Biography
Biography
Bastian
Larsen
CEO & Founder
BlackWood was born from a deep curiosity about the world – about people, investing, and the space where art meets science.
I grew up in an artistic family in France, and at 11, I found myself teaching painting to Inuit communities in Greenland. That unusual start shaped how I see cultures, value systems, and ultimately, people.
Venture capital is, at its core, a people business. You’re underwriting founders, not spreadsheets. Process and governance matter, but real conviction comes from staying close to the work, showing up when things get hard, and knowing when to step aside.
I view building a venture firm as an entrepreneurial act in itself. You choose whether to build a boutique or an institution that compounds knowledge over time. We chose the latter. Today, BlackWood has a strong early track record, one of Europe’s fastest-growing angel networks, and one of the most driven teams in the industry.
Before founding BlackWood, I worked at BlackRock across London, Geneva, and New York – first advising institutional clients on alternative investments, and later co-leading global product strategy for the firm’s $10bn event-driven hedge fund.
I’ve lived in ten countries, visited more than sixty, and speak three languages, which gives me a global lens on founders and markets. I’ve taught at HEC Paris and have had the opportunity to interview people I admire, including Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Jaan Tallinn (Skype, Anthropic). I hold an MBA from the University of Oxford and a BSc from Copenhagen Business School. I was named to the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list for Finance – recognition I see mainly as motivation to keep raising the bar.
Outside of work, I spend as much time as I can with my daughter – ideally exploring new places and letting curiosity do the rest. I’m passionate about art, music, and play golf when I get the chance.
As cliché as it may sound, my life could be summed up by Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump: “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.”
BlackWood was born from a deep curiosity about the world – about people, investing, and the space where art meets science.
I grew up in an artistic family in France, and at 11, I found myself teaching painting to Inuit communities in Greenland. That unusual start shaped how I see cultures, value systems, and ultimately, people.
Venture capital is, at its core, a people business. You’re underwriting founders, not spreadsheets. Process and governance matter, but real conviction comes from staying close to the work, showing up when things get hard, and knowing when to step aside.
I view building a venture firm as an entrepreneurial act in itself. You choose whether to build a boutique or an institution that compounds knowledge over time. We chose the latter. Today, BlackWood has a strong early track record, one of Europe’s fastest-growing angel networks, and one of the most driven teams in the industry.
Before founding BlackWood, I worked at BlackRock across London, Geneva, and New York – first advising institutional clients on alternative investments, and later co-leading global product strategy for the firm’s $10bn event-driven hedge fund.
I’ve lived in ten countries, visited more than sixty, and speak three languages, which gives me a global lens on founders and markets. I’ve taught at HEC Paris and have had the opportunity to interview people I admire, including Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Jaan Tallinn (Skype, Anthropic). I hold an MBA from the University of Oxford and a BSc from Copenhagen Business School. I was named to the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list for Finance – recognition I see mainly as motivation to keep raising the bar.
Outside of work, I spend as much time as I can with my daughter – ideally exploring new places and letting curiosity do the rest. I’m passionate about art, music, and play golf when I get the chance.
As cliché as it may sound, my life could be summed up by Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump: “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.”
Biography
Bastian
Larsen
CEO & Founder
BlackWood was born from a deep curiosity about the world – about people, investing, and the space where art meets science.
I grew up in an artistic family in France, and at 11, I found myself teaching painting to Inuit communities in Greenland. That unusual start shaped how I see cultures, value systems, and ultimately, people.
Venture capital is, at its core, a people business. You’re underwriting founders, not spreadsheets. Process and governance matter, but real conviction comes from staying close to the work, showing up when things get hard, and knowing when to step aside.
I view building a venture firm as an entrepreneurial act in itself. You choose whether to build a boutique or an institution that compounds knowledge over time. We chose the latter. Today, BlackWood has a strong early track record, one of Europe’s fastest-growing angel networks, and one of the most driven teams in the industry.
Before founding BlackWood, I worked at BlackRock across London, Geneva, and New York – first advising institutional clients on alternative investments, and later co-leading global product strategy for the firm’s $10bn event-driven hedge fund.
I’ve lived in ten countries, visited more than sixty, and speak three languages, which gives me a global lens on founders and markets. I’ve taught at HEC Paris and have had the opportunity to interview people I admire, including Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Jaan Tallinn (Skype, Anthropic). I hold an MBA from the University of Oxford and a BSc from Copenhagen Business School. I was named to the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list for Finance – recognition I see mainly as motivation to keep raising the bar.
Outside of work, I spend as much time as I can with my daughter – ideally exploring new places and letting curiosity do the rest. I’m passionate about art, music, and play golf when I get the chance.
As cliché as it may sound, my life could be summed up by Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump: “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.”