Experts-in-Residence 2026: Bringing Venture Capital to Life
What does venture capital look like beyond the pitch deck?
During the last week of June, six professionals from across the Raiffeisen ecosystem joined us for an intensive week inside the world of venture capital, startups and emerging technologies.
The program brought together participants from Raiffeisen Bank International, Raiffeisen-Holding Niederösterreich-Wien and Raiffeisen-Landesbank Steiermark, reflecting the strong connection between Elevator Ventures and its Limited Partners. Designed as a one-week immersion, the Experts-in-Residence Program gives selected Raiffeisen experts direct exposure to the everyday work of a corporate venture capital fund — from evaluating startup opportunities to understanding investment processes and ecosystem collaboration.
Rather than offering a purely theoretical introduction to venture capital, the week was built around practical learning, open discussion and hands-on application. Participants joined internal sessions, worked on investment-related materials, exchanged perspectives with the Elevator Ventures team and engaged with external ecosystem partners.
From VC Theory to Investment Practice
The week started with an introduction to Elevator Ventures and the role of corporate venture capital within the Raiffeisen Group. Participants gained insights into how Elevator Ventures identifies promising startups, assesses market opportunities and supports portfolio companies beyond the initial investment.
Across the week, the program covered several core elements of venture investing, including valuation methods, cap table structures, fund finance, investment processes, pipeline management and portfolio-related decision-making. These sessions gave participants a practical understanding of how venture capital decisions are prepared, discussed and ultimately shaped.
A central element of the program was the investment case exercise. Working in groups, participants received materials based on real – although altered - companies, including pitch decks, cap tables and financial models. Their task was to prepare an investment case review covering the company, valuation, transaction terms, fundraising considerations and a recommendation for discussion with the team.
This exercise brought the complexity of venture capital to life. Participants had to analyze business models, assess market potential, interpret financial assumptions and formulate their own view on whether an opportunity would be worth pursuing. It also showed that investment decisions are rarely black and white. They require structured analysis, commercial judgement and the ability to make decisions under uncertainty.
The EiR week gave me exactly what I hoped for: a structured way to evaluate a startup, a real handle on how to think about what it's worth. Working through the valuation steps hands-on made the methodology stick far better than theory ever could.
Understanding the Tools Behind Venture Investing
In addition to investment fundamentals, the program also focused on the tools and processes that support day-to-day venture capital work. Participants gained insights into internal workflows, including how opportunities are tracked, how pipeline discussions are structured and how data and CRM tools support fund operations.
These sessions helped make the work of a venture capital fund more tangible. Venture is often associated with founder meetings and investment decisions, but behind every decision sits a structured process: sourcing, documentation, commercial assessment, financial analysis, internal discussion and ongoing follow-up.
By seeing these elements up close, participants developed a broader understanding of how Elevator Ventures operates and how venture capital can complement innovation activities within a large corporate and banking environment.
I especially appreciated how the program connected entrepreneurial speed with structured, evidence-based decision-making. It gave me valuable perspectives on how we can further strengthen innovation governance while keeping the focus on real business potential and execution.
Exploring VC, Fintech and the Startup Ecosystem
Beyond internal workshops, the program also gave participants the opportunity to connect with the wider startup and venture capital ecosystem. A visit to Speedinvest offered an external perspective on current developments in the VC market, fintech investment trends and the realities of backing high-growth technology companies.
These conversations added an important dimension to the week. They allowed participants to compare perspectives, discuss market dynamics and better understand how different investors assess opportunities in a changing environment.
Throughout the program, discussions also touched on broader innovation themes relevant to financial services and beyond — from fintech and enterprise software to emerging technologies shaping new business models. The goal was not only to understand individual trends, but to explore how innovation is increasingly happening across sectors and how established institutions can engage with this development.
Building Stronger Connections Across Raiffeisen
One of the most valuable aspects of the Experts-in-Residence Program is the exchange it creates across the Raiffeisen network. Participants brought different professional backgrounds, areas of expertise and organizational perspectives into the room. This diversity enriched the discussions and created a strong basis for knowledge exchange between Elevator Ventures and its Limited Partners.
For participants, the program offered a closer look at how venture capital works in practice and how startup innovation can create strategic value beyond financial returns. For Elevator Ventures, the week provided an opportunity to strengthen relationships with experts across the Group, better understand strategic priorities and identify potential areas for future collaboration.
Beyond the program itself, participants become part of our growing Experts-in-Residence alumni network, allowing them to stay connected with each other and with Elevator Ventures after the program. We invite the Experts-in Residence alumni to key events, such as Portfolio & Investor day, our yearly flagship event, to foster continued exchange and collaboration. In addition, we host an annual alumni evening during the program, bringing together this year’s participants and alumni from recent cohorts to network, share experiences and build meaningful connections across the group.
The combination of practical workshops, investment case work, ecosystem exposure and informal exchange made the program more than a learning format. It became a platform for building bridges between corporate expertise and venture innovation.
“Being part of the Experts in Residence Program was a great experience - I gained practical insights into venture capital and got to see firsthand how the Elevator Ventures team tackles real challenges. The mix of hands-on case studies and informal chats made the week both enjoyable and super fun!
Looking Ahead
The Experts-in-Residence Program has become an important part of Elevator Ventures’ efforts to foster knowledge exchange across the Raiffeisen ecosystem. Each edition reinforces the value of bringing together different perspectives: investment expertise, corporate know-how, operational experienceand entrepreneurial thinking.
This year’s cohort actively contributed to discussions, challenged assumptions and brought valuable perspectives into the program. Their engagement once again showed how much can be gained when venture capital is not only explained, but experienced firsthand.
We would like to thank all participants for their curiosity, openness and active contribution throughout the week, as well as everyone who helped make the 2026 Experts-in-Residence Program possible. We look forward to continuing the exchange and further strengthening the connection between Elevator Ventures, innovation and the wider Raiffeisen Group.
