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Seedcamp: A Bridge for European Startups for Knowledge and Capital

by Fintechnews Switzerland October 20, 2015

Founded in 2007 by Reshma Sohori, Saul Klein and a number of European investors, Seedcamp seeks to help European startups “bridge the gap between knowledge and capital” and has invested in almost 200 startups from all over the world so far.

Seedcamp’s program consists in monthly events, mainly in Europe, where selected startups can gain pitch training, mentoring and eventually compete for investment from Seedcamp by pitching in front of notorious VC and angel investors.

Seedcamp’s investment cycle runs from October to September every year, during which the company holds an investment event in a different part of Europe and selects the startups they will fund.

During September, Seedcamp organizes Seedcamp Week where companies it has invested in throughout the year, usually around 20, go through a series of mentoring days aimed to showcase their growth to a crowd of 400 mentors and industry experts. The week-long event culminates with a Demo Day.

The newest members of the Seedcamp family include the following 20startups, including Fractial Lab, a Swiss Fintech Startup and Monese a very promising UK Fintech Startup:

• API Changelog: Enabling API providers to grow & build connections with developers, by better communicating API changes;
• CAPTINI: Revolutionizing the way WiFi Service Providers and Telco’s monetize their customer base;
• DeviceHub: Scalable IoT platform for service creation, automation and integration for industry and manufacturers;
• Findify: The intelligent search solution for e-commerce using data science and machine learning to increase revenue;
• Fractial Lab: Aims to Empower Business Owners with ‘Automated CFOs’ (Swiss based)
• GetAgent: Data-driven estate agent comparison site;
• Land Insight: Helps find and assess off-market land with the potential for development;
• Lateral: Offering the ultimate recommendation API for knowledge work;
• Monese: Allowing you to open up a UK bank account in less than 3 mins on your mobile even without a UK address;
• Much Better Adventures: Global marketplace for booking bespoke adventures and experiences with local, independent operators;
• MyRecovery: Mobile app that empowers patients, guiding them “step by step” through their surgical treatment journey;
• Priori Data: App Store Intelligence. Our competitive insights and market data drive better outcomes for your apps;
• Pronto: London’s favourite food, with Italian standards, delivered in 20 minutes;
• Splittable: A financial platform to help the world’s growing population of young renters manage their shared expenses;
• Spoke: Using e-commerce to build a better menswear brand;
• TalkPush: Recruitment automation software for high volume recruiters;
• Traderion: The most advanced training and testing tool for traders;
• Trussle: The simpler way to get a mortgage;
• Uipath: The leading software provider for the Robotic Process Automation industry;
• Wanna: Parenting marketplace, where parents buy and sell from one another, locally.

Throughout the past year, Seedcamp had made investments into 24 companies across Europe and the US – among which Fractal Labs – as part of its US$30 million Seed Fund.

“Over the course of the year, Seedcamp has become one of the most active investors,” Reshma Sohoni, Partner at Seedcamp, said in a statement. “We are thrilled by the reception our €20M fund and the Platform we have built over the past eight years has received. Since we announced the fund, we’ve made over 70 investments, 24 of them at Seed.”

“For these founders that are bringing Seedcamp into their startups, we are a life-long partner and a de facto First Round Fund for those raising a pre-seed and seed round.”

Seedcamp’s portfolio includes startups in the sectors of SaaS, fintech, e-commerce, mobile, property tech, food tech, hardware and cybersecurity.