On Monday (today), Seedcamp Week London kicks off and we traditionally announce our future plans during one of our most important events of the year. In the interest of openness and transparency, which we believe benefits everyone in the industry, we are sharing 6 years of results. This year is markedly different in that we are able to share impact in hard numbers. The statistics show that Seedcamp has now clearly established itself as one of the leading seed investors in the world.
We’ve been awarded the title of Best European Startup Accelerator five years in a row, an incredible honour that was bestowed upon us by several of Europe’s leading technology entrepreneurs, investors and industry pundits. And yet, we know Seedcamp is much more than that, and we have the numbers to back it up. Seedcamp aims to provide Europe’s most ambitious founders with the means to raise the most money, in the shortest possible timeframe, from the best investors in the world. It’s a straightforward goal that allows us to help grow world-beating businesses from Europe, and the numbers show that we’re well on our way.
The Numbers
We’ve prepared an infographic that contains the most important Seedcamp results to date, but here’s the gist:
- In 2007, Seedcamp backed 6 startups. To date, we’ve invested in a total of 93 companies with 10 so far in the first half of 2013.
- We’ve evaluated a total of 7,876 applications over the years, more than 2,000 already in 2013.
- The applications came from 70 different countries, and Seedcamp has backed founders from a total of 36 different countries across the EMEA region in the past six years.
- The nearly 100 startups we’ve accepted to the Seedcamp program so far have gone on to secure $120 million in capital to date, having raised $5.5 million from Seedcamp. That’s a whopping 22x, and represents an average of $1.3 million in follow-on funding per company.
- Seedcamp companies typically raise in between $330,000 and $2 million in the round immediately following the Seedcamp program. This generally happens within 3-6 months of entry.
- Seedcamp startups have gone on to raise money from 354 investors across Europe, the US, and Asia.
- Already, 80% of the 2012 companies (who entered the program at various stages last year) have gone on to raise follow-on funding.
- Even more impressively, out of the companies in the 2013 batch, approximately 60% have already secured follow-on funding.
A Bright Future Ahead
The future of venture capital has Europe firmly on the map with Seedcamp at its center. As the FT noted earlier this year, Europe only has 20 percent of the venture capital that’s available in the United States, from about 25 percent as many VCs. This makes Seedcamp’s position among the leading seed investors in the world all the more significant. Also important is the speed with which our companies raise follow-on funding. Competition remains as fierce as ever, and startups need to be able to raise growth capital fast in order to achieve or maintain global relevance, and to find product market fit and scale event more rapidly. To compete with the more capital-rich US market, Seedcamp is challenging the rule of thumb that has American startups raise twice as much money in each round, twice as fast, as in Europe.
Our program is carefully crafted to ensure our startups raise sufficient capital within 3 to 6 months, giving them a shot at building market-leading companies fast. When our companies raise follow-on funding, they work with the world’s leading investors, from top funds in Asia to some of Europe’s premier venture capital firms and business angels. But it’s important to note that more than a third of our startups have also raised money from 103 investors from the United States, including superstars like
Redpoint, USV, SV Angel, Betaworks, Atlas Ventures, Index Ventures, 500 Startups, Lerer Ventures, Matrix, NextView, Valar Ventures (Peter Thiel), Felicis Ventures, IA Ventures, and Horizon Ventures.
The point is: you don’t have to start a company in the US to raise from US investors. Seedcamp helps ambitious European founders build globally competitive businesses, by continually building bridges and connections with the best entrepreneurs, mentors and investors worldwide.
Ongoing support for companies
The Seedcamp program doesn’t end after 12 weeks, which is one of the many ways in which we are different from the many startup accelerators that seem to be mushrooming all across Europe and the globe. We continue to support our companies across a full year and then some, working alongside the founders and their investors to help them scale and grow their businesses. We think it is crucial to support the founders at inflection points throughout the life of their business, as we have insights and connections that go far beyond the seed stage.
Where do we go from here? In the same direction, with the same determination, and as the data shows we’re clearly heading the right way. There is a lot of work to be done, and we’re proud and eager to help Europe’s most ambitious founders achieve their dreams and entrepreneurial success through our programs and network. On that note: applications to Seedcamp Week Berlin are now open!
The infographic
We have worked with the talented Gearóid O’Rourke to make sense of the data. He helped us visualize the most salient points: see below for a scaled down version or go to Seedcamp.com/infographic for the full size.
