Headline

Stockholm 🇸🇪 is one of the most tightly-knit ecosystems, so we welcomed 70+ founders and VCs in an old nuclear reactor! Yesterday, Jonathan, Jacopo, and Dominic hosted an evening together with our friends Dan, Shamillah, Zoe, Owen, and Samuel from Dawn Capital. We were joined by Lena, Harald, Fredrik, Luke, and Alexander from our shared portfolio company Brite Payments, and more. We were guests of KTH, Sweden's largest technical university and the common denominator and platform behind many of the country's tech success stories. The venue, 25 meters beneath solid rock, was once the site of Sweden's first nuclear reactor, operational until the 1970s. Today, some of the world’s most advanced physics research continues just hundreds of meters away. A big thank you to Leif and Lisa for making us feel right at home and for introducing us to some of their alumni and investments. We're excited and optimistic about the next generation of founders emerging from Stockholm and beyond!

Today, we’re launching Trove — a tool to equip and help founders win, bigger. Trove provides real-time merchant intelligence for financial transactions, enriching data via a simple (but powerful) developer-friendly API. We’re eager for you to see it! Watch our product video and find out more: https://lnkd.in/eWz3pV8m

It was a packed week at #LATechWeek for Headline! We are ecstatic about the growing LA tech ecosystem and its unique blend of technology and creatives. Here are some highlights from hosting... ☕️ Our LA Scouts Breakfast over wellness lattes and avocado toasts! 🥐 Creators & Consumer Founders Brunch Mixer with Karat Financial and Slow Ventures featuring a fireside with Lauren (LaurDIY) Riihimaki on her angel investing journey as a creator. 🎤 AI-Native Vertical SaaS Panel with olive, Fika Ventures, Bonfire Ventures 🔥, TipTop Ventures and sponsored by Fidelity Investments, Cooley LLP, and Sequoia. Matthew Brown Georgina McMillan Trevor Neff TJ Taylor Jenna Hannon Kevin L. Allison Silvers Conor Healy Kanan Rengaraju Caroline Jacobs Jonathan Chang Jason Yeh Eric Wei Megan Lightcap David Pack David Santana Thank you to everyone who joined us — more to come in LA! 🌴

Munich’s tech scene is cooking up something big. What better way to meet its angels than by making 🍝 in a classic Vespa repair shop? Yesterday, Christian, Jacopo, and Isabel hosted our latest Angel Kitchen edition in Munich, alongside our friends Barbara, Thomas, and Inga vom Holtz from UnternehmerTUM—perhaps Europe's best startup hub. Thanks to everyone who came and cooked: Adrian Kapsalis, Anton Eder, Dr. des. Ariane Gaertner, Fabian J. Baldauf, Christoph Deckert, Deepa Gautam-Nigge, Eva Spannagl, Florian Gottschaller, Jonas Rieke, Julian Kley, MD, Leon Szeli, Marcel Doeppes, Martin Schleich, Michael Mücke, Sabine Flechet, Vlad Lata, Yvonne Szeli. The Munich tech ecosystem has all the right ingredients to be one of Europe's main innovation dishes, also thanks to the ongoing efforts of hubs like UnternehmerTUM. Next stop: Zurich in November, with one of the best research institutions 👀. Ask us for an invite!

🌟 📣 Calling all innovators in the prosumer space! 📣 🌟 At Headline, we’re excited to announce our inaugural Prosumer Top 50 list—a celebration of the most groundbreaking, up-and-coming prosumer startups. Do you know a startup pushing boundaries, creating tools for creators, solopreneurs, or gig economy professionals? We want to hear from you! To qualify: • The company must be in the prosumer space • The company should be at or before the Series B stage Let’s recognize the startups that are empowering individuals to become creators, builders, and entrepreneurs. Help us shine a spotlight on the next generation of prosumer leaders by nominating your favorite startups today. Simply tag them below and nominate here: https://lnkd.in/gbc-NqPn 👇 👇 👇

Our Headline Growth team has been noticing a trend among later-stage companies...many are ending their meetings with us by asking our thoughts on the current economy. "What do you think of the macro?" "Should I pay attention to Powell?" We started to sense a void of economic news to help growth teams understand the climate. In response, we're kicking off a new newsletter to help teams analyze and react to the current macroeconomic landscape. Our first edition, "Pre-Election Markets, Public Equity Volatility, and Powell’s Posturing," dives into hot-button issues you might have on your mind. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/g8REJ5JZ And if you're interested in receiving our newsletters in the future, please subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/gUGpre8k

Julie Wainwright has forged her own path when there wasn't an easy one to follow. The RealReal founder's career trajectory is a testament to resilience, innovation, and breaking barriers. In a career-spanning conversation with Headline, Julie talked through the stops along her journey: 💡 She started as a brand manager at Clorox, but quickly realized the leadership didn't reflect her aspirations. 🇬🇧 At 26, she took a bold leap into the nascent software industry with Software Publishing Corporation (SPC), moved to London, and overcame heaps of gender bias selling personal computer software all across Europe. 🐕 She led Pets.com during the dot-com bust, experiencing (and learning) through a high-profile setback as a woman CEO. She used the challenge as fuel. "I would never be afraid of public failure again," she said. 👜 A decade later, Julie started over, founding The RealReal in 2011, revolutionizing luxury consignment. (Headline was the company's first institutional investor.) 💰 She led The RealReal to a $1.5B IPO in 2019, proving that comebacks are possible with persistence and vision. Julie's journey shows that setbacks can be stepping stones to greater success — and she's now onto her next adventure as Founder & CEO of nutrition company, Ahara. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/g5Eij5cT

This week, we called a former Berlin boathouse bunker home with the friends at Founders Forum Group and their incredible community. Brent Hoberman, Carolyn Dawson – it was a pleasure to share currywurst and minimal DJ beats with you at your welcome reception. Thank you for having us! We hope everyone had the chance to reconnect with old friends and make new ones as we enjoyed the FF Europe x Left Lane Fast Growth Summit. Stay tuned: November is taking us to an even wilder European location 👀 cc. Christian Miele Christian Leybold Jacopo Luperi Dominic Long-Innes Isabel Wrubel

Congrats to Headline investor Zehra Naqvi, who was named to TechCrunch's list of New York's Top VCs Under 30! ✨🎊 Zehra told Dominic-Madori Davis that she's bullish on consumer — and Headline is looking for the next generational consumer companies. "History has proven time and time again that now is the best time to double down on investing in the future of consumers," she said. "Be a contrarian.” Check out the full list below! https://lnkd.in/gAASmn2E

How to best spend an Oktoberfest Monday? With a hearty breakfast and in the company of 60+ startup founders. Last week, Christian, Dominic, Isabel, Dominic, and our friends at Insight Partners hosted a private event at a former Bavarian riding school in the center of Munich. Thanks to everyone who took time from busy #BitsAndPretzels schedules to join us! We look forward to bringing back "The Stable" next year 🦄