Award winner - Summit | Newcomer of the Year: Ruya Ventures (represented by Rick Hao)

Europe’s deep tech companies will not become global leaders by copying traditional venture playbooks. They need specialist investors who can tackle commercialisation, manufacturing and supply chain bottlenecks from the earliest stages.After accepting the Newcomer of the Year award on behalf of Ruya Ventures at the EUVC Summit & Awards Show 2026, Founder and Managing Partner Rick Hao explains:Why Ruya backs a small, concentrated portfolio at pre-seed and seedHow early support and global supply chain expertise can help hardware startups scaleWhy underinvested sectors such as battery technology may offer overlooked opportunitiesHear how Ruya is helping deep tech companies scale faster with less capital and compete globally.The EUVC Summit & Awards Show returns to London in April 2027. Secure your ticket here.Chapters(00:00) Intro(01:00) Ruya Ventures’ pre-seed and seed strategy(02:00) Global supply chain expertise and the fundraise(03:00) Lessons from specialist and generalist VC funds(04:00) Why deep tech needs a dedicated investment thesis(05:00) Combining the strengths of both fund models(06:00) A different scale-up strategy for hardware(07:00) Ruya’s first investment and scaling ambition