Q. Tell us how you became involved with the Oxford Seed Fund, what are your memories of the experience?
A. Maria: I was the Oxford Seed Fund's Managing Director for 2020-21. On reflection, time flew so quickly. There are so many incredible memories of the year, from teach-ins by venture capital professionals democratising access to the knowledge to our demo day of the top-20 startups we selected for the year.
A. Srin: It started when I applied to participate at the beginning of my MBA. I was particularly drawn to this prospect due to my keen interest in entrepreneurship and venture capital. As it was the inaugural year of the fund, I saw the opportunity to play a role in shaping the fund's direction whilst also learning about early stage investing. The Oxford Seed Fund experience was my introduction to the world of investing and the learning was immense and a lot of fun! The numerous founders I met, all with their ideas, energy and vision, were inspiring. The wisdom and experience gained from these interactions have been pivotal in crafting my own entrepreneurial path.
Q. How did the Oxford Seed Fund help you, what did you learn from being involved with it and is that learning still helping you today?
A. Maria: Venture capital is an opaque asset class and building a career in it requires knowledge, access to startup opportunities and a community of investors like yourself. Especially at the early stage, pre-seed and seed, these startups have yet to be mainstream and are nested in the networks of people, so accessing them requires access to their networks, which can be an issue.
I also do not believe you can just read and be a great investor; I think venture capital is a bit of an apprenticeship career where you learn by doing and the more you do, the better you get.
The Oxford Seed Fund was pivotal in my journey because, through the experience, I could learn from experienced investors and simultaneously apply this knowledge by investing alongside an incredible team. With the support of experts’ ventures as advisors and the Oxford Seed Fund brand, I built a critical network as an investor that continues to give rewards long after the programme. Without it, it would have been challenging to do so given I had limited networks and access prior.
A. Srin: The Oxford Seed Fund served as a brilliant platform for me to learn how to appraise early-stage companies. A pivotal lesson from my involvement was the realisation that the attributes of the founders in early-stage companies were more important than business plans and forecasts at the seed stage. This perspective has been foundational to my approach and continues to guide my entrepreneurial and investment decisions.
Q. What are you doing in your career now?
A. Maria: I am one of two general partners who lead a £10m pan-European pre-seed fund at Octopus Ventures. We are a leading multi-stage fund investing in the ideas and industries that change the world. I joined just after my MBA program at Oxford Saïd to build out the fund. We fundraised and closed the £10m fund in early 2022. We invest standard £100k tickets in pre-seed start-ups across Europe, building technology companies across B2B software, fintech and digital health industries.
We have made 24 investments and drive about two monthly investments. I spend my days finding and funding founders, building world-changing startups and tackling large markets using innovative technology.
A. Srin: Following my MBA, I co-founded a company called Accomable that was acquired by Airbnb. Recently, I co-founded a startup in the Generative AI arena, known as People & Robots. Alongside my entrepreneurial endeavours, I maintain an active role as an angel investor, supporting other early-stage companies to achieve their potential.
Q. How important is the Oxford Seed Fund, and these types of funds, to entrepreneurship?
A. Maria: Experiential and practical programs like the Oxford Seed Fund are crucial to teaching entrepreneurship and venture capital, especially as technology rapidly evolves. My experience with venture is that you learn by doing and the hands-on, practical experience that the Oxford Seed Fund presents for any professional looking to explore venture capital as a career or entrepreneur looking to build a venture capital-funded startup is simply invaluable.
A. Srin: Funds like the Oxford Seed Fund are of paramount importance within the entrepreneurship sector and the Oxford ecosystem. They provide a superb opportunity for learning, especially for those lacking pre-existing ties or experience in venture capital. The Oxford Seed Fund not only provides essential financial backing for nascent companies, but also stimulates and encourages entrepreneurship in the Oxford community.
Learn more about the Oxford Seed Fund.