Amadeus and Friends: Recent Episodes
Amadeus Capital Partners
Amadeus Capital Partners has been a trailblazer for three decades, investing in people who create transformational technologies and sustainable businesses. We’ve backed nearly 200 startups and scaleups across Europe and, more recently, in Latin America.
In Amadeus and Friends, you’ll hear from some of the world’s greatest innovators in quantum computing, AI, biotech and more, sharing their commercial journeys, the highs and the lows, and how they’ve approached commercialisation with the support of venture capital.
If you’d like to hear more from Amadeus visit our website and follow us on socials:
https://www.amadeuscapital.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/amadeus-capital-partners/@AmadeusCapital
Amadeus Capital Partners CEO Anne Glover sits down with Catherine La Torre, Independent NED and former CEO of British Patient Capital, to delve into the dynamics of the UK venture capital industry. Catherine shares invaluable insights gleaned from her illustrious career journey, highlighting the remarkable achievements of British Patient Capital in becoming the largest domestic VC investor in the UK, managing over £3 billion in assets.
Manjari Chandran-Ramesh, Partner on our Early Stage investing team embarks on an insightful journey into the cutting-edge realm of quantum computing with industry pioneers Professor Stephanie Simmons from Photonic Inc and Hermann Hauser, co-founder of Amadeus and Board Director of Photonic.
The conversation delves into the challenges and opportunities posed by quantum computing, drawing intriguing parallels to the evolution of classical computing while highlighting the transformative potential of the latest quantum developments and how they can address previously unsolvable computing problems. Photonic, which is an Amadeus portfolio company, is itself designing and manufacturing large-scale, distributed, fault-tolerant quantum computers that will transform material discovery, computational chemistry, drug development, and secure communications.
Discover the world of deep tech investing with the Amadeus Team in our latest podcast episode.
In this episode, we introduce you to our Early Stage investing team and explore their diverse backgrounds and interests within the deep tech sector. The conversation investigates why deep tech stands out as an investment opportunity. From revolutionary advancements in quantum computing to ground breaking biotech innovations, delve into the transformative technologies we are helping to commercialise through investment and advice for founders.
Whether you're seeking funding for your startup or aiming to capitalise on the next big breakthrough, this episode is your gateway to understanding the dynamic world of deep tech investing.
Explore what 2024 is going to look like for tech investors and deep tech startups across the world in the first Amadeus & Friends episode of the year, featuring our CEO Anne Glover and Nick Kingsbury, Partner in our Early Stage Fund.
The conversation touches on how fundraising naturally reflects the economic cycle, putting the currently less-than-euphoric financial environment into context as following on from the extreme spike in investments and valuations experienced 2021. However, this doesn’t mean there’s no cause for optimism – while a lot of private and institutional investors have become more risk-averse, a lot of funds that are raised during challenging times perform better and bring more dividends from the big wins!
Based on their experience and wide network, Anne and Nick talk about where the larger wins this year are likely to come from in the short, medium and long-term, touching on critical technologies such as AI, MedTech and quantum computing.
You can watch the video recording of the podcast below or listen via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Hear from Adrian Jones who runs the UK Defence Investor Network and Nick Kingsbury a partner at Amadeus Capital on why this important sector is now a focus for venture capitalists.
Explore quantum networking with Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, CEO and Co-founder of Nu Quantum, in our latest podcast episode.
In this episode, Carmen and Manjari highlight the importance of interconnecting quantum computers and address the industry's scaling challenges. Nu Quantum offers an innovative approach to scaling through networking and modular systems, charting a path to larger numbers of qubits efficiently.
What sets Nu Quantum apart is its diverse team, bringing together quantum physicists and engineers, fostering a rich exchange of ideas. Carmen envisions a future where quantum computers enhance classical computing, contributing to quantum-centric data centres and innovative problem-solving. With the potential to tackle critical global issues like climate change, the next decade promises to see quantum systems integrated into the real world.
We’re excited to share our latest podcast episode that sees a captivating discussion with Amelia Armour and Hermann Hauser on revolution and evolution in the semiconductor industry.
In this episode, Hermann offers a retrospective on the most pivotal moments, from the birth of the transistor at Bell Labs, Intel’s ground-breaking 4004, the world’s first microprocessor and the impressive feats of Arm with 250bn chips now in circulation.
Amelia and Hermann examine the complexities of the global supply chain and technology sovereignty, amidst our growing dependence on semiconductor chips. Plus, a glimpse at the promising future with quantum processors and how Amadeus portfolio companies Riverlane, Paragraf and XMOS are shaping this revolution.
In the next episode of the series, Nick welcomes David Mitchell CEO and Co-founder at XYZ Reality onto the podcast to discuss his company’s mission to revolutionise the construction industry by building from holograms.
While 2D drawings continue to be a standard practice on construction sites, they aren't the most intuitive language for human interpretation. As a result, errors and delays frequently occur, accounting for nearly 10% of construction project costs. Enter XYZ's world’s first ‘Engineering Grade’ Augmented Reality (AR) headset!
In this episode, David touches on his entrepreneurial journey to date, from ideation to finding the right co-founder and building a passionate team which now stands at over 100. He explains how he convinced the hardware-sceptics of XYZ’s potential and managed to secure an impressive £40m in investment to date.
In the second episode of the series, we welcome a lively discussion between Amadeus Associate Ana Bernardo Gancedo and guests Melissa Riachi and Pragati Mishra, all about their summer internship experiences.
This episode presents listeners with an insider's look into the world of venture capital, featuring unique and fresh perspectives. It's an opportunity to hear first-hand accounts on the intern application process, the nature of the projects Amadeus interns undertake, and the initial motivations that sparked Melissa and Pragati’s interest in VC.
Exciting news! Series Two of the Amadeus and Friends podcast is here! Join host Nick Kingsbury and guest Kelly Richdale, Senior Advisor at SandboxAQ, as they explore quantum cryptography and the future of data security.
In this episode, Kelly shares her fascinating career journey to date, from her involvement in Meta's groundbreaking blockchain-based cryptocurrency venture 'Libra’ to working with Sandbox as they collaborate with governments, financial organizations, and enterprises, to assist in migrating cryptographic systems.
Kelly explains the unique aspects and challenges associated with quantum computing, shedding light on the revolutionary Shor's algorithm and the ever-important topic of long-term data security, exploring the potential dangers posed by the 'download now, decrypt later' threat.
Kelly reveals when we can expect to see commercially viable quantum computers and highlights the ground-breaking work that Amadeus-backed Riverlane is doing in quantum error correction.
Deep tech could be the key to fighting the climate crisis. But with high capital-intensity and long lead times, climate tech start-ups have historically failed to generate good returns for VC investors.
In this podcast episode @Nick Kingsbury chats to fellow Amadeus Partner @Pat Burtis to get his expert view on what went wrong in ClimateTech in the early 2000s, why investor appetite is increasing again, and why it might be different this time.
As Amadeus celebrates 25 years since it was founded, Partner Amelia Armour sits down with Hermann Hauser and Anne Glover to reflect on the past three decades.
Over the course of its 25-year lifespan, Amadeus has experienced market highs and lows but remained steadfastly committed to investing in people who create transformational technologies and sustainable businesses. Having successfully raised over $1bn for investment in over 190 companies across three investment strategies.
In the episode, Anne and Hermann take us back to the early 1990s to share how they bonded over their shared passion for cutting-edge technologies, reminiscing about the very early days of Amadeus, their proudest moments so far and a look forward to where they believe the next big investment opportunity lies.
Quantum computers are on the horizon and when they’re here promise to be far superior to classical computers, performing operations at a greater speed than ever thought possible. But when can we get our hands on one?
In our latest podcast episode Amelia Armour sat down with Steve Brierley, CEO of Riverlane, who explains how quantum computers work and the scaling changes that need to be overcome to make them viable, including quantum error correction.
Steve explains why the makeup of Riverlane’s team is perfectly suited to solving the current challenges with quantum computers and shares his view on when we can expect to see quantum computation used for real industrial applications.
Historically an opaque and disparate system, global trade is often built on relationships and trusting that goods are what they say on the tin.
But as the world moves further into globalisation, companies need to illuminate their global supply chains to detect risks, reduce operational burdens, and build trusted trade networks.
Off the back of their recent $100m fundraise, Nick Kingsbury sits down with Tom Morrison, Director of Business Development at Altana, to discuss how they have developed a shared source of truth by mapping the global supply chain. Tom discloses some of the discoveries customers have made by using the Altana Atlas, including illegal drugs and weapons, and shares the positive social impacts of the technology.
Globalization 2.0 Manifesto:
https://www.altana.ai/globalization-2.0-manifesto
Breaking into the world of VC can be tough. In an industry where starter roles are highly sought after, securing a seat at the table means you need to stand out.
In this episode we hear from Ana Bernardo-Gancedo, James Baker and Ben Balmforth, all Analysts and Associates at Amadeus Capital Partners, as they share their experiences landing a VC job and offer advice to those hoping to do the same.
With a background in academia and then consulting, Ana explains why deep tech VC was the perfect fit, combining her passions of science and investment. While James and Ben, both chartered accountants, were driven by an interest in identifying exciting companies in their very early stages and supporting them through their growth lifecycle.
The demand for autonomous and spatially aware machines is increasing, with the market expected to exceed $100 billion by 2030.
But complex mapping and navigation challenges make developing this technology a lengthy and expensive process for companies.
In this episode, Nick Kingsbury is joined by Owen Nicholson, CEO and co-founder of SLAMcore, the startup using novel algorithms to help robots and drones understand where they are and what’s around them. They deliver highly reliable positioning and mapping intelligence on low power, cost-effective hardware.
Owen takes us back to the beginning and shares SLAMcore’s formation story, details how the pioneering technology works and shares its uses from vacuum cleaners to VR headsets.
Once your machine learning models are set up there’s nothing else to do, right? Wrong, with new tools and trends emerging every year in data science, machine learning is constantly evolving.
In this episode, Manjari Chandran-Ramesh sits down with CEOs from not one but two Amadeus-backed start-ups to discuss the best ways for companies to scale their ML architecture.
Alex Housley, CEO at Seldon, the startup that has developed an open-source machine learning deployment platform and Alberto Rizzoli, CEO at V7, a platform which enables automated labelling, training, and building of AI.
Alex and Alberto consider when to start thinking about scaling ML architecture, explain why moving from a model-centric view of ML to a data-centric one is important and reveal why failures along the way are crucial.
From CCTV and body cams to drone footage, in today’s world the lens of a camera is near impossible to escape.
With an inconceivable amount of data being captured every day, how do companies manage this safely? Scale, coupled with an explosion of regulations and policies governing how companies can legally store and manage this data, makes for a data protection minefield.
In this first episode of podcast Amadeus & Friends, our Nick Kingsbury chats to Simon Randall, CEO and co-founder at Pimloc.
Pimloc’s deep learning platform allows businesses to extract useful data in images and video whilst protecting privacy and helping organisations to adhere to regulation.
Simon and Nick discuss the challenges of anonymising parts of images and video, the real-life use cases of Pimloc’s technology, consider the future of security and what’s next for Pimloc.