Date: Monday 30 March 2026 Time: 9.00am - 10.00am BST
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Theatre, Cheng Kin Ku Building, LSE (map)
Speaker: Steve Schlenker (DN Capital)
Chair: Dr Juanita Gonzalez-Uribe (FMG &LSE Finance)
Steve Schlenker, Managing Partner at DN Capital, will join the Entrepreneurial Finance course at LSE for a guest session.
This session marks the conclusion of the course and brings together reflections from the term with a forward-looking discussion on the evolution of venture capital and entrepreneurship in a rapidly changing global environment.
The session will centre on a fireside conversation on the outlook for venture capital. The discussion will examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping startup formation and scaling, and whether recent developments reflect a structural shift in the innovation landscape or more cyclical dynamics. It will also consider the role of geopolitical tensions in shaping investment opportunities, including the growing relevance of dual-use technologies, as well as the importance of energy, climate, and industrial policy.
In addition, the conversation will explore how these trends are influencing entrepreneurial activity, talent allocation, and the development of venture ecosystems across regions.
The session will conclude with an open Q&A.
Registration
This public event is delivered in-person only, is free and open to all, with no ticket or pre-registration required. Attendance will be on a first-come, first-served basis, within the limits of the venue capacity.
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Biographies
Steve Schlenker co-founded DN Capital in June 2000 and is currently Managing Partner based in the Sand Hill Road office, running DN Capital’s US operations. Steve Schlenker began his career in venture capital and private equity in 1990. His investment experience has been in software and software related businesses. His sectors of focus include enterprise software, and to a lesser extent business on-line marketplaces and consumer mobile services. Amongst his select investments are Apsalar, Auto1, Datanomic (acquired by Oracle), Endeca (acquired by Oracle), Familybuilder (acquired by Intelius), Geckoboard, Lagan/Kana (acquired by Verint), Ombud, Peak, Shiphawk, RecargaPay, Remitly, Parallel Wireless and RobinSystems.
Steve was previously at SUN Capital Partners, based in their London office, where he served as chief investment officer for technology investments. At SUN Capital Partners, he spent five years investing in US and European technology companies as well as assisting raise and manage a growth equity emerging markets fund and making private investments in growth companies. His investments there include eMode (acquired by Monster.com), Endeca (acquired by Oracle), SUN Brewing (listed on Luxembourg, then acquired by Interbrew). Prior to SUN Capital Partners, Steve was one of the first analysts for the buyout firm Interlaken Capital in Greenwich, CT, where he was involved with sourcing companies and applying technology to augment profitability and investment returns in legacy industries such as food processing, industrial distribution and facilities management.
Dr Juanita Gonzalez-Uribe is Associate Professor in Finance at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Co-Director of the Financial Markets Group. Her research focuses on entrepreneurship, private equity and innovation. Her work spans different regions including Latin America, the UK, and the USA.
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