Topics, Editors Investor Type Venture Capital. On Fishbowl, you can share insights and advice anonymously with Octopus employees and get real answers from people on the inside. We were just surviving, really. I feel like that feedback isnt fair of my actual capabilities due to the brief not going ahead properly. This rating has improved by 3% over the last 12 months. Do you think this sentiment holds? Octopus Ventures | 44,435 LinkedIn. Data, Artifical 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. Some of them can adapt to the new stage, and some of them cant. During this time, he led investments into several seed-stage semiconductor technology and material science businesses. Thanks for the response. Not so long ago, we separated our investment activities in the IDO and presales market into a separate cluster within the project. Our team is spread across the US, the UK, Singapore and China, with the weight of the team being split between offices in London and New York. Since Europe also picked up again at that time, we ended up with about five term sheets and closed out a Series A at the end of the year. We have more than 2,500 employees serving 2.5 million customers. With a view to better helping our founders with this challenge, we have spent several months talking to over 100 European CEOs who are building their businesses in the US today some very effectively, others still on a journey to finding the right mix of team, product, go to market strategy and sales. yield based/capital appreciation etc. Trying to have a really up-front, authentic leadership team that gets everything out in the open is one way of dealing with this transparently and effectively as the company grows. Medium 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. , . Weve backed the likes of ManyPets, Depop, Elvie and Quit Genius, and some of our portfolio startups have gone on to join forces with the worlds largest companies. Please briefly explain why you feel this question should be reported. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. We welcome people from the widest range of backgrounds and experience into our team, and that goes for our portfolio founders too. I had someone independent facilitate, and we got a great set of feedback that we then turned into the core values of the company. Richard Anson comments: Im super excited to have joined the Octopus Ventures deeptech team. Connect with Hannah on http://twitter.com/HannahLJoyce Filmed, Edited \u0026 Produced by Veena V Youtube http://www.youtube.com/officialveenavContact http://www.VeenaV.com/contact-me The great thing was that as part of the diligence process, the US VCs had introduced me to a bunch of CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) to get a better idea of what we were doing. Whenever youre encountering each new issue along your journey, its important to find someone who has done it before and succeeded. Our US team invests significant time and effort in understanding how the very best companies expand internationally. 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. I had a bad interview experience with Octopus for a project manager position in London. Executive Summary. Personality, experience, questions, general questions about you as a person. Youve got to follow your own conviction, or gut, ultimately. As mothers sons only sister is B. Partner, VCs Say EU Firms Can Still Win Big Without US Expansion, FinTechs Team With Credit Unions to Deliver Bankings Marketplace Model, FinTechs Struggle to Retain Consumer Trust in Africa, FinTechs Help Global Firms Go Digital in Latin America, FinTechs Bring Payments Innovation to Connected Economy Leader Singapore, UK Rapid Grocery Market Booms as Brits Lean Toward At-Home Delivery, PayPal Urges Investors to Reject TRC Mini-Tender Offer, American Companies Bet on China's Post-COVID Recovery, Consumers Crave Escape as Travelers Keep Spending, Offering Local Payments Is Merchants First Step Toward Expanding Overseas, Instant Payments Promise Better Consumer Experiences and Merchant Efficiencies, PayU Says Better Security Will Drive eCommerce Growth, Opendoor Leads Decliners as FinTech IPO Index Sheds 4.4%, Remote Work Widens Digital Divide Between High- and Low-Income Consumers. We tend to invest locally in London and leverage our global reach to help the entrepreneurs we back scale in these different geographies. You need the right idea AND timing. Let us help you get to the right place so you can read the stories most relevant to
There was a phone call, a interview with the main manager and then hr to go through personality fit. 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. 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. The process took 3 weeks. The person in question turned out to be a big Arsenal fan. Octopus Ventures has previously backed some of the UK's most successful entrepreneurs, making . What is it about Octopus that appeals to you? Around the same time, I newly became an uncle and began thinking about what the world would be like for my niece and nephew. We power the people tackling todays biggest challenges. 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 did you do in your previous role? For example, I wanted to make a senior US hire from one of the major industry analyst firms after our Series A. When you work with us, you join a global community of entrepreneurs and gain a partner who can foster your business without losing sight of your values. Youve gone from having a small team on the table, where communication is easy, culture is pretty homogenous, and you know a lot of your teams faults because they came to you that way when you hired them. At that point, my role changed radically, and it continues to change. If the product or service meets a well defined consumer pain point, a company with technology at its core may be able to scale explosively. Its harder to instinctively identify good people for a role that you, as CEO, are less familiar with: you have to spend more time trying to vet them independently and use background references. ; 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. Not being able to scale your marketing function can place significant constraints on a companys ability to grow, which can be a challenge, especially for consumer facing businesses, where you are competing with agencies and established start-ups for the best marketing talent. Octopus Ventures General Information. When we were going out in 20112012, the problem for companies felt too far in the distance; they were just putting firewalls in place, getting their antivirus in order, and building very nascent security teams. What companies in the portfolio are you personally excited about? What I do today is completely different than what I was doing at the start. When youre running low on energy and motivation, where do you go to seek inspiration, encouragement, support, or just general fuel in your tank? We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow 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. Being a B Corp means our social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency have been assessed and certified. The Read about Octopus Ventures investment in Apheris, an end-to-end platform that uses a federated Octopus Ventures is a part of Octopus Investments - 2023 Octopus Ventures. What do you know about Octopus? After 30 minutes of interviewing, we began discussing compensation, and it became clear that their rate was much less than my expected salary, and we were unable to continue. 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? We strongly believe that there is no trade-off between doing good and making money, and our business can pursue purpose as well as profit. 20,000. Read our findings on the metrics that matter. One source of inspiration comes up whenever weve been experiencing any dip in company performance thats getting me down.
I was also sent the NDA to complete the case study. The companys earliest investments include its 2007 backing of natural language AI developer, True Knowledge, acquired by Amazon in 2012 to become a key component of Alexa, and its 2010 investment in embedded systems specialist, UltraSoc, which became part of Siemens in 2020. After signing it and sending it back, I started preparing for the case study. The sentiment does hold in many cases, but not all. Starts off with a HR call, then call with principal, and after that was a call with Associate. What advice would you give CEOs when they are scaling their businesses? Were a leader in one area investing in female leaders but we need to do more to support not just women but everyone, regardless of culture, race, gender, orientation or economic status. Our mission is simple to invest in the people, ideas and industries that will change the world. 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. Our team in the US is focused almost entirely on helping our European portfolio scope and enter the US market. Development wise, ensure you've time to wrap up properly - having an opportunity to summarise key learnings, check knowledge/understanding and set a path for ongoing learning or action is going to help you ensure learning after your time in the class. A few years ago, South African documentary filmmaker Craig Foster felt burnt out from years of working on arduous nature films. Ask to learn how they handled it and what they learned in the process. We try to encourage real honesty and robust thinking when making this decision. Then you get a second call discu. Then, you can help in the right moments, and they realise that you care about them as human beings, not just as execution machines for the company. Were spread not just in San Francisco, where I am were in London, Dallas our biggest US office now Singapore, and Germany. In January 2020, Octopus Ventures, one of the largest early stage investors in Europe and backers of mental-health-tech company Big Health, published results of new research showing that in . In recent months we have spoken to well over 100 European founders and executives who have relevant experience of expanding into the US to learn each time what worked, what didnt, where the obstacles and bear traps lay, and the hacks, short cuts and range of side steps each entrepreneur took to make their business a success in a new market. Needing . Practical support and insights from the team at Octopus Ventures, a multi-stage London VC backing unusual talent intent on global impact. Had an initial screening call then a follow up 1 hour first stage interview with the recruiter and the department lead split between 30mins each. 18 Nov 2022. The role in the UK is slightly different to the US . It meant that we had a couple of years of being very lean and having to understand the problem really well before we got any money. I interviewed at Octopus (London, England) in Nov 2022. We've built Octopus into one of the most disruptive and progressive companies across the financial services and energy sectors. During the call, I could hear other people chatting louder than the interviewer, and it was challenging to understand what was going on. Short cannot discuss as this will be a breach of contract.thiry words this is asking. Watch Our Last Interview Video:. I applied online. Were about eight years in now, and its clear I couldnt have sprinted for eight years without burning out. Working together to unlock deep techs revolutionary potential. Thanks again to Alastair Paterson and Digital Shadows for the conversation. Platforms, Subscription For instance, they witnessed decreased management time and focus, opportunity cost of investments, culture and organisational behaviour challenges. Weve always been thoughtful about our company culture, even at an early stage. Joining the team are: Richard Anson began his career as a geologist. 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 interviewed at Octopus. Raylo raised an undisclosed amount / Series . How well has it been received by the Asian market? News Feb 15, 2023. We are a team that backs entrepreneurs. The decision to scale into the U.S. market, followed by the execution, is not for the faint Octopus Ventures manages a total of over 2.0 billion across its funds, including Octopus's VCTs and EIS funds, as well as several follow-on funds used to support investee companies once they outgrow the VCTs. One of those milestones has to be revenue, and if youre trying to raise from US investors, they prize US revenue over everything else. Meet the manager: Watch a video interview with Malcolm . The hiring process at Octopus takes an average of 23.13 days when considering 64 user submitted interviews across all job titles. I joined the Octopus Ventures team in New York at the start of 2017 having spent two years working with our team in London. All Rights Reserved. Im a student of the game and consume all the best practice, blogs and books on the issues we are dealing with as the company grows. We recently hired in Japan and Australia. Hannah Joyce from Odgers Berndtson talks Venture Capital Trends with a fantastic Venture Capital Partner at Octopus Ventures. During a given week a programmer spend 1/4 of his time preparing charts,3/8 of his time for coding,rest of his time for debugging the programs.If he had 48 hrs during the week how many hours did he spend debugging the program. The process took 1 week. Hello. I suddenly discovered all this amazing calorific food and US portion sizes! But we believe that a new world is possible one where the most successful companies are a force for good. This meant that I could get back on the plane to the US pretty soon after. In 2021 Octopus Ventures has backed deep tech startups including quantum computing firm ORCA . What is the interview process like at Octopus? Ultimately, most people are best suited to particular stages of the journey and thats ok. Each situation is different, but of course its important to treat everyone with dignity and respect when changes do need to be made. Feedback I sent back to them:
Octopus Ventures is part of Octopus Investments Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. 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. To this end we have published Question the Questions: Applying some Socrates to your US Expansion Plans. I was slightly naive at the start. Venture capital firm Octopus Ventures is entering the world of pre-seed investment with a 10m fund to back early-stage startups across Europe. So, you had an idea and thought to create a company. Getty. I was repeating the same phrases again. The security industry is still remarkably small and incredibly competitive, so associating with the right people goes a long way. I am now surrounded by an amazing group of people, with an impressive track record in the sector. 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. It was a highly competitive situation. Ill take any feedback onboard. Please briefly explain why you feel this user should be reported. Picks, CE100 So, momentum dropped off, they passed on us in the end, and we failed to raise the round. For the people and ideas that will change the world, because we believe you can build a better tomorrow by investing in it. Working at @OctopusVentures seeking unusually talented entrepreneurs, based in NYC. Businesses, Social What kicked off the companys growth at the beginning? Quite straight forward but seems that information wasn't aggregated properly. And so, we perhaps naively quit our jobs and set up a company to address this problem. Description. Alliott Cole, Co-CEO at Octopus Ventures comments: Deep tech is one of the UK and Europes biggest opportunities. I did not receive the call at the scheduled time, so I sent an email to confirm that the interview will take place today. His new Netflix film is called My Octopus Teacher. The interview process is very time consuming. Rotilu outlined how companies can attract attention during the pre-seed stage, including starting with their own savings accounts or other investment funds. 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. Sova is a human resources technology (HRTech) company designed to manage the assessment of candidates for large organisations, helping them improve transparency and diversity. Octopus Investments has also announced its plans to invest 50 billion in the people, ideas and industries that will change the world, by 2030. Our average investment is 4.5m and in recent years it has ranged from 350k to . For a startup founder looking to bring their world-changing solution to the biggest possible market, whether bootstrapped, funding with revenue or seeking out external capital, fundraising is essential, wrote Rotilu, noting the Thursday post will be the first of several blogs shell write on questions related to early-stage fundraising. I had a bad interview experience with Octopus for a project manager position in London. The way businesses behave has a huge impact on people and planet. 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. Ultimately, when we back a company, were backing the entrepreneurs behind it. I received an update in the invitation to Google Meet link. Send us your deck if we think were a fit for your business, well set up a call, Meet some of our investors at a discovery meeting, Well visit you at your office and spend some time with your team, Present to our wider team at a partnership meeting, Well tell you our final decision if were not investing, well say why. What should we expect from you. I asked if there was any questions relating to the session I delivered, and the questions that were asked to me related more to why I had used Joharis window etc, not as if they were asked like students on the course. This has cautioned us against being too orthodox or rigid in our approach, and instead we think that its framing the right question that matters as invariably different sectors, stages, and customers demand their own answers. Within its framework, our task is to familiarize investors with the token sale market as best as possible and attract investments in projects at early stages of financing (Private, Seed and others As a company grows, the team composition should change to meet the needs of the new often very different stage of growth. We can invest from the earliest phase of business creation to later stages of growth, but our sweet spot is pre-seed through to Series A. Inky? Got a good one? Followed by a case study and a review of your findings. Investment Stage Early Stage Venture, Late Stage Venture, Seed. That kept the lights on. As a founder CEO, youre wearing all the hats; you have to be a complete generalist, roll up your sleeves and do whatever needs to be done. We did it by essentially asking the whole company: why do you work at Digital Shadows? Thankfully, Im back down to where I was now! 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. Basically, I spent two days on the firm determining that we did not match on the foundation. It will also mean they are more likely to gel with your organization if you do get them on board. How did they change and how did you manage those responsibilities across multiple locations? 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). Few entrepreneurs go back to their original investor team for their next venture. This button displays the currently selected search type. Octopus Ventures is one of the most active early stage investors in Europe, with offices in London and New York and Venture Partners in San Francisco, London, Singapore and China. 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This end we have published question the questions: Applying some Socrates to your US Expansion Plans would like show. London and leverage our global reach to help the entrepreneurs we back company! Honesty and robust thinking when making this decision to your US Expansion Plans from one of the major analyst. Stage, and we failed to raise the round give CEOs when they are scaling their businesses companies. The security industry is still remarkably small and incredibly competitive, so associating with the right people goes a way.
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