Sesame Summit 2026 – application open

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Top 5 Insights from Claire Houry on Successful Tech Investment Strategies

Building Long-Term Relationships with Startups

Claire Houry emphasizes the importance of building close, long-term partnerships with startups, noting that Ventech aims to support companies from early stages all the way to exit. “We invest early and want to be partners from day one,” she says, highlighting Ventech’s pan-European reach, with teams stationed in major tech hubs across Europe. This regional presence enables Ventech to work closely with founders, fostering trust and collaboration over time.

The Power of Preparation in Exit Strategies

According to Claire, preparing for an exit starts from day one. In her view, startups should understand that “there will be an exit scenario at some point,” and it’s critical to prepare well in advance. By building relationships within the ecosystem and positioning themselves as acquisition-ready, startups increase their chances of successful exits. “You are being acquired, not for sale,” Claire says, explaining the philosophy of strategically aligning with potential acquirers instead of openly looking for a buyer.

Navigating Profitability in B2B SaaS Ventures

Claire shares that Ventech’s approach allows for financing losses in the early stages, but with a clear path to profitability. In her words, “We look at unit economics – customer acquisition costs, net retention rates – rather than pure profit in the early days.” This focus ensures that Ventech invests in companies that, although they may be unprofitable at the start, are set up for sustainable growth and profitability in the long term. For her, companies generating 30-40 million euros annual recurring revenue (ARR) should be nearing profitability, which she sees as a natural milestone for growth-focused ventures.

Unique Challenges and Opportunities of the European Tech Market

European tech investment has distinct characteristics, from regulatory landscapes to market size. Claire explains that European funds tend to be smaller and that “risk is linked to reward,” with exits often smaller in value compared to the U.S. However, she is optimistic about Europe, especially with the rise of new technology and regulatory-driven opportunities. “We have a responsibility to build global leaders,” Claire asserts, emphasizing Ventech’s commitment to identifying and supporting ambitious founders who want to expand internationally.

The Impact of Regulation on Innovation and Growth

Regulation in Europe, according to Claire, drives innovation in certain sectors, especially B2B SaaS. She gives the example of Prewave, an Austrian company focused on supply chain risk intelligence, which addresses growing compliance demands in the European market. “In sectors like supply chain and ESG, regulation creates new business opportunities,” Claire notes. For her, regulatory demands in Europe offer a competitive edge by pushing companies to innovate in ways that U.S. firms often follow.

Find Claire on:

LinkedIn: Claire Houry

Ventech’s Newsletter: typeform.com/to/LQk75Mmz

Find Ben on:

LinkedIn: Ben Costantini

Twitter/X: @bencostantini

Be sure to follow Sesamers on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X for more cool stories from the people we catch during the best Tech events!

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Last week, I spent three days at Bits and Pretzels in Munich — a startup-focused event with a distinctly Bavarian flavor. Think Oktoberfest meets startup conference, complete with dirndls, lederhosen, and more beer than you might expect. As someone building an AI-powered event platform, I went in with a specific mission: Observe how startups actually market themselves at events. Here’s what I discovered: GoodBytz: The power of good demos What they did: Robotics startup GoodBytz set up a booth where its robots prepared kaiserschmarrn (a traditional German dessert) all day long. Why it worked: Nothing beats seeing a product in action. While other booths had brochures and demos, GoodBytz’s robots were actually cooking. The smell, the movement and the end result stirred together an experience that people will remember and talk about. The lesson: If you have a physical product, show it in action. The old writing adage generalizes well: Show, don’t tell.  Let people see, hear and touch the product. WeRoad: The bathroom hack What they did: Posted “Missing Investor” flyers in bathroom stalls with QR codes pointing to their website. Why it worked: Pure genius. Every startup at the event was looking for investors, but the “Missing Investor” headline, while a bit on the nose, proved irresistible. Plus, bathroom stalls are one of the few places where people have 30 seconds to actually read something. The lesson: Think about where your target audience’s attention will remain undivided. Sometimes, the most effective marketing leverages the most unexpected places. Emqopter: Visual impact matters What they did: Designed a bright orange booth that displayed their drone prominently. Why it worked: In a sea of grey, white, beige and brown, Emqopter’s bright orange booth was impossible to overlook. The drone was real, too, and proved a real conversation starter. The lesson: Your booth is competing with hundreds of others. Make it visually distinctive and ensure your product is the hero. Quests: Community building using the product What they did: Created a busy, branded booth with accessories (toy car, traffic cones, a bulletin board) and used their anti-loneliness app to build communities among founders at the event. Why it worked: Quests used their product to solve a real problem right at the event, and the busy booth design generated energy and curiosity. The lesson: Use your product to solve a problem at the event — if it’s possible, of course. Demonstrate your value in real time. Dyno: Event-themed marketing What they did: Distributed branded electrolyte packs with the tagline “Your hangover ends. Your pension lasts – with Dyno.” Why it worked: Dyno aligned its messaging perfectly with the Oktoberfest theme. Every attendee was thinking about beer and hangovers, so Dyno’s goodies were quite relevant. The tagline was clever, memorable, and directly addressed a pain point most people at the event might have to deal with later. The lesson: Tailor your marketing to the event’s theme and culture. The more you tie your messaging and product to the context, the more memorable you become. So, what did I learn? Event marketing is about more than just showing up and setting up a booth; you have to understand your audience and create experiences that people will remember. Here’s what really struck me: most startups and even big companies don’t know how to leverage events properly. They book the booth, show up and hope for the best; maybe they bring some branded pens and a pop-up banner. Then they’ll go back home and wonder why they spent €5,000 in exchange for 50 business cards that never convert. The startups that stood out at Bits and Pretzels understand something fundamental: event ROI isn’t about booth size or location; it’s about strategy, creativity and planning. None of the startups above improvised on-site, or planned something the night before the event in their hotel rooms. They laid everything out 4-6 weeks before the event. A solid pre-event strategy is what separates successful event marketing from expensive booth rental.  But what matters most for early-stage startups is that you don’t need a massive budget to stand out. WeRoad’s bathroom stall hack probably cost €50 to print the flyers. A standard booth package at Bits and Pretzels would go for €3,000 to €5,500. The ROI difference is staggering when you compare the cost per meaningful conversation. That’s the difference between simply spending money and investing smartly. Building Sesamers has taught me that helping startups find the right events is only half the equation. The other half is helping them understand how to maximize ROI once they’re there. Good props aren’t a marketing expense; they’re opportunities to meet customers, investors and partners, and strike up engaging conversations.

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