SeedBlink Blog

Alin Ferenczi is passionate about investing in different asset types, with a background as a solution architect and consultant in automation and process optimization. He is a Founder and Managing Partner at Venture Chain and a member of the Transylvania Angels Network since early 2022.

What does your investment portfolio look like?

The largest part of my portfolio consists of real estate development loans made through a crowdfunding platform specialized in this segment. This is the first type of investment we have made since 2019. My SeedBlink investment portfolio consists of 5 companies in different sectors, but I am familiar with them. In addition to the above investments, I also have funds invested in the stock market, both in Romania and America, also in technology or real estate companies.

What motivates you to invest in startups?

When I joined SeedBlink, I was attracted by the possibility of getting a much higher return than investing in public companies. Now, after making some investments and joining the Transylvania Angeles Network, I am more motivated by the passion of the people involved in the startup ecosystem: the founders, the lead investors and even the members of SeedBlink.

This observable segment provides me with many opportunities based on which I hope to achieve my next goal: leading an investment round.

What do you look for when evaluating a startup - what are the most important aspects for you?

The first and most important step I take when evaluating a startup is to determine the impact of the business strategy. This can be captured by the PESTEL analysis, which provides the most comprehensive overview of a startup's potential.

Another element I consider is the team element. The team needs to be engaged and confident in the solution they are developing. When I think about the team, I ask myself whether or not I want to be part of that team myself. In addition, the possibility of becoming a customer or employee of a company is also an aspect that plays a role in the evaluation of a startup.

How involved are you in the development of a startup?

The companies I have invested in are companies whose products I could use directly or promote to potential customers through my company. Recently, I was able to help strengthen a partnership between two of the startups I am involved in, and I would like to continue facilitating such collaborations.

Do you think it's important to have a diversified investment portfolio?

It is well known that diversification is important to mitigate the risk of losing the entire investment, but I prefer to use other, more liquid investments to do so. This allows me to invest only in startups that I think have potential, and get involved where I can help more than just financially.

Which trend or tech sector appeals to you and why?

From my experience, I have found that many international companies are using solutions based on technologies that are outdated or no longer have all the features that companies need. Although it is difficult to replace some solutions that have been used in a company for many years, I see a growing openness to innovation and adopting new solutions. There are also many initiatives to migrate infrastructures from in-house servers to the cloud or to a hybrid model, which is very difficult or even impossible to achieve due to limited solutions. For these reasons, I am attracted to enterprise SaaS solutions.

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