How to make partner in less than three years: Cherry Ventures' Dinika Mahtani

How to make partner in less than three years: Cherry Ventures' Dinika Mahtani

Author: Sifted April 24, 2025 Duration: 43:12
Today on Startup Europe — the Sifted Podcast, Amy is joined by Dinika Mahtani, London-based partner at European early-stage VC Cherry Ventures. Dinika explains why she thinks deeptech is 'back', why Europe is having a moment — and what impact tariff turmoil is having on her portfolio companies. She also shares how she made the jump from general manager at Uber to angel investing and then VC — and talks us through how she ensured she made partner within just three years of joining Cherry Ventu...

Each week on Startup Europe-The Sifted Podcast, host Amy Lewin sits down with the people actually shaping the continent's technology landscape. This isn't about abstract theories or distant analysis; it's built from direct conversations with the founders rolling up their sleeves, the operators scaling teams, and the investors backing the next big ideas. Alongside Sifted's own journalists, Amy delves into the specifics of building a business, examining the strategies, setbacks, and successes that define the journey. The discussions go beyond the headlines to explore the real mechanics and human stories behind the companies causing a stir. Tuning into this podcast offers a genuine, behind-the-scenes look at innovation as it happens, grounded in the reporting and network that Sifted brings. It’s for anyone curious about the practical realities of European tech, from seasoned investors to aspiring entrepreneurs wanting to hear how it’s really done. You’ll find a focus on tangible lessons and candid insights, making each episode a detailed snapshot of a dynamic and fast-moving ecosystem.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 100

Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Tackling financial fraud with AI: Qonto CEO Alexandre Prot [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:10
French fintech Qonto is a rare beast in startup land: it's actually profitable. Founded in 2016, the company provides banking and other financial services to 500,000 small businesses customers across eight European marke…
What's so special about Lovable? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:51
If you work in tech, you’ve probably heard about Lovable — the AI agent startup that's helping users make websites without writing a line of code. The company hit $50m in annual recurring revenue earlier this year — just…
Nord's Tomas Okmanas on why he had to launch an AI startup [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:17
Tomas Okmanas is no stranger to scaling a company in a highly competitive space. When he launched NordVPN in 2012, the market was crowded with competitors, but today his company has 15m users, a $3bn valuation and a cons…
The 101 of angel investing with Jenny Tooth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:25
To kick off 2025, we're talking "business angels": the people who take big bets investing their personal wealth into startups at their earliest stages, and without whom most companies would never get off the ground. So,…