Q: tell me about your background and experience. How then did Digital Shadows navigate the cultural challenge when you moved to the US? Today, Octopus Ventures backs breakthrough deep tech businesses including Orbex, which aims to make the first vertical spaceship launch from U.K. soil; Origami, an energy data platform designed to accelerate the transition to green energy and, autonomous robot creator, Dogtooth Technologies. Richard Anson comments: Im super excited to have joined the Octopus Ventures deeptech team. Discover more funding rounds. Suddenly, through digital transformation the walls have disappeared and theres also a lot more risk to the business outside those castle walls, from data loss, brand and reputation risk, and an ever expanding attack surface. The process took 1 week. My co-founder James did a little contracting work on the side. The firm seeks to invest in the United Kingdom and European-based companies operating in the health tech, fintech, deep tech, consumer, and b2b software sectors. This employer has claimed their Employer Profile and is engaged in the Glassdoor community. So, inflection point number one was having a degree of evidence that this was going somewhere, and we could build out the development team and the first version of the platform with that Seed round. Our investors have first-hand knowledge and experience in their focus sectors, from NHS doctors and deep tech PHDs to beauty entrepreneurs and web3 founders. Candidates interviewing for Internal Communications Manager and Intern rated their interviews as the hardest, whereas interviews for IT Support and Senior Manager roles were rated as the easiest. I was repeating the same phrases again. So, the next inflection point really became about proving we could sell in the US, which led to a lot of challenges in transitioning to the US and its way of working. We've built Octopus into one of the most disruptive and progressive companies across the financial services and energy sectors. Various factors seemingly contributed to the maturity of the sector. How did the idea of Digital Shadows first come to be? At that point, my role changed radically, and it continues to change. That isnt me I do come up with ideas, but Im not the extreme example that is constantly chasing one new idea after another. Issued by Octopus Investments. In London our team spend more of their time seeking talented entrepreneurs to back and then helping them day to day with the challenges that come with building a fast growing young company. Octopus Ventures was started by four angel investors in a small country pub just outside Cambridge in the UK. Around the same time, I newly became an uncle and began thinking about what the world would be like for my niece and nephew. How do a CEOs personal characteristics influence success in this role? Investors hold a portfolio of ten to fifteen early-stage companies selected by one of Europe's largest venture capital firms. Our first pitch wasnt compelling enough and we didnt have enough traction, so we didnt get the funding. That kept the lights on. Registered office: 33 Holborn, London, EC1N 2HT. PYMNTS Should we choose to hire you for the post ? Joining the team are: Richard Anson, Academic Lead at Conception X and former CEO of Reevoo. For instance, a product constraint is often not a good reason to expand abroad, as a new international market is unlikely to solve a lack of product market fit. Joining the team are: Richard Anson began his career as a geologist. Relative to most European markets, the US market is larger on almost all metrics and the Bay Area is home to many of the most successful technology companies of the last 50 years. Our average investment is 4.5m and in recent years it has ranged from 350k to . While venture debt is an option, it is generally considered later. What do you like about it? We care about how we do business. So annoying when you invest time and end up not receiving answers. The highly active London-headquartered VC has built a dedicated pre-seed team led by former senior staff at Seedcamp and Uber. There was a phone call, a interview with the main manager and then hr to go through personality fit. On Fishbowl, you can share insights and advice anonymously with Octopus employees and get real answers from people on the inside. Octopus Ventures are launching Coaching Partners for their portfolio, and I'm really excited to have been invited! Feedback I sent back to them: For some companies we may work in a very hands-on manner and for others, it could be less frequent projects. I'm in wonderful company alongside Katy | 12 LinkedIn you. We always take a position on the management board but in practice, were here when they need us and we try to get out of the way when they dont. It could be resolved in one email. Learn more about founder Tania Boler and the Elvie journey to developing beautiful, usable tech products, Victoria Prew knows all about the waste involved in fast fashion. Was there some point when things began to move forward quickly? But I think that was good because I may not have done it if I knew how hard it was going to be, even when youre successful! The person in question turned out to be a big Arsenal fan. We back founders who are changing the world for the better. Theres a lot be said about timing when it comes to startups. . The role in the UK is slightly different to the US though. Octopus Ventures, part of Octopus Investments, is one of the largest and most active venture capital investors in Europe. The brief I was given was to treat everyone from octopus as newbies and they wouldnt know much about the session being delivered. Minimum, a Y Combinator backed start-up, raises $2.6m Seed round led by Octopus Ventures to make carbon neutrality accessible to all businesses Minimum's tech allows companies to integrate carbon calculation and offsetting directly into their business processes and customer journeys. If you wait a few months, youre going to be feeling very different about whatevers going on. And, like clockwork, I have felt different every time as the company has started performing well again. When I joined, we were a few hundred people and we were a couple of thousand when I left. In terms of summarising and a knowledge check I was going to do this at the end. What will be Bs share in the total profit of Rs. A and B started business in partnership investing Rs. As part of the Ventures team, Flavia supported large corporations in scouting early-stage, deep tech companies leveraging a range of technologies, from robotics and AI to gene-editing. Ipinapakita ng button na ito ang kasalukuyang piniling uri ng paghahanap. The key learning here is: if the business is not yet successful and resilient in the home market, the expansion will often add strain to an already vulnerable position. . Short cannot discuss as this will be a breach of contract.thiry words this is asking. Payments, Small & Get in touch. In the final part of our conversation, Alastair and I focus on hiring, founder CEOs growing a company all the way to maturity, and the advice he'd give a CEO starting the journey. Working together to unlock deep techs revolutionary potential. What are your views on what you feel some of the impacts AI is going to have on businesses and consumers that perhaps they dont realise yet? Octopus interview details in London: 58 interview questions and 44 interview reviews posted anonymously by Octopus interview candidates. Octopus has an overall rating of 3.9 out of 5, based on over 276 reviews left anonymously by employees. You have a group interview over teams which was supposed to last 10-12 but it went on for about 6 hours. In 2021 Octopus Ventures has backed deep tech startups including quantum computing firm ORCA . Youve got to follow your own conviction, or gut, ultimately. So, you had an idea and thought to create a company. We were just surviving, really. Read about Octopus Ventures investment in Cobee, a platform that employers use to centralise and manage benefits schemes, and facilitates the distribution of benefits to employees through a Cobee digital wallet and card. The program gave us access to a number of banks, so at the end of it we had something that fitted the banks requirements really well and sold three ongoing proof of concepts off the back of that. Everything is about getting to 1 million recurring revenue from a number of clients in order to demonstrate the capability. Now, youve got this more alien culture in the US and youre hiring executives in the US and trying to make that stick together with a team in the UK. I am now surrounded by an amazing group of people, with an impressive track record in the sector. Octopus Ventures; Interview with Digital Shadows' Alastair Paterson: The Company's Growth Story (1/3) I chatted at length with the CEO of Digital Shadows to learn more about how a CEO can . That was really disappointing, and we came back with really low funds. This rating has improved by 3% over the last 12 months. Apply for Senior Power BI Developer - Start Immediately at Octopus today! They partner with founders on everything, from making the right hire to setting the culture and structure for growth. Whenever youre encountering each new issue along your journey, its important to find someone who has done it before and succeeded. Lost your password? List of Investors and Details. . This mix of attributes is very attractive to a venture investor. Leverate have worked with a number of Octopus Ventures portfolio companies to help accelerate growth into new markets such as the US, Continental Europe and Asia. Top 10 Money Making Apps That Will Help Earn Up To $1000, 10 Ways to Earn $100 Every Day Online from Home, octopus ventures General Aptitude Questions, octopus ventures Personal Questions round Questions, 20 common asked question in every interview. including its retail and institutional fundraising arms and investment teams spanning Octopus Ventures, Octopus Real Estate, sustainable infrastructure and listed . ; FP Octopus UK Future Generations Fund We're targeting long-term capital growth by focusing on investing in companies, aligned with our sustainable investment themes. Contact Email info@octopusvnetures.com. Octopus Ventures General Information. Written by Nick Sando Read more. In the US we are more focused on helping the entrepreneurs we have backed in Europe to scope, enter, and then scale in this market. What companies in the portfolio are you personally excited about? That helps considerably Im familiar with many of the structures and processes that need to be in place as a company grows. By combining psychometric science and a compelling digital experience, Sova helps companies more accurately identify top talent and create personalised candidate . 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Get started with your Free Employer Profile, Learning and Development Business Partner Interview. He secured a PHD in engineering geology, spent time as a post-doc researcher and spent four years in the engineering industry. Started off with simple hellos then basic questions like what I like about the company, I had brought up that Octopus has it hands in things like energy and such. It also forced us to be disciplined about how we went about our business. One of the best ways to reduce interview stress is to conduct homework on the company I take as many inputs as I can get, but Ive also realized over time to trust my own gut instinct in most situations. Funding Round Jan 30, 2023. Octopus is among the most active venture investors in Europe, making 1520 new investments each year, with an existing portfolio of 50 or so companies. Also, for me, fitness is big thing I still play football, I run a lot, and I snowboard as often as possible. Octopus had two very successful AI exits in 2016. Inky? Read about Octopus Ventures investment in Cobee, a platform that employers use to centralise and manage benefits schemes, and facilitates the distribution of benefits to employees through a Cobee digital wallet and card. 3. Octopus Ventures has previously backed some of the UK's most successful entrepreneurs, making . Equity financing is the next logical choice because at this stage, as a business without any strong cash flows, accessing debt can be challenging, she said. Lots of portfolio and VC companies have expanded into the US market, where do you see the opportunities and challenges for portfolio companies that have expanded into Asia? <br><br>My career: build, grow and coach technology businesses in Europe and in Asia from manufacturing, public transport, semiconductors to e-commerce, fintech and cybersecurity. Glassdoor users rated their interview experience at. Hannah Joyce from Odgers Berndtson talks Venture Capital Trends with a fantastic Venture Capital Partner at Octopus Ventures. By detecting data loss, securing their online brand, and reducing their attack surface, organizations can reduce the loss of revenue, intellectual property, and reputational damage. We are headquartered in London but also have people in the U.S. and Asia specifically placed to help the teams we back scale in those markets. In most roles, you get to moan to your co-workers about challenges in your job. From a frenzy of activity in 2020-2021 it has slowed. We have some of the worlds leading universities making world changing breakthroughs, and a growing community of experienced deep tech founders who know how to commercialise those breakthroughs. The concept hasnt really changed from then until now. Interview. Owen holds a Ph.D in Chemistry and spent time as a research assistant before joining Oxford University Innovation to manage the licensing and spinout of technologies developed at the university, spinning out Refeyn and working on IP licensing with Oxford Nanopore. Big Interview: Ruth Handcock of Octopus Investments on B Corps and private investments. We were owed money from many banking clients that were taking a long time to pay us. Our belief is that you can build a better tomorrow by investing in it. Goodwin > The Legal 500 Rankings Investment fund formation and management > Real estate funds Tier 1 Goodwin's real estate funds team is co-led by 'exceptional partner' Justin Cornelius and the 'simply outstanding' Samantha Lake Coghlan's real estate funds team is co-led by 'exceptional partner' Justin Cornelius and the 'simply & Pharmacy, Healthcare We got a big springboard in 2013 from the Fintech Innovation Lab in London. The Octopus Group incorporates Octopus Energy, Octopus Real Estate, Octopus Moneycoach, Octopus Investments, Octopus Ventures and Octopus Labs. I received an update in the invitation to Google Meet link. Followed by a case study and a review of your findings. Ultimately, your network is incredibly important in getting the right talent in this industry, alongside maintaining your reputation and integrity to attract the best people. I interviewed at Octopus (London, England) in Feb 2022, It was just the same as any sort of interview, the feedback wasnt accurate to the brief I received which led to this below: Weve always been thoughtful about our company culture, even at an early stage. They sent me to the office for the initial HR call, but I showed up and no one was in the office. Please enter your email address. The role will almost always be a tough, long one, even if youre successful. Why Fintech? Were looking for founders and teams who are coming up with solutions to some of the worlds biggest problems. How did you articulate the problem you wished to solve to, say, the potential customers? 20,000 and Rs. He joins Octopus Ventures as Venture Partner. As mothers sons only sister is B. Deep As your company goes on a journey, so does your team. Practical support and insights from the team at Octopus Ventures, a multi-stage London VC backing unusual talent intent on global impact. I'm in wonderful company alongside Katy | 12 comments on LinkedIn Candidates applying for Senior Legal Counsel had the quickest hiring process (on average 1 day), whereas IT roles had the slowest hiring process (on average 61 days). Now we are close to 180 people. Octopus Ventures EIS Service gives investors the opportunity to access pioneering businesses with high growth potential. Hello. In 2019 he moved into VC with the Foresight Williams technology funds, a collaboration between Foresight Group and Williams Advanced Engineering, which invests in and helps develop early-stage deep tech companies in the UK. I do think that some CEOs are just not motivated by that aspect and would be on to the next idea at that point. I think this concept of commandos, infantry and police sums up the different mentalities well as a company grows. | At Octopus Ventures we invest in the people, the ideas and the industries that will help change the world. On the other end, there are those who prefer to grow existing ideas, with little role in idea-creation. Creating a team with this as our core focus and culture is critical.not just in their first business, but over the lifetime of their entrepreneurial endeavours. Why you want to leave the present company? Developing a personal relationship in the hiring process can be an essential complement to the business reasons a person might join your company. Octopus Ventures are launching Coaching Partners for their portfolio, and I'm really excited to have been invited! While nearly all of the businesses we back are started in Europe, almost all are intent on building for a global audience and success in the US is a critical milestone on this journey. What advice would you give a CEO just starting out on their founding journey? From 2011 it was just the two of us, and we got to four by the end of 2012. Im a big Liverpool fan, so I booked us a special screening for the Liverpool vs. Arsenal game when he was next in London. Thats an insightful question. Are you a CEO considering U.S. market entry? It was a highly competitive situation. Our team in the US is focused almost entirely on helping our European portfolio scope and enter the US market. Some of them can adapt to the new stage, and some of them cant. Im the opposite of zen right now. By the numbers, just over half are currently operational in the US, with the majority based on the East Coast. Phone Number +44 20 7776 7968. The head of our People & Talent team, Laura C. Willming, joined Jimmy's Jobs to talk about how founders can build a brilliant team! The interview process is very time consuming. Where have you struggled to identify, retain, or empower your talent? This is particularly a problem because US revenues typically take longer to ramp up than expected, and costs are substantially higher than European markets sometimes up to the point where they can undermine the viability of a companys business plan. Have you been successful in hiring the right talent at each of the companys stages? 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