What venture capitalists look for
What does a leading venture capital firm look for before investing? Representatives from Lakestar, famous for their ability to handpick some of the most successful companies on the scene today, visited KTH this week to meet with up-and-coming startups and research commercialization projects from KTH and the Stockholm ecosystem.
Lakestar was one of the first investors in Spotify, Skype and Klarna, and they’re always on the lookout for the next big thing. Im October, thirty five early-stage projects gathered in KTH Library to hear from two representatives from Lakestar. The participants learned about raising high risk capital from Investment Manager Mathias Hanel and navigating the legal framework as a startup from Legal Counsel Natalia Neuman.
Mathias Haniel mentioned some key aspects they look at before investing, such as finding the right product-market fit, i.e. being in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market, and a company with good traction. However, the real recurring point was how important it is to find the right team.
- If you have the wrong team, even the best ideas can fall apart. On the contrary, you can have a great team with a really bad idea, and they can turn it around into something great,he said.
In her presentation detailing the legal aspects of an investment, Natalia Neuman highlighted the importance of surrounding yourself with experienced people.
- Taking money is one thing, but you want that knowhow on your team. Choose your investor wisely!
Getting access to the right competence, capital and networks is a key component in the commercialization of new technology. By teaming up with Lakestar, KTH Innovation aims to give KTH startups a competitive edge.