Episode 73: Sabina Wizander - Partner at Creandum: Creandum VII - €500M Fund To Back Europe's Winners

Episode 73: Sabina Wizander - Partner at Creandum: Creandum VII - €500M Fund To Back Europe's Winners

Author: Thomas Ohr June 20, 2024 Duration: 33:14
In this episode, we catch up with Sabina Wizander, Partner at Creandum, one of the most successful venture capital funds in Europe, backing some of Europe’s greatest tech companies including Spotify, iZettle, Depop, Klarna, Bolt, KRY, Epidemic Sound and Small Giant Games. Creandum recently rolled out an oversubscribed €500 million fund, the Creandum Fund VII, with the world’s leading investors as LPs, to continue finding and backing Europe’s winners at Seed and Series A stages. Sabina discusses her career journey from McKinsey to venture capital to startup operator. She emphasizes the importance of seizing exciting opportunities and being open to unexpected twists. Sabina shares her experiences as both a VC investor and an operator in a tech startup, highlighting the value of thinking like an owner and having a long-term perspective. She also discusses the European tech ecosystem, the challenges of fundraising, and the importance of setting and achieving high goals. Sabina concludes by expressing her passion for climate tech and the need to address the long-term effects of carbon emissions. Takeaways 1.Seize exciting opportunities and be open to unexpected twists in your career journey. 2.Think like an owner and have a long-term perspective as both a VC investor and an operator in a tech startup. 3.The European tech ecosystem is growing and has the potential to deliver fantastic companies and high-value outcomes. 4.Setting and achieving high goals, along with delivering on promises, builds trust and attracts investors. 5.Addressing carbon emissions and the climate crisis is crucial for the long-term well-being of humanity. This episode of EU-Startups Podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with Vanta it can be super simple. Trusted by over 7,000 companies, Vanta automates the pricey, time-consuming process of prepping for ISO 27001,SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and more. Learn more here: http://venta.com/eustartups

Hosted by Thomas Ohr, the EU-Startups Podcast pulls back the curtain on the continent's most dynamic and innovative companies. This isn't about abstract theory; it's a direct line to the founders, investors, and operators who are actually building the future across European cities. Each conversation digs into the tangible details-the early struggles for funding, the strategic pivots, the challenges of scaling across borders, and the personal journeys behind the headlines. You'll hear candid stories about what works and what doesn't in the intersecting worlds of technology and business, offering real insights for entrepreneurs at any stage and anyone curious about the mechanics of startup culture. As the audio companion to the leading online magazine EU-Startups.com, this podcast delivers depth and context you won't find elsewhere, turning each episode into a practical case study. Tune in for an authentic, unvarnished look at the ideas and people driving Europe's entrepreneurial landscape forward.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

EU-Startups Podcast
Podcast Episodes
From Skype to Delivery Robots [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:10
In this interview, Ahti Heinla - co-founder, CEO, and CTO of Starship Technologies and one of the original engineers behind Skype - shares his journey from a young programmer in Estonia to leading one of the world’s most…
The Travel Startup that Beat Covid [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:10
What does the future of travel really look like - and how is AI reshaping the way we explore the world? In this episode, we sit down with Patrick Andrae, co-founder and CEO of HomeToGo, to unpack the evolution of TravelT…
How Factorial Became Barcelona's HRTech Unicorn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:18
This interview features Jordi Romero, Founder and CEO of Factorial, offering an in-depth look at the evolution of one of Europe’s leading HRTech scaleups. Based in Barcelona, Romero shares his journey from engineer to en…
Why Female Founders Are Still Overlooked [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:23
In this episode, Rupa Popat, founder of Arāya Ventures, shares her vision for redefining early-stage venture capital. Rupa discusses the persistent under-allocation of capital to diverse founders, highlighting that femal…
Europe's Journey to Tech Autonomy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:42
In this interview, Jan Oberhauser, Founder and CEO of n8n, talks about how a personal frustration with repetitive coding led him to build one of Europe’s best-known workflow automation platforms. From the early pain poin…
Inside the Tech Hacking Brain Health [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:12
This episode features Ana Maiques, CEO and co-founder of Neuroelectrics, a Barcelona-based neurotechnology company pioneering non-invasive brain stimulation for neurological and psychiatric conditions. Founded in 2011 as…
Meet the startup turning e-waste into Millions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:07
In this interview, we speak with Philipp Heltewig, Refurbed founder Kilian Kaminski. The Austrian scale-up is turning e-waste into Millions.
AI and the Moral Question of our Time [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:19
In this interview, we speak with Philipp Heltewig, Chief AI Officer at NiCE and General Manager of NiCE Cognigy, about the journey of building Cognigy from a startup in 2016 to a $1 billion acquisition by NiCE Ltd. in 20…
How He Built a €1.1B Giant [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:40
In this interview, Enrico Giacomelli, Founder and Chairman of Namirial, reflects on building one of Europe’s leading Digital Transaction Management and Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) groups - from a small Italia…
Tackling Europe's Skills Crisis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:44
In this episode, we speak with Davide Dattoli, Founder and Executive Chairman of Talent Garden, about building one of Europe’s largest digital skills and EdTech platforms — from its launch in 2011 as a coworking experime…