E371 | Samuli Siren, Redstone: The challenges of working with corporate investors

In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas and our in-house CVC expert, Jeppe Høier, are joined by Samuli Siren, CEO of Redstone, one of Europe's most successful venture capital firms.Together, we’ll dive deep into Redstone’s approach to corporate venture capital, exploring how they’ve built a portfolio with around €600M across ten different funds. Redstone specializes in Series A rounds and is headquartered in Berlin, focusing on DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and global markets—particularly the U.S.Redstone's focus spans multiple sectors, though always with a digital and B2B edge. Some of their standout investments include PlanRadar, Liqid, Psy, Finanzguru, Atlas Metrics, and Yoto. With Samuli, Redstone has excelled in attracting corporate investors, making his insights invaluable to anyone looking to understand how to raise capital from corporates.Go to eu.vc for our core learnings and the full video interview 👀Chapters:01:53 The Journey of Building Redstone03:32 Challenges in Venture Capital04:42 Working with Corporate Investors07:03 Managing Corporate Relationships14:07 Fundraising Strategies and Insights16:15 The Importance of Investor Relations19:32 Long-Term Relationships with LPs24:01 The Importance of Professional LPs24:32 Key Strategies for Success with Corporates25:05 Making Startup Innovation Fun25:33 Personal Touches in Business Interactions26:50 Tailoring Pitch Decks for Corporates28:33 The Pain of Cold Outreach29:49 Fundraising Buckets and Success Rates33:01 Balancing Passion, Family, and Self34:11 Advice for Young CVC Professionals40:52 Challenges in Corporate Digitalization