10 Jun 2026Live from Cherry Ventures Summit
Adam Lasri (Yellow): Pre-Seed Investing & Portfolio Updates
Adam Lasri of Yellow gives an update on the pre-seed fund after two and a half years: 25+ teams backed, more than a third already raising next rounds. He explains what makes pre-seed investing special — being the first check, delivering on promises, and providing operational and commercial support like first enterprise intros — and how sourcing works through LinkedIn, VC referrals, and founder goodwill in Paris, Zurich, Barcelona and London. He highlights portfolio stories including Wortsmith (legal AI, approaching a ~$70M Series B) and Davis (48-hour feasibility reports for real estate developers), and reflects on moving from a large fund to founding his own.
14 Jan 2026Eleven Labs $300M ARR, Claude Cowork, Google’s Apple, HartmanAI $200M
Harmattan AI: $200M Series B for Defense Drones
Paris-based defense tech Harmattan AI raised a $200M Series B at a $1.4B valuation, led by a major French military aircraft manufacturer, making it Europe's newest unicorn. The hosts highlight Macron's congratulatory tweet, French and UK MoD drone orders totaling thousands of units, and the shift from hedged 'dual-use' branding to openly military positioning, plus a tangent on Rishi Sunak's Adidas shoes.
Adam Lasry, Yellow VC: Pre-Seed Investing in 2026
Adam Lasry, co-founder and GP of Yellow VC, explains the fund's €400-500K pre-seed tickets into 20+ European teams - often as first check in - and its three value props: operational support from his unicorn-founder partners, commercial intros, and 'in-house VC counselling' on storytelling. He predicts 2026 seed dynamics of shrinking dry powder with capital concentrating into top founder profiles, argues pre-seed is venture's hardest stage (betting purely on people, winning access, and building conviction before consensus), and shares advice for aspiring investors plus the traits he screens for: obsession, adaptability, and attractive power.