The program aims to promote diversity in tech by connecting underrepresented founders with the capital, tools, and network needed to help scale their businesses
Emerge brings together a coalition of top tier investors from across Europe led by SoftBank Investment Advisers and Speedinvest
Call for entries now open, founders apply HERE
June 9, 2021 — London — SoftBank Investment Advisers (SoftBank) and Speedinvest today announced the launch of the SoftBank Vision Fund Emerge accelerator in Europe. Emerge champions diversity in tech and entrepreneurship by connecting underrepresented founders with capital, tools, and networks to help them scale. The program is open to European start-ups that have at least one founder who identifies as non-white, female, LGBTQ+, disabled and/or is a refugee. Founders can apply directly on the Emerge website: https://www.emergeaccelerator.com/
Selected founders will participate in a customized 8-week program that provides access to SoftBank’s experienced operating professionals and portfolio companies, educational sessions, and dedicated mentoring. Founders will also be able to join a broad community of entrepreneurs and innovators with the opportunity to share experiences, as well as access the wider VC community. Participants will also receive direct investment to support future growth.
The launch builds on the success of the first Emerge cohort in the US in summer 2020, through which SoftBank invested $5 million across 13 startups. The 2021 program has expanded to convene a coalition of leading European VCs and seed-stage investors, united in a common mission to foster a more equitable tech ecosystem. In addition to Speedinvest, Emerge founders will have access to leading European investors, including Breega, Cherry Ventures, firstminute capital and Kindred. The program will be delivered in collaboration with WeWork Labs, which will support the curriculum development.
“As an industry, we’re missing out on the diverse perspectives that drive true innovation, because of a lack of representation,” said Catherine Lenson, Managing Partner and CHRO at SoftBank Investment Advisers. “Our first Emerge founder cohort showed the depth of untapped talent and inspired us to explore ways to do even more through the program. We are proud to be partnering with many of Europe’s most progressive investors and are excited to work with some of the region’s most visionary founders.”
“To drive innovation, building a level playing field for diverse European founders is no longer a want-to-have but a must,” said Oliver Holle, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Speedinvest. “At Speedinvest, we could not be more excited to partner up with SoftBank on Emerge as this program truly embodies what we love to do – to help support Europe’s very best early-stage founders, no matter their background, and truly make a difference in their entrepreneurial journeys.”
“We are delighted to be part of this program and help it expand into Europe,” said Maria Palma, Partner at Kindred Capital. “Structural and network-based elements of VC unfortunately result in a subset of founders getting less access to venture than they should, which is why programs like this, that go deeper on the relationship-building and fundraising aspects of a start-up, are so important.”
“In theory, it has long been proven that diverse founding teams drive better and more sustainable results,” added Lina Wenner, Associate Partner at firstminute capital. “In reality, we are far too slow in putting this to practice. That is why we are excited to be part of the change that Softbank and Speedinvest are initiating with Emerge. We want to be at the forefront of building a future that is shaped by the best innovators our world has to offer – and they certainly don’t all look the same.”
“Emerge works to ensure that the companies of tomorrow represent the world today,” says Cherry Ventures partner Sophia Bendz. “We’re proud to partner with this important initiative as it focuses attention on the European ecosystem to generate tangible results for a segment of the founder community which has been underserved for too long.”
“While the industry as a whole is aware of a persisting diversity and inclusion gap in tech, finding efficient ways of bridging that gap isn’t easy,” added Ben Marrel, Founding Partner at Breega. “We’re therefore delighted to be partnering with the European Emerge program. Providing operational support to early-stage founders is a big part of Breega’s DNA so we’re really looking forward to getting actively involved and giving underrepresented founders the boost they need.”
“WeWork has always been a hub for entrepreneurs and we know the power the right tools and network can have on driving success,” said Thijs Sprangers, Head of WeWork Labs, Europe. “We are excited to bring our expertise to Emerge by creating customized educational programming and resources that support underrepresented founders in sharpening the skills they need to succeed.”
The start-ups that will make up the European cohort of Emerge will be announced publicly in late-August, and convene online from September. The program concludes with the start-up showcase in October, when companies will pitch their businesses live to a group of top European investors.
Eligibility criteria:
1. Seed stage start-up with a working product
2. Using technology to disrupt a large or growing market
3. Experiencing strong growth with early customer validation
4. Business model has potential to scale
5. At least one company founder identifies as non- white, female, LGBTQ, disabled and/or is a refugee.
For more information about Emerge, or to apply to be a part of the program, visit the website: https://www.emergeaccelerator.com/
About Emerge
The SoftBank Vision Fund Emerge accelerator seeks to promote diversity in tech by connecting underrepresented founders with the capital, tools, and network needed to help scale their businesses. Established in 2019 by SoftBank Investment Advisers, Emerge combines a customized 8-week mentoring program with capital investment to support future growth. Participant founders gain unique access to SoftBank professionals, portfolio companies, industry experts, and Europe’s wider VC support networks. https://www.emergeaccelerator.com/
About Speedinvest
Speedinvest is a European venture capital fund with €450M AUM and 40 investors working from Berlin, London, Munich, Paris, Vienna and San Francisco. Employing a focused investment team structure, we fund innovative early-stage technology startups in the areas of Deep Tech, Fintech, Industrial Tech, Network Effects, Digital Health and SaaS. Speedinvest actively deploys its global network and in-house Platform+ operational experts to support our portfolio of nearly 200 companies, including with US market expansion. www.speedinvest.com.
About Breega
Breega is a founder-friendly VC, with $300M under management, investing in promising European high tech startups at Seed/Series A stage from its Barcelona, London and Paris offices. One of the fastest growing early stage investors in Europe, Breega provides much more than just capital. Built by founders for founders, Breega supports its portfolio companies through each phase of their development, providing them with free-of-charge operational expertise (talent, biz dev, marketing & legal) and international development opportunities. breega.com
About Cherry Ventures
Cherry Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm led by a team of entrepreneurs with experience building fast-scaling companies such as Zalando and Spotify. The firm backs Europe’s boldest founders, usually as their first institutional investor, and supports them in everything from their go-to-market strategy and the scaling of their businesses. Cherry Ventures has previously invested in the seed stage of over 60 companies across Europe, including FlixBus, Auto1 Group, flaschenpost, Infarm, Rows, Forto, and Twaice. Cherry Ventures is based in Berlin and invests across Europe with operations in London, Paris, and Stockholm. www.cherry.vc
About firstminute capital
firstminute capital is a $260m AUM fund backed by over 100 unicorn founders, comprising 22 founders of $10bn+ businesses, including Palantir, PayPal, Affirm, Wayfair, Ocado, MongoDB, Zalando, Zynga, Supercell, Farfetch, Checkout.com, Check Point and board members from some of the world’s leading technology companies, such as Eric Schmidt (former CEO and Chairman, Google). firstminute’s team of 18 invests across Europe and the US at the seed stage and has made over 70 investments since 2017, across 18 countries. firstminute proactively provides its portfolio access to this roster of global entrepreneurs, allowing early stage founders to tap into the collective wealth of expertise and entrepreneurial experience that the Limited Partners represent. www.firstminute.capital
About Kindred
Kindred Capital is a seed and early stage venture capital investor, focusing on European technology companies. Based in London, Kindred invests in entrepreneurs building globally ambitious businesses. Kindred’s unique Equitable Venture model, of sharing carry with the founders they invest in, has led to over 80 founders co-owning carry in the fund. www.kindredcapital.vc
About WeWork
WeWork was founded in 2010 with the vision to create environments where people and companies come together and do their best work. Since opening our first location in New York City, we’ve grown into a global flexible space provider committed to delivering technology-driven flexible solutions, inspiring spaces, and unmatched community experiences. Today, we’re constantly reimagining how the workplace can help everyone, from freelancers to Fortune 500s, be more motivated, productive, and connected. Through WeWork Labs, we create opportunities for founders and their teams to forge meaningful connections with fellow entrepreneurs and access the mentorship, networking, and educational resources needed to drive their businesses forward. www.wework.com
Media Contacts
SoftBank Investment Advisers (SoftBank)
Rachel Bremer / Matheus Fierro
Milltown Partners
softbankuk@milltownpartners.com
Speedinvest
Jeremy Crider
Head of Communications
jeremy.crider@speedinvest.com