We are growing through your passion

One has only been on board with us for a few months, the other co-founded UVC Partners ten years ago:?Our investment analyst Jana and our partner Andreas?spoke about?why investment decisions at UVC Partners are always made collectively, how?they?embrace diversity, and why every job applicant talks to each?team member of UVC Partners?before being hired.?

Both of you are looking at UVC Partners from quite different perspectives. What makes?UVC?Partners?stand out for you??

Jana:?First, the flat hierarchies and the?startup?spirit that is lived here.?As an Investment?Analyst,?my?opinion?is?heard?just as much as that of a partner. After?being a working student,?I joined?the team full time?and was?quickly given a lot of responsibility.??Everyone?at UVC Partners?takes over open tasks with a high level of?commitment and?autonomy?which allows us to?still?organize?our?days?flexibly.?This is highly in line with my?work?values,?and I could find that at UVC Partners.??

Andreas:?An autonomous, no-elbow,?and?humble working?culture?is?an integral part of our values.?We once did a workshop?on values that?describe us quite well. We were asked to cut out photos from fashion magazines that we thought would describe UVC Partners.?When the coach looked at the results,?there were no?heavy watches, expensive?clothes,?or big cars.?We've never had huge egos or partners who bring in?deals and then celebrate themselves for it. We rather work in a consensus-driven way and believe in the power of personal responsibility.??

What does that mean for your day-to-day work??

Andreas:?Our culture is reflected in all parts of our job. For us, it is very important that every investment we’re making is regarded as an investment of our whole team and not as an individual investment from a partner or principal. Therefore, every deal that hits the organization is treated equally and runs through the same process.?That ensures that there is no fight for the best deals within our team and that each startup receives the attention and the respect it deserves. At the end of the investment process, we decide on the investments?together?as a team.??

Jana: The decision?of?whether to invest or not is?then?made by consensus. Most of the time we?share?the same opinion anyway, but there have also been cases where some younger analysts had reservations, which were then discussed again and examined in detail.?I feel I am?heard,?and this is especially important, as all investment team members?are eligible to?participate in the fund.??

Andreas: Well, of course, that's why we discuss and decide in the team.?

Jana, you previously worked in a?startup. Why did you switch sides??

Jana: Right, I worked at?our portfolio company?FINN before and had an amazing time there with a steep learning curve.?And it’s the same here, even though?my daily tasks are?different.?I see?many ideas, products,?and business models?in?numerous?industries, which allows me to learn how to quickly?analyze?a topic, look at relevant data and?ask?the right questions to find answers to?potential risks and opportunities.?The spirit of UVC Partners itself is like that of a?startup.?Apart from the regular deal work,?everyone picks up?open?tasks?that?one has knowledge or interest?in,?which?makes?UVC Partners better?every day. For?example, I?really enjoy working on?internal?automation tasks,?where?I am applying?the?knowledge?I gained during my time at FINN.?

Andreas:?There's no other way we could do our job. With our?recently?raised € 255 million at hand, we have a lot of deals and transactions coming up.?We see ourselves as a very active and engaged investor that offers a wide range of support to our portfolio companies.?In order to?do this, all our investment professionals independent of career level need to understand?how to collaborate with our portfolio. That’s why an analyst at UVC Partners never only does?deal flow?analysis?but will be included in portfolio work as soon as possible.??

How do you deal with the issue of diversity??

Andreas: Not so long ago, the whole VC?scene?was unfortunately a boys’ club.?We have experienced how valuable a diverse team is, which is why?UVC Partners?is steadily pushing for?more diversity within the?team.?Overall, this has worked?very?well. We have?already?become much more diverse and as a result,?we are having great deal discussions and a vibrant?and supportive?team atmosphere. But part of the truth is that?it is still very hard to find senior women with many years of experience in venture capital?which makes recruitment of females for principal or partner positions very challenging.?Our aim at UVC?Partners?is to make the next generation of VC leaders more gender-balanced?and we’re very happy that?Jana, Amanda, Lisa,?Anne, Lena, Sarah, Veronika, and Sabine are developing their VC careers at UVC?Partners.??

Jana:?I think there have been many structural issues?in the past?making it harder for women to follow a career in VC (and many other areas). A highly discussed issue is?child care, I think.?At UVC Partners, however, we are?definitely on?the right track?and are empowering everyone for a healthy work-life balance. For example, everyone can organize their day flexibly and schedule appointments, which makes it easier for our?male and?female?team members?on all levels?to take care of?their children?while pursuing careers.?In addition,?I feel like?all team members?actively support and develop?each other?and always have?each other’s?back.?

For those who are curious now: What should you?definitely bring?to join UVC Partners??

Andreas:?Summing it up, we are looking for people who are passionate about what they do, can communicate well, and are true team players. It also doesn't hurt to bring a certain amount of resilience. After all, it often takes years for investments to prove successful, and there are always projects and ideas that fail.??

Jana: Through the application process, it also becomes clear that UVC Partners not only talks about flat hierarchies but also means it. In the last round?of the hiring process, every applicant talks to every team member. This takes some?time but?is a huge advantage for both sides.