Top 10 Steps for European Venture Capital Firms Hiring in 2025: Opportunities for Entrepreneurs
As summer 2025 unfolds, the landscape of venture capital hiring in Europe is booming, offering tremendous opportunities for startup founders, entrepreneurs, and freelancers. Despite the holiday season, European VC firms have ramped up recruitment for roles ranging from interns to associates and analysts. This article explores the top 10 VC firms hiring this summer, provides insights on their focus areas, and offers valuable tips to navigate the VC ecosystem.
Why Do European VCs Hire in Summer?
The summer hiring spree by European VC firms reflects a surge in market confidence, strategic expansion, and the influx of new funds. With enormous growth in sectors like tech, deeptech, fintech, and climate-focused innovations, VCs are looking for fresh talent to drive their investment strategies forward. For entrepreneurs, understanding this hiring trend not only opens doors to lucrative opportunities but also sheds light on how VCs think, and how founders can secure funding.
Top 10 European VC Firms Hiring in 2025
1. PlayPal AI Co-Founder
PlayPal, developed by Fe/male Switch, is an AI-powered virtual friend designed to personalize startup learning and guidance. Entrepreneurs using PlayPal can engage with a tailored AI co-founder who aids idea validation, SOP creation, and operational insights. Founded by Violetta Bonenkamp, this revolutionary companion streamlines the startup journey for female founders in STEM fields.
PlayPal offers crucial support to entrepreneurs in understanding VC dynamics and navigating complex startup hurdles. Learn more about PlayPal to leverage its benefits.
2. B2venture
Location: Berlin and St. Gallen, Switzerland
Role Available: Analyst/Associate
Focus Areas: Early-stage investments in DeepL and cleantech innovations like 1Komma5.
Roles Announced: Hiring plan for Q4 2025 (details to follow).
Focus Areas: B2B SaaS and consumer apps with investments in Revolut and Typeform.
8. Cherry Ventures
Location: Berlin
Role Available: Financial Analyst Intern (Starting January 2026).
Focus Areas: Climate-focused startups and scalable consumer products.
9. Antler
Location: Amsterdam
Role Available: Visiting Investment Analyst
Focus Areas: Early-stage venture opportunities across diverse sectors.
10. Firstminute Capital
Location: London
Role Available: Founder’s Associate
Focus Areas: AI-driven innovation and social impact initiatives.
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Common Mistakes to Avoid When Engaging with VCs
1. Over-reliance on AI tools
While platforms like PlayPal and the F/MS Grant Finder are excellent, don’t replace human touchpoints entirely. VCs value authentic interaction.
2. Ignoring feedback loops
Successful startups are iterative, embrace feedback from mentors, VCs, and AI co-founders to perfect your pitch.
3. Misaligned expectations
Understanding VC portfolios and their investment thesis can save time and avoid pitching to the wrong audience. For example, Cherry Ventures focuses heavily on consumer products, while Speedinvest zeros in on fintech.
4. Overspending on operations before funding validation
Many early-stage founders make the mistake of scaling operational costs before validating their idea through tools like the SANDBOX validation system provided by Fe/male Switch.
Conclusion
The summer of 2025 is an excellent time to interact with, learn from, and ideally get hired by the leading VC firms across Europe. From early-stage investment giants like Point Nine to specialized players like Keen Venture Partners, the hiring environment is ripe with opportunity for entrepreneurially-minded individuals.
For startup founders, it’s a golden chance to understand how these firms operate and align your business with their investment theses. Leverage tools like PlayPal AI Co-founder and the F/MS AI Grant Finder to boost your chances of receiving funding and support.
Ready to dive into your entrepreneurial journey? Take the first step toward success this summer with the right VC connections.
FAQ
1. Why do European VCs hire in summer?
European venture capital firms ramp up hiring during the summer due to strategic expansions, new fund allocations, and market confidence in sectors like deeptech and fintech. Read the Sifted article
2. Which VC firms are hiring for analyst roles in 2025?
Firms like Speedinvest, b2venture, and Octopus Ventures are actively hiring analysts this summer. Explore Speedinvest job listings
3. What are the focus areas for European VC funding in 2025?
Key sectors include fintech, deeptech, climate tech, and B2B SaaS. For instance, Keen Venture Partners focuses on defence tech and deeptech. Check out Keen Venture Partners
4. What internship opportunities are available in European VC firms?
HV Capital and Cherry Ventures, among others, offer internships. HV Capital’s autumn internship in Munich is open until August 5, 2025. Apply to HV Capital
5. How can entrepreneurs benefit from tools like PlayPal AI Co-founder?
PlayPal, developed by Fe/male Switch, offers startup guidance through AI, helping entrepreneurs validate ideas and streamline operations. Learn more about PlayPal
6. What are the trends in venture capital hiring in Europe?
Increased focus on climate-based investments and the rise of defence-tech funds are key hiring trends. For example, Voyager Ventures recently opened offices in Munich for climate-focused roles. Explore Voyager Ventures
7. Are there tools to simplify EU grant applications for startups?
8. What mistakes should entrepreneurs avoid when engaging with VCs?
Avoid misaligning expectations with the VC’s investment thesis, over-relying on AI tools like PlayPal, and scaling operational costs too early. Read more insights
9. Which VC firms emphasize early-stage investments?
Firms like b2venture and Point Nine Capital focus on early-stage investments in areas such as SaaS and consumer apps. Apply at b2venture
10. Are there specific VC firms hiring in London this summer?
Yes, Octopus Ventures and Firstminute Capital are hiring roles such as Venture Capital Valuation Managers and Founder’s Associates in London. See Octopus Ventures jobs
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch. The Fe/male Switch team is located in several countries, including the Netherlands and Malta.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
100+ startup tools built
5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.