Why Tornado Insider Matters By Julie Meyer, Founder & CEO, Ariadne Capital I first met the founders of Tornado Insider in the late spring of 1998 as First Tuesday was beginning to be a significant hub of deals in the London market, and as entrepreneurs from all over Europe were contacting me to “take First Tuesday across Europe”. By August 1999, Tornado Insider had put a preliminary offer on the table to purchase First Tuesday, and I hadn’t even completed the international roll-out which happened on September 7th, 1999. First Tuesday and Tornado Insider philosophically were on the same page: create the network[s] which enable the smart entrepreneur to access capital and talent more efficiently on a pan-European basis. From the start, Tornado Insider was gracious enough to roll First Wednesday into Tuesday more or less, and support First Tuesday's grassroots firestorm. Jerome Mol and the founders of Tornado Insider knew that “the Industry” – that convergence of technology, Internet, venture capital and entrepreneurship – would never grow without “the Industry Bible” – because it’s an industry that likes to talk to itself, and all entrepreneurs on some level are lonely: who’s been funded, who’s on the rise, and who’s been taken out. A pan-European publication covering “the Industry” would be as much a part of the building out of the European infrastructure of high-growth companies as a pan-European stock exchange, common company regulation, pan-European venture funds, the Upstart conference, a shared currency and a network of entrepreneurs. Tornado Insider’s path has always been critical to giving credit to those that deserved it [see those that graced the covers of 3 years of publishing], and to poking the holes at those that deserved a prod. Don't think First Tuesday or I got off easy all the time... we took a few critiques from Tornado. If the Industry reads about itself in Tornado Insider, it meets itself at Upstart – at least those that intend to move markets and get deals done – recession or no recession. What’s most important about Tornado Insider and Upstart is that they remain humble in the face of the greatness that they regularly catalogue and analyse; you’ll have to work hard to find any arrogance or cynicism. And in this way, they encourage each generation of entrepreneurs, managers and investors that pick it up to think more laterally, become more informed, and generate more business. It’s really very simple. If Tornado Insider didn’t exist, it would have to be created, and so for having done that, from one network founder to another, many thanks and good luck on your relaunch. Bigger and Better than ever.