40 Minute Mentor

Davor Hebel: Making VC more empathetic & the future of European Startups

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Episode notes

“Team sports are a great proxy for working in companies, where often the power of the collective is way stronger than any individual.”

This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Davor Hebel, Managing Partner at Eight Roads Ventures, the global VC firm backed by Fidelity.  

 

Eight Roads backs and partners with game-changing tech and healthcare companies across Europe, Asia, Israel and the US. The platform has 50+ years of venture investing experience, $11bn in AUM, over 300 portfolio companies and they’ve had 60+ IPOs.

Reflecting on 18+ years in venture capital, Davor shares tonnes of insights in today’s episode, including… 

Episode Chapters:

➡️ His proudest deal to date [1:51]

➡️ A realistic view on how many companies raise VC funding [3:25]

➡️ Growing up in Croatia with athletes turned educators [6:02]

➡️ Making the move from consulting to VC [10:37]

➡️ The challenges of a multi-faceted role [12:27]

➡️ Expecting things to go wrong in the Startup world [14:13]

➡️ Characteristics of a great Investor [16:19]

➡️ The history of Eight Roads Ventures [21:58]

➡️ Successful portfolio companies & exits [24:06]

➡️ How to really impress a VC [26:10]

➡️ Entrepreneurs at the heart of company culture [29:27]

➡️ Evolution as a leader and investor [31:22]

➡️ Predictions for the Tech ecosystem in 2024 [32:49] 

➡️ Young Generation in Tech survey findings [34:34]

➡️ The impact & future of AI [37:24]

➡️ Opportunities in VC [38:40]

⛳ Helpful links:

➡️ Connect with Davor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davorhebel/ 

➡️ Find out more about Eight Roads Ventures: https://eightroads.com/en/

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