TheVentureCity is a venture capital fund that supports new software-focused companies with the potential to scale globally, driven by committed entrepreneurs.
The fund is the brainchild of Laura González-Estéfani and Clara Bullrich and is managed by a group of international executives with extensive experience in technology investment, product development and international scalability. They leverage their operational and investment expertise to help founders scale their businesses to the highest levels.
Since its creation in 2017, TheVentureCity has been exclusively dedicated to helping software companies, with capital and operational expertise: “We look for early-stage B2B/B2C product-based software companies that are growing rapidly at Seed and Series A stage and have clear hyper-growth potential and international scalability,” its founders said. “Most importantly, we are looking for companies that follow a Product-Led Growth methodology and are capital efficient”.
Its first investment fund has been endowed with some €43M ($52M) and has focused on the European and US markets. The vehicle employs a team of operational experts (engineers, product managers, data scientists and growth), a talent that is attractive to the best entrepreneurs and that “also increases the probability of success of our portfolio companies,” TheVentureCity founders said. Following this investment – strategically focused on product, engineering, data, growth, and internationalization–the VC’s team of operating partners supports the companies, providing real, practical experience.
Its investee startups include US startups Optimus Ride (Boston, Mobility), Returnly (San Francisco, Fintech) and Constella (San Francisco, Cybersecurity); and Spanish startups Glamping Hub (which has had great success in the US, growing exponentially after Covid) and Barkibu (veterinary care).
TheVentureCity has an exclusive department for follow-ons. This ensures that the fund can follow the most successful investments to the optimal exit: “We don’t have a timetable for when we decide to do a follow-on, but we follow up on the companies in our portfolio that are performing the best,” the VC says.
Looking ahead to 2021, the VC wants to focus its strategy on verticals such as AI/ML, Consumer P/S, Fintech, Healthtech, Mobility and Cybersecurity that incorporate multiple business models including SaaS and/or marketplaces. However, they stress that they are always open to working with companies with a strong technology base needed to build defenses and/or gain a competitive advantage through their product (e.g., Data Network Effects).
Another goal for this year is to find visionary founders to build the next “iguanacorns”, which is what they call “the best early-stage software companies poised to be the next unicorns”.
THE FOUNDERS
Laura Gonzalez-Estéfani and Clara Bullrich are two businesswomen, entrepreneurs, and investors with extensive experience in large companies and institutions. Undoubtedly the best possible endorsement to transmit confidence to investment partners and guarantee startups that their projects have an avid and experienced vision, capable of reading market opportunities and defining a strategic line towards success.
Laura Gonzalez-Estéfani spent a decade at Facebook leading growth, business development and key mobile projects in Madrid, Silicon Valley and Miami. She was the founding employee in both Spain and Europe of Facebook’s international team and launched the first Facebook internet.org project in Latin America (Paraguay). In addition, González-Estéfani led the strategy and team in Cuba, one of the least connected countries in the world. Prior to Facebook, Laura held senior positions at eBay, Siemens, and Ogilvy Group, and embarked on entrepreneurial projects, such as Esplaya.com, the first digital tourism platform in Spain, launched in 2000.
Clara Bullrich is a partner at Guggenheim Partners Latin America/LJ Partnership, one of the leading private and independent family offices, with $5 billion in assets under management. Clara has been with Guggenheim for 17 years providing investment advisory services, structuring direct investments, and performing fiduciary functions for individuals, families, and foundations. She has also led other disciplines, including business development and entrepreneurial efforts for companies around the world. She is a board member of 10 different companies in the United States, Latin America and Europe in different sectors, and an active board member of the Bass Museum, as contemporary art is one of her passions.