Mosaic Patterns
Our Manifesto
Our Manifesto
Our Manifesto
We founded Mosaic as optimists who believe technology is generally a force for good, and that the startup ecosystem will positively impact society.
The year 2021 will bring DeFi into adolescence
The year 2021 will bring DeFi into adolescence
The year 2021 will bring DeFi into adolescence
2021 will be a pivotal year for DeFi by transforming the way we see financial services and the future of money.
The Great Unbundling
The Great Unbundling
The Great Unbundling
COVID, China, regulation.. tech is becoming a regulated industry, but what does that actually mean? How will tech look like when entering its second 50 years?
Why we invested in Indeez
Why we invested in Indeez
Why we invested in Indeez
Gig workers have been hard hit by COVID. Freelance designers, Uber drivers, chefs and independent consultants alike have little visibility about when pre-pandemic life will return and their careers can resume. They were not protected against such a life-altering event: the crisis has been an awakening to the importance of income protection insurance.
Europe, Unicorns and Global Tech Diffusion - The End of the American Internet
Europe, Unicorns and Global Tech Diffusion - The End of the American Internet
Europe, Unicorns and Global Tech Diffusion - The End of the American Internet
Anyone will do anything online, and a whole wave of companies is being created to take advantage of that, even, yes, in Europe.
Q&A with Habito's Daniel Hegarty
Q&A with Habito's Daniel Hegarty
Q&A with Habito's Daniel Hegarty
Daniel Hegarty, founder and CEO of our portfolio company Habito, came up with the idea for the business six years ago, after an eye-opening experience trying to buy his first home when his own mortgage broker made several frustrating mistakes. Dan realised that the mortgage market was rife with manual errors and confusing jargon.
Benedict Evans take on: E-commerce growth during lockdown
Benedict Evans take on: E-commerce growth during lockdown
Benedict Evans take on: E-commerce growth during lockdown
Lockdowns triggered a huge spike in online sales of every kind, will this stabilise - once things calm down, where will the new level be set? Our Venture Partner Ben Evans looks into it.
Our Slush Workshop: A Fintech Founder's playbook for uncertain times
Our Slush Workshop: A Fintech Founder's playbook for uncertain times
Our Slush Workshop: A Fintech Founder's playbook for uncertain times
Our partner Toby had the chance to lead a workshop at Slush2020 on how FinTech founders can prepare for uncertain times.
Crypto protocols: in search of the emerging winners
Crypto protocols: in search of the emerging winners
Crypto protocols: in search of the emerging winners
We continue to witness a Cambrian explosion of public blockchain development. In recent years, the fabric of the decentralised web has begun to be woven, and the social contract of money is being rewritten. Bitcoin and later Ethereum are the two platforms on this movement was catalysed. In this post, we explore what comes next.
Benedict Evans take on: What is your market?
Benedict Evans take on: What is your market?
Benedict Evans take on: What is your market?
One of the basic building blocks of any competition case is market definition
Machine intelligence and legal contracts: why now?
Machine intelligence and legal contracts: why now?
Machine intelligence and legal contracts: why now?
Machine intelligence applied to the law is not a new concept – yet its gestation has been slow, and it has not inflected into widespread adoption.
Benedict Evans take on: E-commerce Discovery
Benedict Evans take on: E-commerce Discovery
Benedict Evans take on: E-commerce Discovery
I’ve spent a lot of time in the last few years looking at ecommerce and discovery - how do people decide what to buy online, when a shop can’t show it to them? It seems to me that pretty much every part of that question is being reset this year
Preclinical drug discovery: does software eat the CRO?
Preclinical drug discovery: does software eat the CRO?
Preclinical drug discovery: does software eat the CRO?
The productivity of pharmaceutical research and development has been on the decline for decades. In fact, reports indicate a negative rate of return for many recently developed drugs.
A new operating system for work: our investment in Qatalog
A new operating system for work: our investment in Qatalog
A new operating system for work: our investment in Qatalog
What will be the operations software to power the modern connected organisation? After several years asking this question, meeting Tariq Rauf in July 2019 was an epiphany.
Procurement software: crossing the chasm
Procurement software: crossing the chasm
Procurement software: crossing the chasm
Machine intelligence is permeating into more enterprise functions than ever...
Benedict Evans take on: Amazon - does it have a profitability issue?
Benedict Evans take on: Amazon - does it have a profitability issue?
Benedict Evans take on: Amazon - does it have a profitability issue?
People argue about Amazon a lot, and one of the most common and long-running arguments is about profits. The sales keep going up, and it takes a larger and larger share of US retail every year (7-8% in 2019), but it never seems to make any money. What’s going on?
Benedict Evans take on: What tech regulation can teach us
Benedict Evans take on: What tech regulation can teach us
Benedict Evans take on: What tech regulation can teach us
It took 75 years for seatbelts to become compulsory, but tech has gone from interesting to crucial only in the last five to ten years. That speed means we have to form opinions about things we didn’t grow up with and don’t always understand quite so well as, say, supermarkets.
Benedict Evans take on: The e-commerce surge and what that means for your business
Benedict Evans take on: The e-commerce surge and what that means for your business
Benedict Evans take on: The e-commerce surge and what that means for your business
Both the UK and (today) the USA have given official statistics on how ecommerce and retail have changed during lockdown. The headline numbers are pretty dramatic. The UK went from 20% ecommerce penetration to over 30% in two months, and the USA from 17% to 22%.
Benedict Evans take on: Trust in a time of anti-trust: lessons from big tech
Benedict Evans take on: Trust in a time of anti-trust: lessons from big tech
Benedict Evans take on: Trust in a time of anti-trust: lessons from big tech
We all, I think, understand that the iPhone was a generational change in computing, but that change came in two parts. The multitouch interface is obvious, but the change in the software model was just as important. Apple changed how software development worked, and by doing so expanded the number of people who could comfortably, safely use a computer from a few hundred million to a few billion.
Benedict Evans take on: What if we broke up big tech?
Benedict Evans take on: What if we broke up big tech?
Benedict Evans take on: What if we broke up big tech?
We’re clearly going to be arguing about the size, power and market share of large technology companies a great deal in the next couple of years
Smarter hiring in a post-COVID world
Smarter hiring in a post-COVID world
Smarter hiring in a post-COVID world
Why now? Poor hiring decisions are costly and time-consuming - and now there's an acute problem to be solved
Tech and the new normal
Tech and the new normal
Tech and the new normal
We've heard a lot about "the new normal" but what does that mean for tech?
What comes after Zoom?
What comes after Zoom?
What comes after Zoom?
We had video calls in science fiction, and we had video conferencing in the 1990s, just as the web was taking off..
Benedict Evans take on: Advertising
Benedict Evans take on: Advertising
Benedict Evans take on: Advertising
There are two ways you can talk about newspapers. You can talk about the ‘fourth estate’, and newspapers’ role in culture, politics, governance, the exchange of ideas and civil society. But you can also talk about newspapers as a specialised light manufacturing industry, that aggregated attention to sell advertising.
Privacy: from compliance to competitive advantage
Privacy: from compliance to competitive advantage
Privacy: from compliance to competitive advantage
Last month, GDPR celebrated its second birthday...
Why we invested in Keelvar
Why we invested in Keelvar
Why we invested in Keelvar
If you've ever sold to large enterprises, we suspect you've felt the pain of procurement...
Benedict Evans take on: Online events
Benedict Evans take on: Online events
Benedict Evans take on: Online events
Online events remind me a lot of ecommerce in about 1996. The software is raw and rough around the edges, and often doesn’t work very well, though that can get fixed. But more importantly, no-one quite knows what they should be building.
Benedict Evans take on: Pop Culture
Benedict Evans take on: Pop Culture
Benedict Evans take on: Pop Culture
‘It does exactly what it says on the tin’ is a great catch phrase, and it’s also a great way to describe a whole class of product and a whole class of startup.
Benedict Evans take on: Predicting tech
Benedict Evans take on: Predicting tech
Benedict Evans take on: Predicting tech
A lot of really important technologies started out looking like expensive, impractical toys.
Benedict Evans take on: The VR winter
Benedict Evans take on: The VR winter
Benedict Evans take on: The VR winter
We tried VR in the 1980s, and it didn’t work. The idea may have been great, but the technology of the day was nowhere close to delivering it, and almost everyone forgot about it. Then, in 2012, we realised that this might work now.
Benedict Evans take on: COVID and cascading collapses
Benedict Evans take on: COVID and cascading collapses
Benedict Evans take on: COVID and cascading collapses
You might call this the Wile E Coyote effect - you’ve run off the cliff, or the cliff has disappeared from under you, but there’s a brief moment while your legs windmill in the air before gravity kicks in. It can take a while for the inevitable to happen, but then, as Lenin pointed out, you get a decade of inevitable in a week.
Balancing the books: the SME accounting opportunity
Balancing the books: the SME accounting opportunity
Balancing the books: the SME accounting opportunity
When Luca Pacioli first recorded the method of double-entry bookkeeping in the fifteenth century, he may not have anticipated the impact he would have on the modern world...
Benedict Evans take on: COVID and forced experiments
Benedict Evans take on: COVID and forced experiments
Benedict Evans take on: COVID and forced experiments
In 2017, 40% of new relationships in the USA began in a smartphone app. By 2019 that was probably closer to 50%.
COVID-19, the future of work, and second-order thinking
COVID-19, the future of work, and second-order thinking
COVID-19, the future of work, and second-order thinking
COVID-19 is an immense human tragedy...
Rethinking retirement: the next generation of pensions
Rethinking retirement: the next generation of pensions
Rethinking retirement: the next generation of pensions
When reading about the state of retirement savings in Europe, one often encounters the journalistic trope of a 'time bomb'
Why we invested in Mavenoid
Why we invested in Mavenoid
Why we invested in Mavenoid
Tech support for physical products is a huge market. Any enterprise that ships a manual with their product is a potential Mavenoid customer, as are companies that employ field service engineers to repair hardware and software....
MLOps: The end of end-to-end
MLOps: The end of end-to-end
MLOps: The end of end-to-end
Machine Intelligence is one of our main themes at Mosaic...
Genomic opportunities, part I: seeking the secrets of life
Genomic opportunities, part I: seeking the secrets of life
Genomic opportunities, part I: seeking the secrets of life
We have discovered the secret of life! Ever since Francis Crick burst into The Eagle pub one February afternoon in 1953...
Why we invested in Shipamax
Why we invested in Shipamax
Why we invested in Shipamax
Shipamax announced their $7M Series A last week, so we thought we'd share why Mosaic is excited to be leading the financing...
Introducing Mosaic's New Partner, Bart Dessaint
Introducing Mosaic's New Partner, Bart Dessaint
Introducing Mosaic's New Partner, Bart Dessaint
We are blessed to partner with great founders to build breakthrough startups.
Benedict Evans take on: Market power dominance
Benedict Evans take on: Market power dominance
Benedict Evans take on: Market power dominance
When Steve Wozniak created the original Apple I in 1975, IBM dominated the computing industry. It was nicknamed ‘Big Blue’, it was so far ahead of its competitors that people talked about ‘IBM and the seven dwarves’, and it had just come through yet another anti-trust case.
Book review: Nine Lies About Work by Marcus Buckingham & Ashley Goodall
Book review: Nine Lies About Work by Marcus Buckingham & Ashley Goodall
Book review: Nine Lies About Work by Marcus Buckingham & Ashley Goodall
Marcus Buckingham is well-known for his insightful books...
Serverless is more
Serverless is more
Serverless is more
Save money! Vendor lock-in! Autoscale! High latency!
Book review: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts
Book review: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts
Book review: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts
There are more than 1,000 biographies that have been written about Winston Churchill!
Podcast: Adaptive oncology with Dr. Jack Kreindler
Podcast: Adaptive oncology with Dr. Jack Kreindler
Podcast: Adaptive oncology with Dr. Jack Kreindler
Like fingerprints, no two cancers are exactly the same. And yet cancer care - especially for those in the most advanced stages, and with the most complex cases - is administered according to standard, linear protocols.
Our investment in Scape: visual positioning for AR and mobility
Our investment in Scape: visual positioning for AR and mobility
Our investment in Scape: visual positioning for AR and mobility
The future of mobility has been an on-going theme at Mosaic, from Nexar's intelligent dashcam to Auterion's open source drone platform
Our investment in super.ai: the AI compiler
Our investment in super.ai: the AI compiler
Our investment in super.ai: the AI compiler
The resources invested into machine learning over the past five years augur a profound transformation of software development...
Book review: The Dawn of Eurasia by Bruno Maçaes
Book review: The Dawn of Eurasia by Bruno Maçaes
Book review: The Dawn of Eurasia by Bruno Maçaes
It is said that Zeus released two eagles from the opposite ends of the earth: where they met was its centre
Four Years In: Doubling Down on Series A
Four Years In: Doubling Down on Series A
Four Years In: Doubling Down on Series A
We founded Mosaic in 2014 as a "Silicon Valley" style firm to serve the most ambitious founders in Europe at Series A
Our Investment in Auterion - "Android for Drones"
Our Investment in Auterion - "Android for Drones"
Our Investment in Auterion - "Android for Drones"
When we started Mosaic in 2014, we did not expect to be investing in planes, trains and automobiles
Why we invested in Lyvly
Why we invested in Lyvly
Why we invested in Lyvly
Renting a residential property is a high-friction process, plagued by mishap, misunderstanding, and misfits.
Is this the end of the 'big tech' era? The 3rd internet cycle may well be on the horizon
Is this the end of the 'big tech' era? The 3rd internet cycle may well be on the horizon
Is this the end of the 'big tech' era? The 3rd internet cycle may well be on the horizon
Netscape, Lycos, Geocities. All familiar names from the 90s dotcom boom, but there remains just a handful of survivors from the legions...
Why we invested in Veriff
Why we invested in Veriff
Why we invested in Veriff
Since the credit crisis, we've observed massive growth amongst new entrants disrupting the banks and financial services.
Original research: Sentiment of seed investors in Europe
Original research: Sentiment of seed investors in Europe
Original research: Sentiment of seed investors in Europe
Great entrepreneurs dream about creating new sectors, reshaping entire industries and fundamentally disrupting the status quo
The story of our investment in Docker (via Unikernel Systems) -- and why enterprises are running their business on their commercial platform
The story of our investment in Docker (via Unikernel Systems) -- and why enterprises are running their business on their commercial platform
The story of our investment in Docker (via Unikernel Systems) -- and why enterprises are running their business on their commercial platform
Sometimes it takes a while to announce a new Mosaic portfolio company
Mosaic Ventures and Entrepreneur First (EF) in conversation with Reid Hoffman
Mosaic Ventures and Entrepreneur First (EF) in conversation with Reid Hoffman
Mosaic Ventures and Entrepreneur First (EF) in conversation with Reid Hoffman
At an event earlier this year, Mosaic founding partner Toby Coppel sat down with LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman...
The Mosaic Book Club: Principles - by Ray Dalio; Why We Sleep - by Matthew Walker; Hit Refresh - by Satya Nadella
The Mosaic Book Club: Principles - by Ray Dalio; Why We Sleep - by Matthew Walker; Hit Refresh - by Satya Nadella
The Mosaic Book Club: Principles - by Ray Dalio; Why We Sleep - by Matthew Walker; Hit Refresh - by Satya Nadella
The 'watercooler' conversation at Mosaic HQ usually drifts towards the books we are reading, so we decided to share our thoughts in our bi-monthly
A new direction... the same journey
A new direction... the same journey
A new direction... the same journey
In the summer of 1996, Toby, Simon and I went hiking in Yosemite
The Alchemy Store: reflections on AWS product announcements
The Alchemy Store: reflections on AWS product announcements
The Alchemy Store: reflections on AWS product announcements
At the end of last year, Amazon Web Services announced a dizzying range of new products...
Why we invested in Centrifuge - and a short love-letter to crypto in Berlin
Why we invested in Centrifuge - and a short love-letter to crypto in Berlin
Why we invested in Centrifuge - and a short love-letter to crypto in Berlin
Here at Mosaic, we have long been big believers in the power of decentralised infrastructure and applications, demonstrated by our past investment
Why we invested in Bonify
Why we invested in Bonify
Why we invested in Bonify
Co-Founders of Bonify: Dr. Gamal Moukabary , Dr. Josef Korte, Dr. Andreas Bermig, and Dr. Jan Ortmann
Welcome to our new Venture Partner, Dr Jack Kreindler!
Welcome to our new Venture Partner, Dr Jack Kreindler!
Welcome to our new Venture Partner, Dr Jack Kreindler!
It is with great pleasure that we welcome the latest addition to the Mosaic team, our new venture partner Dr Jack Kreindler
Adieu Pascal!
Adieu Pascal!
Adieu Pascal!
It is with bitter-sweet feelings that we bid adieu to Pascal Gauthier, who has started the next chapter of his career as President of Ledger.
Why we invested in Entrepreneur First
Why we invested in Entrepreneur First
Why we invested in Entrepreneur First
Talented entrepreneurs have the ability to transform the global economy at unprecedented pace
Habito's next chapter
Habito's next chapter
Habito's next chapter
Daniel Hegarty is a smart, highly-driven renegade
Our Investment in Convoy
Our Investment in Convoy
Our Investment in Convoy
Have you ever stopped for a moment to think about how the shirt you're wearing arrived at the store?
The machine can see you now: A market framework for Medical Imaging
The machine can see you now: A market framework for Medical Imaging
The machine can see you now: A market framework for Medical Imaging
Ask most AI researchers, and they'll tell you that one of the biggest advances within artificial intelligence capabilities in the past five years
Mosaic Ventures in Conversation with Y Combinator President, Sam Altman
Mosaic Ventures in Conversation with Y Combinator President, Sam Altman
Mosaic Ventures in Conversation with Y Combinator President, Sam Altman
Recently we were thrilled to host a second fireside chat with Y Combinator President Sam Altman
Our Investment in Teemo
Our Investment in Teemo
Our Investment in Teemo
One reason we are such passionate believers in the European startup ecosystem is the way success seeds further opportunity
Building and Scaling Criteo with Pascal Gauthier
Building and Scaling Criteo with Pascal Gauthier
Building and Scaling Criteo with Pascal Gauthier
In the latest episode of the Mosaic Podcast we are joined by Pascal Gauthier, who over the last 15 years has been immersed in some of the fastest
The Future of Mortgages
The Future of Mortgages
The Future of Mortgages
We wrote last April about the opportunity for habito to bring mortgages into the 21st century
What we're reading
What we're reading
What we're reading
With the holiday season fast approaching we thought we would share three books that we've been enjoying over the past couple of months
Our investment in tray.io
Our investment in tray.io
Our investment in tray.io
Imagine an easy way to connect all the software your company runs in the cloud, with the power to customise how data is shared between the various
Q and A with Rich Waldron, CEO of tray.io
Q and A with Rich Waldron, CEO of tray.io
Q and A with Rich Waldron, CEO of tray.io
When I first met tray CEO Rich Waldron early in 2014, after an introduction from angel (and now VC) Andy McLoughlin, two things struck me
Mosaic Ventures Podcast: Fireside chat with Y Combinator President, Sam Altman
Mosaic Ventures Podcast: Fireside chat with Y Combinator President, Sam Altman
Mosaic Ventures Podcast: Fireside chat with Y Combinator President, Sam Altman
In this podcast, Mosaic partners Simon Levene and Mike Chalfe explore sectors including Energy and Synthetic Life
Building and Scaling Marketplaces with Reid Hoffman
Building and Scaling Marketplaces with Reid Hoffman
Building and Scaling Marketplaces with Reid Hoffman
At Mosaic we're long been big believers in the potential of Marketplace Business
The Future of Digital Health with Dr Jack Kreindler
The Future of Digital Health with Dr Jack Kreindler
The Future of Digital Health with Dr Jack Kreindler
Jack Kreindler is an expert physician, physiologist and digital health entrepreneur
Saving for retirement - can startups solve the pain points?
Saving for retirement - can startups solve the pain points?
Saving for retirement - can startups solve the pain points?
Fees are the first thing you should look at before choosing a pension manager and fund
Does the impact of the blockchain go beyond financial services?
Does the impact of the blockchain go beyond financial services?
Does the impact of the blockchain go beyond financial services?
At Mosaic we've long talked about what the killer applications of the Blockchain could be
Our investment in Nexar
Our investment in Nexar
Our investment in Nexar
Human fallibility (accidents, alcohol and so forth) is the root cause of massive loss of life on the roads, despite continuous improvements in auto safety technology
When to take VC
When to take VC
When to take VC
It may be a surprise to hear this from a venture capitalist, but the vast majority of startups should not take money from our industry
Welcome Pascal Gauthier, our first Venture Partner
Welcome Pascal Gauthier, our first Venture Partner
Welcome Pascal Gauthier, our first Venture Partner
We are thrilled to announce that Pascal Gauthier is joining Mosaic as a Venture Partner
What funding is right for you?
What funding is right for you?
What funding is right for you?
A big question founders often ask themselves is when should their startup raise venture capital
Our Investment in Habito - bringing mortgages into the 21st century
Our Investment in Habito - bringing mortgages into the 21st century
Our Investment in Habito - bringing mortgages into the 21st century
We believe that trusted robo-advisors have a bright future
Trust in a Robo-Advisor World
Trust in a Robo-Advisor World
Trust in a Robo-Advisor World
Martin Ford's "Rise of the Robots" is one of the most provocative books I've read in the past 12 months
Our Investment in Blockstream
Our Investment in Blockstream
Our Investment in Blockstream
Mosaic recently participated in the$55M Series A financing for Blockstream, an unusual start-up founded by a group of idealists with a cypherpunk-inspired vision of revolutionizing the world of money, assets and contracts
Body and soul
Body and soul
Body and soul
One of my partners was heading past me the other day with an entrepreneur and as he ushered her in...
Mosaic Ventures: Reflections on our First Year
Mosaic Ventures: Reflections on our First Year
Mosaic Ventures: Reflections on our First Year
At the end of Mosaic's first full year of operations, we continue to feel excited
Back to Glass Half Full: The New Fundraising
Back to Glass Half Full: The New Fundraising
Back to Glass Half Full: The New Fundraising
Back to Glass Half Full: The New Fundraising Environment
Building the Next Killer App in Global Payments
Building the Next Killer App in Global Payments
Building the Next Killer App in Global Payments
Over the past year we've talked extensively about the unbundling of the banks
Where is all the innovation in insurance? Let the capital flow
Where is all the innovation in insurance? Let the capital flow
Where is all the innovation in insurance? Let the capital flow
A giant and heavily regulated industry which many would argue has lost sight of its customers should be ripe for attack
The Challenges Of Building AI Apps
The Challenges Of Building AI Apps
The Challenges Of Building AI Apps
Artificial intelligence has an intellectual lineage stretching back to the greats of computer theory, Turing and ultimately Babbage, inventor of the calculating machine
Our Investment in Clue
Our Investment in Clue
Our Investment in Clue
We are entering the age of the "quantified self"
Telegram: The Next Generation Messaging Platform?
Telegram: The Next Generation Messaging Platform?
Telegram: The Next Generation Messaging Platform?
Conversational bots and high level security? Born of a desire to outwit the Russian state, Telegram, is one of today's most exciting messaging platforms
More Than Traction
More Than Traction
More Than Traction
We're often asked what we look for in a start-up
Messaging and Notifications: The New Platforms
Messaging and Notifications: The New Platforms
Messaging and Notifications: The New Platforms
In Britain users spend as much time on WhatsApp as they do on Facebook mobile and Snapchat
App creation made simple: Our investment in Guidebook
App creation made simple: Our investment in Guidebook
App creation made simple: Our investment in Guidebook
The world has already put smartphones in the hands of over 2 billion people, and the number of users is growing by over 20% each year
Letter from America - caution inside the Valley bubble
Letter from America - caution inside the Valley bubble
Letter from America - caution inside the Valley bubble
We visit Silicon Valley regularly here's one of the most striking aspects we found during our recent trip