Robin Klein

Who they are

Robin Klein is Co-Founder and General Partner at LocalGlobe — co-founded the firm with Saul Klein and backed TransferWise from its 2012 seed, watching it become Wise.

Person

Robin holds an MSc from the University of the Witwatersrand, where he studied in the 1960s — a South African academic foundation that predates the London tech scene by decades. He co-founded LocalGlobe in 2003, building it from a London seed fund into one of EMEA's most recognised early-stage firms, with the cradle-to-IPO model now spanning sister funds Latitude and Solar. His portfolio relationships run long: he's been an investor and board observer at MOO since 2005, and backed TransferWise (now Wise) from 2012. He's been an advisor to Seedcamp since 2007, which puts him at the centre of European early-stage deal flow for close to two decades. He writes actively — his public themes circle around the power law in VC, AI, mission-driven businesses, and inclusive growth in the European tech ecosystem. Possibly — his shareholder and partner role at Oranjezicht City Farm in Cape Town since May 2025 signals an active connection to South Africa alongside his London base.

Company

The most recent move on record is LocalGlobe's follow-on investment in Stream and a first-time investment in Anzen Industries in January 2026. Before that, 2025 was a busy year: the firm made 25 investments across its pre-seed and seed portfolio, led a £4M seed in Academy, and led Parsed's $3.7M seed round. The marquee 2025 event was Figma's IPO at a $13.5B market cap — a LocalGlobe portfolio company. The firm operates with a team of approximately 15 professionals, deploying £250K–£2M per deal at pre-seed and seed, with Latitude and Solar providing multi-stage follow-on capital through to pre-IPO.

Market

LocalGlobe is one of EMEA's most successful early-stage VC firms, with 300+ portfolio companies, 17 unicorns, 5 IPOs, and 76 acquisitions on record. It sits at the seed and pre-seed end of the market under the Phoenix Court Group, with its sister funds covering later stages — a structural advantage that lets it compete for founder loyalty against both micro-VCs and multi-stage funds. The firm is leaning into AI, clean tech, and the post-Brexit European startup ecosystem, where local investors with regional expertise are increasingly well-positioned.

Network

Robin co-founded LocalGlobe with Saul Klein, who remains Co-Founder and Partner at the firm. His long-running advisory role at Seedcamp since 2007 connects him to a broad network of European seed-stage founders and investors. Board and observer relationships at MOO (since 2005) and Wise (since 2012) extend his network into scaled fintech and e-commerce.

Saul Klein· Co-Founder and Partner, LocalGlobe

How they likely show up

Multi-decade tenure at LocalGlobe (founded 2003, still GP today) → thinks in fund cycles and long founder relationships, not short-horizon bets.
Board/observer roles at MOO since 2005 and Wise since 2012 → stays close to portfolio companies for years, not just at entry; likely a patient, relationship-first operator.
Active public writing signal with themes spanning power law in VC, AI, and inclusive growth → comfortable being a voice in the ecosystem, probably engages well with ideas-first conversations.
Seedcamp advisor since 2007 → broad connective tissue across European early-stage; likely values the ecosystem view as much as individual deal returns.
Possibly — shareholder role at Oranjezicht City Farm in Cape Town since May 2025 → suggests an interest in mission-driven, non-tech ventures alongside the VC track.

Conversation tips

→ Lead with a specific portfolio company or theme — he's been in this market long enough that vague 'European tech' framing will feel thin.
→ Reference his public writing on power law or inclusive growth if you've read it — he writes actively and will respect that you did the work.
→ Ask about the Wise or MOO journey rather than recent deals — those long-hold relationships are probably where his strongest conviction stories live.
→ If the conversation touches diversity in VC, the LocalGlobe/London Business School course for women, Black, and Asian candidates is a named initiative he's behind — engage with it specifically, not generically.

Toolbox

Openers

Open on the Figma IPO at $13.5B in July 2025 — as a LocalGlobe portfolio company, it's the firm's most visible recent outcome and a natural entry point into how he thinks about early-stage conviction.
Reference the LocalGlobe/London Business School VC course targeting underrepresented candidates — it's a named, specific initiative that signals his views on who should be in the room.
Mention the Oranjezicht City Farm involvement in Cape Town since May 2025 — it's an unusual shareholder role for a London VC and opens a genuine conversation about what draws him to mission-driven, non-tech work.

Discovery questions

LocalGlobe now has Latitude and Solar alongside the seed fund — how do you decide when a founder relationship graduates from one vehicle to the next, and how has that changed how you enter deals?
You backed TransferWise at seed in 2012 and watched it become Wise — what's the thing that's hardest to see at seed stage that you now know to look for?
You've been advising Seedcamp since 2007 — in that time, what's changed most about what European founders actually need from early investors versus what they say they need?

Avoid

Don't open with generic commentary about the European VC market being 'hot' or AI being a 'once-in-a-generation shift' — he writes publicly on these topics and will expect a more specific, grounded take.

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