There are a few pivotal moments in any founder’s journey where you see something, previously only dreamed about, finally coming to life. Earlier this year, Giant portfolio company Beyond Aero achieved one of those milestones: France's first manned fully hydrogen-electric flight. Lucky for us, they filmed it all. Beyond have since appointed Luiz Oliveira, former advisor on Embraer’s hybrid hydrogen program, as Chief Engineer, and plan to hire 50 new engineers to add to the existing team of 40 engineers (links to apply in comments!). Watch the video below (and see if you can spot CEO Eloa Guillotin and Giant partner Jon Dishotsky 👀):
About us
Giant backs purpose-driven technology founders solving the world’s biggest challenges. We champion entrepreneurs creating a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient planet. Giant Ventures is a multi-stage, thesis-driven firm seeking systemic change across four themes: • Climate • Health • Inclusive Capitalism We value courage, persistence, creativity, and global ambition. Our offices are in London, LA, and Denmark but we believe talent is everywhere. As former founders, we know how hard it is to create something from nothing. We roll up our sleeves to help Giant Founders win.
- Website
-
https://www.giant.vc/
External link for Giant Ventures
- Industry
- Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- London
- Type
- Privately Held
- Founded
- 2019
Locations
-
Primary
London, GB
-
Los Angeles , US
-
Copenhagen, DK
Employees at Giant Ventures
-
Tommy Ahlers
-
Grant Allen
Venture Partner @ Giant | fmr Founding GP @ SE Ventures | fmr CEO @ ABB Ventures
-
Michael Lynas
Duolingo UK Country Director | ex. Bain | ex. No10 | Founder & Patron National Citizen Service Trust
-
Jon Dishotsky
Partner @ Giant Ventures, Former CEO & Co-Founder (YCS16)
Updates
-
Giant Ventures reposted this
Exclusive: Beyond Aero, a French startup, has raised $20 million in venture funding to build hydrogen-powered electric jets it hopes will appeal to companies and the ultrawealthy.
-
We are thrilled to announce our Series A investment in Beyond Aero: on a mission to make aviation electric. Beyond is building the world's first electric business aircraft using hydrogen propulsion. The aircraft will be powered by fuel cells, reaching more than 1,500km, and producing water as a byproduct - achieving a range five times greater than that of a battery-powered aircraft. The round was co-led by Giant and Bpifrance, France’s Sovereign Fund. This $20M round brings the company’s total capital raised to $44 million. Also participating are Initialized Capital, known for backing 27 unicorns, Airbnb and Dropbox founders Nathan Blecharczyk and Arash Ferdowsi, as well Olympic and World Cup winning athletes. Business aviation is the most emissions-intensive aviation segment per passenger, producing ten times more CO2 per person than commercial flights, and under growing scrutiny. Beyond have received just under $1 billion in Letters of Intent (LOIs) for their aircrafts, and have built a team of 50 highly qualified engineers, with plans to recruit 40 more. We are so excited to work closely with Eloa Guillotin Valentin Chomel Hugo Tarlé as they go on to make the whole of aviation electric. Read more via the Wall Street Journal article in comments. Quiet flight, bold vision. #AviationWillBeElectric #PoweringTheFuture
-
-
Giant Ventures reposted this
🚨 Webinar alert! Join us on Nov 13 at 5pm CET for the hottest discussion in climate tech right now: How to Win in the Missing Middle. In climate tech, we've been talking a lot about the 'Missing Middle': the shortage of capital to get companies through their hardest growth phase: from pilots to a first full-scale commercial plants. These companies have matured out of the venture stage, but have not yet scaled and de-risked adequately to access infrastructure-type capital. Looking at data, it's clear that there's not enough growth capital for these companies. Which is a shame, because this phase is essential to get climate technologies from great ideas to real impact and realizing the energy transition. What's the problem? Some will say: it's just not an attractive investment. With these first-of-a-kind investments, you're making infra returns with equity risk. Others will say: this is an underfunded segment in the transition, meaning you can make outsized returns. If you know what you're doing. Which do you think is the case? We think the latter - if you know what you're doing. And we're extremely excited to have invested in two fund managers who we think know: DCVC and Giant Ventures. Both bring deep tech and scaling expertise to help companies bridge this so-called valley of death, and come out stronger on the other side. Join Rachel Slaybaugh, Cameron McLain and our very own Carolina Echecopar in our upcoming webinar to learn all about how to beat the trend and create real returns ánd real impact. https://lnkd.in/d-riXt4b
-
-
Which are the best energy software companies to watch? Will Dufton, Principal at Giant, shares his top picks (excluding our portfolio!): 🌳 Overstory: Overstory helps the world's largest utilities companies tackle one of their biggest challenges today: scalably and reliably identifying areas where vegetation mismanagement might cause power outages and wildfires. ♺ Plexigrid: The energy transition is driving a rapid increase in the number of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) connected to the grid - from electric car to grid-scale batteries. Managing all of these assets and the energy flows between them is very complex, and Plexigrid helps optimise the web of energy supply and demand. ⚡️ Ostrom People can save money on energy bills by managing their energy use with smart meters and, if they have energy storage and generation assets at home, trading energy with the grid at peak and off-peak times. Matthias Martensen and Karl Villanueva, the founders of Ostrom, are delivering the lowest-cost digital energy provider for consumers in Germany, taking advantage of new legislations mandating smart meter installations. Read more, also from Nick de la Forge (Planet A Ventures), Craig Douglas & Daria Saharova (World Fund), Sebastian Peck (KOMPAS VC): https://lnkd.in/eqZ7PQEm
16 energy software startups to watch, according to investors
sifted.eu
-
Congratulations to Giant portfolio company CuspAI on being one of Bloomberg's top 25 startups to watch. Cambridge-HQ'd, with “godfather of AI” and recent Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton on its advisory board, Cusp uses generative AI, deep learning and molecular simulation to power a highly specialised reverse search engine. Users describe the specific properties they’d like a new material to have, and the platform responds with a chemical makeup. Co-founded by Max Welling, scientist at Microsoft Research, and Chad Edwards, chemist who worked commercialising deep-tech at Google. Read the full list, including other climate companies like Circulor, Electron, HURR, Isometric, AlGreen, and Allye: https://lnkd.in/evwaUij3
These Are the Top 25 UK Startups to Watch for 2024
bloomberg.com
-
Today we bring you an incredible conversation with Ray Dalio, founder of the largest hedge fund in the world, Bridgewater Associates, and one of the world's most successful investors, who joins us on the Giant Ideas podcast. Ray Dalio started Bridgewater from a two bedroom apartment and has turned it into the largest hedge fund in the world, one of the US’ most important companies, with Ray himself listed on Time Magazine's Most Influential People. Ray is also a best selling author - he has written his book Principles (sharing his unconventional principles that he's developed), as well as Principles for Dealing With the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed or Fail on the five big forces changing the world. Ray joined the Giant Ideas podcast to talk with Cameron McLain about his past and what the future will look like, from: - How he writes his principles and how often he updates them - What he believes will happen in the next 10 years - Why he believes failure is such an important experience - Why he believes meditation leads to emotional equanimity - Whether the largest institutional investors want to invest in climate (spoiler: they do, they just need returns) - Why he is exploring the depths of the ocean + so much more! Do you like or loathe his principles? Have you got your own principles? Links to listen in the comments.
-
If you're a founder who wants to start a purpose-driven business, or a founder who has recently started one, you'll find this list from ClimateHack useful. Laura Hodgkiss has put together an excellent list, featuring 35 investors, sharing the impact startups they'd like to see more of. Madelene Larsson, Principal at Giant Ventures, shared her picks: from datacenter decarbonization, to enhanced metal parts for for Climate Solutions, to climate resilient agriculture. See the full list via comments. If you're building anything in this space - get in touch via our website!
-
-
How does your company see failure? Is it something to celebrate or something to avoid at all costs? Eric Liaw - General Partner at IVP and Supercell lead investor, told us that at Supercell celebrating failure was part of the culture. Their primary goal was building great games, and failure was not considered something to be ashamed of or avoid, it was seen as a necessity on the path to success and was celebrated. Read more of what Eric says the best CEOs and cultures do here: https://lnkd.in/e9fpe56j
-
-
Giant Ventures reposted this
I loved speaking on the closing panel, "Over the Horizon," at Sifted Summit last Friday - moderated by John Thornhill and joined by the awesome Marie Ekeland (2050), Avid Larizadeh Duggan OBE (Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan), and Steffen Tjerrild (Synthesia). Together, we discussed what's next: why there will likely be a few LLMs that dominate, how healthcare is undergoing a Cambrian explosion, and why we still believe you can make money by solving the biggest challenges - from climate to health. Thank you, Sifted, for having me!
-