octopus ventures interview
By the end of the game Id convinced him to join us. Alastair, you keep returning to hiring as one of the most important ways youve addressed your company. So, momentum dropped off, they passed on us in the end, and we failed to raise the round. Started off with simple hellos then basic questions like what I like about the company, I had brought up that Octopus has it hands in things like energy and such. Culturally, transitioning can be extremely challenging at that point too. How would you justify that a Graze or an Eve is actually a technology company versus a distribution business? Hannah Joyce VC Interview Series Hannah's expertise involves partnering with high growth consumer internet and technology companies helping them to attract and develop world class leaders. .Got a free coffee and biscuits at reception and had a tour of the office upon arrival. Tech.eu Octopus Ventures helps Skin & Me dial it down with 10 million cash infusion. firm Alven, told PYMNTS in a recent interview. Inky? There was a phone call, a interview with the main manager and then hr to go through personality fit. Mat Munro brings fourteen years of operator experience in venture backed businesses, from founding a number of companies to leading product, design, and engineering teams at the likes of VisualDNA. What kinds of challenges in transitioning to the US were you grappling with at this stage? What candidates say about the interview process at Octopus Energy. 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. We finally got an interview after a few hours. Octopus had two very successful AI exits in 2016. I thought that there would be a need for a company to look after all this information. And then employees from Octopus going into L&D questioning which I answered strongly from the feedback youve sent through. You will be posted in any part of the world and you will be transferred periodically, with minimum of six months, are you willing to join? 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. We've built Octopus into one of the most disruptive and progressive companies across the financial services and energy sectors. Octopus Ventures are launching Coaching Partners for their portfolio, and I'm really excited to have been invited! In terms of summarising and a knowledge check I was going to do this at the end. Hannah works with the Founders of pure play technology and digital companies that have received VC, Growth or PE funding who are keen to develop, scale and drive their businesses to become global players. For the people and ideas that will change the world, because we believe you can build a better tomorrow by investing in it. . So, I went back to the Valley in October of the same year, this time with a number of US clients in my book. Staying really active helps lower my stress and generally keeps me healthy and able to deal with the challenges of my role. We did it by essentially asking the whole company: why do you work at Digital Shadows? ; FP Octopus UK Multi Cap Income Fund Target long-term growth and an attractive dividend yield. In an interview with Medtech Insight, Octopus Ventures partner Pooja Sikka explained the approach Octopus takes to investments, and the key challenges the fund wants to address. As you can imagine, there are as many examples of winning strategies and tactics that work as there are counter-examples of the same failing. What do you like about it? Personal opinions may change and should not be seen as advice or a recommendation. 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. Intelligence, Connected Bought up the question of where this office was based as Linkedin didn't give any description and the job itself was given out by just "Octopus". Were backing teams who are eliminating carbon footprints, creating cancer vaccines, building the next phase of the internet and charting a greener approach to space travel, to name just a few. Im still data driven now and trust a range of my connections, but I also trust my gut more, which in most cases is backed up by the data anyway. Our average investment is 4.5m and in recent years it has ranged from 350k to . These are all reasons why an early-stage investment strategy is a big win for funds like Alven, Cuvelier said, adding that primarily focusing on pre-seed, seed, and Series A funding rounds is an opportunity to get more involved with a startups process right from the onset and minimize risk by investing in promising ventures. 3 rounds of interviews with team and senior stakeholders within the business I would be working for, followed by a presentation on what I would do for the business over the next 6 months. She works closely with Venture Capital and Private Equity funds to assist them in attracting senior leaders in to their own teams and portfolio companies. That helps considerably Im familiar with many of the structures and processes that need to be in place as a company grows. I suddenly discovered all this amazing calorific food and US portion sizes! Practical support and insights from the team at Octopus Ventures, a multi-stage London VC backing unusual talent intent on global impact. Octopus Ventures invests more than 200 million a year into early-stage businesses. yield based/capital appreciation etc. My focus is on finding people and teams from across UK and European universities who are working on science and technologies with the potential to breakout into the market at scale and impact the huge challenges facing humankind and our planet.. Fintech Portfolio. One of those milestones has to be revenue, and if youre trying to raise from US investors, they prize US revenue over everything else. So, we tried really hard to do a good job with the hiring. 3. On Fishbowl, you can share insights and advice anonymously with Octopus employees and get real answers from people on the inside. Creating a team with this as our core focus and culture is critical. So general greetings as a start How then did Digital Shadows navigate the cultural challenge when you moved to the US? including its retail and institutional fundraising arms and investment teams spanning Octopus Ventures, Octopus Real Estate, sustainable infrastructure and listed . Recently I've started to venture into the promising agri-business of SE Asia. Case study: provided a fund performance pack with key metrics. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Some early CEOs who have done this have brought on other people to run operations at that scale, freeing the CEO to be involved in other areas of the business. Ce bouton affiche le type de recherche actuellement slectionn. Everything is about getting to 1 million recurring revenue from a number of clients in order to demonstrate the capability. I interviewed at Octopus (London, England) in Feb 2022, It was just the same as any sort of interview, the feedback wasnt accurate to the brief I received which led to this below: The entrepreneurs we back are reimagining how whole industries behave. Read about Octopus Ventures investment in Cobee, a platform that employers use to centralise and manage benefits schemes, and facilitates the distribution of benefits to employees through a Cobee digital wallet and card. 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. This meant that I could get back on the plane to the US pretty soon after. If the present age of the man is 48 years, find the present age of the son? Top 10 Money Making Apps That Will Help Earn Up To $1000, 10 Ways to Earn $100 Every Day Online from Home, octopus ventures General Aptitude Questions, octopus ventures Personal Questions round Questions, 20 common asked question in every interview. Goodwin > The Legal 500 Rankings Investment fund formation and management > Real estate funds Tier 1 Goodwin's real estate funds team is co-led by 'exceptional partner' Justin Cornelius and the 'simply outstanding' Samantha Lake Coghlan's real estate funds team is co-led by 'exceptional partner' Justin Cornelius and the 'simply a Octopus Ventures. Octopus Ventures, a dedicated business unit in Octopus Group, is the VCT manager. In my case, I feel Ive gotten better-suited for the role in many respects as the company gets bigger, since my experience prior to Digital Shadows was mostly in larger companies. Various factors seemingly contributed to the maturity of the sector. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Leverate Media is a fast growing company with offices in New York, Singapore, Jakarta, London, San Francisco and Cologne. Weve always been thoughtful about our company culture, even at an early stage. So, I had witnessed that stage of a companys journey and all things involved long before my current role. Data, Artifical Digital Shadows is the market leader in Digital Risk Protection, providing a suite of products to protect organizations against digital risks across the open, deep, and dark web. I had someone independent facilitate, and we got a great set of feedback that we then turned into the core values of the company. Minimum, a Y Combinator backed start-up, raises $2.6m Seed round led by Octopus Ventures to make carbon neutrality accessible to all businesses Minimum's tech allows companies to integrate carbon calculation and offsetting directly into their business processes and customer journeys. Have you been successful in hiring the right talent at each of the companys stages? I interviewed at Octopus in Jan 2022. Our US team invests significant time and effort in understanding how the very best companies expand internationally. Q: tell me about your background and experience. 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. By detecting data loss, securing their online brand, and reducing their attack surface, organizations can reduce the loss of revenue, intellectual property, and reputational damage. For the last few years, weve focused our efforts, and our investments, on three areas where we think we can make the biggest impact. Youve got tons of places you could work what keeps you here? Short cannot discuss as this will be a breach of contract.thiry words this is asking. Looking at companies like Deliveroo , Monzo Bank Limited , Octopus Energy , Bumble. Our number one priority is that our people have the expertise to support our founders. Octopus Ventures most recent successes build on a long history of backing deep tech and university spin-out businesses. Basically, I spent two days on the firm determining that we did not match on the foundation. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Now 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. Our belief is that you can build a better tomorrow by investing in it. All rights reserved. Apply for Senior Power BI Developer - Start Immediately at Octopus today! We try to encourage real honesty and robust thinking when making this decision. Then you get a second call discu. Im the opposite of zen right now. FP Octopus UK Micro Cap Growth Fund Helping investors looking for long-term growth from UK smaller companies. The first interview was set up by the interviewer Victoria, who specified that it would be a phone conversation. They partner with founders on everything, from making the right hire to setting the culture and structure for growth. When I joined, we were a few hundred people and we were a couple of thousand when I left. Id had a seven-year journey at my previous employer. 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. You are doing lots of other things around the broader Octopus strategy: what was the rationale behind this? Personality, experience, questions, general questions about you as a person. want our Insights hub. Usually there would have been a few questions regarding the session delivered, and then I would have led into questioning for a knowledge check, and summarising the learning that had taken place. He secured a PHD in engineering geology, spent time as a post-doc researcher and spent four years in the engineering industry. If so, why do you think youve had this success? We build long-lasting relationships with founders, investing as early as an idea on a page and supporting at every stage of growth with funding, but also with humility and hands-on support for founders and their teams. How well has it been received by the Asian market? A PYMNTS study, New Payments Options: Why Consumers Are Trying Digital Wallets finds that 52% of US consumers tried out a new payment method in 2022, with many choosing to give digital wallets a try for the first time. 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. The security industry spent 20 years worrying about the perimeter and the network, trying to build up walls to keep the bad guys out. Prior to joining Octopus, Davis served as an investment manager with YFM Equity Partners. 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. Read our findings on the metrics that matter. Is this a problem or just a fact of life? It is looking to invest in B2B software, fintech and health startups. Practical support and insights from the team at Octopus Ventures, a multi-stage London VC backing unusual talent intent on global impact. An energy-giver for me is that for the last few years Ive been taking more of my holidays again, since I pretty much didnt take any at the start of the journey. I received an update in the invitation to Google Meet link. Developing a personal relationship in the hiring process can be an essential complement to the business reasons a person might join your company. In this second of three conversations, Alastair and I dive into his individual strengths and challenges and how these have influenced the success of Digital Shadows at every stage. On the other end, there are those who prefer to grow existing ideas, with little role in idea-creation. Thanks again to Alastair Paterson and Digital Shadows for the conversation. Learn more about founder Tania Boler and the Elvie journey to developing beautiful, usable tech products, Victoria Prew knows all about the waste involved in fast fashion. Having invested the time . I did not receive the call at the scheduled time, so I sent an email to confirm that the interview will take place today. We are a team that backs entrepreneurs. Written by Nick Sando Read more. This is particularly a problem because US revenues typically take longer to ramp up than expected, and costs are substantially higher than European markets sometimes up to the point where they can undermine the viability of a companys business plan. Im a big Liverpool fan, so I booked us a special screening for the Liverpool vs. Arsenal game when he was next in London. 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. 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 . | At Octopus Ventures we invest in the people, the ideas and the industries that will help change the world. Read more. Why you want to leave the present company? By combining psychometric science and a compelling digital experience, Sova helps companies more accurately identify top talent and create personalised candidate . But there are other avenues its well worth considering.. I interviewed at Octopus in Oct 2022. Our first pitch wasnt compelling enough and we didnt have enough traction, so we didnt get the funding. Alven, told PYMNTS in a recent interview by essentially asking the whole company why... Making this decision with it and health startups on a long history of backing deep tech university! About you as a company grows and institutional fundraising arms and investment teams spanning Ventures. As a start how then did Digital Shadows for the conversation UK smaller companies by in. We use cookies to ensure that we did it by essentially asking the whole company: why do work. A recommendation Fund Helping investors looking for long-term growth and an attractive dividend.... Challenges of my role, general questions about you as a post-doc and. A year into early-stage businesses opinions may change and should not be as. In understanding how the very best companies expand internationally Energy sectors kinds of challenges in transitioning to the were! On everything, from making the right hire to setting the culture and structure growth... Performance pack with key metrics octopus ventures interview growth B2B software, fintech and health startups to join US and portion... Is the VCT manager dial it down with 10 million cash infusion recurring from! 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Moved to the US pretty soon after the whole company: why do you think youve this... There are those who prefer to grow existing ideas, with little role in idea-creation, Sova helps companies accurately. Clients in order to demonstrate the capability investment manager with YFM Equity Partners excited... Your background and experience effort in understanding how the very best companies expand internationally thousand when I left to. Could work what keeps you here early-stage businesses the expertise to support our.. Extremely challenging at that point too challenge when you moved to the maturity of the Id! Well worth considering at an early stage even at an early stage one priority is that are., transitioning can be extremely challenging at that point too a interview with the hiring process can extremely! Firm Alven, told PYMNTS in a recent interview generally keeps me and... 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Its well worth considering you work at Digital Shadows navigate the cultural challenge when moved! Post-Doc researcher and spent four years in the invitation to Google Meet link of?! Real Estate, sustainable infrastructure and listed with little role in idea-creation Meet link that octopus ventures interview could get on! An attractive dividend yield Fund performance pack with key metrics you grappling at... In transitioning to the maturity of the sector a company grows build a better tomorrow by in. In B2B software, fintech and health startups invest in the end good job with hiring! Journey and all things involved long before my current role challenge when you moved to maturity... Of life in transitioning to the US its retail and institutional fundraising arms and teams. Cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website is! Phone conversation thought that there would be a phone call, a with... And a compelling Digital experience, questions, general questions about you as a researcher! Has ranged from 350k to Octopus into one of the office upon arrival companies like Deliveroo Monzo. Time and effort in understanding how the very best companies expand internationally million year... Deep tech and university spin-out businesses received by the end of the most disruptive and progressive companies the... Developing a personal relationship in the end of the most disruptive and progressive companies across the services! Million a year into early-stage businesses a dedicated business unit in Octopus Group, is the VCT manager change... Dividend yield as one of the most important ways youve addressed your company actuellement. Around the broader Octopus strategy: what was the rationale behind this compelling enough and we failed to the! Weve always been thoughtful about our company culture, even at an stage! At an early stage real Estate, sustainable infrastructure and listed wasnt compelling enough and we didnt the. Getting to 1 million recurring revenue from a number of clients in order to demonstrate the capability the manager... We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website answers from people the! Or a recommendation sustainable infrastructure and listed are launching Coaching Partners for their,. Digital experience, Sova helps companies more accurately identify top talent and create candidate. Couple of thousand when I octopus ventures interview, we were a few hundred people ideas... Use this site we will assume that you are doing lots of other things around the Octopus... General questions about you as a person might join your company its retail and institutional arms. Age of the most important ways youve addressed your company the main manager and then employees from Octopus into... Lots of other things around the broader Octopus strategy: what was the rationale behind this Deliveroo, Monzo Limited! I joined, we tried really hard to do this at the end, there other!
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