Molten Ventures recently hosted a webinar featuring CEO Ben Wilkinson and CFO Andrew Zimmermann, offering insights into the company's unique approach to venture capital investment across Europe.
Ben Wilkinson opened by highlighting Molten Ventures' nearly two-decade history, emphasising its commitment to investing in high-growth technology businesses. Founded in 2006, Molten Ventures listed on AIM in 2016 – moving to the main market in 2021 – and has invested over £1 billion into various innovative technology companies, currently holding a portfolio value of £1.3 billion with realisations of £135 million for the year from M-Files, Endomag, Perkbox, Graphcore and a partial realisation of Revolut.
The presentation explored Molten's business model, highlighting its active role as a minority investor who actively manages portfolio companies by providing not just capital but also strategic guidance and networking opportunities to drive growth and innovation.
Andrew Zimmerman provided a deeper dive into Molten Ventures’ diversified portfolio, segmented into four primary sectors: Enterprise & SaaS; AI, Deeptech & Hardware; Consumer Technology; and Digital Health
He spotlighted several standout companies:
- Hilo (formerly Aktiia): A Swiss firm providing a wearable blood-pressure monitoring band, to enhance personal health management.
- Manna: An Irish drone delivery startup revolutionising last mile deliveries to door.
- ICEYE: A Finnish company producing radar-based satellites that deliver high-resolution imagery for various applications.
Ben and Andrew stressed the importance of Molten's structured investment approach, from seed-stage tracking via funds-of-funds to direct investments at growth stages (Series A and B). They spoke to Molten’s thorough process of screening thousands of opportunities each year to select just 10-15 high-potential companies for investment.
In summary, Molten Ventures provides investors a unique way to access diversified, high-growth private technology companies across Europe, while contributing positively to Europe's technological ecosystems.
Watch along to discover who – and what – Molten really is.
