Index Ventures raised €400m for new early stage found

Since Index Ventures started in Geneva in 1996, the firm has partnered with some of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, across 38 countries in Europe, Israel and the US. However, back then in the venture business, the strategy of a single partnership investing across borders wasn’t very popular; indeed, most venture firms focused on a core geography – often Silicon Valley – and lived by the very credible mantra “never fund a company more than a 20-minute drive away.” But as the Internet becomes a fundamental part of the social and economic fabric of every country, it’s increasingly clear that great entrepreneurs can start and grow billion-dollar technology companies from anywhere.

In a blog post with the announcement of the new fund the Index Ventures team writes: “with our newest fund, we’re more committed than ever to making early bets on the world’s most ambitious entrepreneurs, no matter where they emerge. We continue to be deeply inspired by the raw passion and ambition that we see in Silicon Valley; but we’ve always believed that the Valley is not just a place, but a mindset too. Every year, on our travels, we see growing evidence that this ‘Silicon Valley state of mind’ has taken hold across the world, and we feel fortunate to work with many of these talented entrepreneurs.  

As part of our new fund, our tight-knit team of 20 investors will continue to fan out from our offices in Geneva, London and San Francisco, racking up air miles, in search for seed and early-stage opportunities in our regular haunts in London, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, Berlin, Los Angeles, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Paris and beyond. Rather than a geographical focus, each member of our team provides a unique operational or strategic expertise. We talk daily, video conference weekly, meet in person quarterly, and play poker together often – all of which means that a connection made with any one of us translates to direct access to the entire team.”

The new fund will focus on four key areas: mobile consumer, enterprise, networks, and financial services.