9 Investor Insights from Lead Investor — Ivana Šoljan
A Funderbeam exclusive interview with a lead investor, CEO, and entrepreneurial ecosystem builder.
Since Funderbeam’s inception, we have had a number of champions who discovered us early and propelled us to new heights. This showcase is intended to highlight one of our ambassadors and bring their experiences and insights to you.
In this piece, we will feature the lead investor of Include and the CEO of Croatia’s ecosystem building organization HUB385, Ivana Šoljan.
Thanks for your time Ivana. To start, could you briefly share with us how you were originally introduced to Funderbeam?
Two years ago, I was contacted by Ivana Gažić, CEO of the Zagreb Stock Exchange and she introduced to what Funderbeam was and how it worked. After maybe five minutes I said, “I’m interested and I want to be one of the lead investors!” Ivana then introduced me to a bright kid from Solin, Croatia who founded a smart bench company — the rest you can see for yourself on Funderbeam. (and further below)
As an early stage investor, which questions do you always ask when reviewing a business and its management team?
I always want to meet the founders, even by Skype or video conference. I want to see if they have the spark in their eyes, desire to achieve, and ability to survive failures or problems. I strongly believe that good people will do good things, even if they divert from their original plan. The best ideas and business models cannot be properly executed without a coherent, ambitious, smart, and fair team. Sometimes this can be one person, but that person has to have leadership qualities — I prefer when they are not yet aware they have these abilities within them — it is a joy to see young people grow into serious managers.
You have been investing in companies and early-stage companies for a number of years, what is the biggest lesson you have learned in that time?
One major thing I’ve learned: a lot of success is determined by if you are able to adapt to any given situation and quickly change the course whenever you see an opportunity for a better solution for your project(s). Like sailing — listen to the winds, follow the weather — dont have a fixed route.
For example, we had a project that started as an online newspaper, which later evolved into an Internet service provider (a big “no no” for large investors). But because the team adapted ahead of the curve, it was probably the biggest success I have witnessed from the inside and out. At the time (late 1990's), we were not talking about tens of millions, but still, it was really a great success.
Are you sector agnostic when it comes to making investments?
Not really, but there are some things that I am more interested in than others. For example, I like communications, media, sharing economy models, AI, and IoT. But I am not so into consumer goods or food companies— although, I love to eat and buy things.
Can you tell us about some of your favourite companies in your portfolio?
My favorite, by far, is the company I was the lead investor for on Funderbeam’s first Croatian campaign — Include! I chose to invest because of the founder — Ivan Mrvos — his character, desire, and belief to change the world with his products. Today, he produces smart benches but everything he touches evolves from good to great. Hopefully, he will not read this and screw up by thinking he is the smartest person in the world. But honestly, it is his modesty and ability to learn from everyone he meets, which creates the gap between his company and their competitors.
What areas do you think will present the most opportunity for early-stage investors over the next 18–24 months?
All the fancy terms of today: IoT, AI, renewable energy, etc. But, I also strongly believe that there is money in content and that media is changing — kids today are fast readers and learners, which means there has to be a new level of content. I don't know what this will be, but I am sure some new models are on the way.
One of Funderbeam’s key strengths is our ability to put together investors from all over the world in one syndicate. What are your favourite cities and why?
Very unoriginal — New York, has always been my favourite city to visit. Why? For everything that it has to offer — from the theatre, restaurants, to the galleries, NYC has so much to entertain the mind and soul. But most of all, I love all the creative people living in such a small territory — creating a buzz. In addition, I love everything in Asia — the air, the nature. But my heart belongs to Rovinj — a city in Istria, Croatia. I love its sea and streets — this is my planned retirement home and nothing can compare to it.
What book/podcast do you recommend to friends and family and why?
Start with the classics! Shakespeare for example — everything you can experience in life has already happened in Shakespeare’s work. All relationships, feelings, good or bad, it’s all there. Just start slowly, get used to verse and old language. For those who are too fast paced to read, go to a Shakespearean play — if that is still too slow, watch movies based on his plays.
Tell us something people are surprised to learn about you
I am not a very surprising person, but maybe people who don’t know me would be surprised that I am always happy and I love people. Don’t get me wrong, I can get very mad, but even then, I am actually in a good mood. I enjoy people even when they are bad — sometimes they can’t help themselves. Sometimes, I prefer solitude and my animals.
If you enjoyed this, read our previous Investor Insights articles:
Thomas Marschall — 10 Investor Insights
Ratko Knežević — 9 Investor Insights
Mihovil Barančić — 8 Investor Insights
Jaan Tallinn — Why Funderbeam?
Michael Wellesley-Wesley — 10 Investor Insights
Alex Gibb — establishing resilience within your portfolio companies
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The information appearing in this blog post is approved as a financial promotion by Funderbeam Markets Limited (authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under FRN 794918). Complete and comprehensive information about an investment opportunity is only available to the investors who have been approved by a Funderbeam group entity. Funderbeam does not provide investment advice or any recommendation to invest. The investment opportunity should not be considered as an offer to the public and is not directed at or offered to anyone located in a jurisdiction where it is unlawful to do so.
