Listen to Mangrove’s Mark Tluszcz talk fake unicorns, fintech hype and investing in weird ideas

Earlier this week I jumped on a call with Mark Tluszcz, co-founder and CEO of Mangrove Capital Partners, one of Europe’s older VC funds and perhaps most notably the first institutional investor in Skype.

During our call I asked what it will take for Europe to produce another world-beating consumer technology company on the same level as the internet calling giant, why Tluszcz thinks fintech is thus-far overhyped, and the proliferation of fake unicorns (startups that will find it hard to live up to their billion dollar or more valuations).

Finally, I had Tluszcz explain his claimed interest in investing in weird ideas — the weirder the better, he says — and to give examples of where Mangrove has done just that.

A lightly edited recording of the interview follows below.