After ten years in the business of identifying, financing and building great technology companies, I joined the Wellington team in 2008 as a Venture Partner. During the past 18 months, I have had the privilege of working closely with the team on several investment projects. On September 1, I have now come on board of this pan-European VC firm as a General Partner, where together with Bart I will focus on identifying and supporting first-class European electronics and cleantech companies on their way to global leadership.

This is a perfect time to become a General Partner at one of Europe’s most successful early-and expansion-stage investors and to build out the existing cleantech portfolio with a new generation of companies. After the shock of the recession, the environment for many of these companies is brightening fast. Green markets are growing and are now additionally being fueled by various stimulus packages. However, we have to be careful in understanding the competitive advantage that players in high-cost Europe can develop and defend over time. The early days of “capacity growth for growth’s sake” are definitely over, and we need to focus on where Europe can sustain a position of world leadership in the global manufacturing value chain. In addition, various kinds of services businesses will become an interesting area for us to engage in.

At the same time, cleantech is becoming a global issue, as Asian governments, in addition to the United States, seem to realize the necessity of massive capital expenditures in new technologies to replace conventional coal- and oil-based energy generation. This globalization of cleantech is a particular advantage for Europe; with its long tradition of eco-friendly investments and behavior, the Old World has developed a broad-based ecosystem that is ready to seize that opportunity. And it is in this mature European ecosystem where we are looking for our next investments.

In Europe, London has become a major financing hub that both cleantech as well as other technology entrepreneurs are exploring in their quest for funding. So after opening our Berkeley Square office in 2007, we have steadily enlarged our London-based team and have just moved our office one block down to 11 Berkeley Street. I look forward to welcoming you in our new London office, in Munich or anywhere else in Europe or beyond.