The strongest companies and venture firms protect what makes them valuable while continually adapting how they operate.

For founders, that means building a differentiated technical asset around a real market need, then evolving the product, organisation and go-to-market model as customers and conditions change.

For investors, it means backing that combination of technical depth and market proximity while renewing the people, expertise and structures needed to keep making good decisions.

Exotec offers a powerful example. IRIS initially considered the warehouse robotics company too early. A later meeting revealed what the first assessment had missed: founders with deep command of both the technology and the market.

From there, Exotec kept solving for international expansion, customer delivery, competition and supply-chain disruption on its way to a $2bn+ valuation.

Our main resource this week is our conversation with Julien-David Nitlech, Managing Partner at IRIS. He explains what changed his mind on Exotec, why early customer validation matters in applied deep tech and how IRIS has remained relevant through four decades of technological change.

Below, we have paired the episode with practical EUVC resources for founders and investors, followed by new updates from across European tech and venture.

We hope you enjoy this edition.

With 💖
David & Andreas

Strong companies start with deep understanding of a real problem, then keep adapting around that advantage as markets, technology and customer needs change. These pieces show how to protect what makes the company valuable while evolving the product, moat and growth approach around it.

Investment strategies need to evolve without losing what makes the firm distinctive. These resources explore how VCs can adapt their thesis, bring new perspectives into the team and build structures that turn good judgement into a repeatable organisational capability.

On September 10, over 120 corporate leaders, investors and selected founders will meet in London to compare practical approaches to building European industrial resilience, making venture clienting work and using VC relationships to access startups.

Speakers include Marc Thom of Henkel Ventures, Boris Hofmann of ZEISS Ventures, Marcus Behrendt of BMW i Ventures, and Ayano Kase of Woven Capital.

50% corporate and CVC leaders | 40% investors | 10% selected founders

Expect practical models, candid discussion and insights from people putting these approaches to work. There is still time to join us, and we’d love to have you there.

The strongest CVCs turn corporate scale into a founder advantage, providing access to expertise, industrial capabilities and networks capital alone cannot buy.

Accepting Henkel Ventures’ CVC of the Year award, Head Marc Thom made the case for patient, strategically aligned partnerships built to last.

AI makes it easier to add features, plans and priorities. In this EUVC Summit 2027 talk, Founder Coach CEO Dave Bailey shares a two-step framework for removing complexity and focusing a company on the goal that matters most.

Environmental progress scales when it delivers better economics. In this Love Tomorrow Summit talk, Michael Smith, General Partner at Regeneration.VC, explains how design, supply chains and technology can create less waste, use fewer resources and restore natural systems.