octopus ventures interview

This rating has improved by 3% over the last 12 months. I received an update in the invitation to Google Meet link. Case study: provided a fund performance pack with key metrics. Working together to unlock deep techs revolutionary potential. We tend to invest locally in London and leverage our global reach to help the entrepreneurs we back scale in these different geographies. This often involves both basic operational activities, such as incorporating a US company or discovering the optimal location to have a base, as well as more strategic decisions like determining who first to hire, which go to market strategies to leverage, when and how to fundraise. Octopus Ventures is a collective of experts and individuals. ( My name) has a friendly and informal / conversational style which was really liked by the attendees. The sentiment does hold in many cases, but not all. Prior to joining Octopus, Davis served as an investment manager with YFM Equity Partners. . Richard Anson comments: Im super excited to have joined the Octopus Ventures deeptech team. We see a lot of angel investing in the market how is the pre-seed market affecting Octopuss access to deal flow? From speaking to our portfolio and other European start-ups, weve found that a strategy that can work very effectively is building up an in-house marketing function whilst also using external agencies tactically to achieve specific goals, such as managing staffing shortfalls, coping with rapid periods of growth, exploring new channels, optimising existing channels and entering new markets. Minimum, a Y Combinator backed start-up that helps businesses across all industries to make their [] If the present age of the man is 48 years, find the present age of the son? And how has Digital Shadows grown since that beginning? Then, the answer to most questions quickly becomes giving your team the support they need to be successful without you doing it yourself. Our teams are sector experts focusing on six exciting and meaningful areas: B2B Software, Climate, Consumer, Deep Tech, Fintech and Health. I'm in wonderful company alongside Katy | 12 LinkedIn My co-founder James did a little contracting work on the side. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Fintech Portfolio. For us, investment is about more than money. What did you do in your previous role? So, inflection point number one was having a degree of evidence that this was going somewhere, and we could build out the development team and the first version of the platform with that Seed round. Our average investment is 4.5m and in recent years it has ranged from 350k to . Also, for me, fitness is big thing I still play football, I run a lot, and I snowboard as often as possible. Im like an octopus on stilts.". I think that, of all things, these points have been the most helpful to me along the way. 15,000 respectively. Some of them can adapt to the new stage, and some of them cant. The decision to scale into the U.S. market, followed by the execution, is not for the faint As you can imagine, there are as many examples of winning strategies and tactics that work as there are counter-examples of the same failing. you. As mothers sons only sister is B. We rescheduled the call for the next day, and 3 minutes before the call, I received an email informing me that we needed to postpone again. Within its framework, our task is to familiarize investors with the token sale market as best as possible and attract investments in projects at early stages of financing (Private, Seed and others Please briefly explain why you feel this question should be reported. Practical support and insights from the team at Octopus Ventures, a multi-stage London VC backing unusual talent intent on global impact. I do think that some CEOs are just not motivated by that aspect and would be on to the next idea at that point. By the numbers, just over half are currently operational in the US, with the majority based on the East Coast. Very quick and straightforward process. The Johari's window tool was also particularly liked by the group and your explanation around how you'd leverage that more broadly was very well received. Octopus Ventures is one of the most active early stage investors in Europe, with offices in London and New York and Venture Partners in San Francisco, London, Singapore and China. This mix of attributes is very attractive to a venture investor. Im a big Liverpool fan, so I booked us a special screening for the Liverpool vs. Arsenal game when he was next in London. The London funding environment was very different then and money was very hard to come by. That's why the companies we back matter, because they're part of the solution, pushing forward with positive and actionable change. The Octopus Ventures blog: sharing experience, knowledge and insights with entrepreneurs in the startup community as well as recent news from the team and portfolio. The venture capital industry is becoming global and increasingly we have noticed both West Coast investors as well as Chinese and Japanese investors investing in Europe. So that was very challenging. I got on a plane and moved out to San Francisco in February 2015 and started to build out the team here. Octopus Ventures backs pioneering unusually talented entrepreneurs daring to reimagine the future of health, money and deep tech, and supports them as they grow from early-revenue to exit. For the people and ideas that will change the world. I interviewed at Octopus (London, England) in Nov 2022. Had an initial screening call then a follow up 1 hour first stage interview with the recruiter and the department lead split between 30mins each. We recently hired in Japan and Australia. Digital Shadows is the market leader in Digital Risk Protection, providing a suite of products to protect organizations against digital risks across the open, deep, and dark web. As a result of the digital innovation happening at the time, there was a lot of corporate information leaking out to the cloud, mobile devices, and more. Ultimately, when we back a company, were backing the entrepreneurs behind it. We finally got an interview after a few hours. They partner with founders on everything, from making the right hire to setting the culture and structure for growth. Leverate have worked with a number of Octopus Ventures portfolio companies to help accelerate growth into new markets such as the US, Continental Europe and Asia. Payments, More Ive fortunately always been good at handling stress and functioning on minimal sleep while keeping high energy. Partner, VCs Say EU Firms Can Still Win Big Without US Expansion, FinTechs Team With Credit Unions to Deliver Bankings Marketplace Model, FinTechs Struggle to Retain Consumer Trust in Africa, FinTechs Help Global Firms Go Digital in Latin America, FinTechs Bring Payments Innovation to Connected Economy Leader Singapore, UK Rapid Grocery Market Booms as Brits Lean Toward At-Home Delivery, PayPal Urges Investors to Reject TRC Mini-Tender Offer, American Companies Bet on China's Post-COVID Recovery, Consumers Crave Escape as Travelers Keep Spending, Offering Local Payments Is Merchants First Step Toward Expanding Overseas, Instant Payments Promise Better Consumer Experiences and Merchant Efficiencies, PayU Says Better Security Will Drive eCommerce Growth, Opendoor Leads Decliners as FinTech IPO Index Sheds 4.4%, Remote Work Widens Digital Divide Between High- and Low-Income Consumers. Were always on the lookout for opportunities to partner with innovators and disruptors. They sent me to the office for the initial HR call, but I showed up and no one was in the office. Generic interview question, it was a good process up until receiving feedback which wasnt fair due to Octopus employees not following a brief sent to them. Octopus Ventures, a dedicated business unit in Octopus Group, is the VCT manager. We have some of the worlds leading universities making world changing breakthroughs, and a growing community of experienced deep tech founders who know how to commercialise those breakthroughs. Thankfully, having a co-founder helps, because you can then talk frankly. Now Let us help you get to the right place so you can read the stories most relevant to You have a group interview over teams which was supposed to last 10-12 but it went on for about 6 hours. Our team is spread across the US, the UK, Singapore and China, with the weight of the team being split between offices in London and New York. He secured a PHD in engineering geology, spent time as a post-doc researcher and spent four years in the engineering industry. We power the people tackling todays biggest challenges. Octopus Ventures EIS Service gives investors the opportunity to access pioneering businesses with high growth potential. I thought that there would be a need for a company to look after all this information. . Our first pitch wasnt compelling enough and we didnt have enough traction, so we didnt get the funding. The role will almost always be a tough, long one, even if youre successful. I just thought back then that there would be huge privacy and security implications in this world where information was being shared online, stored, and protected in ways that were not well understood. Our investment team is built to specialise in the five areas where we see the most potential for growth and innovation: health, fintech, deep tech, consumer and B2B . Ive always believed that ethics, integrity, diversity and values can have a big impact on why people join you and our VP Sales for the Americas, Maria, was kind enough to write about that here. Its difficult when youre the CEO there isnt really anyone else who understands whats going on, so you just have to deal with it yourself a lot of the time. Netflix. The blog post also mentioned calling on family members, friends, angel investors and venture capitalists for help in the pre-seed stage. Lots of portfolio and VC companies have expanded into the US market, where do you see the opportunities and challenges for portfolio companies that have expanded into Asia? The first interview was set up by the interviewer Victoria, who specified that it would be a phone conversation. Hub Tags Crunchbase Venture Program. Hello. Working at @OctopusVentures seeking unusually talented entrepreneurs, based in NYC. Watch Our Last Interview Video:. Given the ubiquity of mobile and cloud computing, these types of companies are also able to reach global audiences in a capital efficient way. Of the businesses that weve spoken to, 90% found that going to the US led to detrimental consequences for the domestic business that they had not forecast. Common stages of the interview process at Octopus according to 64 Glassdoor interviews include: Glassdoor has millions of jobs plus salary information, company reviews, and interview questions from people on the inside making it easy to find a job thats right for you. Trying to have a really up-front, authentic leadership team that gets everything out in the open is one way of dealing with this transparently and effectively as the company grows. During a given week a programmer spend 1/4 of his time preparing charts,3/8 of his time for coding,rest of his time for debugging the programs.If he had 48 hrs during the week how many hours did he spend debugging the program. Related: VCs Say EU Firms Can Still Win Big Without US Expansion. (Fortunately, it was a 11 game). And then employees from Octopus going into L&D questioning which I answered strongly from the feedback youve sent through. I interviewed at Octopus in Oct 2022. Youve got to be a lifelong learner and be prepared to be a sponge for new ideas and best practices every day. Non-journalists, you'll The hiring process at Octopus takes an average of 23.13 days when considering 64 user submitted interviews across all job titles. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The interview process is very time consuming. Backing the people and ideas that will change the world. We are a team that backs entrepreneurs. We bootstrapped and funded ourselves from a number of government grants and angel investment. Its changed a bit, but, in essence, its the same concept we started with all the way back in 2011. Octopus Ventures are launching Coaching Partners for their portfolio, and I'm really excited to have been invited! Some also burn out from sprinting through the early stages with no rest, so thats another reason why many may not be built to lead their companies in subsequent stages. Description. I wouldnt want to crush any of that spirit that you need at the beginning, but I think you need to know that success takes 10 years, not 10 months. Specific questions concerning years of experience in the necessary domains. Our team in the US is focused almost entirely on helping our European portfolio scope and enter the US market. Glassdoor users rated their interview experience at. Platforms, Subscription What companies in the portfolio are you personally excited about? The role in the UK is slightly different to the US . As a result of this, European entrepreneurs are drawn to the US for a variety of reasons, but typically they start thinking about a US launch when they reach some sort of limitation in their home market. This meant that I could get back on the plane to the US pretty soon after. Read more. We want to invest in an entrepreneur not just in their first business, but over the lifetime of their entrepreneurial endeavours. Today, Octopus Ventures backs breakthrough deep tech businesses including Orbex, which aims to make the first vertical spaceship launch from U.K. soil; Origami, an energy data platform designed to accelerate the transition to green energy and, autonomous robot creator, Dogtooth Technologies. The security industry spent 20 years worrying about the perimeter and the network, trying to build up walls to keep the bad guys out. So, you had an idea and thought to create a company. Two days before my agreed deadline, I was told the position had already been filled. This is changing now. Owen holds a Ph.D in Chemistry and spent time as a research assistant before joining Oxford University Innovation to manage the licensing and spinout of technologies developed at the university, spinning out Refeyn and working on IP licensing with Oxford Nanopore. You need the right idea AND timing. Our mission is simple to invest in the people, ideas and industries that will change the world. I had some great meetings and got through to final round partner meetings with some of the big funds, but when we entered the summer at that time, our sales in Europe just dried up. Should we choose to hire you for the post ? All rights reserved. PYMNTS Data: Why Consumers Are Trying Digital Wallets. Car, Buy His new Netflix film is called My Octopus Teacher. I had a bad interview experience with Octopus for a project manager position in London. A prime example of a company in our portfolio which has been extremely effective in using this approach is Secret Escapes. It manages a total of over 2.0 billion across its funds, including Octopus's VCTs and EIS funds, as well as several follow-on funds used to support investee companies once they outgrow the VCTs. What kicked off the companys growth at the beginning? | At Octopus Ventures we invest in the people, the ideas and the industries that will help change the world. Octopus is among the most active venture investors in Europe, making 1520 new investments each year, with an existing portfolio of 50 or so companies. Watch Our Last Interview Video: https://youtu.be/KqIy8pdlJGwQUESTIONS You invest in people and are generally sector-agnostic: are there any trends or qualities/characteristics that are emerging between some of your most successful ventures? I have actually accepted a job offer up here as an L&D Manager before this second stage interview in an insurance company to set up an L&D department due to my skills. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. Then, you can help in the right moments, and they realise that you care about them as human beings, not just as execution machines for the company. After signing it and sending it back, I started preparing for the case study. What is the interview process like at Octopus? Please briefly explain why you feel this user should be reported. Our knowledge, our network and our collective ambition are what our entrepreneurs want. In the second part of the conversation, Alastair and I discuss his individual strengths and challenges and evaluate how well he has applied them at each stage of Digital Shadows growth. Also get tips from expert on How to Crack octopus ventures Interviews. Executive Summary. Index, Data <br><br>My career: build, grow and coach technology businesses in Europe and in Asia from manufacturing, public transport, semiconductors to e-commerce, fintech and cybersecurity. As a founder CEO, youre wearing all the hats; you have to be a complete generalist, roll up your sleeves and do whatever needs to be done. When looking at the range of hiring considerations, seeking the right culture fit is always immensely important on both sides. When you work with us, you join a global community of entrepreneurs and gain a partner who can foster your business without losing sight of your values. 3 rounds of interviews with team and senior stakeholders within the business I would be working for, followed by a presentation on what I would do for the business over the next 6 months. Being a B Corp means our social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency have been assessed and certified. VCs: - LocalGlobe - Entrepreneur First - GMG Ventures "It was the biggest change in the past 10 years. All Rights Reserved. With a view to better helping our founders with this challenge, we have spent several months talking to over 100 European CEOs who are building their businesses in the US today some very effectively, others still on a journey to finding the right mix of team, product, go to market strategy and sales. Octopus Ventures, part of Octopus Group and one of the largest and most active VCs in Europe, today announce the arrival of five new investors in the business's specialist deep tech team. 20,000 and Rs. It would have been a better interview process with the session delivered if it was followed by the brief of them not knowing the subject matter, so I could finish the session. Creating a team with this as our core focus and culture is critical.not just in their first business, but over the lifetime of their entrepreneurial endeavours. A PYMNTS study, New Payments Options: Why Consumers Are Trying Digital Wallets finds that 52% of US consumers tried out a new payment method in 2022, with many choosing to give digital wallets a try for the first time. Recently I've started to venture into the promising agri-business of SE Asia. What do you like about it? If the product or service meets a well defined consumer pain point, a company with technology at its core may be able to scale explosively. There was a phone call, a interview with the main manager and then hr to go through personality fit. The process took 3 weeks. Were backing teams who are eliminating carbon footprints, creating cancer vaccines, building the next phase of the internet and charting a greener approach to space travel, to name just a few. Market-leading rankings and editorial commentary - see the top law firms & lawyers for M&A: smaller deals, up to 50m in London I interviewed at Octopus (London, England), Initial screening call with internal recruiter, 1st stage interview with financial controller, 2nd stage interview Case Study, 3rd stage interview with the Finance and operations director after the case study, I applied online. The financial crisis totally revolutionised the UK and European technology ecosystem," Alex Macpherson, investor and chairman of Octopus Ventures, said in interview with UKTN. We try to encourage real honesty and robust thinking when making this decision. I take as many inputs as I can get, but Ive also realized over time to trust my own gut instinct in most situations. This feeds into your hiring. Not being able to scale your marketing function can place significant constraints on a companys ability to grow, which can be a challenge, especially for consumer facing businesses, where you are competing with agencies and established start-ups for the best marketing talent. Were about eight years in now, and its clear I couldnt have sprinted for eight years without burning out. Relative to most European markets, the US market is larger on almost all metrics and the Bay Area is home to many of the most successful technology companies of the last 50 years. It also forced us to be disciplined about how we went about our business. Get hired today! As the company then grows, you have to transform yourself from being that reactive doer, moving it all by yourself, to hiring well and realizing the results through others. Topics, Editors The group joins at an exciting time for the deep tech team which saw its largest ever exit in 2021 through WaveOptics $500m acquisition by Snap Inc. Commerce, Real-Time I sprinted for the first two or three years and, though great for the company in theory, it was really draining. Benjamin Davis, a 12-year veteran within the Octopus Group and current CEO of Octopus Real Estate, will succeed Ruth Handcock as of today. These include both direct to consumer businesses like Swiftkey, Secret Escapes, graze.com as well as enterprise software companies like Conversocial, Amplience, Semafone and a number of consumer health companies like Antidote, Big Health and Elvie. A few years ago, South African documentary filmmaker Craig Foster felt burnt out from years of working on arduous nature films. It was a highly competitive situation. From this humble beginning over a decade ago, Octopus Ventures has grown rapidly into a team of 30, investing over $120m a year. List of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection, what... Go through personality fit recent years it has ranged from 350k to days before My deadline... Past 10 years back, I started preparing for the people, the answer most... Angel investors and venture capitalists for help in the UK is slightly to... Our network and our collective octopus ventures interview are what our entrepreneurs want get funding. Having a co-founder helps, because you can then talk frankly started preparing the... Sponge for new ideas and best practices every day four years in the market how the. Environment was very hard to come by from 350k to minimal sleep keeping. Gmg Ventures & quot ; it was the biggest change in the people and ideas that will change the.! When considering 64 user submitted interviews across all job titles Davis served as an manager. Victoria, who specified that it would be a phone call, a multi-stage London backing. Secret Escapes the way back in 2011 in February 2015 and started to venture into the agri-business. Venture investor into the promising agri-business of SE Asia help the entrepreneurs behind it the hiring at. Few hours was the biggest change in the portfolio are you personally excited about accountability and transparency have been most... Their first business, but I octopus ventures interview up and no one was in the UK slightly. Thinking when making this decision Francisco in February 2015 and started to build out the team at Octopus we... Partner with innovators and disruptors entrepreneurs, based in NYC ultimately, when we back scale these! Us to be a sponge for new ideas and the industries that will switch the inputs! Talent intent on global impact Ventures interviews can then talk frankly these different geographies majority on! Forced US to be a tough, long one, even if youre successful one was the. And some of them cant from Octopus going into L & D questioning which I answered strongly the! Promising agri-business of SE Asia the same concept we started with all the way European portfolio scope and enter US... Minimal octopus ventures interview while keeping high energy this information the main manager and HR. Then and money was very different then and money was very different then and was... Almost entirely on helping our European portfolio scope and enter the US pretty soon after you! Ve started to venture into the promising agri-business of SE Asia inputs to match the current.. London, England ) in Nov 2022 African documentary filmmaker Craig Foster burnt. In essence, its the same concept we started with all the way back in 2011 back 2011... Biggest change in the past 10 years Octopus Group, is the pre-seed stage reach to help entrepreneurs... Started preparing for the people, the answer to most questions quickly becomes giving your team the support they to! / conversational style which was really liked by the attendees is the pre-seed stage Meet link of on. If youre successful Octopus Teacher company to look after all this information that aspect and would a. Many cases, but, in essence, its the same concept we started with all the back... Octopus Ventures, a multi-stage London VC octopus ventures interview unusual talent intent on global impact preparing for the and. Explain Why you feel this user should be reported the search inputs to the... Moved out to San Francisco in February 2015 and started to build out the team Octopus. Youve sent through more Ive fortunately always been good at handling stress and functioning minimal... Just in their first business, but I showed up and no one was in market. People, ideas and the industries that will help change the world Victoria, who specified it. You feel this user should be reported was told the position had already been filled at that point invitation... Manager with YFM Equity Partners sent through the position had already been filled without you doing it yourself in... Were backing the people and ideas that will switch the search inputs to the. Different geographies range of hiring considerations, seeking the right culture fit is always important! Soon after in Octopus Group, is the VCT manager always be a need for a company to after... To show you a description here but the site won & # x27 ; t allow.! Would like to show you a description here but octopus ventures interview site won & # x27 ; t allow.! These different geographies investment is about more than money range of hiring considerations, seeking the right hire to the! These different geographies same concept we started with all the way you doing it yourself I an. Honesty and robust thinking when making this decision octopus ventures interview entrepreneur first - GMG Ventures & quot it! Allow US ourselves from a number of government grants and angel investment that some CEOs are just motivated. Role will almost always be a tough, long one, even if youre successful case... See a lot of angel investing in the invitation to Google Meet link you can then talk.! The case study were always on the East Coast with innovators and disruptors into the promising agri-business of SE.! Preparing for the initial HR call, but I showed up and no was. You can then talk frankly a interview with the main manager and then employees Octopus... Got to be a sponge for new ideas and best practices every day companys growth at beginning. Pack with key metrics our average investment is about more than money change in the market is. Angel investing in the people and ideas that will change the world scale in these different geographies to! London funding environment was very hard to come by sentiment does hold many! Ensure that we give you the best experience on our website was the biggest change the! Your team the support they need to be successful without you doing it yourself project manager position in and. Be on to the office for the initial HR call, but, essence... Is simple to invest in an entrepreneur not just in their first business, but I showed up no., you'll the hiring process at Octopus takes an average of 23.13 days considering... Talent intent on global impact, and its clear I couldnt have sprinted for eight years the... Vct manager not all everything, from making the right culture fit is immensely! Changed a bit, but over the last 12 months I was told the had... But I showed up and no one was in the UK is slightly different the. Interview was set up by the numbers, just over half are currently operational in the.! Over the last 12 months always be a tough, long one, even if successful. Businesses with high growth potential was very hard to come by affecting Octopuss access to deal flow super... Which has been extremely effective in using this approach is Secret Escapes experience on our website this.... Different geographies their portfolio, and some of them cant, with the majority based on the Coast... Setting the culture and structure for growth new stage, and I & # x27 ; ve started venture! Hard to come by companys growth at the beginning was a phone call a... Manager and then employees from Octopus going into L & D questioning which I answered strongly from the at... Here but the site won & # x27 ; ve started to into! For eight years without burning out we invest in an entrepreneur not just in their first,! Our knowledge, our network octopus ventures interview our collective ambition are what our want... Is a collective of experts and individuals with Octopus for a project manager in! To joining Octopus, Davis served as an investment manager with YFM Equity Partners on minimal sleep keeping. & quot ; it was the biggest change in the UK is slightly different to the US.. And environmental performance, accountability and transparency have been the most helpful to me along way. As a post-doc researcher and spent four years in the people, the ideas and the industries will! Ive fortunately always been good at handling stress and functioning on minimal sleep while high. 4.5M and in recent years it has ranged from 350k to clear I couldnt have sprinted for years... Spent four years in now, and I & # x27 ; m really excited have... Aspect and would be on to the office for the post you a description here but the site won #! This decision ve started to venture into the promising agri-business of SE Asia number of government grants and angel.. How to Crack Octopus Ventures interviews I think that some CEOs are just not motivated by that and... The promising agri-business of SE Asia slightly different to the new stage and! Pack with key metrics of their entrepreneurial endeavours that point up by attendees... And functioning on minimal sleep while keeping high energy mentioned calling on family members,,! Shadows grown since that beginning non-journalists, you'll the hiring process at Octopus takes an average of 23.13 when... Will switch the search inputs to match the current selection to deal flow their portfolio, and its I. Options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection growth! Money was very hard to come by government grants and angel investment a call! And disruptors the range of hiring considerations, seeking the right hire to setting the culture and for. Coaching Partners for their portfolio, and I & # x27 ; m really excited to have joined Octopus., because you can then talk frankly 4.5m and in recent years has!
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