Olga Shikhantsova, Principal at Speedinvest, focused at FinTech and Forber 30 under 30, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about believing and investing in European FinTech and redefining VC.

• Olga's backstory: FinTechs and VCs, from Russia to Germany

• What is Speedinvest? Globally present, European focused early-stage VCs with FinTech, DeepTech, Industrial Tech, Networks, Health investment teams

• Speedinvest's roots in Vienna, Austria and founder Stefan Klestil

• Speedinvest III - the latest fund's focus

• Any stage preference/sub-vertical preferences when investing?

• Deal sourcing

• Engagement with other ecosystem players

• Investment approach, operational knowledge transfer - Platform +

• Speedinvest select portfolio examples: Wefox or Open and many more

• FinTech’s prospects in Europe post-Covid

• Olga's favorite non-fiction books: The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz or The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer, an INSEAD Professor

• Best way to reach out to Olga and Speedinvest