0TO9
0TO9 is a European fintech venture builder and investor, operating as a 'bank for entrepreneurship.' They focus on providing infrastructure, capital, and operational support for fintech entrepreneurs aiming to build and scale the next generation of financial products and platforms. Their name signifies their mission: from zero to success, idea to impact, and from now to what's next. The firm differentiates itself by offering not only capital investment but also by building a dream team for ventures, covering areas like compliance, communications, and brand development. They combine the stability of a bank with the agility of a startup, making them unique in the fintech venture space. 0TO9 emphasizes building with experience, bringing in builders who have successfully launched and scaled financial products. This hands-on approach is designed to remove friction and accelerate the path to profitability. They aim to free up founders to focus on their core product and platform development by managing other aspects of the business. The firm is founded by Oliver Hildebrandt, who has extensive experience in fintech, stemming from 17 years and five companies. The firm's approach is heavily influenced by the idea of teamwork and collaboration, where the right team with the relevant experiences can build and rebuild anything.
13books Capital
13books Capital, formerly Element Ventures, focuses on backing bold founders transforming the financial technology landscape. They are specialists, partnering with Europe's best fintech founders who have global ambitions. The firm emphasizes building lasting relationships with founders, recognizing that meaningful change takes time. Their investment strategy revolves around identifying and supporting companies that are innovating in the way the world thinks about money. While the website doesn't explicitly state the size of fund or AUM, the focus on fintech startups across various stages suggests a strategy aimed at long-term growth and impact in the sector.
1991 Ventures
1991 Ventures is a London-based Venture Capital Fund and Accelerator focused on backing early-stage, mission-driven founders from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Ukraine. They aim to help these founders reach their full potential through growth and funding opportunities. Their investment strategy centers around finding innovative startups with global potential that are solving real-world problems. Leveraging the network of 1991 Accelerator, they specialize in sectors like govtech, cybersecurity, and fintech. Their goal is to connect founders with capital from the UK and to position the UK as a launchpad for tech companies aiming to expand globally. They have a strong commitment to the Ukrainian tech ecosystem, stemming from their experience founding SocialBoost and 1991 Accelerator in Kyiv, which has supported over 200 startups since 2016, even amidst the Russian invasion. The firm builds upon the Gursky brothers' experience of launching and operating successful accelerator programs and aims to invest in over 40 companies across the lifecycle of the fund. A significant portion of startups that go through their programs successfully secure follow-on funding, indicating a strong pipeline of quality dealflow. The firm seeks to bring innovative startups from Ukraine and CEE to the global stage by providing not only capital but also mentorship and access to markets. 1991 Ventures emphasizes collaboration between the public sector, business, and startups to help Ukrainian startups scale and fundraise globally. They provide high-intensity programs, acceleration, and mentoring programs to startups, focusing on impact tech. They also involve participants in special government programs, anti-corruption IT initiatives, and business corporations.
1Up Ventures
1Up Ventures is a venture capital firm that focuses on backing extraordinary individuals in the ANZ (Australia and New Zealand) startup ecosystem. They aim to provide a launch platform for startups with the ambition to change the world, suggesting an impact-driven investment approach. The firm values alignment with founders and emphasizes being good people to work with, offering support to help founders "level up."
Adfirst VC
AdFirst.vc positions itself as a venture capital firm that brings marketing expertise to the investment process. Their core strategy involves leveraging this expertise to identify and support early-stage startups, particularly those in the AdTech and B2C sectors. The firm appears to focus on companies with potential for rapid growth and scalability, indicating an understanding of how marketing can be a key driver of success. They are also seeking funds for co-investment opportunities, suggesting a desire to syndicate deals and broaden their network. The portfolio companies listed, while diverse, indicate a focus on digitally-native businesses, fintech solutions, and companies utilizing technology to improve efficiency or user experience. This suggests a broader theme of investing in companies that are either disrupting existing industries or creating new markets through innovative technologies. While the website doesn't explicitly detail the extent of their marketing support, the core value proposition hinges on providing valuable insights and guidance to their portfolio companies in areas such as marketing strategy, customer acquisition, and brand building. This is implied by the firm's focus on marketing expertise as a key differentiator.
Allianz X
Allianz X is the strategic growth investments arm of Allianz Group, a leading global insurer and asset manager. Their primary goal is to keep Allianz Group at the forefront of the industry by making high-conviction investments in companies with exceptional growth potential. They actively manage these investments and forge unique partnerships between them and Allianz, fostering transformative collaborations, building platforms, and unlocking value for the Group. Their strategy focuses on insurtech and fintech scale-ups that demonstrate significant growth potential and possess complementary business models to Allianz companies. They act as a bridge, connecting their portfolio companies with the resources and expertise of the larger Allianz ecosystem. Allianz X's approach goes beyond simply providing capital. They actively connect, facilitate, collaborate, and leverage synergies between their portfolio companies and Allianz. This involves joining the dots to create win-win scenarios for all parties involved, building platforms, and making the most of technology. They aim to create network effects that benefit both Allianz and their portfolio companies, driving innovation and creating new business opportunities. They act as a connector and facilitator, leveraging the strength of Allianz's existing business. Their investment strategy has evolved over time, transitioning from early-stage start-up acceleration to late-stage investments in proven digital growth companies. They seek opportunities to create strategic value by helping companies scale their operations, expand into new markets, and integrate their technologies and services with Allianz's existing offerings. They have an active management style when it comes to their investments. Allianz X emphasizes the importance of its team, highlighting a diverse group of talented and passionate individuals with deep industry knowledge. They believe that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and actively foster a collaborative environment where they can leverage network effects across the team, portfolio companies, and the larger Allianz organization. This collaborative environment extends to its view of business.
Alpine Ventures
Alpine Ventures focuses on investing in product-obsessed founders across three core themes, all centered around software enablement. They prioritize the quality and user impact of a product over traditional metrics like educational background, prior work experience, or location. Their investment strategy revolves around identifying and supporting founders building innovative software solutions that cater to consumers, prosumers, and small businesses. Alpine's approach emphasizes a deep understanding of user needs and a commitment to building exceptional products. The firm targets sectors where software can significantly improve user experiences and create lasting value. This includes opportunities in consumer tech that enhance daily life, prosumer software that empowers individuals and professionals, and SMB software that streamlines operations for small businesses and freelancers. Alpine believes that software is a powerful tool for driving innovation and creating positive change across various industries. Alpine's investment philosophy is driven by a belief in the power of product-led growth. They seek out companies that are building intuitive, user-friendly software solutions that attract and retain customers organically. The firm looks for founders who have a clear vision for their product and are passionate about creating a positive impact on their users. Alpine's commitment to product-obsessed founders sets them apart and enables them to identify and support some of the most promising software companies in the market.
Amber Group
Amber Group invests in and provides institutional-grade solutions for digital assets, including wealth and asset management, liquidity provision, and infrastructure. They focus on empowering organizations and individuals to navigate the intersection of traditional and digital finance through pioneering technology and regulatory expertise. Amber Labs specifically targets leading Web3 projects across primary markets, fostering global industry growth.
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) accelerator / a16z speedrun
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) operates on the conviction that software is eating the world, focusing on identifying and investing in technology companies poised to become highly valuable. The firm takes a long-term view, believing that the future belongs to builders and aims to provide them with the necessary resources to succeed. They emphasize investing in companies that are helping to achieve a better future. They are optimistic about the future and supportive of entrepreneurs, even in failure. They believe in doing "first class business and only in a first class way", indicating a high standard of ethics and professionalism. They stress truth and honesty in all dealings and consider relationships to be paramount.
Araya Ventures
Invests in exceptional founders globally at pre-seed and seed stages across AI, healthcare, commerce, fintech, and the future of work. Focuses on high-conviction opportunities domestically and globally, with dedicated funds for women-led startups in healthcare, climate, fintech, and deeptech/AI.
Atlantic Vantage Point
Atlantic Vantage Point (AVP) is a venture capital firm that invests in technology companies, bridging perspectives and opportunities between the US/Canada and Europe. They focus on companies operating in critical and fast-growing industries like AI, quantum computing, life and health sciences, robotics, and energy. AVP's investment strategy emphasizes the importance of scaling companies globally, particularly those with heavy R&D and deep tech components. They address the European scale-up gap by providing capital and operational expertise to ambitious founders. They aim to create structural conditions for European companies to achieve global scale, tackling regulatory fragmentation and talent access gaps and fostering cooperation among European investors. AVP's partners bring operational expertise and a risk appetite for innovation, positioning them to identify and scale with the continent's most ambitious founders. They view venture and growth investors as vital for supporting companies with ambition, uncertainty, and rapid technological change, particularly in capital-intensive and long-cycle areas like deep tech. They provide strategic connections across key industries, helping startups scale, recruit, establish channel partnerships, and expand go-to-market strategies in the EU market. The firm leverages its corporate network and access to industry leaders across continents to assist portfolio companies in enterprise transformation. According to the testimonials from portfolio company CEOs, AVP provides support with recruitment, establishing channel partnerships, go-to-market expansion in the EU, and leveraging connections with corporate partners. AVP’s hands-on approach, coupled with strategic insights, makes them a valuable partner for companies seeking international growth, especially in the B2B space. AVP's conviction and product-first mindset are highly valued by founders. AVP actively fosters a collaborative ecosystem by aligning founders, policymakers, and capital providers. They seek to convince long-term institutions that Europe is ready for capital at scale, promoting the building of larger pan-European platforms and aligning policy with private capital.
Augmentum Fintech PLC
Augmentum Fintech PLC is a publicly listed fintech fund focused on backing category-leading European fintech companies in their early stages. Their investment thesis revolves around identifying and supporting companies poised for rapid growth within the fintech ecosystem. They emphasize providing not just capital, but also specialist advice and connections, particularly concerning regulators, policymakers, talent acquisition, and engagement with incumbent financial institutions. Augmentum seeks to be a patient capital provider, leveraging their industry expertise and extensive network to foster innovation and drive substantial growth for their portfolio companies. Augmentum's strategy includes a deep understanding of the fintech landscape, built upon the collective experience of their partners, who have invested in over 100 fintech companies across 16 years. They aim to be more than just investors, positioning themselves as active partners who provide strategic guidance and operational support to help their portfolio companies navigate the complexities of the fintech market. This hands-on approach extends to facilitating connections and providing resources that are crucial for scaling fintech businesses, such as access to talent and regulatory expertise. The firm aims to build long-term relationships with their portfolio companies. By being publicly listed, Augmentum offers a unique structure compared to traditional venture capital funds, potentially allowing for a longer-term investment horizon and greater flexibility in capital deployment. This structure also brings added scrutiny and transparency, aligning the fund's interests with those of its public shareholders. Augmentum's strategy also centers around portfolio diversification across various segments within the fintech ecosystem, including digital banking, asset management, and other emerging areas, aiming to capture a wide range of opportunities within the rapidly evolving fintech sector. Augmentum aims to be a 'go-to' fund for fintech entrepreneurs looking for capital and strategic support, with a team of well-networked and experienced entrepreneurs and investors that have been on both sides of the fence. Augmentum states on its website that this insight into fintech and scaling at pace have been instrumental to portfolio company rapid growth to date.
Azimut Libera Impresa SGR – Azimut Digitech Fund
Azimut is an independent global asset management, wealth management, investment banking, and fintech group serving individuals and businesses. They focus on both developed and emerging markets. Their investment approach appears to incorporate ESG principles, aiming for sustainable growth and responsible governance. Azimut emphasizes a community-oriented approach, engaging with associations, schools, and territorial entities to benefit individuals and communities. A significant portion of their shares is held by individual shareholders and international institutional investors, with a core group of financial advisors, managers, employees, and management holding a substantial stake, creating a strong alignment of interests.
Azimut Venture Capital
Azimut is an independent global asset management, wealth management, investment banking, and fintech group serving individuals and businesses. They are a public company listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, a leader in Italy, and present in 19 countries, focusing on emerging and frontier markets. The firm distinguishes itself through its focus on sustainability, integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles into its investment strategies and business operations. They also prioritize community engagement through Fondazione Azimut Ente Filantropico and social responsibility projects. Azimut emphasizes long-term value creation through a network of financial advisors, investment professionals and a governance structure designed to protect the interests of all stakeholders. A key feature of their ownership structure is that over 1,900 financial advisors, managers, employees, and management are shareholders through a syndicate agreement that controls 22% of the company.
Base10 Advancement Initiative
Base10 invests in automation solutions that empower businesses to scale and operate more efficiently. Their portfolio includes companies leveraging AI, machine learning, and automation to transform industries like fintech, enterprise software, and productivity tools. They also emphasize social impact by donating 50% of their profits to support the next generation of technology founders.
Breyer Capital
Breyer Capital is a premier venture capital investor focused on catalyzing high-impact entrepreneurs. They frame strategic investments anchored by the passion of founders, the insights of their network of world-class investors, and a conviction that artificial intelligence and machine learning will transform technology and investment opportunities globally. They view technology as an enabler, not a replacer. The firm is guided by principles of humility, integrity, and a passion for true long-term risks and bets that can result not only in significant financial returns and outcomes, but in dramatic social impact as well. They have deep passion for social media, entertainment/media, digital health, and financial technologies and care deeply about how artificial intelligence, machine learning, and virtual reality will come to redefine and transform all of these unique spaces.
Bridford Group
Bridford Group is a permanent capital investor based in London and Amsterdam, managing a portfolio of over 30 businesses. They invest their own capital in businesses across various sectors, stages of growth, and countries, with a primary focus on founder-led businesses exhibiting long-term potential. Unlike traditional investment funds, Bridford Group's permanent capital structure allows for a patient, flexible, and long-term approach, fully aligning with founders seeking to build substantial companies. They prioritize highly scalable businesses with the potential for significant growth across multiple countries, particularly those demonstrating a strong element of societal or environmental welfare. Bridford Group backs challengers who can redefine industries, address significant problems, or provide solutions to existing industry bottlenecks and inefficiencies. While their investment history leans towards early-stage companies, Bridford Group is also capable of investing in more mature, growth-oriented businesses. They prefer concepts that have been tested and proven to have a market, are not heavily reliant on external factors for success, possess material organic growth potential, and can operate as stand-alone profitable entities. Their geographical focus is primarily Europe. Bridford Group typically seeks investments that grant them a meaningful minority position in a company, though they are open to taking majority positions. They are able to lead investments or participate in broader financing rounds. Bridford places significant emphasis on the teams they back, seeking founders and management teams with strong determination, effectiveness, exceptional execution skills, and an ambition to generate long-term value. They prefer companies managed by individuals capable of attracting high-quality talent. Bridford Group actively contributes to the development of their portfolio companies through operational support, including corporate development, financial and legal guidance, strategic advice and business development, team-building and hiring, and cross-fertilization with other portfolio companies. They avoid investments in companies with negative environmental or social impacts.
Capital 49
Capital 49 is a venture capital firm that focuses on backing exceptional founders who are building innovative products that challenge the status quo and change the way the world works. The firm is backed by the founders of Airwallex and aims to provide founders with capital and access to a global network. Their investment strategy is rooted in their own experience building Airwallex from the ground up, giving them unique insights into the challenges of hypergrowth. Capital 49 strives to be an unfair advantage for its portfolio companies by providing access to the Airwallex network of potential customers, providers, and advisors, as well as the team's experience in building successful startups. The firm's investment philosophy seems to favor companies that are creating the "economy of the future," with a particular interest in fintech, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and B2B software. Capital 49 aims to support entrepreneurs in navigating the complexities of scaling their businesses by sharing knowledge acquired from growing Airwallex, which now processes $100 billion of payments across 130 countries annually. Capital 49's team brings a wealth of experience from building and scaling startups as well as working in investment banking, private equity, and venture capital. This diverse background provides them with a broad understanding of the challenges and opportunities that founders face. The team's experience at companies like Airwallex, Boston Consulting Group, Bertelsmann Asia Investments, Softbank's Vision Fund, Obvious Ventures, and Monzo provides portfolio companies with access to a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Carbon13
Carbon13 is a venture builder focused on addressing the climate emergency. They believe entrepreneurs will change the trajectory of climate change. The firm builds and backs ventures capable of mitigating at least 10M tonnes of CO2e per annum once at scale. They harness the entrepreneurial spirit by engaging with academia, business, policy makers, NGOs, consumers, new standards and finance. Carbon13 is committed to creating ventures that wouldn't otherwise exist by connecting founders, encouraging those unsure about entrepreneurship, and helping individuals find the right cofounder. They focus on supporting ventures in becoming more resilient and impactful. Their goal is to build ventures that mitigate over 400 million tonnes of CO2e per annum by 2040.
Clear Haven Capital Management
Clear Haven Capital Management focuses on asset-backed credit investments, believing in creating value with real substance. They seek opportunities through a rigorous understanding of fundamentals and a commitment to identifying overlooked potential. They describe themselves as analytical, disciplined, and driven by results, thriving in complexity and partnering with those who share their determination and long-term vision. The firm's strategy involves identifying investable cash flow streams that offer a balance of visibility, predictability, and return potential. They leverage deep domain expertise to craft efficient and effective solutions for both borrowers and investors, aiming to align capital with opportunity and create sustainable value and resilient investment outcomes. They serve borrowers and investors of all sizes through their full lifecycle asset-backed credit platform. Clear Haven delivers balance sheet solutions to support companies through every stage of their growth cycle. They provide individuals, family offices, and institutional investors access to high-quality, asset-backed credit opportunities, creating resilient portfolios designed to perform across market cycles. They tailor investment strategies to provide enhanced yield while aligning with each client’s duration, liquidity, capital, and jurisdictional requirements, especially within the insurance sector. Their purpose is to create enduring value through innovative disciplined credit strategies to empower businesses and investors. The firm has originated over $2.5B in investments, has 30+ active companies, and has been operating for 6+ years.
Companisto
Companisto is an investment network focused on connecting startups and growth companies with business angels and investors. They facilitate venture capital investments in innovative companies and ideas, operating as a fintech company emphasizing lean processes, specialized knowledge, and efficient solutions in online corporate finance. They aim to promote a founding culture in Germany and Europe by partnering with pioneers who demonstrate the urge and determination to explore new paths to success, recognizing that these pioneers often take risks to create great things. Companisto provides a platform where everyday individuals can participate in funding rounds with smaller investment amounts, alongside more significant angel investments.
DeBa Ventures
DeBa Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on discovering, supporting, and promoting founders crafting the future of fintech. They are more than just investors; they aim to be partners in shaping the future of the fintech industry by seeking out passionate entrepreneurs solving real-world problems through innovation. The firm emphasizes a founder-driven approach, leveraging the experience of their team, which includes successful exited entrepreneurs and seasoned fund managers. They provide tailored mentorship and strategic support, recognizing the unique challenges startups face. DeBa Ventures offers flexible investment models and fosters a collaborative partnership through their network of experts and advisors, combined with regular strategic sessions. Their investment strategy is global and prioritizes fintech companies, along with B2B, AI and SaaS, reflecting a commitment to fostering innovation in these dynamic sectors without geographical limitations. They believe in nurturing innovation and building a collaborative journey with visionary founders. The firm's mission is to uncover, nurture, and elevate the entrepreneurs shaping the future. DeBa Ventures distinguishes itself with a unique shared success model, allocating 10% of their profits back to the employees of their portfolio companies, acknowledging their contributions to collective achievements and growth. This policy reflects their belief in rewarding dedication and hard work, creating a mutually beneficial partnership. They measure their achievements by the great entrepreneurs they partner with, highlighting their portfolio's forward-looking companies.
Dieter von Holtzbrinck Ventures
Dieter von Holtzbrinck Ventures (DvH Ventures) is an early-stage investor in Europe, focusing on partnering with passionate founders who are disrupting industries. Since 2014, they have positioned themselves as active investors, managing multiple venture capital funds from their Cologne office. Initially, DvH Ventures focused on publishing-related digital business models, leveraging the media reach of Handelsblatt, Tagesspiegel, and DIE ZEIT publishing groups to support their portfolio companies. They then expanded into fintech and insurtech investments, building a successful portfolio in those sectors. Today, DvH Ventures operates two independent early-stage investment funds. Their Digital Tech Fund (DvH Ventures Fund III) invests primarily in deep tech and education startups. In 2020, they launched a Digital Health Fund (DvH Ventures Fund IV) with a first closing of €70 million, targeting technologies that solve future healthcare challenges across Europe. DvH Ventures acts as a partner with strong entrepreneurial passion, providing expertise and networks to their portfolio companies and founders. They emphasize close and trusting interactions. Their investment approach involves taking lead positions in early-stage rounds, providing not only financial resources but also management expertise and an international investor network. Additionally, DvH Ventures offers a media-for-equity program, granting access to brands like Handelsblatt, WirtschaftsWoche, DIE ZEIT, and Apotheken Umschau to provide portfolio companies with significant reach into target markets. They are always seeking innovative ideas, even outside their defined focus areas, from compelling entrepreneurs. DvH Ventures focuses on building successful investment clusters, including digital health, education, and financial services, while remaining open to digital innovation in areas like artificial intelligence, enterprise software, the Internet of Things, big data, mobility, energy, and the future of work. The firm culture emphasizes working at eye level with founders, celebrating successes, overcoming challenges together, and operating in a fast, unbureaucratic, and highly professional manner. They commit to providing hands-on support for the growth of their portfolio companies with full entrepreneurial commitment.
Digital Ocean Ventures Starter
Digital Ocean Ventures Starter (DOV.VC) focuses on backing early-stage fintech and digital transformation startups, especially those leveraging AI. They seek to invest in companies that are designed for the venture path, exhibiting sharp insights, unfair distribution advantages, or defensible data that compounds over time. They prioritize understanding the founders, the customer pain points, and the business logic under pressure before making an investment. Recognizing that not every good business is suited for venture capital, they exercise selectivity. When they invest, DOV.VC commits time and attention alongside capital, acting as partners and providing skin in the game. DOV.VC believes that venture capital should genuinely help build better companies. They emphasize understanding over speed, opting to spend more time upfront evaluating the people, the problem being solved, and the scalability of the business model. They are comfortable saying no to businesses that might be good but not venture-scalable, focusing on where their capital, time, and partnership can accelerate long-term value creation. They consider themselves partners rather than just capital providers and offer hands-on support to founders through both favorable and challenging periods. This high-touch approach involves significant involvement, attention, and commitment, emphasizing a deep trust and belief in the companies they support. They invest in people they'd want to work with, focusing on real-world problems and businesses with enduring, scalable systems.