SeedBlink Blog

Dear entrepreneur,

Forget everything you know about crowdfunding. We started this journey inspired by the idea of providing funding opportunities to visionary founders and access to individuals investment. And it has names like these: Crowdfunding, Community, and Business Angel Investing. We learn together with you, the founders and partners, and strive to become a different kind of player. 

Professional selection, deal structuring, smart money and post-investment support, technology for personalized experiences, portfolio insights for decision making, and diversification are attributes we build on. 

Recently on the RFI show on TV, the host used etymology to describe SeedBlink as sowing radiant diamond seeds. A nice metaphor for how we see shining startup ideas. WE are excited about expanding our offering in Europe - launching very soon our Nominee structure in Austria with a holding in Ireland and several other countries. We have recently added companies from Greece, Serbia, the Netherlands and Austria to our portfolio. 

Thank you for all the kind words of encouragement, it means a lot to us to receive support and feedback. This April glean brings you: 

• Portfolio Updates 
• Founders community voice 
• Competitions to boost your startup
• Tech news and trends 
• Educational Resources 

Andrei Dudoiu,

Managing Partner & President of BoD, SeedBlink 

Portfolio updates

Our portfolio companies are expanding, which is a great example of the success our investors have brought to their businesses. Lalaland joined our cohort in April, and Protio, Agremo, and Pop Market are currently raising their financing rounds.

• OTP Group leverages FLOWX.AI platform to orchestrate customer experience as key enabler for its digital growth.
• Sanopass announced a new strategic partnership with Generali Romania, under its new health insurance Generali protect, which offers more flexibility to policyholders. The company opened a new funding round in March to raise €3 million from investors.
• MOCAPP launched L!NK, a new tech solution for eCommerce players in the international market that allows marketing teams to increase the impact of their sales campaigns.
• Procesio announced a partnership with Growceanu Angel Investment. The Growceanu team has implemented PROCESIO to both streamline internal operations and develop the processes behind the Business Angel platform.

Dive into the full April edition of Alumni updates here. 

Community voice

The feedback of our portfolio founders is gold to us. We have asked them to share their thoughts on raising a round, and we hope you find these insights useful as you move toward fundraising.

“SeedBlink team contacted us in a very professional manner and after looking at their profile, we thought it was a good fit for us. We already had the decision to do a seed round and after we talked to several VCs and private investors, it was clear to us that we would need not only money but also publicity. The great thing about co-investment platforms is that they're a way to attract customers. And that's exactly what we saw when we launched our SeedBlink round. “

Kimmo Rytkönen - Founder of Income

Read all the feedback here.

Is your startup also looking for funding? Take a look here.

Boost your startup

- Startup Wise Guys sets up first fintech accelerator in Romania

Startup Wise Guys (SWG), the renowned European B2B startup accelerator and early-stage investor launches a new accelerator in Romania together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and TaiwanBusiness, the Technical Cooperation Fund of EBRD. The program is fintech-focused and will allow up to ten selected startups to receive a €90K pre-seed investment with the opportunity for a follow-on. The Startup Wise Guys Fintech program in Bucharest will start on July 11, 2022. Register here until June 9, 2022.

- Techstars organizes a series of accelerators for startups in different industries and locations

Each year, Techstars chooses over 500 early-stage companies to join one of their 3-month, mentorship-driven accelerators, investing $120K and providing hands-on mentorship and access to the Techstars network for life. The organization has set in place programs for startups in different fields from IoT to Social Impact and Proptech to Supply Chain. Find one for you here.

Tech news and trends

- European tech is off to a strong start in 2022. Fintech is still the favorite

In Q1 2022, there were $30bn of VC money invested, 17 $250m+ rounds and 17 new unicorns. Total funding has largely been driven by the megarounds raised by some of Europe’s fintech startups to watch — including Checkout.com, Qonto and Scalapay. Fintech startups continue to be the stars. Read the full analysis here. ****

Climate Tech startups are on the rise and supporting the European Green Deal

According to Speedinvest’s analysis, there are approximately 1,100 companies in the European Climate Tech landscape. While many of them operate across several of the eight pillars of the European Green Deal, Energy companies (suppliers of clean and secure energy) are in the lead, representing 26%. In second place, Smart Mobility with 18%, followed by Food (16%), Zero Pollution (12%) and Clean & Circular Economy (11%). The categories with the fewest companies, according to our list, are Sustainable Building (7%), Biodiversity and Sustainable Finance, each with 5%. See how much funding they attracted here.

Food for thought

You live, you learn – that's a fact. And the keener you are on learning and getting inspired by what is happening around you, the more you´ll understand about how to drive your startup to success. Since our last edition, in March, we’ve bookmarked a few articles that inspired us. Sharing is caring, so we want to share.

15 Successful Startups and what you can learn

The entrepreneurial journeys are different, yet similar. While each founder’s path to startup success is unique, there are some clear patterns of hope amidst the pitfalls, if you know what you’re looking for and can learn from the experiences of others. By now, most of us have heard or even used the services of Airbnb, Instagram, Mailchimp, Uber, Pinterest and the other industry disruptors on the list. Keep reading.

Your Pitch Deck is Your Tinder Profile

When you are prepping for a seed round, pay extra attention to your pitch deck. When interacting for the first time with your investors, you want to ensure the best possible representation of all the hard work you've put into your startup. Make sure to adapt your presentation while following a standard structure. Get inspired.

Project A Podcast from Project A, the Operational VC

These episodes are the place to go for entrepreneurs and founders looking for expert advice and actionable tips to take their startup to the next level. Featuring Project A’s in-house Marketing, BI, and Organizational Building experts, as well as fellow founders from their broad portfolio of companies, the hosts and guests give you valuable insights on what it takes to build a successful company. Listen here.