Dine with Octopus Ventures: portfolio insights + securing an institutional cheque
Enjoy dinner drinks and a chance to meet:
Edward Keelan, Partner at Octopus Ventures, one of the largest and most active venture capital investors in Europe. Edward has backed B2B software founders since 2008 and sits on the firm's investment committee, deciding which companies get funded and helping them scale.
Join him for an honest evening on what investors really look for, how to raise a round that gets to yes, and the patterns that separate the companies that scale from the ones that stall.
What they invest in:
Edward's team backs B2B software businesses with £1m or more in annual recurring revenue, typically investing between £2m and £10m.
Across the firm, Octopus Ventures invests in B2B software, health, fintech, deep tech, climate and consumer, and aims to have invested £10 billion in world-changing industries by 2030.
Their investment portfolio includes:
Notable Octopus Ventures B2B software investments include: Permutive, Natterbox, Calastone, Ometria, Definely, City Pantry (acquired by Just Eat), SwiftKey (acquired by Microsoft), Magic Pony Technology (acquired by Twitter) and Amplience (exited).
This dinner is perfect for:
Startup founders, CEOs and management-level leaders at early-stage ventures. If you're passionate about growing your company and learning from the best in the industry, you will find this evening invaluable.
Not quite in one of those roles? Reach out to see if there's a fit!
If you're not a founder, there's one place available at each dinner - please choose the correct ticket.
The dinner conversation will be:
With more than 15 years investing and a board seat across many of the companies he's backed, Edward will share:
What his team really looks for when backing software companies
How to structure and run a funding round that gets investors to yes
Securing your first institutional cheque
The traits and metrics that separate the portfolio companies that scale from those that stall
Insights from the portfolio
Join other founders at the same stage as you - to share challenges, opportunities and experiences - and to grow your network in a meaningful way.
Who is Edward Keelan?
Edward is a Partner at Octopus Ventures, where he has invested since 2008. He started his career at Rolls-Royce but quickly realised big companies weren't for him, and joined an early-stage startup, KorteQ. That experience gave him a deep understanding of life inside a young team and fuelled a lasting enthusiasm for entrepreneurship.
Today, Edward focuses on B2B software, overseeing deal origination, execution and portfolio management, and sitting on the firm's investment committee. He has invested across several sectors over his career and works closely with founders as both an investor and board member.
What's included?
A private dining experience with a knowledgeable speaker hosted by TableCrowd's experienced hosts
2 course dinner with wine or soft drinks
A highly curated and relevant crowd