Dear European entrepreneur,

This week, we announced the close of our $700m fundraise to invest in B2B software in Europe. But what does this really mean for you?

For starters, it means that there are 40 asset managers — our own investors, collectively representing trillions in assets under management — who have pledged support to European software. In addition three-quarters of our founders across our portfolio, who represent decades of experience, are participating in the fund. We have the privilege to exchange views with these makers of markets multiple times a year. Some are happy to monitor, learn and advise. Many will want to get involved, pulling our companies into their geographies, or looking to directly deploy their vast resources as companies head for public markets and beyond. All will champion European software.

This fundraise also adds our name to a list of our respected VC peers who are committing their next decade to European software. Although we sometimes compete with but more often collaborate with our peers, we simply could not have raised our funds without their unequivocal support. Together, we create an asset class that not only attracts investors, but also creates a scaled ecosystem of participants including supportive governments, commercial and investment banks, exchanges, regulators, lawyers, PR firms, executive search, accountants and tech media. These institutions not only represent billions of dollars of early adopter tech spend, but are vested in the success of European software. Each and every day, they inform a global audience about European success stories — an audience who may well become funders, customers and ultimately buyers of our companies.

Finally, and more personally, it means that our ever-growing team of 35 here at Dawn will have the privilege of getting to know you — and, if the stars align, to journey together for the next decade or so. We will draw on our 16 years of experience investing in and supporting the journeys of more than 80 of Europe’s most notable B2B companies, including Mimecast, iZettle, Tink, LeanIX, Collibra, Gelato, Dataiku and Quantexa. We may not know you yet. And we certainly can’t predict every twist and turn of our journey together. But we can’t wait to get started.

From Norman Fiore