Vespucci Partners, a Hungarian-American venture capital fund manager known for its hybrid business model, has four executives and three portfolio managersand three of their portfolio companies – Haris Digital, Mollia and IMM-DATA – attended this year’s CES, the world’s largestthe world’s largest and most influential technology event in Las Vegas, where the latest technologies and global innovations are showcased.and global trends, they met with representatives of the world’s best-known brands and potential investors. The trip was made possible by the Input Program and Express Innovation Agency.
The global nature of the show, which attracted over 40,000 visitors this year, is reflected in the fact that the event was held in the heart of the city of Brussels.30% of the visitors came from outside the United States, representing 119 countries. “CES is the world’s most influential technology event, with brands such as Amazon, Dell, Google, Hyundai, IBM, LG, Samsung and Sony making key announcements every year. This year, many of them have finally cancelled their scheduled events and moved them to the virtual space. Perhaps that was the reason why small, emerging tech startups were represented in large numbers, their presence this year was not so significant.n was much more prominent than before,” says Júlia Sohajda, co-founder and managing partner of Vespucci Partners, who is the managing partner of Macher Péco-founder, Levente Zsigmond, investment director, Gergely Balázs, investment manager and three portfolio managersof their portfolio companies Haris Digital, IMM-DATA and Mollia, attended the prestigious event thanks to the Input Programme.
Vespucci Partners: on the trail of the hottest trends in innovation industries
The Vespucci Partners team had several objectives in mind when attending the event, as stated on the venture capital fund manager’s website. Firstly, as a venture capital fund manager investing primarily in deep tech startups, they wanted to learn from world-leading experts about the trends in the innovation industry.The aim was to find out from experts who know the hottest trends in the innovation industry, and to see for themselves where the world’s leaders are in the areas where Vespucci Partners’ portfolio companies are mostly active. In the case of deep tech start-ups, we are talking about companies whose competitive advantage lies primarily in technological innovation.Their competitive advantage is based on their technological innovation, which, due to its novelty, requires a longer investment of time and energy. These include biotech, healthtech, but also robotics and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, it was also important for them to find out in which industries and technologies in different markets around the world the most investment is being made.After investing in a start-up, the company has to receive further investment for two or three rounds and then exit. To do this, they need to focus on areas that either currently or in the short term (three to five years) fit well with the trends.
Venture capital is looking even more strongly for healthcare developments
“In the wake of the coronavirus epidemic, investors are interested in almost everything that has to do with the health of the whole population.healthcare technologies and improving the way people live. Developments related to sleep and smart home solutions have the world’s developers very excited. However, it was strange to see how green technology developments and innovations were absent from CES,” adds Vespucci Partners’ head. As it turned out, this year there was a particular focus on NFTs, i.e. non-replaceable tokens, blockchain technology and crypto. Somewhat surprisingly, there were far fewer drone companies represented, but there was a focus on, for example, flying car innovations in the smart city space. There were also humanoid robots with artificial intelligence, which are becoming more and more human-like in appearance, andand some of them can even answer questions with gestures and facial expressions. Innovators in the fitness field have also shown at least as big a technological leap forward.
Applications are still invited from innovative tech start-ups
The majority of the Vespucci Partners team has already returned to Hungary, where they continue to welcome innovative start-ups from all over the world.The majority of Vespucci’s team is now back in Hungary to pitch their innovative, technology startups to the much larger US market. This is why Júlia Sohajda will continue her tour of the United States, visiting San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, New Orleans, Houston and New York.and Austin in the coming weeks to develop new partnerships. The aim is to get their portfolio companies on their way to conquering the world as soon as possible.
“I’m constantly travelling the world, now thanks to the Input Program, attending startup conferences, various presentations, professional events and partner meetings. First and foremost, I can get solid information about how strong and innovative the region, including Hungary, is. I meet representatives of companies with a strong technological focus and therefore innovative technological solutions.which is very attractive to international investors,” says Júlia Sohajda, who believes that the Central and Eastern European region is adevelopers in the CEE region are able to produce revolutionary solutions and turn their developments into successes with less financial investment. Vespucci Partners is building on this attitude, creative flair and the size and openness of the US marketand the openness of the US market, Vespucci’s strategy is a bridge between Central and Eastern Europe, including Hungary, and the US market. In addition, they not only provide the capital needed to move forward, but also educate their chosen start-ups.
Hungarian construction in the USA, organised by the INPUT Program and the Express Innovation Agency
Participation in the CES and the subsequent study tour and related professional programmes were organised and provided by the INPUT Program and the Express Innovation Agency. The two organisations share a common goal of providing high quality and relevant professional events and business meetingsThe two organisations aim to ensure that domestic innovative companies can participate in relevant events and business events, thereby facilitating their successful entry into foreign markets. For the study tour to the western United States of America, the organisers selected participants through an open call for proposals in several rounds. Twelve start-ups were evaluated by the jury and were selected to go to the United States of America.
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