EUVC #287: Jan Voss, Head of Family Office at BLN Capital on family offices as investors in VCs & startups

Today, we have Jan Voss with us. Jan is the Head of Family Office at BLN Capital, a Berlin-based Single Family Office. BLN invests across almost all asset classes but has historically been most active in early-stage ventures in Germany as well as the VC and PE fund space. AT BLN, Jan leads a three-person investment team focused on long-term investments across almost all asset classes. Jan is also a very active author on LinkedIn with over 15,000 followers, regularly sharing insights into family offices, venture capital, and asset allocation with his readers. BLN manages over 100M€ in assets and has an established portfolio of 30+ companies and notable investments, including Kittl, PowerUs, and Meine Erde. Jan is also the Managing Director of Cape May Wealth. Cape May Wealth is a Berlin-based wealth management firm. They aim to make family office investment knowledge available to everyone to help entrepreneurs make better decisions regarding their wealth. Go to eu.vc for our core learnings and the full video interview 👀 Chapters: 00:05:18 - Balancing Moonshots and Profitability 00:07:54 - The Mistake of Family Offices in VC Investments 00:13:00 - The Value of European VCs 00:20:29 - Secondaries and Venture Debt 00:23:03 - The Versatility of Growth Funds in the German Market 00:25:36 - Investments in Private Equity and Venture Capital 00:30:39 - The Pros and Cons of Large Funds and Small Market Investments 00:33:06 - Direct VC Investments and Portfolio Strategy 00:35:41 - Different approaches to investing 00:38:17 - The Importance of Tracking Companies' Progress 00:40:55 - VC Fund Behavior and Courage 00:45:57 - Three Biggest Learnings from the Past 10 Years 00:48:19 - Being proactive and driving personal traction 00:53:11 - Tips for Emerging VCs 00:58:22 - Contradictory Communication Styles