This past week, it was the SuperReturn conference in Berlin. SuperReturn is an international conference for venture capital, private equity, private credit, and real asset investors. That conference is primarily for limited partners and general partners, so I didn’t go to the actual event. However, there were over 90 side events based around this conference throughout the week, and I was able to go to a good few. The first event was with some of my colleagues, and they presented a pitch deck to founders that had come to Berlin, centered around what Vireo has to offer as an investor. It was rewarding to see this event, because I made the pitch deck a few days prior not knowing I would get to watch it in use.
I went to the next events alone, which was a bit nerve-wracking, but an absolutely great set of experiences for me. The first event I went to alone was called “The Future of VC: The AI Impact.” This event was hosted by N26, Earlybird Ventures, and Plug and Play Ventures. It was really cool to be in the same room as executives from such renowned firms. N26 is a neo-bank in Germany – one of the first banks to operate around a digital-first model in this area. Plug and Play Ventures is a venture capital firm, as the name suggests. Some well-known companies that they’ve invested in include PayPal and Dropbox, which is crazy to me because I know these names as well-established companies, not startups to be invested in. Earlybird Ventures is also a prominent venture capital firm, though they primarily invest in European companies, so the names are less familiar. However, they actually invested in the bank hosting the event, N26, so it was really interesting to see how well that investment has come to fruition. The event was at N26’s headquarters, which was a really nice, modern-looking building. I was nervous to be at the event alone, but as time passed I got over that fear and spoke to a lot of people. Altogether, it ended up actually going really well. I saw someone I had met at a previous event, which was nice having a familiar face there. I met and spoke with the COO of another venture capital firm, and I even met a member of the German Chamber of Commerce. The next event that I went to was called “OPUS Berlin Founder Drinks.” That event was much more relaxed because instead of being entirely made up of investors, it was almost entirely founders of companies who attended. I met people who founded a variety of companies including one in the music industry, and one building AI agents for the sales industry. It was interesting hearing about their personal motivations for building such a vast range of products. That event was actually overlapping with the previous one, so it was a busy night for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed going to both events.
I haven’t found any parts of German culture particularly difficult to assimilate to in the workplace. I’ve noticed that they are often more direct and blunt with criticism, which I appreciate and actually find more helpful than any subtle criticism that might be more common in the US. I’ve really enjoyed being a part of the team at Vireo and I think I fit in fairly well. The main cultural difference for me has been and still is how the Germans view cafes. I like getting my coffee and a snack and taking it to work, and people look at me a bit oddly here when I order to go. But, I see no reason to assimilate to this part of German culture. From my understanding, it isn’t seen as disrespectful, just a bit weird, and I’m okay with that. I’ve also found it difficult to get things done on Sundays because a lot of stores are closed. Interestingly enough, when I got my coffee on Sunday (today), they did not offer me the option to get it to-go! That was okay with me, because I don’t have anywhere to be. It’s been quite rainy out here in Berlin for the past few days. It reminds me of Pittsburgh weather!