Big Ideas, Global Capital - S3 E27

On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we’re talking with Sophie Lamparter, founding partner at VitaminºC, a female-led, early-stage venture fund investing in climate mitigation and human adaptation, and Ryan Baird, CEO of Baird Augustine, a cross-border neo-investment bank.

Sophie is a founding partner at VitaminºC, based in Zurich and San Francisco. The fund combines European impact investing with Silicon Valley scaling expertise, giving founders an edge as they grow their climate tech businesses.

A Swiss transplant in the Bay Area, Sophie has spent 15 years helping European deep tech companies grow in the US. She began as a science and technology diplomat at swissnex San Francisco, built the first US team at MindMaze during its growth from university spinout to unicorn, and later co-founded DART Ventures to support founders entering the US market. She brings this firsthand operating experience to VitaminºC’s portfolio, helping founders turn breakthrough technologies into global businesses.

Sophie has been recognized three times among Switzerland’s 100 Digital leaders and has served as an expert to the European Commission. She studied at the University of Zurich and UC Berkeley. She loves art, nature, and dancing.

Ryan Baird leads Baird Augustine with a focus on integrity, risk management, and cross-border investment.

As CEO of LYKA, a social media platform that enables Southeast Asian content creators to monetize their data, Ryan helped attract 11 million monthly active users and raised $35 million from institutional investors and family offices.

As a venture partner at the GWC Innovator Fund, Ryan supported early-stage investments, including Xpeng’s Series A (NYSE: XPEV). He has also organized events such as G-Startup Worldwide and the Cross Board Venture Summit, bringing together CEOs, limited partners, and institutional investors to build relationships, showcase portfolios, source deals, and exchange industry insights.

Ryan’s experience also spans hedge funds. As head trader and risk manager at Fineline Trading, he navigated market volatility during the global financial crisis. In 2010, he launched his own fund, Flotilla, where he pursued volatility arbitrage, developed exchange arbitrage algorithms, and traded exotic derivatives.

His work at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management on Sand Hill Road further developed his expertise in US and global portfolio management, risk management, asset allocation, derivatives strategies, and relationships with ultra-high-net-worth families.

Ryan has raised capital for his own ventures, other general partners, and startups. Through his board roles at companies and nonprofits, he supports growth and impact across industries, bringing investment experience and an extensive network to Silicon Valley’s cross-border investing community.

All this and more on Silicon Valley Impact!

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