🎄Silicon Roundabout Ventures: 2023 in Review
Welcome to the Christmas edition of the Silicon Roundabout Ventures newsletter - reads, portfolio updates and interesting deal flow, direct to your inbox.
As we wrap up an incredible year at Silicon Roundabout Ventures, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our Community for your unwavering support and engagement. It's been a year of remarkable achievements, and none of it would have been possible without you!
Going forward, we will be sending these Community updates directly through Substack.
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a fun holiday season. Cheers to new beginnings and endless possibilities! 🎄🚀🥂
First, some 2023 Highlights…
🏆 Greenjets' Major Win: Portfolio company Greenjets secures $500k and a 3-month NY program for U.S. expansion in the drones market, with over $5m in commercial and defense orders.
🌍 Community & Conference Engagement: Participated in events like London Tech Week with keynote by GP Francesco, organised Climate Hardware events, and fostered UK-Israel ecosystem links at the House of Lords, along with our Deeptech Demo Day supported by over 50 VCs.
🤵 High-Level Engagements: Dining with UK Ministry of Defence heads and networking with potential LPs and co-investors at Super Venture in Berlin, bolstering interest in the fund.
🤝 Welcoming Ralph King: Ralph joined as Venture Partner and CTO. An exited founder and former tech lead at Anthemis, Ralph’s expertise is set to help Silicon Roundabout Ventures a tech-first VC.
🔬 Portfolio Expansion in Quantum Tech and Computing: Focusing on quantum tech and computing, with three companies in advanced due diligence and one nearing investment committee review.
💵 Markups and Funding Rounds: Anaphite closed an oversubscribed pre-A round and secured grants, setting the stage for Series A in Q1 2024.
Portfolio rundown:
New investments in 2023: 7
Total Portfolio Companies: 7
Fund: 1
Vintage: 2023
Top-of-the-funnel Pipeline: 3
Key Deeptech Areas: Computing, Climate and National Security Infrastructure
🌟 Portfolio Company Spotlight
Spotlight on Panakeia: Texas Life Science Forum Achievement
This year we quietly invested in a breakthrough cancer diagnostic company powered by a novel multi-omics profiling technology: Panakeia.ai
🏆 Prestigious Recognition: Panakeia Technologies, a standout in our portfolio, was honoured as one of the top life science startups at the Texas Life Science Forum.
🔬 Innovative Breakthrough: Specialising in AI-based multi-omic biomarker analysis, Panakeia significantly accelerates a process that typically takes days or weeks, showcasing their trailblazing approach in life sciences.
🌟 Future Potential: This accolade underscores Panakeia's promising impact and innovative prowess in the sector.
For more details on Panakeia's achievement, read the full article here.
Our Events
📅 Upcoming Event - Navigating the Future: Tech in Venture Capital
Date & Time: 18th January, 16:00 BST.
Focus: Exploring product and data-driven VC, and how technology is reshaping the venture capital landscape.
Panelists: Industry experts including Philipp Omenitsch (Sequel), Stephane Nasser (OpenVC), Francesco Corea (Greycroft), Danish Abdullah (hive.one), Dr. Andre Retterath (Earlybird + Data Driven VC), Ralph King (Silicon Roundabout Ventures), and Mike Arpaia (Moonfire).
Moderator: Francesco Perticarari, GP at Silicon Roundabout Ventures.
Discussion Points: Evolving strategies in data-driven decision-making, cultivating ecosystems and networks, overcoming tech challenges, and forecasting future VC sector trends.
2023 Event Highlights
💥 Deeptech Demo Day - November
Record-Breaking (for us!) Event:
Scale: Over 170 startups, 50+ VCs, and 300+ attendees, including 100 investors.
Impact: A milestone for European Deeptech, elevating the community to new heights.
Massive Turnout: An unprecedented gathering, featuring startups across Europe and global VC support.
🎖️ Winner Spotlight: Alpha Impulsion, with its innovative space rocket architecture, emerged as the game-changer.
🥈🥉 Runner-Ups: Infiniti Recycling (Portfolio company!) and Nordetect, leading in lithium-ion battery recycling and water monitoring, respectively.
🍽️ Inspiring Luncheon in London - November
Hosts: Intel Ignite, powered by Frontier Deep Tech & Silicon Roundabout Ventures.
Attendees: Over 30 investors, including IQ Capital, AlbionVC, and Octopus Ventures.
Intel Ignite London #batch1: A showcase of exceptional startups from Intel's program, demonstrating innovation in Deeptech.
🤝 Collaboration and Support: Acknowledging the vital support from Silicon Roundabout Ventures community VCs.
Featured Startups: Unify Vaultree, Lumai, Skippr, Crypto Quantique, VyperCore, Finchetto, Apoha, LGN.
Conclusion: The event exemplified the vibrant collaboration and networking opportunities within the Deeptech community, highlighting the synergy between innovative startups and investors.
🌌 Dynamic Meetup on AI and Infrastructure - September
Attendance: 100+ Deeptech VCs, angels, and founders.
Focus: A deep dive into hardware, science, and cutting-edge technology.
Community Engagement:
Networking: Opportunities to engage over insightful discussions and drinks.
🎤 Expert Insights:
VC Partners: Contributions from George Robson (Sequoia Capital) and Manjari Chandran-Ramesh, PhD (Amadeus Capital Partners).
Founders: Insights from Noor Shaker (GLAMOROUS.AI) and Ed Nutting (VyperCore, backed by Silicon Roundabout Ventures).
🙏 Acknowledgments:
Hosts: Presented by Dr. Cristina Esteban Pardo, powered by Silicon Roundabout Ventures + Frontier Deep Tech.
Conclusion: This meetup showcased a fusion of expertise and perspectives, emphasising the growth and potential of AI and its infrastructure, and reinforcing the vibrant Silicon Roundabout Ventures community.
Francesco’s Reads
Blue Origin's Successful Launch
The NS-24 mission marked a triumphant return for Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. After a one-year pause, the launch from West Texas saw the rocket reach about 66 miles high.
🌌 Mission Achievements: The mission, carrying 33 payloads, including contributions from NASA and 38,000 student postcards, demonstrated successful separation and safe landing of both the booster and uncrewed capsule.
🔧 Overcoming Challenges: The launch, initially delayed due to cold weather and technical issues, signifies a significant recovery from a previous booster failure. The company fulfilled 21 FAA-required corrective actions to ensure mission success.
💫 Future Aspirations: This advancement edges Blue Origin closer to its goal of making space travel accessible to more people.
Europe's Space Ambition Takes Flight: UK's SaxaVord Spaceport Ready for Launch
🚀 The UK's SaxaVord Spaceport, one of Europe's first for vertical launches, is set for a landmark 2024 inauguration. This significant development will reduce Europe's dependency on external launch services and enhance technological sovereignty in the space sector.
Key Highlights:
SaxaVord stands as a major stride in Europe's space endeavours.
Set to host up to 30 launches annually, boosting the European space industry.
Here's to another year of innovation, collaboration, and success. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at Silicon Roundabout Ventures! 🎉🎄🥂
Francesco & The Silicon Roundabout Ventures Team