Ep 49 - European VCs & the Future of Funding Diversity with Leaders from Peak & Pink Salt Ventures

Culture, Talent & Growth

Samira Ann Qassim and Indra Sharma join Paul Craven for an insightful discussion on the future of European venture capital. In this episode, we discuss insights on emerging technologies, the changing investment landscape, and leveling the playing field for underrepresented entrepreneurs. Learn how VCs can use their resources to break biases and drive positive change for underrepresented entrepreneurs.

Here’s What We Discussed

• [01:40] Samira and Indra introduce themselves and share their backgrounds
• [03:45] Deep Tech, Health Tech, and Generative AI: What’s on the horizon for European VCs
• [07:00] The advantages and disadvantages that European startups and VCs have over global players
• 12:04 Navigating the changing landscape of investment activity and valuations
• [16:41] Leveling the Playing Field: Addressing the unique challenges faced by underrepresented entrepreneurs with the help of VCs
• [24:26] How VCs Can use their resources to drive positive change in the startup community and beyond

About Our Speakers

Paul Craven brings a decade of recruitment and executive search experience in Europe and the US, with a passion for tech, startups and people. He has spent the last 3 years connecting executive talent with fast growing startups and is now focused on building the Ruckus presence in EMEA.

Based out of sunny Barcelona, Paul also enjoys family days at the beach, playing football and discovering the city’s best restaurants.

Samira Ann Qassim is passionate about supporting visionary founders who are propelling the future forward at lightning speed. With a focus on empowering female-led technology companies, she founded Pink Salt Ventures to tap into their untapped potential. Prior to launching Pink Salt, Samira gained experience as a strategist and successful tech entrepreneur.

Indra Sharma is a partner at Peak, a European seed-stage venture capital fund investing in b2b Saas, platforms, and marketplaces. She's based out of Stockholm, where she brings her expertise in the Nordics to the Peak community. She works closely with companies such as Breyta, Blidz, and Melon.

Indra has an engineering background, starting her career as a quant and a developer and later moving on to the business side. She has an extensive background as an operator and was part of scaling Swedish payment house Bambora Group. Before joining Peak, she led investments in companies such as Lassie, Einride, and Natural Cycles.

Quotes

“I'm of the view that it is never a good idea to get the highest valuation as possible if you can't grow into it.” – Samira Ann Qassim

“The biases that you see in society are reflected in VC and in the tech ecosystem…One of the biggest problems we have is that we just don't see potential in people who don't fit into a certain stereotype of an entrepreneur.” – Indra Sharma

“It’s great to walk into a room where everyone's invited. It's about the quality of your outlook and your output that matters.” – Samira Ann Qassim

“When building your network, make sure that you include different people because it's so easy to talk to people who speak and look exactly like you.” – Indra Sharma

“VCs, if you actually care, you should engage with investors on the merit of their investments.” – Samira Ann Qassim

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