KOMPAS VC

Last week, the KOMPAS VC team headed to its annual team retreat in Normandy, France 🇫🇷. In this historic and beautiful setting, known for its stunning coastline and rich history, we delved deep into the core of our mission—tackling #decarbonization, increasing #productivity, and strengthening the #resilience of heavily polluted and hard-to-abate industries such as the built environment and the manufacturing industry. The collective #talent of our distributed team was on full display as we brainstormed innovative ways to build an even more powerful platform for nurturing such innovations. Stepping out of our usual work environments and immersing ourselves in this beautiful location sparked new levels of thinking, productivity, and helped us set ambitious goals and a clear strategy. The retreat highlighted the importance of quality time together, strengthening our bonds and creating incredible memories. We discovered some amazing tennis players among us, and enjoyed wonderful, culturally diverse meals and other experiences that deepened our connections and team spirit. 🌍 Sebastian Peck, Talia Rafaeli, Andreas Winter-Extra, Meg George, Pauline Jimenez, Nick Gosen, Summit Rosenberg, Ilena Mece, Simay Arikan, Victoria Burrows #kompasvc #annualretreat #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #Normandy2024

What a week at London Climate Week! Victoria Burrows and Sebastian Peck dove right into the action, engaging with visionary founders, co-investors, and the vibrant climate tech community. ⚡ The Breakthrough Energy Summit stood out with luminaries like Bill Gates, Vinod Khosla, John Doerr, and HRH the Prince of Wales rallying us on the urgency and scale needed in our collective journey towards emissions reduction. A key takeaway was that ultimately, our success as investors and entrepreneurs will be measured by scale, and the amount of emissions abated is the ultimate measure. Accordingly, many discussions focused on funding first-of-a-kind factories (#FOAK), which are crucial steps in the scaling journey and maturation process of climate tech startups. Thank you, Brian Mayers, and the whole Breakthrough Energy Ventures team for hosting us. 🌆 We also teamed up with Stephen Murphy and the ClimateImpact team for insightful roundtable discussions on the 'Future of Cities' and the evolving landscape of climate tech investment. These discussions underscored the importance of global partnerships in driving meaningful change. Key insights included the barriers to initiating solutions and the necessity of an insurance scheme for startups, particularly with new materials. Thank you also to Anthony Hobley and Howden, who hosted their annual De-risking Summit featuring a set of insightful discussions at Mansion House. The insurance industry is undergoing a significant reassessment of climate-induced risks, and it was fascinating to hear how industry representatives navigate these challenges. Another thank you goes to Goals House, Christophe Defert, and HSBC Innovation Banking for inviting us to a discussion about AI as a key enabler of the energy transition, featuring Adam Elman, Sustainability Lead at Google. We look forward to partnering with Goals House at New York Climate Week. Last but not least, we would like to thank our very own (and indefatigable) Victoria Burrows, who did a wonderful job helping us navigate the myriad events of the week. She also hosted her highly successful "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" side event with our friends at Arup, featuring our portfolio companies Material Evolution and Vizcab. Thanks also to our friends at SET Ventures, Octopus Ventures, Blume Equity, ETF Partners, General Atlantic, 2150, Eka Ventures, and Sustainable Future Ventures for hosting us for dinner and drinks. We left London feeling reassured that, notwithstanding political headwinds, the momentum behind the transition to a #netzero economy remains strong. At KOMPAS VC, we are bullish on net zero and continue to deploy our capital to reduce emissions, increase productivity, and mitigate climate-induced cyber and geopolitical risks for the #manufacturing industry and the #builtenvironment. #backingthebuildersoftomorrow #kompasvc

📣 Portfolio news: Did you know that only 4% of property managers believe "more space" is the top reason guests choose vacation rentals over hotels? In contrast, a staggering 56% of guests cite it as their #1 reason for staying in a short-term rental (STR). This reveals a significant perception gap between property managers and guests. To help bridge this gap, Minut, a KOMPAS VC portfolio company specializing in non-intrusive monitoring and task automation for short-term rentals, conducted an extensive survey of nearly 1,000 property managers and guests. Their findings are detailed in the 2024 Survey Report: Bridging the Perception Gap in Property Management (link below) Minut’s research was recently featured in a CNBC article highlighting why Airbnb hosts decline guests. Check it out here ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eKmgsAPt At KOMPAS VC, we are thrilled to support Minut as they lead the way in transforming the short-term rental industry. Dive into the full report and empower your property management strategy with data-driven insights to: - Learn from industry leaders on providing unbeatable STR experiences - Discover how smart property tech is transforming the industry - Find out what guests truly value when booking Continue reading 👉 https://lnkd.in/gkUKKEsT #kompasvc #backingthebuildersoftomorrow #minut #vacationrentals #airbnb #cnbc #survey #shorttermrentals

⚡ Findable just managed to reduce a week's worth of work for Betonmast to about 10 minutes. We cannot manually read documentation for several thousand products per project. It is nearly impossible, explains Siv Tallang-Vold, Environmental Manager at Betonmast. Betonmast is a construction company that faces the challenge of managing documentation for thousands of products, particularly regarding chemical content declarations. The introduction of the new BREEAM standard version 6.0 in 2022, which has stricter documentation requirements, exacerbated these challenges. Betonmast had over 5000 documents in various formats that needed to be reviewed manually, which was time-consuming and error-prone. To address this, Betonmast partnered with KOMPAS VC's portfolio company Findable. Findable's technology significantly expedited the process.This partnership not only improved efficiency but also reduced the risk of errors in documenting compliance with the REACH regulation, which lists over 200 environmentally harmful substances. At KOMPAS VC, we are proud to see such tangible proof of the team's hard work and innovation. Congratulations to everyone involved! 👏 Read the full article (in Norwegian 🇳🇴) at itbaktuelt. Link in the comments ⤵

🇫🇷 While Sebastian and Victoria were busy attending London Climate Action Week, Nick Gosen jetted off to Paris for the BuiltWorlds 2024 Paris Summit! With the streets of the capital sizzling, Nick had an action-packed schedule visiting La Defense, attending the Saint-Gobain Towers opening reception, and joining partner sessions at VINCI’s Leonard Startup Village Expo. He also served as a jury member for Vinci's demo day and represented KOMPAS VC at the CEO dinner. Here are Nick’s top takeaways from the summit: ▶ The French #PropTech/ #ConTech ecosystem is robust, with significant collaboration among major corporates like Saint-Gobain, Leonard / VINCI, and Bouygues Immobilier Partenaires. ▶ BuiltWorlds successfully gathered a diverse and influential group of stakeholders, including corporates, startups, investors, and venture builders, making for a highly valuable networking experience. ▶ Despite tech advancements, we are still building much like decades ago. Digital solution adoption is slower in construction compared to manufacturing. However, construction companies are stepping up, and customers are starting to demand these innovations. A massive thank you to BuiltWorlds for hosting such an incredible event! The locations were fantastic, and the experience was unforgettable. We are excited for Venture East and West in the coming months and can’t wait to continue our collaboration! Jack Forde Cameron Mabley Colin Yording Where to next? Check out our public calendar ⤵ https://lnkd.in/gWPjX2_x #BuiltWorlds #KOMPASVC #backingthebuildersoftomorrow

📣 To achieve net zero goals, we need ambitious government support for new climate technologies. This is not just an environmental imperative, but an economic one too. ClimateImpact has written an open letter, in collaboration with Startup Coalition, to urge the next government to prioritize climate innovation as a central part of their agenda. Over 180 leaders in ClimateTech have signed the letter. By fostering a thriving #climatetech sector, we can ensure the UK leads in low-carbon industries, creating jobs and driving economic growth. We invite you to join us in this movement. Add your name to the open letter and help us advocate for climate innovation to be at the heart of the UK’s national agenda. Link to letter and signatories ⤵ https://lnkd.in/eHwdbpDm Charlie Mercer / Rishi Sunak / Jonty Leibowitz / Eli Robinson / Vidhya Alakeson OBE / Christian Hernandez Gallardo / Frédéric de Mévius / Sebastian Peck / Enass Abo-Hamed MBE / Lubomila Jordanova / Rt Hon Chris Skidmore / Michelle You / Bobby Healy / Raphael Güller / Eli Mitchell-Larson / Gunnlaugur Erlendsson / Will Pearson / Grant Aarons / Jason Rubottom / Mark Campanale / Timo Recker #ClimateTech #NetZero #Innovation #Sustainability #EconomicGrowth #KOMPASVC #ClimateImpact #StartupCoalition #BackingTheBuildersOfTomorrow

Prewave makes the supply chain more transparent, resilient, and sustainable, addressing the complex compliance requirements imposed by new regulations like the EU Supply Chain Act. With a client roster including Ferrari, Dr. Oetker, and Toyota Motor Corporation, and impressive growth, recently announcing a raise of €63 million in Series B to further its global expansion and AI technology development, the future looks bright. As KOMPAS VC Partner, Talia Rafaeli notes: "Prewave provides a solution for businesses to effectively manage supply chain risks, significantly enhancing monitoring accuracy and scope." Dive into the full story on Handelsblatt (in German 🇩🇪) and learn how Prewave builds a new way for global supply chain intelligence and risk management: https://lnkd.in/evuYK8dT Thank you Nadine Schimroszik for featuring this story 👏 #supplychain #EUsupplychainact #EUDR #CS3D #superintelligence #kompasvc #backingthebuildersoftomorrow

💥 It’s a wrap! Yesterday we were delighted to host our breakfast event ‘Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained - Investing in Decarbonization’ with Arup during London Climate Action Week. The event brought together a fantastic lineup of seven innovative solutions including KOMPAS VC portfolio companies Vizcab and Material Evolution, to share how their technologies can support decarbonization of the built environment. We explored ideas ranging from whole-life carbon, clean energy transition, HVAC optimization, advanced materials, and retrofitting. This event also highlighted how different funding models such as venture capital, corporate venture incubators, and industry accelerator programmes can bring to market ideas that are prime for scale. Thank you to our speakers: 👉 Elizabeth Gilligan, Material Evolution ⁠⁠👉 Jess Kyte, Etc. at BT Group 👉Andrew Fitzpatrick, BrainBox AI 👉Clara Semal, National Grid Ventures ⁠⁠👉Rebecca Stewart, Artus 👉Thomas Jusselme, Vizcab ⁠⁠👉Tom Fenton, Senze A big thank you to Arup for hosting us and to the organizing team: Paula Kirk, Erin Gill, DPhil CEnv and Victoria Burrows. It was fantastic to see a room full of industry professionals and investors keen to learn more about these solutions and recognising their potential for securing the future of our built world. 👏 Thank you to everyone who took time from their busy LCAW schedules to attend our showcase! #kompasvc #backingthebuildersoftomorrow #arup #vizcab #materialevolution #senze #artus #brainboxai #etcatBTgroup #nationalgridventures

Embassies play an important role in facilitating international cooperation, opening doors to new markets, and creating relationships that drive sustainable economic development. For KOMPAS VC, interacting with the world of public policy is essential to our mission to reduce emissions, increase productivity and strengthen business resilience in the built environment and manufacturing industry. Our Partner, Sebastian Peck, is actively involved in the #CEOnetwork organized by the Danish Embassy in Den Haag (Embassy of Denmark in the Netherlands). It is a great opportunity to exchange views with other representatives of Danish and Dutch Industry, and European policymakers. Recently, Ambassador Jarl Frijs-Madsen hosted Focco Vijselaar, General Director of VNO-NCW, who spoke about the future of Dutch business in a changing political landscape. Key points included the need for a stable Dutch government, the impact of the fragmented EU market on competition, and the importance of boosting Dutch innovation. These debates are important to ensure KOMPAS VC is attuned to the latest political developments and understands how they impact local innovation ecosystems. ⚡ Teaser! This November, we will be collaborating with the Danish Embassy in Helsinki to host a side event at Slush! We will be gathering VC funds, founders, and industry stakeholders to connect, exchange ideas, and discuss the future of the built environment and the construction sector. Interested in getting involved? Reach out to Pauline Jimenez Sebastian Peck Andreas Winter-Extra Guillaume Bazouin or let us know in the comments 👇 #kompasvc #danishembassy #embassy #backingthebuildersoftomorrow

🚨 Fundraising Alert 🚨 Prewave secures €63M in Series B funding to enhance supply chain risk management with its advanced AI platform. This investment will fuel Prewave’s global expansion and further development of its AI technology to create the leading supply chain intelligence and risk management solution. We are joined by Hedosophia, who led the round, along with co-investors Creandum, Ventech, Speedinvest, and Working Capital Fund, this is after KOMPAS VC led Prewave’s A round. Businesses in Europe and globally are facing a surge in new sustainability and supply chain regulations, which introduce complex reporting and compliance requirements and significant penalties for violations. National regulations add further complexity to these challenges. Prewave tackles these issues by using AI to offer supply chain superintelligence, helping businesses make their supply chains more transparent, compliant, and resilient. Over 200 companies, including Lufthansa, Toyota Motor Corporation, Ferrari, and Dr. Oetker, rely on Prewave to stay compliant and strengthen the resilience and sustainability of their supply chains. Congratulations to Lisa Smith and Harald Nitschinger on Prewave's €63M Series B. What a remarkable achievement! 🎉 Talia Rafaeli Summit Rosenberg Continue reading > Tech.eu https://lnkd.in/dHngfnvf #supplychain #EUsupplychainact #EUDR #CS3D #kompasvc #backingthebuildersoftomorrow