EUVC | E371 | Oxx's Mikael Johnsson on how to make a company stand out in a competitive market
EUVC - A podcast by The European VC
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In this episode of the EUVC podcast, Andreas discusses with Mikael Johnsson, co-founder and General Partner of Oxx.Andreas and Mikael discuss the key strategies and insights that have shaped Oxx as a leading player in the European B2B SaaS investment landscape. Mikael shares his extensive 24-year journey in venture capital, highlighting the evolution of his investment philosophy and the experiences that have driven Oxx’s unique approach to backing scale-up stage companies.Oxx’s second fund, totaling $190M, underscores the firm’s commitment to supporting B2B SaaS innovators across Europe and Israel. With a team of six in Stockholm and nine in London, Oxx maintains a pan-European reach, enabling it to stay closely connected to the pulse of regional tech ecosystems. The firm’s notable investments, including Funnel, Gravitee, and SOCRadar, exemplify Oxx’s focus on high-potential SaaS businesses with the ambition and capability to scale internationally.Go to eu.vc for our core learnings and the full video interview 👀Chapters:02:35 Meet Michael Johnson of Oxx03:04 Michael's Journey into Venture Capital04:35 The Intellectual Curiosity of Venture Capital05:20 Building and Growing Companies06:11 Challenges and Stubbornness in Venture07:31 Pivotal Moments and Lessons Learned09:47 Oxx's Investment Strategy13:49 The Importance of Product-Market Fit19:07 The State of Early Stage and Growth Stage VC in Europe26:00 Challenges in Scaling Venture Firms26:44 Optimism in European Venture Ecosystem 27:30 Importance of Positioning for Startups28:43 Building a Scalable Company29:49 Common Mistakes by Founders30:59 Evaluating Companies for Investment32:11 The Role of Hustle and Strategy36:29 Issues in the Venture Capital Industry49:12 Final Thoughts and Learnings:
