Hello friends,
Hope you’ve had a good start to 2024 and welcome to the latest edition of the Wellstreet Journal – your gateway to inspiration and updates on our latest ventures and portfolio progress. It's been a busy start of the new year for both the Wellstreet team and our portfolio. Grab your coffee or tea and enjoy the latest updates and insights!
Cheers,
Team Wellstreet
Portfolio Highlights.
Wellstreet Ventures News.
- Ballers App has teamed up with Svexa to offer an AI coach, and also welcomed a new CTO and CMO to the team ⚽
- Brink Commerce was featured as one of the SaaS startups revolutionising the tech industry in 2023 by EU Startup News 🛍️
- DanAds shared their takeaways after attending CES 2004, one of the most influential tech events in the world 🚀
- Gamifiera’s CEO Wilhelm Sporrong joined the Ehandelsnack podcast to discuss how ecommerces can benefit from gamification to increase customer loyalty 🎙️
- Hyber strengthens the team by welcoming Filippa Billing Holst as interim CEO 👏
- Joina’s new partner Readly now also offers excellent deals in their marketplace as another motivator to build healthier habits 🤝
- Sisterly Tribe dropped a new collection and talked to Breakit about their achievements so far and future aspirations 🧘
- X Shore won the European Powerboat Award for their X Shore 1 - congratulations! 🏆
- YMR Track Club’s running legging was featured in a list in Oprah Daily, and CEO Peter Häggström Lindecrantz shared the company’s future plans with DI Digital 🏃♀️
Wellstreet Fintech News.
New investment announcement - Welcome Lesslie!
We are thrilled to announce that fintech disruptor Lesslie has joined the Wellstreet Fintech Fund I portfolio! After 500% growth in 2023, Lesslie secured 18M SEK in an oversubscribed investment round led by Wellstreet to bolster its automated accounting and administration leader position. Lesslie helps SMEs by efficiently reducing exchange costs and bank charges and simplifying accounting for foreign payments and currency exchanges. The round also includes participation from Quinary Investment AB, David Craelius (Klarna ex-CTO), and Erik Seifert (Swish ex-Chairman).
In other news:
- Aura Cloud partnered with Concise Software to offer comprehensive banking solutions for evolving financial institution needs 🆙
- Esgaia released their Annual Insights report for 2023, based on a group of clients collectively representing more than €3,3 trillion 💡
- Maintract is now part of Copenhagen Fintech hub, and recently unveiled how their platform is revolutionizing investor onboarding for VC funds 💁
Wellstreet News.
🛎️ Wellstreet & Insights
What lies in store for the VC and Startup landscape this year? Jessica and Evelina shared their insights and new year's predictions.
Moreover, we’ve been sharing stories of those who've played pivotal roles in shaping Wellstreet on our website. Discover more about Jess, our Partner and Fund Manager.
In our ongoing commitment to fostering inclusivity and diversity, we recently shared a guide to writing a DEI policy.
🛎️ Wellstreet in Media
Evelina was interviewed by Sifted about exit trends and strategies in the VC industry. She also covered the same topic in her 2024 predictions with Breakit, outlining what the future holds for both the industry and Wellstreet.
Armando talked to Realtid about the categories of fintech companies primed to seize opportunities and propel industry advancement. On the Marknaden podcast, he discussed the fundraising climate for unlisted companies and the “AI rush” in the VC industry.
🛎️ Community & Events:
Evelina and Jess had a fireside chat with Startup Grind about the VC industry, AI trends, the practical implementation of ESG in early-stage investing and all things Wellstreet.
The Wellstreet team had an inspiring few days in Gothenburg during GoWest. We enjoyed the insightful conversations, both on and off the stage!
Here's where you'll find us in the coming weeks:
- WiB Gala (Feb 19)
- TechArena (Feb 22-23)
- Shape the Future of Board Work With Us - by Wellstreet & deb. (March 8)
Food for thought.
⬥ US antitrust inquiry targets OpenAI and Anthropic's deals with Big Tech, Reuters
⬥ Meta will let EU users unlink their Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger info ahead of DMA, The Verge
⬥ [Simply explained] Full overview of the EU textile strategy and regulations, Carbonfact
⬥ EU pushes to shield deeptech startups from Chinese takeovers, Sifted
⬥ ECB Officials Converge Around June to Start Cutting Rates, Bloomberg
⬥ On the importance of an exit plan: I regret selling my startup, Nothing easy about this
⬥ ChatGPT is violating Europe’s privacy laws, Italian DPA tells OpenAI, TechCrunch
Job opportunities.
⬥ Aura Cloud: Business Analyst / Platform Functional consultant
⬥ Enable Banking: Technical Support Specialist and Junior Software Engineer, API integrations
⬥ Future of Retail: Financial Manager
⬥ ICANIWILL: Content Creator Consultant
⬥ Lesslie: Account Manager and Customer Success Manager
⬥ Maintract: Senior Fullstack Developer/CTO
⬥ Waytobill: Senior Frontend developer and Senior Java Software Engineer
Just one more thing! Are you looking for an office space for your company? Come sit with us at The Factory, in our coworking space, in a room of your own, or on your own floor! Read more here and contact our Head of Hubs, Amanda Livh, at amanda [@] wellstreet.vc to know more.
That’s all from us for now! 👋
The Wellstreet Team