📮 Tensor Ventures — Decoded Newsletter January 2025 Edition
Back to monthly newsletter updates this year! Here what we were up to:
💚 New investments
Today, platforms like X are controlled by a single entity, shaping what we see, share, and discuss. We believe in a different future - one where social networks are independent, open, and truly decentralised.
That’s why Tensor Ventures is backing Openvibe, a distributed social platform that puts users, not corporations or billionaires, in control. With a single timeline across Threads, Mastodon, Bluesky, and Nostr, Openvibe is redefining what social media should be: free, open, and censorship-resistant.
Alongside Automattic, Czech Founders VC, and Honza Široký, we’ve invested $800,000 to help scale this vision. Matej Svancer and the team are building the foundation for the future of open social - expanding integrations, growing the community, and refining the user experience.
This is one of Tensor’s key consumer investments, as we believe open social is not just an idea, it’s the future of digital freedom.
See Openvibe in action: 👇🏼
🚀 Portfolio in action
Wultra shared 5 Cyber-Security and Authentication Trends to Keep an Eye on in 2025 on their blog.
Bioo founder, Pablo M. Vidarte Gordillo, speaking at Sports World Congress about New Trends: Creativity, Innovation & Sustainability.
Pointee’s journey with Microsoft AI co-Innovation lab: from idea to MVP. Read more.
dstack hosted their first Berlin meetup with more than 80 engineers!
👩🏽💻 Deep tech scene
EIC Invests €1.4B in Deep Tech: The European Innovation Council boosts funding for strategic technologies, increasing investment by €200M from 2024. digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu
EU’s 'Simplification' Agenda for Innovation: The European Commission launched a new initiative to reduce bureaucracy and boost competitiveness in AI, quantum, and green tech. theguardian.com
Tech Tour Growth50 Highlights Deep Tech: The 2025 Growth50 list features Europe’s top deep tech startups, with €8.6B raised, led by France, Germany, and the Netherlands. techtour.com
💡 What we read
AI designed computer chips that the human mind can't understand: Researchers have developed a neural network process that designs wireless chips outperforming existing ones, though the complexity of these designs may surpass human understanding. popularmechanics.com
Is there such a thing as an impossible protein? Exploring the vast array of possible amino acid sequences, the article discusses the concept of 'impossible' proteins - sequences that, due to their structural constraints, cannot stably exist. owlposting.com
Top 10 most anticipated drug launches of 2025: The pharmaceutical industry is eagerly awaiting several significant drug launches in 2025, including treatments like Vanza triple, Datopotamab deruxtecan, and Suzetrigine, which promise advancements in various therapeutic areas. fiercepharma.com
HAL: Holistic Agent Leaderboard: Princeton University's SAgE team has introduced HAL, a standardized, cost-aware, third-party leaderboard designed to evaluate AI agents across multiple benchmarks, promoting reproducible and transparent assessments. hal.cs.princeton.edu
📣 Events we organised/loved
Great kickoff to our annual LP & friends meetup! Thanks for the trust, energy, and inspiring conversations. Excited for 2025's synergies and collaborations. We explored deep tech's future, shared our investment strategy, and connected over food, music, and networking. Stay tuned for something special! 🔥
Joined DxPx Europe ’25 to discuss M&A, licensing, and financing opportunities, meet old acquaintances and make new international contacts.
🎁 As a bonus we have launched a database of 160+ tech events for founders & VCs in 2025 for you to keep an eye on: https://tensorvc.notion.site/events2025
Cheers,
The Tensor VC team