Francesco Perticarari is not your average venture capitalist. He didn’t come from a bulge-bracket bank or a tier-one VC firm. He came from code—from building software, from founding Europe’s largest deep tech meetup with 15,000+ members, and from investing angel checks into obscure frontier technologies before most VCs would touch them.
In our latest episode of 0100 Impact Talks, Francesco joins host Laura Iriarte for a candid, no-holds-barred conversation on what’s wrong with European venture capital, why he built a solo GP fund, and how he's using it to back "unfashionable" deep tech startups across computing, photonics, defense tech, and climate infrastructure.
“I didn’t want to just become an event organizer. I wanted to turn the community into something with real skin in the game,” Francesco explains. “So I built a venture fund that’s run by technical people, for technical founders.”
Betting on the Unfashionable
Silicon Roundabout Ventures—Francesco’s £5M microfund backed by Molten Ventures, exited unicorn founders, and other angels—is all about conviction. The fund doesn’t follow the crowd. It doesn’t wait for a lead. It invests at the pre-seed stage, often before a round even exists.
Francesco openly critiques what he sees as a "hype-driven" industry that rewards brand and pedigree over insight and risk. “I’d rather make a completely wrong call with high conviction than overthink and follow the herd,” he says.
His portfolio includes cutting-edge startups in photonic computing, quantum infrastructure, and defense applications—all technologies that could define the next industrial revolution.
The Solo GP Edge
Operating as a solo GP, Francesco sees his lean structure as a strategic advantage. No committees, no slow decisions, no internal politics. But the model comes with challenges—especially when fundraising.
“Being solo means I have no one to cry with,” he laughs. “You do it all. Fundraising, due diligence, LP calls, travel, research… but I love it.”
He also emphasizes that being a solo GP isn’t about being alone. “I have a community, I have venture partners, a head of ops… but I make the calls. And I’m building a brand that’s bigger than me.”
Why Microfunds Matter
Francesco believes microfunds are critical to the future of venture capital. “They’re the R&D arm of the VC world. We take the risks others won’t. We spot trends early. And we’re not married to legacy systems or rigid processes.”
He’s equally outspoken on the role of government in VC—arguing that Europe’s overdependence on public LPs is stifling real innovation. “The problem isn’t bad intentions—it’s bad implementation,” he says. “We need more private capital, less bureaucracy, and a united European tech market.”
From Peace Marches to Defense Tech
One of the most striking parts of our conversation is Francesco’s personal evolution—from a peace activist to a defense tech investor. The invasion of Ukraine, he says, was a turning point.
“I used to be against anything defense-related. But watching my friends in Ukraine send me pictures of missiles hitting their neighborhoods changed everything,” he says. “I realized weakness invites aggression. I now believe investing in defense can be an act of peace.”
His conviction is matched by action—one of his best-performing portfolio companies today is a defense startup actively saving lives on the front lines.
No More Bullsh*t
Francesco doesn’t mince words. He’s critical of “peacewashing” in defense tech, government overreach in VC, and the obsession with AUM. He’s bullish on frontier tech and deeply skeptical of legacy thinking.
“If we keep preaching and labeling and overregulating everything, we’re going to miss the next NVIDIA, the next Tesla. Europe can’t afford to keep playing it safe,” he warns.
So what’s his call to action?
“We need more crazy people. More fund managers who are willing to bet on the weird, the hard, the non-obvious. And we need LPs who are brave enough to back them.”
