Gerrit Jurilj is Partner at b2venture where he leads the Direct Investments Team. He joined the firm in February 2015 and became Partner in March 2021.

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Gerrit worked briefly in M&A before entering the startup world, working in business development for Venture Stars and the Rocket Internet-backed startup EatFirst, before coming to b2venture.

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“I was more interested in politics and economics than business when I was younger. The financial crisis of 2009 left a big impression on me, and what I realized was that nothing would have a bigger impact on the future of society than creating new companies ,and venture capital provides the rocket fuel in this regard. After all these years, I still have a deep conviction that venture capital is an incredibly positive force for innovation.”

Gerrit received a Bachelor of Science in International Management from the ESB Business School, where he wrote his thesis on equity crowdfunding, and a B.B.A. from Lancaster University Management School in the UK.

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The son of a Croatian émigré from the former Yugoslavia, Gerrit worked his way up from the ground floor at b2venture. He started as an Analyst, and has been collaborating with the b2venture angel investor community in the firm’s direct investment track for over eight years.

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“Our community of angel investors informs all that we do. The expertise and depth of experience of our community is truly unparalleled and augments our own efforts to partner with the best entrepreneurs.” Gerrit and the Direct Investments team have an investment approach that is industry agnostic, usually investing in later stages than their colleagues from the b2venture Fund Team or the Helvetia Venture Fund, starting from Series A and going much later. 

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“We are looking for companies with a bold vision on the frontiers of technology, from hardware and deeptech to semiconductors.”

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The Direct Investments Team also collaborates with colleagues from the b2venture fund teams, participating in follow-on funding for early-stage portfolio companies from the Helvetia Venture Fund and the flagship b2venture Fund. 

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“What I love about our work in b2venture’s Direct Investments team is our ability to have a real impact. We have an ambition to create global companies based out of Europe, and we’ve helped support companies such as DeepL, 1KOMMA5 and Volocopter to become what they are today.”