When Octopus Ventures, one of Europe’s largest funds with £1.2 billion under management, were on the lookout for the next big investment opportunity, they were interested in a quick and easy way to find start-ups who fit their investment criteria. So, when Climate-KIC’s Andrew Burford approached them about a new investing platform that would enable them to take the time out of filtering startups, they were naturally interested.
Following a series of consultations, Octopus Ventures confirmed that the design of the investor marketplace platform enabled them assess investment opportunities at a glance using the key facts that were important to them. Once the Octopus team were happy that the startup was in-scope they could then proceed to meet with the team in the usual way. This had the effect of saving a significant amount of research time.
Last year Octopus Ventures attended a matchmaking event hosted at Imperial College London, which offered them an opportunity to use the platform to choose which startups they wanted to meet at the matchmaking event. The event was structured as six 20-minute meetings, with 30 minutes of networking afterwards, for a total run time of two and a half hours.
Octopus Ventures’ Investment Associate, Akriti Dokania said: “Investor Marketplace is unique in that it helps investors like us find qualified deals on specific sectors. The speed dating event was one example which helped bring few early stage companies to our notice.”
Following the 10×10 speed dating event, Octopus Ventures picked up dialogue with two startups from the Investor Marketplace. As an Investment Associate, Akriti is always on the lookout for the next investment opportunity, and is an active user of the Investor Marketplace.
By joining the platform, investors can gain transparent visibility into the world’s largest cleantech startup pipeline, search more widely across Europe at high speed. Investors can
flag and manage their preferred investment opportunities, and network with like-minded investors and potentially find co-investors.
Startups also enjoy many benefits by registering to the Investor Marketplace: They can be a visible part of the largest cleantech platform of its type, attract investors from across Europe and the rest of the world, start dialogues in an efficient way, and accelerate the time until investment.