At Techarena 2025, held on February 20-21 in Stockholm, Simran Kang, CEO & Founder of MyFO, joined a panel discussion on how family offices are evolving in venture investing. The session, “Bridging the Atlantic: A Comparative Look at the European and U.S. Investment Ecosystems for VCs and Family Offices,” explored the growing role of family offices in venture capital and the differences in investment strategies between the two regions.
The conference attracted over 12,000 attendees from 125 countries, including 1,500 investors and LPs managing a combined $2 trillion in assets, solidifying its role as one of the largest platforms for global investment discussions (Techarena). Nordic countries are also gaining traction as key venture hubs, with an increasing number of international investors exploring the region’s innovation landscape. The region now attracts nearly 30% of all European climate tech funding, further cementing its reputation as a leader in sustainable innovation (Forbes).
Simran highlighted how family offices have historically invested in industry verticals they have historically invested in or verticals they understand; for example we often see a real estate family investing in Pro-Tech. However, as they increasingly explore venture capital, many lack the internal expertise for startup evaluation, due diligence, and governance. Over time the governance becomes core, VC usually have a cadence in how the expect start ups to meet and report on performance this is usually balanced with giving a founder sufficient autonomy to create “founder magic”. Without a proper framework family offices can lack guidance or suffocate a founder.
Partnering with venture firms allows family offices to access stronger investment opportunities while reducing risk.
A key theme of the discussion was the importance of an investment thesis. Unlike institutional VCs with defined mandates, family offices often take an opportunistic approach, which can lead to misaligned and fragmented portfolios. A structured strategy helps ensure families can act on key opportunities while maintaining long-term alignment and better outcomes.
The panel, moderated by Lisa Bosbach (Cramer Capital), also featured Juliet Bailin (General Catalyst) and Angela De Giacomo (Vinthera). Angela, author of The Venture Capital Playbook, outlined best practices for structuring venture investments, including balancing direct investments with fund commitments, understanding venture risk, and implementing governance structures for early-stage investments.
By bringing together perspectives from both sides of the Atlantic, Techarena 2025 highlighted the growing role of family offices in venture capital and the importance of structured investment strategies, strong partnerships, and adaptability in a rapidly evolving market.
