Latest Episodes

• March 20, 2025Podcast

  The coming Web3 acquisition wave

  If we rewind to 2021, as we were starting to come out of the covid pandemic, there is nowhere you could look without seeing a flurry of investment rounds, many of them very, very big, backing Web3 and crypto startups. Everyone and their dog was looking to get a piece of the action.

  Eventually, of course, it cooled off but it’s been making a big comeback in recent months, especially since the US elections late last year. What we are now starting to see, which we didn’t see even back when valuations were massive and everyone was looking for a crypto startup to sink their money into, is the spectre of exits.

  Today I speak to GCV’s special features editor, Rob Lavine, about the growing tide of M&As we’re likely to see in the space, what kind of investors are looking to jump in, if we’re expecting the return of megarounds, and why gaming and entertainment is likely to be a huge frontier bringing in people who might not otherwise have been exposed to Web3.

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• March 13, 2025Podcast

  rEnergy Partners: Charting a new course as a spun-out cleantech investor

  My guest today is Greg Zavorotniy, who was managing director at what was then called BayWa Energy Ventures, and is now partner at rEnergy Partners. We talk about the advantages of being able to invest from outside the corporate architecture, the unit’s plans to raise a fund north of $200m to invest in cleantech startups, and their plans to bring in multiple LPs.

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• March 6, 2025Podcast

  Cencosud Ventures: Venture clienting should involve skin in the game

  Pilot projects between corporates and startups are a dime a dozen, just about any large corporate can do one. The problem, according to my guest today, is after the pilot – why is it that so many startups’ solutions don’t end up scaling within a corporate post-pilot, and what can be done about it?

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• February 27, 2025Podcast

  BMW i Ventures: Carmakers must innovate to navigate rapid technology shift

  Investing in automotive is not what it used to be – it has gone far beyond just what makes the car itself better, but of course to the entire ecosystem and experience around them.

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• February 20, 2025Podcast

  Leaps by Bayer: Agtech investors look for zebras, not unicorns.

  If you happen to be a human being, chances are you need to eat in order to survive. Agriculture is as crucial an industry to the maintenance of modern society as any other – and with a growing population and threats from climate change, finding new ways to produce more food is more important than ever. So why is it that investment into innovative agricultural technology has been so weak in recent years relative to other sectors?

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  February 13, 2025Podcast

  Argentina’s turbulent economy is a forge for fintech founders

  Investing in fintech is hard wherever you are, but what if where you are is known for its economic and political turbulence? My guest today is Sebastian Spena, the managing director of Galicia Ventures, the corporate VC unit of Argentinian financial services company Grupo Galicia.

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  January 27, 2025Podcast

  Looking ahead at fintech’s comeback

  The past year has been a big one for fintech startups. The high interest rate environment we’ve been under is slowly easing, along with the uncertainties stemming from having to wait for the outcome of the election in the US. The huge amounts of capital that have been parked on the sidelines are now looking to be deployed, and momentum is returning to the fintech space.

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  December 9, 2024Podcast

  We are in another iPhone Cambrian explosion for the chips industry

  For every dollar that is invested in semiconductors, around $3 of economic activity is thought to be generated downstream – and in this case, downstream means absolutely anything technology-related. Just about piece of tech equipment you can buy today will rely in some way on a semi-conductor.

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  December 2, 2024Podcast

  Torq hopes to replicate Brazil’s fintech success across LatAm

  Latin America has always been fertile ground for fintech innovation and growth. Combining a young, tech-savvy population and a relative under-penetration of financial services you may see in other developed markets, there is plenty of opportunity for startups to feast on.

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  November 25, 2024Podcast

  Best Nights VC wants people to meet in real life again

  Nightlife has changed in recent years. It’s not just the macro-effects of the pandemic – with higher costs of living and young people having less disposable income – but their preferences are also evolving.

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