This week’s episode of Funding & Disrupting presented by Oura Collective takes you through the journey of the European Private Equity firm SmartFin’s Founding Partner Jurgen Ingels. Keith Herman interviews Jurgen to discuss his journey so far and to gain an insight into his equity firm, ‘SmartFin.’

So far, Ingels calls his journey full of fun and luck. In fact, he believes luck is a critical factor in life. Jurgens has no complaints about his journey so far and is enjoying every inch of it.

Keith throws light upon many aspects of Ingels personal and professional life. He goes deep into the understanding of SmartFin’s working style and investment policies. The podcast is full of knowledge and some crazy jokes by Jurgen. The comprehensive discussion is a perfect learning opportunity for many budding entrepreneurs.

SmartFin: The Next Level Private Equity and Venture Capital Investor

SmartFin is a European Private Equity and Venture Capital Investor in technology companies. With their long-term oriented investments, the founding partner Jurgen shares many experiences and strategies used by the leading company.

Being extremely successful throughout his journey, Jurgen shares many insightful points now and then in the podcast. So, don’t miss even a moment of the candid discussion. Jurgen, who was in the equity industry during the 90s, decided to shift to the evolving technological industry later.

However, he always thought of himself as a venture capitalist before an entrepreneur. It brought him closer to the idea of SmartFin. Today, SmartFin is one of the leading private equity and investment firms. SmartFin has invested in many technology companies and taken them to newer heights.

In the podcast, Keith discusses the three recent and crucial investments the company has recently made. SmartFin has recently invested in MariaDB and Roamler. Being passionate himself, Jurgen looks for similar passion in start-ups before investing.

He believes that a person with passion will always find fascinating opportunities. Jurgen shares how people say everything has already been invented, but if they look around themselves and ask questions, they’ll find opportunities everywhere.

Keith asks Jurgen about the success secret for SmartFin and his other ventures. Ingels openly tells how time reduction has helped his investments succeed. He discusses how the blend of knowledge and technology can help you squeeze out time and scale your company faster.

Also, you’ll love the way Ingels uses humorous examples to explain the challenges he faces while making an investment and how he spends his vacations.

A Walk Through the Journey of The Founding Partner Jurgen Ingels

If Jurgen Ingels had to describe himself in one word, it would be passionate. The man behind many successful ventures and investments calls his passion the driving machine to success. His passion to discover and find new opportunities has led him to where he is today.

Jurgen, who started his journey in Private Equity, soon transitioned towards entrepreneurship. He was the founder and CEO of ‘Clear 2 Pay’, a leading payment technology company. In the early 90s, when technology was not much advanced, he came up with the unique idea of starting a firm like this. Well, the best part is that the idea came on a beer cart. In the podcast, Jurgen shares his entrepreneurship story and how he took his start-up to a $125 million company!

Jurgen has always been curious about implementing new technology. He believes, “Better be too early than too late at a party!” You’ll be amazed to know that Ingels founded the company ‘NGData’ in 2012, which used big data. He believes his firm was five years early in technology.

Jurgen, who started his journey in private equity and transitioned to entrepreneurship, later came back to private equity. When Keith asked him about his experience and what his true calling was, he shared his experiences about both parts of his journey.

In the podcast, as Keith asks Jurgen about his interests and characteristics, you’ll be startled to know what makes Ingels, an aced Venture Capitalist. Talking about his personal life, Ingels tells how he can point a mistake on the excel sheet in no time because he is really good at numbers.

Also, do not forget to grasp the life-changing tip Jurgen gives to the new entrepreneurs.

SmartFin Story Notes:

• • The backstory of Jurgen and his early life.

• • The transition from Private Equity to Entrepreneur to Equity again

• • How the idea of SmartFin evolved

• • Major investments made by SmartFin.

• • Skills you need to be a Venture Capitalist

• • Managing bumps on the roads of investment

• • Choosing the right companies for investments

• • Tips for budding entrepreneurs