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Robin Klein is one of the true pioneers of Europe\u2019s venture scene: as cofounder of The Accelerator Group (TAG) in 1995, and an early stage investor in the likes of Transferwise, lastminute.com, last.fm, Love Film and Agent Provocateur, he has catalysed the success for some of London\u2019s most impactful private businesses over the past two decades.\n \n\u201cWe never forget that the company is owned by the founders and that we are part of the support team\u201d, says South African-born Robin. General Partner at LocalGlobe, he was until 2015 a venture partner at Index Ventures. Prior to joining Index, Robin co-founded The Accelerator Group, with his son Saul. Before beginning his investment career in earnest he built and sold a number of businesses, the last of which was the Innovations Group. He sits on the board of several companies, and conducted the first documented e-commerce transaction in the UK in 1995.\n \nSpeaking to Seedcamp partner Carlos Espinal, Robin speaks optimistically about the future of European venture, but warns it still lags behind in IPOs and corporate M&A. \u201cThere is a lot of capital and a tremendously supportive ecosystem\u2026 but that capital will dry up or be unsuccessfully deployed if the volume of the exits doesn\u2019t support the bottom of the pyramid,\u201d he says.\n \nHe also emphasises for the importance of founder-market fit for LocalGlobe. \u201cAt the stage we invest the amount of due diligence you can do on the product, market and the metrics is relatively limited so I would like to spend much more time with our founders, because that\u2019s where the heart of our decision-making lies.\u201d\n \nLearn more about the kinds of milestones LocalGlobe looks for in early-stage companies, the evolution of Europe\u2019s ecosystem and the next industrial revolution.\n\nShow notes: \nCarlos Medium: sdca.mp/2entVR3\nSeedcamp: www.seedcamp.com\nLocalGlobe: www.localglobe.vc\n\nRelated bio links: \nCarlos: linkedin.com/in/carloseduardoespinal / twitter.com/cee\nRobin: linkedin.com/in/robinklein / twitter.com/robinklein