and French VCs (Frst, Elaia, Ventech, Cap Horn, Ring, Kima, Eutopia, Axeleo and many others) participates but also European VC partners, such as Evgenia from Dawn, Sia from Seedcamp, Jon from e.ventures, Louis from Point Nine, Mathias from Speedinvest.., as well as investors such as Marguerite from Cherry, David from Brighteye or Vincent Head of MarComm's at Northzone which also shows the attractiveness of the French scene for discussing structuring and fundamental subjects.

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit, Venture Talks & Solo-GP Series are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (⁠www.upcoming.vc⁠), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco, and in partnership with Olive Capital (olivecapital.vc).

• This episode is an excerpt of the full-length episode you can discover in our premium newsletter called Venture Notes (https://venturenotes.co). If you want to become a premium member and enjoy the full experience, grab until April 25, 2023 a special offer : 50% off, €45/year instead of €90/year, link to redeem https://upcomingvc.substack.com/100423

In this conversation, I have the chance to welcome, Kurt Hemecker, who is the Chief Operating Officer at the MINA Foundation. Kurt Hemecker brings over two decades of global business experience, including roles at the Facebook-backed Diem stablecoin project, and PayPal, to his new role as Chief Operating Officer at Mina Foundation.

With their holistic zero knowledge product suite including zkApps, zkBridges, and zkOracles, Mina is positioned to become the powerhouse for privacy and security in Web3. Mina has continuously shown signs of massive potential with one of the most efficient ZK proving technologies out there, world-class teams, and unparalleled success at building a global community.

Mina is the world’s lightest blockchain, powered by participants. Rather than apply brute computing force, Mina uses advanced cryptography and recursive zk-SNARKs to design an entire blockchain that is about 22kb, the size of a couple of tweets.

It is the first layer-1 to enable efficient implementation and easy programmability of zero knowledge smart contracts (zkApps). With its unique privacy features and ability to connect to any website, Mina is building a private gateway between the real world and crypto—and the secure, democratic future.

In this episode we talk about: - what brought Kurt to crypto - the privacy in the digital age and the ethics of technology - decentralization, trust and power distribution - how MINA is different from other ZK players - we also go into the technical details of how to build on the MINA Protocol - use cases spanning DeFi, Gaming, AI, logistics and supply chain but also healthcare - the strategies to build and incentivize the MINA community

Plus so much more. Let’s get into the episode right now.

- - -

MINA Foundation, MINA Protocol: https://minaprotocol.com/about

zkIgnite: https://minaprotocol.com/zkignite-cohort1-signup

0(1) Labs: https://o1labs.org

MINA Protocol on twitter: https://twitter.com/MinaProtocol

MINA Foundation on twitter: https://twitter.com/MinaFoundation

Kurt Hemecker on twitter: https://twitter.com/khem

Diem Project: https://www.diem.com/en-us/

Novi, digital wallet, shutting down: https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/2/23192501/meta-shutting-down-digital-wallet-novi-diem-cryptocurrency

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit, Venture Talks & Solo-GP Series are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (⁠⁠⁠www.upcoming.vc⁠⁠⁠), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco (⁠https://olivecapital.vc⁠ / ⁠https://mint.rapha.elgrie.co⁠ / ⁠https://www.raphael-grieco.com⁠ / ⁠https://rapha.elgrie.co⁠)

What is really unique is that Arab Bank Switzerland in 2019 was NOT expected at all to raise its profile up to the crypto game. But as expected by such an accountable wealth manager, its services are being developed really carefully with best-of-breed partners such as Taurus (for custody) or The NFT Factory (for crypto-art collecting)(disclaimer: I am one of the 128 Co-Founders of the NFT Factory) and other prime partners.

In this episode I have the chance to host Rani Jabban, Member of the Executive Committee, in charge of Capital Markets, Digital Asset Services, Financial Institutions and Marketing at Arab Bank, whom I’ve known since 2019 when they launched their crypto-asset services.

In this conversation, we dive intro Arab Bank’s mission when it comes to crypto assets, how to bank addresses risks and regulations in the space, and finally how the bank and its clients support digital and crypto artists. We talk about DeFi, education, digital and crypto art collecting plus so much more.

Become a premium member to get the full episode (50% off for 12 months, €45/y vs €90/y normally).

- - -

Rani Jabban: https://ch.linkedin.com/in/rani-jabban-2594b25

NFT Factory Paris: https://nftfactoryparis.com

Arab Bank Switzerland: https://www.arabbank.ch

Art by Arab Bank: https://artbyarabbank.ch

Prix d'art NFT par Arab Bank: https://artbyarabbank.ch/prix-dart-nft/candidature-artiste

Non Fungible Conference: https://www.nonfungibleconference.com

Taurus: https://www.taurushq.com

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit, Venture Talks & Solo-GP Series are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (⁠⁠www.upcoming.vc⁠⁠), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco (https://olivecapital.vc / https://mint.rapha.elgrie.co / https://www.raphael-grieco.com / https://rapha.elgrie.co)

• Catherine Treyz, Head of Comms & Platform, Cherry Ventures (Germany)
• Ashley Cravens, Head of Operations & Platform, Uncork Capital (SF, US)
• Simon Lohmann, Head of VC Platform & IR, Cavalry (Germany)
• Lior Goldenberg, Head of Platform, Collider (Israel)

Read this fatastic discussion in our premium newsletter called Venture Notes. Good news, head to bit.ly/venturenotes to get 50% OFF forever on your annual plan (€45 per year instead of €90).

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit, Venture Talks & Solo-GP Series are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (⁠www.upcoming.vc⁠), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

This episode is an excerpt of the full talk (11 in 13 talks in total) that was held during our second «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success». Head to summit.runwayseries.co to get the full episode and detailed shownotes. Enjoy the show!

- - -

Over 3 days on June 1-3, 2021, during break lunches (11.30 - 1.45) and at the end of the day (5.30 - 7) and in 4 time zones, we received 39 guests (28 VC & 11 CEOs) including 31 who had already come on the Runway Series podcast. With «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success», the idea is to take a step back from the usual discussions on execution, in order to understand what are the fundamentals of success, with 13 panels covering the DNA of entrepreneurship, the dynamics of co-founding teams, branding, focus, change, remote, data, creativity, diversity and inclusion. And unique fact, these 13 talks are hosted by the 39 guests who themselves are the moderators of these talks, which mechanically increases the quality of the talks. Top speakers from French startups / scaleups (Double, Labellevie, Supermood, Medadom, Convelio..) and French VCs (Frst, Elaia, Ventech, Cap Horn, Ring, Kima, Eutopia, Axeleo and many others) participates but also European VC partners, such as Evgenia from Dawn, Sia from Seedcamp, Jon from e.ventures, Louis from Point Nine, Mathias from Speedinvest.., as well as investors such as Marguerite from Cherry, David from Brighteye or Vincent Head of MarComm's at Northzone which also shows the attractiveness of the French scene for discussing structuring and fundamental subjects.

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit, Venture Talks & Solo-GP Series are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

This episode is an excerpt of the full talk (10 in 13 talks in total) that was held during our second «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success». Head to summit.runwayseries.co to get the full episode and detailed shownotes. Enjoy the show!

- - -

Over 3 days on June 1-3, 2021, during break lunches (11.30 - 1.45) and at the end of the day (5.30 - 7) and in 4 time zones, we received 39 guests (28 VC & 11 CEOs) including 31 who had already come on the Runway Series podcast. With «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success», the idea is to take a step back from the usual discussions on execution, in order to understand what are the fundamentals of success, with 13 panels covering the DNA of entrepreneurship, the dynamics of co-founding teams, branding, focus, change, remote, data, creativity, diversity and inclusion. And unique fact, these 13 talks are hosted by the 39 guests who themselves are the moderators of these talks, which mechanically increases the quality of the talks. Top speakers from French startups / scaleups (Double, Labellevie, Supermood, Medadom, Convelio..) and French VCs (Frst, Elaia, Ventech, Cap Horn, Ring, Kima, Eutopia, Axeleo and many others) participates but also European VC partners, such as Evgenia from Dawn, Sia from Seedcamp, Jon from e.ventures, Louis from Point Nine, Mathias from Speedinvest.., as well as investors such as Marguerite from Cherry, David from Brighteye or Vincent Head of MarComm's at Northzone which also shows the attractiveness of the French scene for discussing structuring and fundamental subjects.

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit, Venture Talks & Solo-GP Series are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

Ep58, a community & web3 episode with Richard Draper, Co-Founder @ Mava.app

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OFFER! 50% OFF FOR A 12-MONTH PLAN (YOU PAY ONLY €45 INSTEAD OF €90 FOR 12 MONTHS), DISCOUNT TO GRAB UNTIL 15-01-2023 on https://upcomingvc.substack.com/150123
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Building a community is vital for the success of any web3 project. Decentralization, innovation, and web3 development are only possible through people, and in order to make that happen, there must be a united community that fights for the initiative. On the other hand, the credibility of web3 projects is still negatively affected as a result of countless fraudulent schemes that persist in continuing and tainting an otherwise promising concept. Building a community not only benefits the project but also earns it more authority. It does come with its own set of challenges, though. Creating, managing, and growing a community is time-consuming and requires effort. In this episode we are discovering how customer support magnifies building a web3 community, with Richard Draper, co-founder at Mava. Across four parts, you will learn

• the similarities & differences between web2 and web3
• how in web3 building a community should be the starting point, but also if successful web3 projects can start without a community
• Who needs to build the community in the earliest days and how to identify engaged users beyond what’s “visible”

Before starting Mava, Richard and his co-founders built another venture and decided to pivot 6 months ago right at the begining of this bear market. Through his experience, you will learn the art of pivoting in a context of a bear market, namely

• keeping on building in the same direction or understanding fake PMF & toxic signals
• finding support from existing investors
• researching and validating various ideas, then choosing where to pivot to

Finally you will learn about Mava, its market opportunity and how Richard is building it and the long term plan for growing Mava. This was a great and insightful episode with Richard where we’ve had the opportunity to understand how we can address and tackle the peculair challenges of building communities in web3.
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Produced by UPCOMINGVC® upcoming.vc, created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

This episode is an excerpt of the full talk (9 in 13 talks in total) that was held during our second «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success». Head to summit.runwayseries.co to get the full episode and detailed shownotes. Enjoy the show!

- - -

Over 3 days on June 1-3, 2021, during break lunches (11.30 - 1.45) and at the end of the day (5.30 - 7) and in 4 time zones, we received 39 guests (28 VC & 11 CEOs) including 31 who had already come on the Runway Series podcast. With «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success», the idea is to take a step back from the usual discussions on execution, in order to understand what are the fundamentals of success, with 13 panels covering the DNA of entrepreneurship, the dynamics of co-founding teams, branding, focus, change, remote, data, creativity, diversity and inclusion. And unique fact, these 13 talks are hosted by the 39 guests who themselves are the moderators of these talks, which mechanically increases the quality of the talks. Top speakers from French startups / scaleups (Double, Labellevie, Supermood, Medadom, Convelio..) and French VCs (Frst, Elaia, Ventech, Cap Horn, Ring, Kima, Eutopia, Axeleo and many others) participates but also European VC partners, such as Evgenia from Dawn, Sia from Seedcamp, Jon from e.ventures, Louis from Point Nine, Mathias from Speedinvest.., as well as investors such as Marguerite from Cherry, David from Brighteye or Vincent Head of MarComm's at Northzone which also shows the attractiveness of the French scene for discussing structuring and fundamental subjects.

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit, Venture Talks & Solo-GP Series are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

This episode is an excerpt of the full talk (8 in 13 talks in total) that was held during our second «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success». Head to summit.runwayseries.co to get the full episode and detailed shownotes. Enjoy the show!

- - -

Over 3 days on June 1-3, 2021, during break lunches (11.30 - 1.45) and at the end of the day (5.30 - 7) and in 4 time zones, we received 39 guests (28 VC & 11 CEOs) including 31 who had already come on the Runway Series podcast. With «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success», the idea is to take a step back from the usual discussions on execution, in order to understand what are the fundamentals of success, with 13 panels covering the DNA of entrepreneurship, the dynamics of co-founding teams, branding, focus, change, remote, data, creativity, diversity and inclusion. And unique fact, these 13 talks are hosted by the 39 guests who themselves are the moderators of these talks, which mechanically increases the quality of the talks. Top speakers from French startups / scaleups (Double, Labellevie, Supermood, Medadom, Convelio..) and French VCs (Frst, Elaia, Ventech, Cap Horn, Ring, Kima, Eutopia, Axeleo and many others) participates but also European VC partners, such as Evgenia from Dawn, Sia from Seedcamp, Jon from e.ventures, Louis from Point Nine, Mathias from Speedinvest.., as well as investors such as Marguerite from Cherry, David from Brighteye or Vincent Head of MarComm's at Northzone which also shows the attractiveness of the French scene for discussing structuring and fundamental subjects.

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit, Venture Talks & Solo-GP Series are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

This episode is an excerpt of the full talk (7 in 13 talks in total) that was held during our second «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success». Head to summit.runwayseries.co to get the full episode and detailed shownotes. Enjoy the show!

- - -

Over 3 days on June 1-3, 2021, during break lunches (11.30 - 1.45) and at the end of the day (5.30 - 7) and in 4 time zones, we received 39 guests (28 VC & 11 CEOs) including 31 who had already come on the Runway Series podcast. With «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success», the idea is to take a step back from the usual discussions on execution, in order to understand what are the fundamentals of success, with 13 panels covering the DNA of entrepreneurship, the dynamics of co-founding teams, branding, focus, change, remote, data, creativity, diversity and inclusion. And unique fact, these 13 talks are hosted by the 39 guests who themselves are the moderators of these talks, which mechanically increases the quality of the talks. Top speakers from French startups / scaleups (Double, Labellevie, Supermood, Medadom, Convelio..) and French VCs (Frst, Elaia, Ventech, Cap Horn, Ring, Kima, Eutopia, Axeleo and many others) participates but also European VC partners, such as Evgenia from Dawn, Sia from Seedcamp, Jon from e.ventures, Louis from Point Nine, Mathias from Speedinvest.., as well as investors such as Marguerite from Cherry, David from Brighteye or Vincent Head of MarComm's at Northzone which also shows the attractiveness of the French scene for discussing structuring and fundamental subjects.

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit, Venture Talks & Solo-GP Series are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

Ep57, a metaverse, music & web3 episode with Edo Fouilloux, Co-Founder & CEO/CTO @ PatchXR.

[PROMO CODE to listen to the full episode https://upcomingvc.substack.com/ep57]

The technological possibilities for bringing music into the virtual world seem endless; all that's missing is an artist-driven breakout moment, as Pitchfork would say. The fate of any new media format depends both on the underlying tech and on the content it delivers, and music has always seemed bound for interactive multimedia spaces. A few attempts by Björk, in 2011, and Radiohead, in 2014 were early such pioneering experiences but the practical utility for fans often wasn’t clear. Even when the experiences were thrilling, it was difficult to see who would buy the gear for them, or how often they would want to go back for more.

Two years in after the pandemic started, it seems like remote interactions over a smartphone or computer screen are suddenly the norm and a virtual-music future that was always supposed to be just around the corner appears, once again, to be almost in sight. Bloomberg Intelligence has predicted that the metaverse, loosely defined as an always-on internet made up of 3D virtual worlds where users take the form of digital avatars, could be an $800 billion market by 2024. It seems likely that music will play some part in this virtual future.

Applications for music in the metaverse are varied. This is where PatchXR, a swiss-danish startup, comes into play. PatchXR is a technology company founded by artists, hackers, and XR experts blending the emotional power of music with the possibilities of world-building games in the Metaverse. PatchXR is building PatchWORLD, a user-generated content platform for INTERACTIVE MUSICAL WORLDS,with a fully integrated creation system. It connects creators and audiences in an economy designed for Web3 & XR.

Creators from various skill levels can use PatchWORLD to build and share, interactive digital assets, songs, stories, or complete musical worlds, where you can dig into a complete collection of interchangeable blocks that blend music and visuals with gesture and interaction in real-time. Imagine the Minecraft of Music. Audiences looking to engage with immersive and interactive musical content can have casual fun together by entering PatchXR growing library of interactive content made by our users and PatchXR, filled with instruments, narrative games, and fully immersive shows. In these shows, the audience can step inside the recorded media and interact. Imagine Spotify meets Twitch, but you can walk around and play.

In this Runway Series Originals 57, we meet Edo Fouilloux, Co-Founder of PatchXR. In this five-part episode, you will discover an exceptional team of artists, hackers and XR experts, a unique vision to develop an immersive environment for creators in music, the technical complexity to create such an infra, monetization with web3..

-- Produced by UPCOMINGVC® upcoming.vc, created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

"Solo-GP Series" ep. 2, with David Yakobovitch, Solo-GP @ DataPower Ventures (datapower.vc) and On Deck Angels Fellow.

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If you’d love to learn more about how to become a Solo-GP, look for this upcoming series on Venture Notes (venturenotes.co) our private newsletter where we will share the full episodes while we just publish a 15min excerpt on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

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Even more startup founders are onboarding in their captable non traditional VC firms, in the form of Solo-GPs, via nano-funds or syndicates.

Most of the time, these Solo-GPs are operators-investors, meaning that they have a dual profile

• on one hand their run their startups or are part of a fast-growing startup as a key hire, and
• on the other hand they are growing a deal flow and a community of founders & LPs which allows them to raise a nano-fund or develop a syndicate

Over the past 3 years, we have been witnessing this increasing population of such Solo-GPs.

Still some operators with this potential profile have not launched yet, for various reasons

• they are unsure about their value-add
• they are unsure about how to structure it
• they are unsure about quality & repeatability of their deal-flow…

... and many other questions.

That is why I am launching with the help of On Deck a short series Called “Solo-GP Series” to help you kickstart your thinking about becoming an operator-investor / Solo-GP. In this short “Solo-GP Series” podcast series, you’ll understand

• how to identifyyou actually have a deal flow and how to develop and nurture it the tipping point to launch as a Solo-GP
• how to craft a compelling thesis
• how to build an LP community …

… plus so much more.

I'm in the process of launching my solo-gp pre-seed fund, Olive Capital, focusing on web3 European founders driving change in the way we Create, Collaborate and Communicate.. If you are raising fund, send us your deck! If you want to learn more, head to olivecapital.vc.

In this second episode of the “Solo-GP Series” podcast, we get to know David Yakobovitch, who lives a true passion for data. David is also an On Deck Angel Fellow and a Solo-GP: during the pandemic, David launched DataFrame Ventures which invested in 20 data-driven companies. Now, David has transformed DataFrame Ventures to DataPower Ventures, in a move that puts a differentiated emphasis on Data that he explains in this show. In this 4-part episode, David shares with us a greate amount of insights and actionable pieces of advice while driving us through

• how & why he started a career in data and to develop a unique understanding on the power of it
• how he started investing, his initial source of dealflow
• how he started to add value to the startups he has been backing and a lot of examples of investments David has made in the data space
• how his thesis was becoming clearer along the way
• why David decide to move away from an undifferentiated data-driven focus to a specific data-powered focus and his 5 unique thematics David is focusing on
• why shaping a thesis changes how you are perceived by the founders community and the implication on the dealflow
• the importance of building an LP community... + so much more.

I am sure you will love this episode, lets get right in.

-- These podcasts are produced by UPCOMINGVC® upcoming.vc, created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

This episode is an excerpt of the full talk (6 in 13 talks in total) that was held during our second «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success». Head to summit.runwayseries.co to get the full episode and detailed shownotes. Enjoy the show!

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Over 3 days on June 1-3, 2021, during break lunches (11.30 - 1.45) and at the end of the day (5.30 - 7) and in 4 time zones, we received 39 guests (28 VC & 11 CEOs) including 31 who had already come on the Runway Series podcast. With «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success», the idea is to take a step back from the usual discussions on execution, in order to understand what are the fundamentals of success, with 13 panels covering the DNA of entrepreneurship, the dynamics of co-founding teams, branding, focus, change, remote, data, creativity, diversity and inclusion. And unique fact, these 13 talks are hosted by the 39 guests who themselves are the moderators of these talks, which mechanically increases the quality of the talks. Top speakers from French startups / scaleups (Double, Labellevie, Supermood, Medadom, Convelio..) and French VCs (Frst, Elaia, Ventech, Cap Horn, Ring, Kima, Eutopia, Axeleo and many others) participates but also European VC partners, such as Evgenia from Dawn, Sia from Seedcamp, Jon from e.ventures, Louis from Point Nine, Mathias from Speedinvest.., as well as investors such as Marguerite from Cherry, David from Brighteye or Vincent Head of MarComm's at Northzone which also shows the attractiveness of the French scene for discussing structuring and fundamental subjects.

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The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit & Venture Talks are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

If you’d love to learn more about how to become a Solo-GP, look for this upcoming series on Venture Notes (venturenotes.co) our private newsletter where we will share the full episodes while we just publish a 15min excerpt on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

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Even more startup founders are onboarding in their captable non traditional VC firms, in the form of Solo-GPs, via nano-funds or syndicates.

Most of the time, these Solo-GPs are operators-investors, meaning that they have a dual profile

• on one hand their run their startups or are part of a fast-growing startup as a key hire, and
• on the other hand they are growing a deal flow and a community of founders & LPs which allows them to raise a nano-fund or develop a syndicate

Over the past 3 years, we have been witnessing this increasing population of such Solo-GPs.

Still some operators with this potential profile have not launched yet, for various reasons

• they are unsure about their value-add
• they are unsure about how to structure it
• they are unsure about quality & repeatability of their deal-flow…

... and many other questions.

That is why I am launching with the help of On Deck a short series Called “Solo-GP Series” to help you kickstart your thinking about becoming an operator-investor / Solo-GP. In this short “Solo-GP Series” podcast series, you’ll understand

• how to identifyyou actually have a deal flow and how to develop and nurture it
  the tipping point to launch as a Solo-GP
• how to craft a compelling thesis
• how to build an LP community …

… plus so much more.

I am myself in the process of launching my solo-gp pre-seed/seed fund, Olive Capital, focusing on web 2.0 and web3 European founders driving change in the way we Create, Collaborate and Communicate.. If you are raising fund, send us your deck! We’re also building a platform with scouts, ecosystem partners, talents for our portfolio companies, and we are organizing LP Dinners in cities part of our ecosystem. If you want to learn more, head to olivecapital.vc.

In this first episode of the “Solo-GP Series” podcast, we get to know Victor Li, repeat founder with Inoki Bathhouse an ecommerce company, and Onova a corporate innovation company. Victor is also an On Deck Angel Fellow and a Solo-GP: about a year ago, Victor launched The Winning Together Fund, a micro fund with a true community-DNA investing in early-stage startups.

In this 4-part episode, Victor shares with us a considerable amount of insights and actionable pieces of advice while driving us through

• how & why he became an entrepreneur
• how he started investing, his initial source of dealflow, his first checks and first investment decisions
• how he started to add value to the startups he has been backing
• his long term vs short term objectives of being a Solo-GP
• how his thesis was becoming clearer along the way
• why Victor is building an incentivized LP community
• how to balance between being an operator and an investor..

.. plus so much more.

I am sure you will love this episode, lets get right in.

--
These podcasts are produced by UPCOMINGVC® upcoming.vc, created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

Ep56, a web3 episode with Thibaut Sahaghian, Co-Founder & CEO @ Multis (YC S19).

[PROMO CODE to listen to the full episode https://upcomingvc.substack.com/ep56]

The myth about pivots is that they are an exception: something undesirable that happens because a startup went seriously awry, and which you should strive to avoid.

In reality, pivots are an integral part of the entrepreneurial process. Whether you’re pivoting in the early days because you haven’t yet found product-market fit, or you’re pivoting by reinventing yourself later on, all companies, if they’re going to become and stay successful, are going to have to pivot. You have a brilliant idea, hopefully you’re in the right place at the right time, you execute like crazy, and it either works or it doesn’t. So how do you know when it’s time to pivot?

This is the case with Multis, a startup building the financial backbone of crypto-native organizations which has pivoted and experienced being kind of too early in its markets. Mid-March 2022, French startup Multis announced it had raised a $7 million round led by Sequoia Capital, about the firm’s third investment in France after Pennylane and Upway. Originally designed as a neobank for companies working with cryptocurrencies, the company has completely altered its product vision as it offers now the software layer helping web3 organizations manage their crypto finances.

Co-founded in 2018 by Thibaut Sahaghian, Y-Combinator and efounders alumni Multis’ is an all-in-one crypto finances management tool that works in concert with Gnosis, a highly trusted platform for managing digital assets on Ethereum. Sequoia’s Stephanie Zhan explains that “Multis is uniquely positioned to provide a new generation of entrepreneurs with an all-in-one solution for cashflow and spend management”. “DeFi companies, NFT studios, or DAOs are cutting-edge in terms of tech. But their business tools are prehistoric: most crypto founders still struggle to perform basic financial operations that are essential to running a business, like getting visibility on cashflow.” declared recently Thibaut to Tech.eu. “They end up creating their own solution, often a shared spreadsheet, in fear that their operational set-up will fall apart and they'll end up losing money because they don't have a clear understanding of their finances, or that team members will misuse funds.”

In this 56th episode,

1. Thibaut reflects on the early days & assumptions of Multis and shares with us his learning from building too early in the dark a crypto-company in 2019,
2. the toxic validations they got early on,
3. why they stopped building the product in order to pivot while experiencing a critical change in the co-founding team.
4. Thibaut also shares his findings during the conversations held the VC in their captable as the company was facing tough challenges to find PMF,
5. why vulnerability is key when building a transition plan, switching a challenge to an opportunity & building a narrative.
6. we also talk about how DAOs are reshaping the future of capitalism and the principal-agent discrepancy, about how transparency is a means, a lever for higher trust and the challenges to connect code-based decisions with IRL existance / objects.
7. we discover the road ahead for Multis, Thibaut’s take about hiring in web3, and learn about the next milestones for the Multis product

I am sure you will enjoy the episode.
--
These podcasts are produced by UPCOMINGVC® upcoming.vc, created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

I'm happy to share with you that I'm building my own NFT Collection called the Beardy Punks. If you want to join me on the learning path, you can subscribe for free on beardypunks.com because I don't want to mix it with Runway Series, it is a different objective.

Staying just a bit on the NFT topic before moving to the other topic I want to share with you today, I definitely think that NFT are not just profile pictures to display on twitter, but are also very powerful as access passes or keys for members, readers, listeners.

Therefore, each and every premium subscriber to Venture Notes, where we publish our full podcast episodes and private newsletters, are entitled to receive their member pass in the form of an NFT.

This NFT will open the door to private access to events, contents and so much more yet to be designed. It is a long journey !

Subscribe to Venture Notes (https://venturenotes.co), if you want to become a premium member & receive your member NFT, it’s 9€ / month or 90€ / year.

Ok so now that we’re done with web3, crypto and NFT, let’s talk about the upcoming podcast series (available in full for premium members).

More and more startup founders and onboarding in their captable non traditional VC firms, in the form of solo-gp, via nano funds or syndicates.

Most of the time, these Solo-GP are operators-investors, meaning that they have a dual profile

• on one hand their run their startups or are part of a fast-growing startups as a key hire
• and on the other hand they are growing a deal flow and a community of founders & LPs which allows them to raise a nano-fund or develop a syndicate

We’re an increasing population of such Solo-GP.

Yet some of us have not launched yet, for various reasons

• Unsure about your value-add
• Unsure about how to structure it
• Unsure about quality & repeatability of deal-flow..
• .. and many other questions

That is why I am launching with the help of On Deck a short series to help you kickstart your thinking about becoming an operator-investor / solo-gp.

In this short series, you’ll understand

• how to identify you have a deal flow and how to nurture it
• the tipping point to launch as a solo-gp
• how to craft a compelling thesis
• how to build an LP community
• + so much more

If you’d love to learn more about how to become a solo-gp, you can subscribe to Venture Notes our private media platform where the series will be published shortly.

To conclude, I am myself building my own early stage investment syndicate called Olive Capital (olive-capital.co).

Starting next month, I will participate to VC LAB, a highly selective international accelerator for emerging fund managers with the objective to launch my first venture capital fund by 2022.

In this 55th episode of "Runway Series Originals", I am thrilled to welcome Maxime Hagenbourger, Founder at SorareData.

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[PROMO CODE] This episode is an excerpt from the episode that you can find in full with shownotes for our premium members on VentureNotes.co. Being a premium member of “Venture Notes” means 1) full episodes + detailed shownotes, 2) invitations to live podcasts and events, 3) a private chat reserved for the premium members community, 4) a monthly online get-together reserved for premium members, 5) perks and 6) possibly an investment syndicate! To thank you for listening to this episode, we offer you 20% OFF on the 12 month premium plan (€ 72 instead of € 90) valid until January 31, 2022 < Here is your link https://upcomingvc.substack.com/ep55soraredata >

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Fast-growing companies raising several hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital, sometimes attract in their wake independent players who have identified unmet needs and thus develop products in this large ecosystem born from the success of these scaleups. From this context there are two facts: the certain initial dependence of these emerging actors on these ecosystems but also the opportunity for them to create new categories, by emancipating themselves as they meet success themselves and get traction.And other very insightful takes.

This is the case with Soraredata, the go-to platform for every Sorare player. Founded in June 2020 by Maxime Hagenbourger, SorareData provides data and tools to enhance the experience of every Sorare manager: aggregated market data, football players stats, decision-making tools & side games are amongst the key features of the platform. From its inception, SorareData has become the key companion app for every Sorare player to make sure they thrive and succeed in the game: more than 80% of 10+ Sorare card owners are registered on SorareData.

Maxime recently declared With the emergence of play-to-earn games, players will look for companion apps to help them in their gaming experiences. Starting with Sorare managers, we look forward to taking part in the changes brought by this new gaming model, making players successful wherever they play.

In this 55th episode of "Runway Series Originals", Maxime talks about his technical skills in blockchain that he acquired during the crypto winter of 2018/2019, how he started Soraredata as a side project to help himself to be a better player on Sorare and why he decided to devote himself to it and raise funds (a seed of $ 700k with Seedcamp but also Kima Ventures, Cigny Labs and Sorare-itself). Maxime also explains how to overcome the challenges of a solo-founder even technical, the importance of thinking long-term and utility function for a web3 / crypto / play-to-earn project, why listen to users and the importance he places on recruiting passionate people, how Soraredata serves the Sorare ecosystem and how Maxime intends to deploy the Soraredata experience in other ecosystems and other play-to-earn games... and many other exciting topics.

I am sure you will love this episode, we have a lot to cover so enjoy it right now.

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The "Runway Series Originals", "AMA VC", "Human Factor", "No-Code VC / Fit" & "Venture Talks" podcasts are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

[PROMO CODE] This episode is an excerpt from the episode that you can find in full with the full shownotes for our premium members on VentureNotes.co. Being a premium member of “Venture Notes” means 1) full episodes + detailed shownotes, 2) invitations to live podcasts and events, 3) a private chat reserved for the premium members community, 4) a monthly online get-together reserved for premium members, 5) perks and 6) possibly an investment syndicate! To thank you for listening to this episode, we offer you 20% OFF on the 12 month premium plan (€ 72 instead of € 90) valid until December 31, 2021 < Here is your link https://upcomingvc.substack.com/vt5personaltokens >

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• Rex Woodbury based in San Francisco 🇺🇸 VC @ Index Ventures and writer of Digital Native
• Julien Genestoux based in New York 🇺🇸 Founder @ Unlock Protocol which just raised $4M, to further develop its NFT protocol designed for subscriptions and memberships.
• Kenneth Schlenker based in Paris 🇫🇷 Co-Founder @ Opal, the #1 screen time app, gathering 100,000+ people who save time, focus better, and develop healthier screen habits. Kenneth launched his personal token $KNTH.
• Matthew Espinoza based in Toronto 🇨🇦 Co-Founder @ BlockPerks which allows creators to launch their own cryptocurrency and reward their fans with exclusive content, NFT’s and more.

We talked inclusion, accountability, literacy, fandom … in particular

• What is a creator nowadays?
• Transitioning from pure creator profiles to a creator / business DNA?
• What about creators’ inclusion in Web3, does one neeed to be technical?
• Is there a rough playbook to identify when one should issue a personal token?
• Building in public or Living in public? Issuing a token to ask people what you should do next: how can a personal token issuer be accountable? Is there a new definition of accountability?
• And will anyone issue a personal token? Who will be relevant to issue a personal token? What about consumer use cases to prove you live “right” in front of financial institutions?
• What about the concept of “Personal & Creators market caps”?
• What about inclusion from a fandom perspective? How to include fans not able to afford buying items / tokens from their fave celebrities?

And other very insightful takes.

I am sure you will love this episode, we have a lot to cover so enjoy this episode right now.

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The "Runway Series Originals", "AMA VC", "Human Factor", "No-Code VC / Fit" & "Venture Talks" podcasts are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

In this 54th episode of "Runway Series Originals", I am thrilled to welcome Kevin Primicerio, Co-Founder & CEO at Pianity.

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[PROMO CODE] This episode is an excerpt from the episode that you can find in full with the full shownotes for our premium members on VentureNotes.co. Being a premium member of “Venture Notes” means 1) full episodes + detailed shownotes, 2) invitations to live podcasts and events, 3) a private chat reserved for the premium members community, 4) a monthly online get-together reserved for premium members, 5) perks and 6) possibly an investment syndicate! To thank you for listening to this episode, we offer you 20% OFF on the 12 month premium plan (€ 72 instead of € 90) valid until November 30, 2021 < Here is your link https://upcomingvc.substack.com/ep53Hive >

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2020 has turned the music industry on its head and taken away a key source of income for musicians. Because of this, artists have been seeking new methods to interact and develop with their audiences, which has led to the creation of NFT marketplaces, which provide numerous benefits to artists.

NFTs, also known as crypto collectibles, are one-of-a-kind assets that use blockchain technology to establish scarcity and value on one-of-a-kind artworks, connecting the virtual and real worlds.

Founded in Paris in March 2021 Pianity is the first French music NFT marketplace where artists and fans gather to create, collect and trade unique digital artworks guaranteed by the blockchain technology.

Through NFTs, Pianity vows to restore music’s art status and insure a new income stream to artists, helping them become more independent doing what they love. It is also a social platform that encourages discovery and creativity, as collecting is intrinsically social.

In this new Runway Series Originals episode, I had a lot of fun receiving Kevin Primicerio, its CEO & Co-Founder of Pianity who has a fascinating and versatile background which has led to starting Pianity.

In this issue, Kevins shares

• everything on his brackground, from being passionate about space, research, physics and his haha moment moment that brought him to entrepreneurship
• his first months at 42 aka Ecole 42 a one of a kind self-paced coding school and how 42 Entrepreneurs started
• the Hook Genesis, being 42 Entrepreneurs' startup accelerator, how they iterated and what's next
• the rationale of building Pianity and how Pianity intends to solve the problem Spotify has created
• Why would you go and buy NFTs on Pianity and the benefits for artists
• more about the traction since launch, their past fundraise and the upcoming utiltiy token sales and the rights attached to the tokens for both the artists and the collector

And other very insightful takes.

I am sure you will love this episode, we have a lot to cover so enjoy this episode right now.

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The "Runway Series Originals", "AMA VC", "Human Factor", "No-Code VC / Fit" & "Venture Talks" podcasts are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

In this 53rd episode of "Runway Series Originals", I am thrilled to welcome Franz Purucker, Co-Founder at Hive.

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[PROMO CODE] This episode is an excerpt from the episode that you can find in full with the full shownotes for our premium members on VentureNotes.co. Being a premium member of “Venture Notes” means 1) full episodes + detailed shownotes, 2) invitations to live podcasts and events, 3) a private chat reserved for the premium members community, 4) a monthly online get-together reserved for premium members, 5) perks and 6) possibly an investment syndicate! To thank you for listening to this episode, we offer you 20% OFF on the 12 month premium plan (€ 72 instead of € 90) valid until October 31, 2021 < Here is your link https://upcomingvc.substack.com/ep53Hive >

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Buying a product online these days is not only anymore about great online shop design. Customers expect an end-to-end experience, including a great online shop, stellar customer service and a unique unboxing experience. A study by Bain&Company found that 60-80% of customers, who are satisfied with a brand’s offering, do not return to do more business with the company that initially satisfied them. Thus, offering a unique experience is more important than ever. Your vision of your brand must be channeled not only in your packaging but throughout the whole customer experience, from on time delivery to easy return and seamless payment options, in order to increase brand loyalty.

No one could not agree more with these statements that Hive, a german based logistics platform for DTC brands. Founded in Berlin in 2020 by Oskar Ziegler, Franz Purucker and Leonard von Kleist, Hive eases the fulfillment process for e-commerce brands via a software solution that provides customised analytics, forecasts and suggestions, in addition to its own in-house logistics fulfillment centres.

And I can not be more excited to receive in this episode Franz Purucker one of the 3 co-founders of Hive because we initially met with Franz about 4 years ago when he participated as an aspiring VC to our 2nd Venture Capital Investment Challenge that we organized at Station F in Paris.

Franz is only in his mid-20s but has already an impressive background that has enabled him to develop unique analytical skills to run operations and strategy as well as unique insights about the challenges that DTC brands need to address to grow and scale processes while delivering a seamless experience on the customer side.
In this amazing episode, Franz explains

• his key takeaways and learning from his early career in consulting, banking and as a DTC entrepreneur in Indonesia
• the challenges that DTC brands meet
• the contrarian product vision that the founding team at Hive built right from the begining
• how Franz and the founders were able to fast-track their fundraising rounds
• how big you need to think when talking to later stage investors and why long timelines matter
• their ongoing international expansion with the particular example of what Franz & Hive start to build in France

And many other fascinating topics and insights

I am sure you will love this episode so enjoy it right now.

- - -

The "Runway Series Originals", "AMA VC", "Human Factor", "No-Code VC / Fit" & "Venture Talks" podcasts are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

In this Venture Talks # 4 "Open Source Software: Why Now?", I had the immense privilege of receiving this ✨ amazing panel with Megan Reynolds, VC at Crane Venture Partners, Sacha Labourey, Co-Founder, ex-CEO & now CSO at CloudBees, Emile Vauge, Co-Founder & CEO at Traefik Labs and John Lafleur, Co-Founder at Airbyte.

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[PROMO CODE] This episode is an excerpt from the episode that you can find in full with the full shownotes for our premium members on VentureNotes.co. Being a premium member of “Venture Notes” means 1) full episodes + detailed shownotes, 2) invitations to live podcasts and events, 3) a private chat reserved for the premium members community, 4) a monthly online get-together reserved for premium members, 5) perks and 6) possibly an investment syndicate! To thank you for listening to this episode, we offer you 20% OFF on the 12 month premium plan (€ 72 instead of € 90) valid until October 31, 2021

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The 3 entrepreneurs have collectively raised over US$100M in venture capital funding and Megan only does investments in enterprise and OSS companies, so the discussion was enlightening.

We discussed from founders and investors perspectives about OSS in particular

• costs, freedom & flexibility vs. centralized governance,
• how open source helps attract talent and its community aspect,
• why open source could become the model for innovation,
• the risks, how to choose an open source project to integrate into one company's development...

.. and a few more topics!

I really thank Megan, Sacha, Emile and John and I am sure you will love this episode. Enjoy the episode!

- - -

The "Runway Series Originals", "AMA VC", "Human Factor", "No-Code VC / Fit" & "Venture Talks" podcasts are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

Dans ce 52ème Runway Series Originals, je reçois Hassan Bourgi, Co-Founder & CEO @ Djamo (YC W21) qui crée la première néobanque en Afrique francophone.

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[ CODE PROMO À SUIVRE ] Cet épisode est un extrait de l'épisode que tu peux retrouver en intégralité avec les shownotes pour nos membres premium sur VentureNotes.co. Être un membre premium de «Venture Notes» c'est 1) des épisodes entiers + shownotes détaillées, 2) des invitations à des live podcasts et des events, 3) un chat privé réservé à la communauté des membres premium, 4) un get-together mensuel online réservé aux membres premium, 5) des perks et 6) possiblement un syndicat d'investissement! Pour te remercier d'avoir écouté cet épisode, on t'offre 20% OFF sur le plan 12 mois premium (€72 au lieu de €90)

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Selon le site neobanks.app il y aurait 200 néobanques dans le monde: 70 en Europe (par exemple Curve ou Revolut au UK, Kard ou Pixpay en France, N26 en Allemagne), 48 en Amérique du Nord (avec Chime ou Current), une 40 et une 30 aine respectivement en Asie Pacifique et au Latam et seulement 11 en Afrique et Moyen Orient. J'aurais pu citer d'autres sources plus fiables, plus reconnues mais ce que toute source va démontrer est la réalité suivante: l'écosystème Africain est peu représenté malgré des taux de pénétration croissant du mobile en particulier dans l'Afrique de l'ouest notamment francophone.

Alors quand j'ai rencontré lors du demo day de Y Combinator W21 Hassan Bourgi, co-founder et CEO de Djamo la super app financière pour les consommateurs d’Afrique francophone, j'ai tout de suite voulu en savoir plus sur cet état de fait et les solutions qu'il souhaite développer avec Djamo.

Dans cet épisode 52 de Runway Series Originals, j'ai eu le grand plaisir de recevoir Hassan Bourgi, Co-Founder & CEO de Djamo et repeat founder.

Djamo est la fintech ivoirienne qui veut proposer une meilleure alternative à la banque et est la première startup ivoirienne à avoir intégré Y Combinator. Djamo a pour objectif de renforcer la bancarisation dans l’Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine, inférieure à 20% selon l'agence Ecofin. Djamo offre entre autres services, une carte d’accès pour des transactions en ligne et bientôt des solutions d’épargne et d’investissements regroupées dans une même application en ne se limitant néanmoins pas qu’aux transactions mobiles.

Dans ce super épisode, Hassan revient sur

- son parcours entre la Côte d'Ivoire, la France, le Pérou, la Colombie
- comment il a lancé, scalé et exit sa première startup en Amerique Latine et ses 2 apprentissages-clé
- pourquoi il est revenu en Côte d'Ivoire, les différences de marchés en Afriques
- sa compréhension du besoin des digital natives en Afrique de l'Ouest francophone
- ce que Djamo fait et veut devenir ainsi que son passage chez Y Combinator et ses levées de fonds

Et plein d'autres sujets passionnants. Je remercie vraiment Hassan et je suis certain que vous allez adorer cet épisode. Très bonne écoute!

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Les podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit & Venture Talks sont produits par UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), imaginés, animés par Raphael Grieco.

This episode is an excerpt of the full talk (4 in 13 talks in total) that was held during our first «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success». Head to summit.runwayseries.co to get the full episode and detailed shownotes. Enjoy the show!

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Over 3 days on June 1-3, 2021, during break lunches (11.30 - 1.45) and at the end of the day (5.30 - 7) and in 4 time zones, we received 39 guests (28 VC & 11 CEOs) including 31 who had already come on the Runway Series podcast. With «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success», the idea is to take a step back from the usual discussions on execution, in order to understand what are the fundamentals of success, with 13 panels covering the DNA of entrepreneurship, the dynamics of co-founding teams, branding, focus, change, remote, data, creativity, diversity and inclusion. And unique fact, these 13 talks are hosted by the 39 guests who themselves are the moderators of these talks, which mechanically increases the quality of the talks. Top speakers from French startups / scaleups (Double, Labellevie, Supermood, Medadom, Convelio..) and French VCs (Frst, Elaia, Ventech, Cap Horn, Ring, Kima, Eutopia, Axeleo and many others) participates but also European VC partners, such as Evgenia from Dawn, Sia from Seedcamp, Jon from e.ventures, Louis from Point Nine, Mathias from Speedinvest.., as well as investors such as Marguerite from Cherry, David from Brighteye or Vincent Head of MarComm's at Northzone which also shows the attractiveness of the French scene for discussing structuring and fundamental subjects.

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit & Venture Talks are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), created and hosted by Raphael Grieco.

This episode is an excerpt of the full talk (3 in 13 talks in total) that was held during our first «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success». Head to summit.runwayseries.co to get the full episode and detailed shownotes. Enjoy the show!

- - -

Over 3 days on June 1-3, 2021, during break lunches (11.30 - 1.45) and at the end of the day (5.30 - 7) and in 4 time zones, we received 39 guests (28 VC & 11 CEOs) including 31 who had already come on the Runway Series podcast. With «Runway Series Summit: The Fundamentals of Success», the idea is to take a step back from the usual discussions on execution, in order to understand what are the fundamentals of success, with 13 panels covering the DNA of entrepreneurship, the dynamics of co-founding teams, branding, focus, change, remote, data, creativity, diversity and inclusion. And unique fact, these 13 talks are hosted by the 39 guests who themselves are the moderators of these talks, which mechanically increases the quality of the talks. Top speakers from French startups / scaleups (Double, Labellevie, Supermood, Medadom, Convelio..) and French VCs (Frst, Elaia, Ventech, Cap Horn, Ring, Kima, Eutopia, Axeleo and many others) participates but also European VC partners, such as Evgenia from Dawn, Sia from Seedcamp, Jon from e.ventures, Louis from Point Nine, Mathias from Speedinvest.., as well as investors such as Marguerite from Cherry, David from Brighteye or Vincent Head of MarComm's at Northzone which also shows the attractiveness of the French scene for discussing structuring and fundamental subjects.

- - -

The podcasts Runway Series Originals, AMA VC, Human Factor, No-Code VC / Fit & Venture Talks are produced by UPCOMINGVC® (www.upcoming.vc), imaginated and hosted by Raphael Grieco.