Connecting investors and tech entrepreneur communities for increased momentum

Sasha Baillie, CEO of Luxinnovation, and Stéphane Pesch, CEO of the Luxembourg Private Equity and VC Association (LPEA), discuss what led them to bring together their two flagship events, Fit 4 Start pitching sessions and the Insights conference, to create the Luxembourg Venture Days.

Where did the idea of bringing together startup and investor events under the umbrella of the Luxembourg Venture Days come from?

Sasha Baillie: Investors obviously play a crucial role in the startup ecosystem. Although we have a thriving financial sector well connected to a European and international investor network, our paths don’t cross sufficiently.

In discussions with Stéphane Pesch, CEO of the Luxembourg Private Equity & Venture Capital Association, and Michel Rzonzef, President of the Luxembourg Business Angel Network (LBAN), we realised that we were all organising our respective events around the same time. The idea came up to combine these three events under one umbrella to bring our respective communities into direct contact with each other.

Stéphane Pesch: I concur and share the view that when motivated people, groups, associations, partners (public and private) come together, share their ambitions, views, and expectations with an open mind and take the decision to materialise a shared vision, create a common momentum, intensify their collaboration, and in the end organise a big event like the Luxembourg Venture Days, then we can say that the ecosystem is accelerating, professionalising, getting stronger and heading in the right direction.

This endeavour symbolises the mutualisation of efforts, resources, ideas, and leadership for the greater good of the industry and our growing communities.

Why is Luxembourg the best place to facilitate discussions and interactions, and engage VCs in the conversation to enhance the ecosystem?

SB: The Luxembourg government has always encouraged close interaction and collaboration between the public and the private sector to co-create a favourable business environment. Last year, the Ministry of the Economy laid out its roadmap to further develop a thriving startup ecosystem building on its strengths and addressing some of the pitfalls.

The Luxembourg Venture Days seeks to address this need and we are confident that this joint event will help us better understand each other’s expectations and interests and build bridges that will benefit both the startups and the investors.” Sasha Baillie, CEO of Luxinnovation

This roadmap clearly spelt out the need to stimulate closer interaction between the startup and the investment community. Hence, the Luxembourg Venture Days seeks to address this need and we are confident that this joint event will help us better understand each other’s expectations and interests and build bridges that will benefit both the startups and the investors.

SP: Once the roadmap was defined, the goal to multiply and deepen exchanges, to bring different types of practitioners together more often, especially investors and entrepreneurs, to fortify and to enable new business opportunities and success stories, became a priority.

At LPEA, we are also very proud of our VC community (VC Club) which is composed of great professionals and experts in the field who have already invested on many occasions in promising and innovative startups.” Stéphane Pesch, CEO of LPEA

Luxembourg, as the second largest fund centre in the world and leader in the alternative investment space, has developed all the required tools (legal, structuring, tax) over the last decades. It has also created, shaped, and strengthened an entire ecosystem composed of best-in-class managers, service providers with a robust level of substance, an increasing local presence and deep industry experience (new profiles and functions).

At LPEA, we are also very proud of our VC community (VC Club) which is composed of great professionals and experts in the field who have already invested on many occasions in promising and innovative startups. Their presence, willingness to engage with local and international entrepreneurs, to share their views, feedback and knowledge (LPEA Academy, VC masterclass) in order to facilitate the transformation of our evolving hub into a fully-fledged one, which is open for business and ready to welcome the next generation of promising entrepreneurs/investors, is really a strong signal.

What can investors and startups expect from this event?

SB: The two-day programme is designed to offer startups multiple opportunities to meet investors and convince them of their worth. The Fit 4 Start pitching sessions will give 60 startups from all over the world and from Luxembourg an opportunity to attract attention of potential partners, supporters and investors, as well as other pitching and matchmaking sessions by Luxembourg-based investor networks, accelerators and incubators, including LBAN, gener8tor, Tomorrow Street and the Luxembourg Open Innovation Club (LOIC). Additionally, there will several occasions for networking, culminating in a closing ceremony to wrap up the event in a convivial atmosphere.

Jillian Manus, an experienced banking and media executive, a technology investor and entrepreneur, who is today Managing Partner of an early stage Silicon Valley venture fund, Structure Capital, will give a keynote speech during the closing ceremony titled: Investing in values not just valuations. She will also host two masterclasses, one for startups and the other for investors.

SP: On the LPEA side, we will host on the second day our annual flagship event (Insights conference), which includes some technology and VC-dedicated sessions in the afternoon, and then join forces with Luxinnovation to organise the closing ceremony. Some of our themes will encompass operational excellence, investor relations, efficient fundraising, ESG and value creation.