Tips for investors and startups published in Q2 in 2015

Last week we organized the Leapfunder Investor Forum. The event’s aim was to create a relaxed environment where investors could meet and interact with each other. As always, we counted on the participation of a few startups who talked about their respective projects and shared ideas. Here is how it went! What happened at the...

What to look for in a startup? What should those new to startup investing keep in mind? Willem Schellekens, a startup investor, answers these questions and a few more about his experience with investing in startups. Interview with Willem Schellekens Hi Willem, thank you for doing the interview with us. You have a background in...

“Good founders make things happen the way they want. Which is not to say they force things to happen in a predefined way. Good founders have a healthy respect for reality. But they are relentlessly resourceful. You want to fund people who are relentlessly resourceful.” Paul Graham For those that want to jump into the...

Convertible notes have become a standard when investing in an early stage startup. The Convertible has a number of benefits that we’ve mentioned in our recent blog post: 4 Benefits of Raising Funding via Convertible Notes. In this blog post we’ll explain when Leapfunder Notes turn to equity. Leapfunder Notes turning into Equity Before a...

We hebben de afgelopen weken al een korte introductie over startups gegeven; waar je startups kunt vinden, hoe je het kaf van het koren scheidt én wat de investeringsopties zijn. Ditmaal duiken we wat dieper in de verschillende branches. De komende weken lichten we een…

We hebben de afgelopen weken al een korte introductie over startups gegeven; waar je startups kunt vinden, hoe je het kaf van het koren scheidt én wat de investeringsopties zijn. Ditmaal duiken we wat dieper in de verschillende branches. De komende weken lichten we een aantal branches uit en zetten we wat startups uit die sector in het spreekwoordelijke zonnetje. Ditmaal is...

One of Leapfunder’s clients (and our startup bros from Startupbootcamp Amsterdam Class of 2014), just launched a solution to your photo mess, your unorganized camera roll – an app that will turn it into a beautifully-shared photo gallery; Bundle. We had a chance to chat to their CEO, Michel op ‘t Landt, about their pivot, raising funding and their future plans....

“I believe in you. I believe in the risk, I believe in Favoroute“. When you find investors who truly believe in your startup like that, the entrepreneurial route gets a bit easier, but it is still reserved only for the resilient. We had a chance to interview Frederieke Wolter, the founder of Favoroute – the final travel guidebook....

ULU, the ecosystem of drivers, vehicles and car related businesses, is going from one success to another without any intention of stopping or slowing down. This February, they were one of the stars of the most impressive demo day (probably ever) in the Netherlands, where they signed an investment contract on stage with BOM, a...

“Convertible notes have won. Every investment so far in this YC batch (and there have been a lot) has been done on a convertible note.” Paul Graham, the father of startups and the founder of Y Combinator stated this in a tweet in 2010. In the US, notes are an effective standard for seed-funding startups....

We hebben de afgelopen weken al een korte introductie over startups gegeven; waar je startups kunt vinden, hoe je het kaf van het koren scheidt én wat de investeringsopties zijn. Ditmaal duiken we wat dieper in de verschillende branches. De komende weken lichten we een…

We hebben de afgelopen weken al een korte introductie over startups gegeven; waar je startups kunt vinden, hoe je het kaf van het koren scheidt én wat de investeringsopties zijn. Ditmaal duiken we wat dieper in de verschillende branches. De komende weken lichten we een aantal branches uit en zetten wat startups uit die sector in het spreekwoordelijke zonnetje. Ditmaal is Energie...

Plot Projects, the ultimate solution for Geofencing Notifications, recently raised the biggest round via Leapfunder thus far, €320 000. They didn’t stop there, additionally, they also raised another €230 000 from their previous investors. Plot Projects is on the right track to proving “the hockey stick” growth graph is not just a myth by being...

CROWDY HOUSE, the platform and marketplace for the world’s best designers and makers, has had an impressive year. We met them at the very beginning when they raised their first round of funding via Leapfunder, and today we’ve asked Mark Studholme, CEO of CROWDY HOUSE, to share all about their path to success. Interview with...

Berlin startup scene is thriving. Berlin tech startups raised a combined $1.1 billion in 2014, a 140% increase compared with 2013. We had a chance to talk to Luisa Maier, Director of Lab & Venture at GTEC Berlin and ask her all about the city’s startup scene, investors and where to discover unicorns in Berlin!...

This week we interviewed Pieter ter Kuile, ex-Vice Chairman at Dutch investment bank Kempen & Co and one of the early investors in Leapfunder. Pieter studied law in Amsterdam and obtained an MBA at Harvard. He started his career at McKinsey & Co, after which he founded his own company in financial fraud investigation. This...