Ophelia Brown

I started Blossom because I believe founders in Europe deserve better. I had my VC training in SF and had  the privilege of partnering with some of the most exceptional teams early in my career - including Robinhood and Supercell. But I’ve never subscribed to the Valley mantra that only great companies could be built out there. I saw a new generation of founders in Europe who were just as ambitious and talented as those in the Valley. What they needed were investors who could match them in terms of their risk tolerance and who could really help to elevate them.

European venture historically hasn't been comfortable with the amount of risk required to help young companies thrive.

The West Coast has the right mindset, but you can't just go and mimic the West Coast in Europe. You have to understand the ecosystem here. We felt it was the investors that needed changing, rather than the companies that needed changing.

I've always been deeply passionate about helping founders, and that’s at the core of Blossom. Our approach is to be proactive in how thoughtful we are, and to think ahead. A lot of it is empathy. From building Blossom and being a founder myself, I understand so much more about the real hard work, and the pains, of building something. We aren’t here just for the good times. We have our founders’ back in the bad times as well. It's really important.

We’re helped by being intentionally diverse in every perspective. It's not simply about gender diversity, but it's background, ethnicity, school of thought, where you grew up, how you were schooled, et cetera. What do you see that someone else doesn't?

Ambition is infectious. Seeing someone who really wants to achieve something incredible, or do the impossible. That totally energizes me. The best founders are really curious and interested. They’re dedicating every waking hour to building this thing. Sometimes they might forget to celebrate themselves, because they're already onto the next thing. It's a long journey, so along with the hard work, we try to enjoy the milestones along the way.