Investor Talk with Greg Papadopoulos at Ultimate Demo Day 2020

TL;DR

Greg Papadopoulos, American engineer and venture capitalist, discusses investment opportunities and the intersection of technology and society in Europe.

Transcript

so like julia said we're gonna have a small pause before we have the last couple of pictures and it's a very sweet pause so this is meeting our last special guest for today we have a virtual conversation to greg papadopoulos who's greg papadopoulos greg is an american engineer and he's executive and a venture capitalist so in 2010 he joined the wor... Read More

Key Insights

• 🧑‍💻 Greg Papadopoulos is an experienced engineer and venture capitalist with a focus on hard tech and deep tech.
• 🖤 Writing software for digitalization and transformation is challenging due to a lack of data and weak coupling between the physical and digital worlds.
• 🏤 European startups like Konux and Aquabyte have succeeded in their domains because of the context, trust, and collaboration within the region.
• 🤝 Berlin is emerging as a competitive region in Europe, with a strong ecosystem and a significant amount of deal flow.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Greg Papadopoulos get into investment, and what is his background?

Greg Papadopoulos joined New Enterprise Associates in 2010 as a venture partner. Prior to that, he had 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, academia, and technology, including being the CTO of Sun Microsystems.

Q: Why is it challenging to write software for digitalization and transformation?

The main challenge is the lack of data. Historically, there has been weak coupling between the physical world and the digital world, making it difficult to build software that incorporates real-world information. However, advancements in connectivity, such as mobile devices, have enabled the development of rich models and the ability to affect real-world change.

Q: Why are European startups like Konux and Aquabyte more successful in their respective domains compared to US startups?

Greg Papadopoulos believes that European startups have an advantage due to the deep cultural view of sustainability and the strong collaboration between different sectors, such as manufacturing and agriculture. This context allows them to recruit employees, gain the trust of customers, and be understood by sources of capital.

Q: Do you see any European regions that are becoming equally competitive to Silicon Valley?

Greg Papadopoulos sees Berlin as a region with a growing ecosystem and critical mass. The city has attracted a lot of deal flow and has shown drive and imagination, making it a potential competitor to Silicon Valley.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Greg Papadopoulos is a venture partner at New Enterprise Associates and has 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, academia, and technology.

• He discusses the challenges of writing software for digitalization and transformation, due to a lack of data and weak coupling between atoms and bits.

• He highlights two European companies, Konux and Aquabyte, that are using technology to improve railway operations and fisheries management.