BlackWood

The Silicon Review selects IVM Markets Inc USA as one of the 5 Best AI Companies to Watch in 2024. IVM Markets Inc USA, co-founded by industry veterans (Volodymyr Gubskyi 🇺🇦 & Ildar Farkhshatov) from Deutsche Bank and Merrill Lynch, empowers financial distributors with AI-driven, personalized structured products. Eric Glicksman, the President, recently joined the firm from UBS, where he spent 18 years as the founder and Managing Director of its Structured Solutions business in New York. You can use IVM Markets AI to go in seconds from thematic ask -> AI curated list of stocks/index -> AI explained why the stocks/index fit & AI powered stock research -> optimizing 48,000 variations of structured products in seconds to find those with twice the upside at a quarter of the risk. Take a look at their thoughts behind the technology.

STUDENTS OF COPENHAGEN, HOW WILL YOU MAKE AN IMPACT? 💚 At BlackWood, we invite you to explore that question through the upcoming Nordic TechImpact Talent Competition. In collaboration with Antler, SENPAGE and supported by partners such as DTU Skylab, this 6-week program is designed to guide you in developing a tech startup focused on creating social impact. If you haven’t applied yet (2 min), submit your application here: senpage.org/techimpact The first session starts on October 24th, and the application deadline is the 22nd of October. The program is open to 50 university students and recent graduates, so don’t miss out!

🚀 Calling all Green Innovators! 🌱 BlackWood is proud to be supporting and judging the COP29 Azerbaijan Global Green Innovation Challenge, offering startups the chance to secure up to $1M in funding! It is being led by our very own Abbas Kazmi from BlackWood’s Investment Committee. The final takes place on 16th November 2024 during COP29 Azerbaijan and semi finals are online. This is the ideal opportunity to pitch your startup in front of top VCs, world leaders, UN officials, and many other key figures from across the globe 🌍 We are also excited to be supporting Impact Makers, the flagship initiative of the United Nations’s Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29 Azerbaijan, Nigar Arpadarai MP. Designed to extend beyond COP29 Azerbaijan into COP30 in 2025, Impact Makers focuses on green startups, climate innovators from vulnerable communities, activists, and SMEs who are driving sustainable solutions. The campaign seeks to elevate their voices and connect them with critical resources and networks. Abbas sits on the steering committee for this initiative and is keen to refer more great talent so please get in touch with us! If you’re in the green sector, don’t miss this chance to showcase and scale your business on a global stage! For any other fellow investors please get in touch so we can help arrange for you to attend COP29 Azerbaijan 💚 🔗 Apply now: https://lnkd.in/eK2rjcVH ⏰ Application Deadline: 21st October, 23:59 🔗 Nominate to Impact Makers program: https://lnkd.in/d_AaUzxu

🗓️✍️ Save the date! Join Qaptis at GITEX Impact in Dubai from October 13 to 16 at booth H7-C80. Connect with Theodore Caby to meet him and find out how our CO₂ capture technology can help you decarbonize your business. 🎟️ Get your free pass now: https://lnkd.in/eNzR_aft #Qaptis #MobileCarbonCapture #Decarbonization #ClimateTech #GreenFuture #Sustainability #GITEXImpact #GITEXGLOBAL

Hot October 🔥 Already next week, our CEO, Anastasia Kuskova, will be attending Expand North Star in #UAE, alongside some of the most inspiring startups out there! If you're attending too and want to learn more about Sirius, reach out - we'd love to meet 🙌 #besirius

📢 BlackWood featured in the the latest edition of the World Economic Journal! 🌍📈 Investment Committee Member Abbas’s article on page 84, along with our ad, is in great company, sharing space with leading voices such as Jeffrey Sachs and articles exploring topics like AI leadership in Saudi Arabia, BRICS markets, and cutting-edge urban sustainability solutions. The World Economic Journal, originally founded in 2009 by the British not-for-profit World Organization of Creditors, has made its mark as an independent international business magazine. The magazine has earned a reputation for offering objective insights, debunking political stereotypes, and providing readers with the knowledge needed to navigate international markets effectively. Link in comments. #BlackWoodVentures #WorldEconomicJournal #EmergingMarkets #Innovation #VentureCapital #Sustainability

We're excited to introduce Bastian R. Larsen, founder and CEO of Blackwood Ventures, where he also serves on the firm’s investment committee. Before founding BlackWood, Bastian worked at BlackRock in London, Geneva, and New York, where he co-led global product strategy for the firm’s $10 billion M&A hedge fund. He holds an MBA from the University of Oxford and a BSc from Copenhagen Business School. Notably, Bastian was recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2023 in Finance. He will be joining us for the panel discussion on the "Impact of AI on VC Sourcing". In partnership with Harmonic & Odin. Get your tickets now! Use the code HURRYUP for 20% off the Early bird tickets ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eyUe2XQv

Yonder, one of our portfolio companies, has raised £23.4M to grow their team, launch even better rewards, and fast-track their expansion beyond the UK 🎉 Since we invested just over a year ago, they’ve introduced a free membership tier, partnered with hundreds of new independent businesses across the country, made numerous product improvements, and launched Yonder Flights—a new feature that allows users to redeem points on any flight, with any airline, worldwide. If you’re tired of struggling to use your rewards points effectively, Yonder might be what you’re looking for. They’ve maintained an impressive 4.5 Trustpilot rating and are currently the top-ranked credit card on Smart Money People. Yonder has big plans ahead. The next couple of years will be busy as they continue building a world-class credit card business. They’re doubling down on helping customers maximize their points, securing partnerships with some of the world’s most iconic brands, and developing more intuitive features to promote responsible credit use. And that’s just the beginning. With this new funding, Yonder will be expanding internationally and launching outside the UK by the end of next year. Congratulations to Yonder and our fellow investors—Jigsaw VC, RTP Global, LocalGlobe, Northzone, and Seedcamp. Thank you to Sifted and Tom Matsuda for covering this: https://lnkd.in/dZsUbT4k

A Great Start to Tech BBQ Week! We had the pleasure of gathering with fellow tech investors for an energizing breakfast hosted by Scale Capital and Maki.vc at the stunning Copenhagen Soho House & Co. It was a perfect prelude to Day 0: Nordic Investor Day and the packed week ahead. Whether you were fresh off the plane or just getting started, the coffee and conversations were flowing. Investors exchanged insights, shared ideas, and some may have even found their next big investment! If you still have time slots available in Brella and are building something exciting in Cleantech, Fintech, or Web 3.0, then ping Maxime Pasquier or Lucas Ohrt! #TechBBQ #NordicInvestors #VentureCapital #Networking #BlackWoodVentures #InvestingRecap

We are proud to congratulate Qaptis, one of our portfolio companies, for securing a top 20 spot in the prestigious Top 100 Swiss Startup Award 2024! 🎉 From the article: "Newcomers secure top positions - This year, 40 startups were listed in the Top 100 Awards for the first time, with two cleantechs in the top 20. Voltiris, which develops photovoltaic modules specifically designed for glass greenhouses, scored the 6th position. The startup has so far put almost 500 of these modules into operation at 14 greenhouses in five countries and contracts for 3,000 more have been signed. Qaptis assumed the 20th spot. Founded in 2021 as an EPFL spinoff, the startup developed carbon capture technology to reduce CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles and industrial applications." The Swiss startup community gathered in Lausanne to celebrate the Top 100 startups, where innovation, impact, and market potential were key factors in determining this year’s winners. BlackWood is proud of Qaptis’ journey as they continue to drive meaningful change in cleantech. A huge congratulations to the other standout companies, including DePoly, Corintis, and Yokoy, for their top rankings! #VC #Cleantech #CarbonCapture #Innovation #Top100SwissStartups #Qaptis #BlackWoodVentures