S01E22 Crown Castê: Paolo Pio

Welcome to Crown Castê, your financial literacy podcast for small businesses. We publish inspiring, insightful conversations with investors and stewards of capital, about why they decided to make placements into a specific portfolio company of theirs. In today's episode, we are joined by Paolo Pio.

Paolo is a Silicon Valley software engineer turned technology executive turned venture capitalist. He has a portfolio of 50+ early-stage startup investments. Paolo co-founded Exceptional Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in London that invests in high-impact businesses focused on helping people live happier, healthier, and longer lives. Prior to that, he was the Managing Director for Europe at Joyance Partners, a US VC firm investing in health and happiness startups. Paolo launched Joyance's European operations from scratch, investing in 25 companies across 9 EU countries. He built a team of 8 world-class investors, attended and spoke at more than 400 events including the World Economic Forum, and created a community of over 1000 like-minded entrepreneurs and friends of the fund, promoting health and happiness along the way. In this episode, we discuss: 1. Transitioning from Engineering to Venture Capitalism: How did Paolo make his transition from an engineer to a venture capitalist? How did his experience working at Cisco and relocation to different regions influence his career progression? What motivated Paolo to enter the world of investments and specifically venture capital? 2. Venture Capital Investment in Health and Wellness: What led Paolo to focus on investing in health and wellness startups? Why did Paolo choose to launch his own fund, Exceptional Ventures, and what is its mission? How did the pandemic influence the growth and opportunities in the health and wellness sector? 3. The Investment Process and Portfolio Construction: What are the stages in Paolo's investment process and how does he identify potential startups to invest in? What are the checks and balances in place before making an investment decision? How is the portfolio of Exceptional Ventures constructed and what are its investment pillars? 4. The Role of Specialized VCs in Startups: Why does Paolo believe being a specialized investor in health and wellness sector gives an advantage? How does Paolo assist his portfolio companies beyond financial investment? What strategies does Exceptional Ventures adopt to help their portfolio companies scale up? 5. The Joy of Working with Entrepreneurs and Building Impact: What aspects of working with entrepreneurs does Paolo find most rewarding? How does Paolo view the impact of his work in terms of returns and positive societal impact? What are the core values that Paolo is building within his investment firm culture? Contact Info: Paolo’s Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paolo-pio