Oliver Kicks

Oliver Kicks is a highly successful venture capitalist and founding General Partner at Concept Ventures, Europe's largest dedicated pre-seed fund. He has been instrumental in growing the firm since its inception in 2019, from being its first employee to a General Partner. His work focuses on early-stage investments across various sectors, including games, entertainment, marketplaces, Web3, crypto, Vertical SaaS, and AI, notably leading the pre-seed round for ElevenLabs, which achieved a $3.3 billion valuation. concept+3

With a keen eye for exceptional founding teams, Oliver emphasizes understanding the 'why' behind a founder's mission and the dynamics of co-founder relationships. He employs cognitive assessments, personality testing, and references to evaluate teams, and values the presence of pre-existing culture documents as a strong signal of a well-prepared founding team. He believes in providing significant support during the critical 'zero-to-one' phase of a company's life. preseednow+1

Recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe - Finance honoree for 2025, Oliver's career journey reflects a diverse background. He grew up in southern Spain before returning to the UK for education, attending Marlborough College and the University of Exeter. His early professional experiences included fintech and scaling a food-tech brand, Mob, where he gained operational and go-to-market experience, which he now leverages to support early-stage founders. concept+3