Returning to LSE to participate as an alumni speaker for the Government graduation ceremony in July 2026, Annelie reflects on her participation and journey since graduating. Founder and General Partner of Anamcara Capital, an early-stage venture firm investing in European software and AI founders building for the world, Annelie was one of the first women in Europe to launch a venture firm as a solo GP and is a two-time national boxing champion.
How did it feel to be asked back to LSE to celebrate the Class of 2026?
A real honour. Attending LSE had been a dream of mine for a long time, so being asked back over a decade later was very special. Full circle. Sitting there watching all those bright, promising students cross the stage - witnessing the very beginnings of so much potential - was exciting and deeply energising. A privilege. I can only hope a few of the things I shared were useful to them.
What did you think success looked like at graduation, and how has that changed?
At graduation, I thought success was measured in grades and internships - the next credential, the next box ticked. I've since learned it's almost none of that. It's the network you build and the curiosity you protect. It's coming to understand, in truth, what you're actually good at and what sets you apart. It's finding work that aligned with your purpose and not just your CV. And in the end, it's about building the confidence to stand up for what you believe in. Success isn't a finish line you cross - it's a habit you keep.
What moment or achievement stands out most in your career so far?
It's not one moment - a trophy or a headline. Because when those do come, you're usually already chasing the next thing. So it's more an amalgamation: the first time someone said yes, for instance. When I raised my first fund, I had no track record and no name. I pitched a thesis with nothing yet to back it - clearly on a mission, but completely unproven. One investor backed me anyway. That single decision turned a thought, a dream, into a business. The turning points in my career have all rested on someone choosing to believe in me before the evidence did. Someone opening a door to allow me to grow into my full potential. That's what I come back to.
What advice would you share with a recent graduate who is unsure what to do next?
Take your time. When you graduate, you're not the finished product - you're at the very start of the build. So optimise for the steepness of your learning curve, not your starting salary. Take more risks early, while you have the least to lose. And don't assume, as I did, that only a few paths are "worthy" - when I left, I genuinely thought it was consulting, law or finance, or nothing. That is simply not true, and it's less true now than ever. Go where you'll learn the most and find the thing that makes you valuable in a way no one else can be. Differentiate yourself. Specialise — learn a language, become an expert in a region or a sector. Make yourself unique.
What opportunity do you think LSE graduates have right now that didn't exist when you graduated?
We're living through a major technological transformation that is touching every sector at once - and that is the opportunity. When I graduated, ambition funnelled into a handful of prestige careers. Today the frontier is wide open: AI, defence, compute and hardware infrastructure, biotech and life sciences, critical minerals. These are once-in-a-generation problems, and they're being built right now - often by people only a few years out of university. So take a view on the world: where will we be in ten years, and what are the sharpest people already working on? Then get close to the heat. Sometimes that means moving cities, or countries, to be in the room where it is all happening. That kind of access, at this pace of change, simply wasn't on the table for my cohort.
Watch Annelie's speach to the LSE Government Class Of 2026 on out YouTube channel