Startup advice LiveDrop: “Don't give up, it takes longer than you think.”
LiveDrop and their investor provided practical tips on raising funding.
Published on September 5, 2025
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How do you secure sufficient funding as a startup? How do you convince investors in 2025? LiveDrop proved that it can be done: the Eindhoven-based company recently raised €2.5 million in a round focused on defense, for their technology for fast, secure, and completely offline data transfer. During the 109th edition of Drinks, Pitches & Demos, co-founder Maarten Tobias and investor Ronald Wissink (Value Creation Capital) shared their experiences and advice in an interview with IO+.
Maarten Tobias, co-founder of LiveDrop
What are you going to do with the €2.5 million?
“We will use it to scale up in the defense market in which we operate. That market is growing rapidly, but the sales cycles are extremely long. The money gives us the space to grow faster and facilitate our long sales processes.”
What's on the agenda for the coming period?
“We are mainly focusing on commercialization. We are hiring new people in the defense sector, attending various events, and doing everything we can to close more deals this year.”
What are you most proud of so far?
“I've had several startups, and what I always enjoy most is the first phase: the moment when a proof of concept really works. Our first product demo of LiveDrop was with a rickety webcam: every vibration disrupted the algorithm, and no one in the room was allowed to move. Now the technology runs on mobile devices, under all conditions. That's great to see.”
Do you have any additional tips for starting entrepreneurs?
“Never give up! Raising funding always takes longer than you think. Expect a funding round to take at least nine months. I've founded several companies, and this is what I've always seen. So don't expect it to happen in a month.”
Ronald Wissink, managing partner at Value Creation Capital
Why did you decide to invest in LiveDrop?
"We look at several different things. The most important thing is: does the technology company really create value? Does it solve a significant problem? That was certainly the case with LiveDrop. We also look at technology that has multiple product-market combinations. LiveDrop is currently focused on the military domain, enabling communication without leaving digital traces. In Ukraine, for example, we see how important that is. But the technology can also be used in other sectors, such as cybersecurity or healthcare. Thirdly, LiveDrop's product is unique in the world. All of these factors together led us to decide to invest in LiveDrop."
In addition to secure data transfer, what technologies are you currently focusing on? Which ones do you see as promising?
“We focus on both hardware and software. Think of AI and optical devices. So we are looking for technologies that can be used in multiple ways—that is essential. No one-trick ponies.”
