The firm with a 1-in-6 unicorn investment rate. Staffan Helgesson, General Partner @ Creandum
Staffan Helgesson from Creandum breaks down how his firm achieved an extraordinary 1-in-6 unicorn investment rate by obsessively focusing on the top 1% of deals and maintaining what he calls an "underdog mentality." He reveals the three critical pillars that separate successful VCs from the rest: gaining access to the best deals, analyzing them correctly, and actually winning the competitive investments—while drawing fascinating parallels between startup fundraising stages and VC firm development.
Key takeaways
- •Every venture firm needs one big hit to break into the virtuous circle where success breeds access to better deals and more momentum.
- •VC firms evolve like startups: early stages require selling vision and potential, but later success depends purely on demonstrable track record and metrics.
- •Focus obsessively on the top 1% of deals rather than spreading efforts across mediocre opportunities—the hit rate difference is what creates exceptional returns.
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It's similar to how we invest in start ups and that journey from pre seed to series b where you start by selling a vision, and by series b, you're basically gonna have to raise on metrics.
I think there's, like so so absolutely. And I think the the truth comes out in the end. But I think it's similar to you know, there there's a parallel with how we invest in start ups and that journey from pre seed to series b where you start by selling a vision, arguably, you know, marketing yourself, being a good salesperson, and you go through the stages. And by series b, you're basically gonna have to raise on metrics.
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