The VCXO Briefing with Mike Lobanov, Target Global
The VCXO Briefing is a crisp, data-driven summary of European FinTech, combined with insights from leading investors and acquirers, offering "VC thinking for CXOs". Learn about what VCs are investing in and why, what to expect in the months ahead, what’s on their bookshelves etc.
Enjoy the conversations, and subscribe here to get the Briefing (complimentary for financial institutions and VC / PE professionals.)
Enjoy the conversations, and subscribe here to get the Briefing (complimentary for financial institutions and VC / PE professionals.)
26.06.2017
1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your focus area(s) within FinTech?
- Mike Lobanov is a general partner at Target Global. He is focused on investments in the Fintech and E-commerce area, as well as overall management of the firm. He also manages the relationships with co-investors who join deals alongside Target Global.
2. What are your three key takeaways from the last 3 years in the European FinTech space?
3. What trends or opportunities should we watch out for in the next 6-18 months?
1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your focus area(s) within FinTech?
- Mike Lobanov is a general partner at Target Global. He is focused on investments in the Fintech and E-commerce area, as well as overall management of the firm. He also manages the relationships with co-investors who join deals alongside Target Global.
2. What are your three key takeaways from the last 3 years in the European FinTech space?
- Berlin is ahead of London in insurtech - much more companies with more solid track record. In other areas London remains almost unaffected by Brexit - there are still a lot more good fintech startups than anywhere else in Europe.
- B2B in fintech investments appear to be superior than B2C investments - the hype money is out of the sector, now everyone focuses on business models that really work.
- Blockchain is getting real even though it got hyped a lot. It looks like something similar to the dotcom bubble might now be happening in the space. Long term it is very interesting, short term a lot of cryptocurrencies may be overpriced.
3. What trends or opportunities should we watch out for in the next 6-18 months?
- The insurtech space is rapidly maturing in Europe with some leaders emerging e.g. Wefox and Simplesurance
- Be aware of cryptocurrency bubbles - wait for a crash and buy the most prominent ones (Bitcoin, ETH, Monero, Zcash) and hold them long term.
- Focus on B2B startups with clear product-market fit. Niche use cases can sometimes demonstrate the strongest fit and can be attractive if big enough to build a company of significant scale.