UNIIQ
UNIIQ invests in research-driven startups in Zuid-Holland, focusing on scalable, impactful solutions in deeptech, life sciences, and hightech. It provides convertible loans and hands-on mentorship to accelerate market entry and subsequent funding rounds, with a strong track record of securing follow-on financing (80%+ within 3 years).
University of Tokyo Innovation Platform (UTokyoIPC)
UTokyo Innovation Platform (UTokyoIPC) is the first investment firm wholly owned by the University of Tokyo, established in 2016. It aims to foster an innovation ecosystem originating from academia by supporting startups from creation to growth. The firm seeks to translate research and knowledge from the University of Tokyo and other research institutions into societal impact, creating new industries and value. They believe that innovation requires collaboration between researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, and government, leveraging the strengths of each to implement research outcomes and generate sustainable value. UTokyoIPC provides financial support and management assistance to university-based startups, fosters communities for entrepreneurs and researchers, develops collaborative programs with industry, and partners with international innovation hubs. This comprehensive approach aims to increase the number and growth rate of university-launched startups, enabling them to achieve both domestic and international recognition. They are evolving from a traditional investment company to an ecosystem builder, offering not just funding but also industry-academia collaboration and talent development programs to nurture the next generation of innovators. The firm's mission is to create an environment where researchers and entrepreneurs can confidently pursue their ventures, translating academic knowledge into societal applications and industrial advancements. This process encourages talent development, capital circulation, and the emergence of new challenges. UTokyoIPC aims to be a foundational company that supports the long-term growth of university-driven innovation, striving to create a societal base that cultivates the seeds of challenge into future achievements. Their focus lies in addressing societal challenges through deep tech ventures in areas like climate change, natural disasters, aging populations, food shortages, and energy crises.
Unovis Asset Management
Unovis Asset Management focuses on impact investing in purpose-driven food entrepreneurs. They aim to find, fund, and foster solutionary ideas globally, from disruptive start-ups to global conglomerates, sharing a vision for a well-fed and sustainable world. Their investment strategy involves sourcing opportunities, building collaborative global partnerships, connecting source funding, and establishing lasting partnerships, providing fundamental support from seed stage onward. They empower companies that are redefining how to sustainably feed the planet by funding innovations along the alternative protein production value chain. They focus on innovations in Protein R&D (Crops, Seeds, Microbes, Yeast, Fungi, Algae, Biomatter, Recombinant Proteins, Cultured Proteins, Tailored Fats, Allergen-Free Functional Ingredients and other Novel Ingredients), Product Development (Blending Culinary Arts with Food Science, Re-Envisioning Traditional Dishes, Crafting Winning Recipes), Protein Manufacturing (Biomass Fermentation, Precision Fermentation, Protein Isolation and Formulation, Shear Cell Processing, Ingredient Upcycling), Food Manufacturing (Layering, Extrusion, Food Processing, Dehydration, Spinning Fibers, 3D Printing) and Consumer Goods/Foodservice (Disruptive Brands, Innovative Distribution Models, Sustainable Packaging). Impact is the bedrock, measured by UN Sustainable Development Goals, ESG mandates, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Animal welfare.
Unruly Capital
Unruly Capital positions itself as a venture capital fund that operates differently, offering transparency through its public web dashboard. The firm seems to have a broad investment mandate, participating in diverse sectors such as Health, BioHealth, and Climate. They are actively deploying capital, having invested $19.6M out of a $23.9M fund across 73 investments. Their investment activity is relatively recent, indicated by the listed transactions up to January 2026. The firm publishes a manifesto that indicates a contrarian and independent spirit. Given the range of co-investors, Unruly Capital is likely willing to participate in syndicated deals with established firms. The data presented indicates an investment approach that is active and responsive to emerging opportunities. The dashboard publicly shares fund statistics, recent transactions, and visual representations of investment categories, investments per quarter, top investment locations, co-investors, and current portfolio companies. This transparency is core to their "doing things differently" approach. Given the sector information available (Climate, BioHealth, Health) and portfolio companies (Beyond Aero, Deep Science Ventures, Renaissance Fusion), it seems the fund has some inclination toward deep tech and impactful ventures. The fund's co-investors are impressive, showing that Unruly Capital is able to attract high-caliber capital allocators. Further research would be needed to flesh out all aspects of the fund's investment strategy.
Utrecht Health Seed Fund
Utrecht Holdings Seed Fund (UHSF) invests in science-based startups originating from or closely linked to Utrecht University (UU) and University Medical Centre Utrecht (UMCU). The fund builds upon the success of the UtrechtHealthSeed Fund (UHSF I). Their primary aim is to translate scientific research into broader societal impact by providing early-stage funding to innovative companies. They are committed to supporting ventures that address pressing challenges in healthcare and sustainability, with a focus on creating impactful solutions leveraging cutting-edge research and technologies from UU and UMCU. The fund's investment strategy reflects the research strengths of its investors, primarily focusing on Life Sciences/MedTech, Digital Innovation, and Sustainability. UHSF seeks to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial application by providing crucial seed funding to spin-offs and startups that have demonstrated a clear potential for scalability and positive impact. They are actively looking for opportunities where the innovations are deeply rooted in scientific breakthroughs. The fund invests in companies located in the Netherlands, particularly those connected to the Utrecht ecosystem. They are especially interested in innovations coming from and linked to Utrecht University and University Medical Center Utrecht. The firm intends to foster an environment where early-stage ventures can thrive by providing not only financial backing but also leveraging the vast network, knowledge base, and infrastructure of Utrecht Holdings, Utrecht University and UMCU. The goal is to advance translational science, fostering the growth of innovative businesses and contributing to economic development in the region. UHSF is managed by Utrecht Holdings, the Knowledge Transfer Office of the UU and UMCU, further cementing the alignment with the strategic research priorities and ensuring a close relationship with the source of innovative technologies. The fund seeks to create an ecosystem where academic research can be translated into tangible benefits for society and is actively involved in nurturing and mentoring companies in the early stages. They operate with a collaborative mindset, partnering with other investors and stakeholders to maximize the chances of success for their portfolio companies.
VP Venture Partners
VP Venture Partners is a Zurich-based VC firm focused on supporting early-stage life science companies in Europe. They aim to significantly impact the European life science ecosystem by providing not only financing but also hands-on support through building, coaching, and assisting startups from the pre-seed or seed stage to exit. Their investment philosophy revolves around a hands-on approach, offering deep due diligence, relationship building, and intensive coaching even before investment. The firm prioritizes deep tech life science companies, specifically within human life science ventures, including medical devices, digital health, and diagnostics. They explicitly exclude therapeutics and drug development from their investment scope. Their investment decisions are driven by areas of unmet need with a high potential patient impact, coupled with the presence of dedicated, motivated, and skilled teams with a passion for bringing their product to market. VP Venture Partners emphasizes collaborative, data-informed decision-making grounded in scientific evidence. They are willing to take interim C-level positions and board positions to provide operational, entrepreneurial, financial, and scientific experience. Their due diligence involves challenge retreats to build strong relationships and provide actionable feedback, indicative of their commitment to working closely with their portfolio companies. Ultimately, VP Venture Partners seeks to generate a big impact for both patients and founders by offering comprehensive support and strategic guidance throughout the startup's journey, thereby fostering growth and success within the European life science sector.
Value Creation Capital
Value Creation Capital (VCC) is a venture capital firm that focuses on building great technology companies, acting as an investing entrepreneur in the Deep Tech sector since 2005. They operate as hands-on investors, leveraging a wide network of technology experts to support their portfolio companies. VCC targets Deep Tech companies operating in B2B markets, investing in both start-ups and scale-ups. They provide seed capital and Series A funding to ambitious companies, primarily focusing on those located in and around the Netherlands for start-ups and Western Europe for scale-ups. VCC's investments are centered around key enabling technologies such as Optics & Photonics, Nano technology, Robotics, Extended Reality, Advanced sensing, and AI software. These technologies are applied to address significant societal themes including Healthy Life, Energy and Materials reduction, and Security & Safety. The firm's investment strategy revolves around partnering with companies that have the potential to create a significant impact on society through technology. Their portfolio highlights a successful track record of investing in over 40 tech companies with a focus on AI software and High-Tech since 2005.
Venture Stars
Venture Stars is a Munich-based venture capital firm that focuses on early-stage investments in innovative, digital B2C and B2B business models. They specialize in pre-seed and seed investments, supporting bold founders who are shaping the future. With a serial entrepreneurial background, Venture Stars brings hands-on experience in founding and scaling startups, enabling them to offer not just capital, but strategic guidance and operational support. Before becoming a VC fund, Venture Stars operated as a company builder, co-founding market-leading startups with significant revenue and profit, and securing substantial funding. Their investment philosophy focuses on founders first, taking a boutique approach by investing in a selected, high-quality portfolio to fully support the companies to successfully develop.
Verb Ventures
Verb Ventures focuses on identifying and supporting ambitious entrepreneurs with game-changing ideas, specifically in the B2B and marketplace space. They aim to grow late seed and series A stage companies into industry leaders by leveraging their dynamic team of experienced professionals, global network, deep sector knowledge, and entrepreneurial approach. They seek to back action-takers modernizing global trade by investing in companies that are driving transparency, efficiency, and digital transformation in complex B2B markets. They have a particular interest in marketplaces and B2B platforms that connect buyers and sellers and facilitate transactions, enabling innovation and growth.
Verod Capital Management
Backing high-growth, management-driven companies in West Africa with potential to become dominant, sustainable enterprises. Focus on tech-driven sectors (FinTech, Logistics, HealthTech, EdTech, Software) via venture capital, alongside traditional private equity investments.
Vesalius Biocapital
Vesalius Biocapital invests in young, innovative European life science companies, with a focus on companies active in human health. They target companies with sound proprietary technology, corresponding IP, unique team skills, and a clear competitive edge based on solid data. They act as lead investors in the majority of their financing rounds, and invest in all stages of development, including relatively early-stage projects. They offer venture capital to help build companies based on a sound business case, optimize business plans, provide introductions to other venture capital players and leading healthcare companies, assist with hiring, and aid in exit optimization. Vesalius Biocapital's investment strategy is focused on three areas: therapeutics, medical devices, and diagnostics. They invest progressively in their portfolio companies and commit up to €10 million in a single portfolio company over several rounds of financing, with the possibility of smaller seed investments. They take an active role in their investments by leading or co-leading investments and holding a board seat. Their companies are based in Europe allowing for easy interaction with management.
Voima Ventures
Voima Ventures focuses on funding top scientific deep tech ventures in the Nordics and Baltics. Their mission is to solve major global problems by combining science-driven innovation with entrepreneurial experience and value-adding capital. They aim to help founders scale global solutions for people, the planet, and industry. They invest in companies with ideas and technology that requires time and courage to build, ranging from pre-seed stage and technology spin-offs to leading Series A (and even Series B) rounds. Voima Ventures backs companies addressing challenges across various sectors, including advanced manufacturing, imaging & optics, IoT & electronics, life sciences, new materials, quantum & AI, and sensing & diagnostics. They look for ventures with the potential to create a significant positive impact on a global scale. They express a commitment to being a diverse team of growth entrepreneurs and investors, suggesting that they bring both entrepreneurial insight and investment expertise to their portfolio companies. Voima Ventures seeks to offer more than just capital, aiming to be a partner in scaling innovative solutions.
Volve Capital
Volve Capital invests in ambitious founding teams backed by ex-entrepreneurs, providing capital and operational support to drive meaningful impact alongside financial returns. Focused on BeNeLux, DACH, and Nordic regions, with a generalist tech approach and alignment with SDGs.
Walerud Ventures
Walerud Ventures focuses on Nordic, deep tech, pre-seed projects that contribute to a sustainable future for the planet. They aim to be the first investor and "last cofounder," suggesting a high level of involvement and long-term commitment to their portfolio companies. The firm seems to take board positions in many of their portfolio companies.
Weekend Fund
Weekend Fund focuses on investing in early-stage startups, particularly at the pre-seed and seed stages, although they consider investments between rounds and occasionally lead SPVs in late-stage companies with high conviction and unique access. They look for founders with a strong vision to shape the future, especially those capitalizing on consumer behavior or technology shifts. The fund is less concerned with resumes and more interested in founders demonstrating a bias toward action and unique market insights. Their investment approach is not dogmatic, and they are open to various industries, with a particular interest in companies benefiting from emerging consumer or technological trends. Weekend Fund supports founders by respecting their time, avoiding unnecessary meetings, and focusing on specific needs and goals, as outlined in their Founder Manual. They leverage a collective of over 350 founders and operators, providing support in areas like product, community building, and GTM strategy.
WiSeed
WiSEED is a crowdfunding platform enabling individuals to invest in real estate and startups/SMEs. The platform focuses on providing access to innovative projects and simplifying investment decisions through its technology. It highlights its experience since 2008, emphasizing careful analysis of projects based on sector-specific expertise, and aims to diversify investor portfolios through investments in obligations and shares. WiSEED makes investment accessible to a wide audience by allowing investments starting from €100. The firm acts as a digital partner offering investments tailored to investor needs and objectives. They aim to democratize access to investment opportunities in sectors like real estate and startups. The platform provides investors with detailed project descriptions and clear analysis to aid in their investment choices. The company has facilitated significant investment and repayments, demonstrating its track record. WiSEED offers investment opportunities in two primary sectors: crowdfunding in real estate and startups/SMEs. Real estate investments offer potential returns up to 12% annually, with target durations between 18 and 36 months. Startup and SME investments offer returns based on the investment instrument, with durations ranging from medium to long term. WiSEED emphasizes the risks associated with investing in non-listed securities, including the potential for partial or total loss of invested capital and illiquidity. The platform features testimonials from investors and mentions its presence in financial news outlets, seeking to reinforce its credibility and trustworthiness.
Work-Bench
Backing founders building the next generation of applied AI and infrastructure software in NYC, with a focus on customer understanding, distribution, and go-to-market (GTM) strategies as competitive moats. NYC-biased but open to founders anywhere who aim to win customers in the region.
YC
Y Combinator (YC) is a seed accelerator that invests $500,000 in every company it selects, aiming to help startups achieve significant growth within a three-month program. The core objective is to assist startups in improving their product, expanding their user base, and securing more funding options. YC fosters an intensive environment where founders are highly motivated and benefit from access to YC partners, alumni, speakers, and investors. The YC program runs four times a year, in the winter, spring, summer, and fall, and is designed to bring out the best in founders, enabling them to achieve more than they initially thought possible. YC provides a structured program that includes group and one-on-one office hours with YC partners, focusing on the specific needs of startups at different stages. It also offers a platform called Bookface for founders to connect, seek advice, and share knowledge. Key events during the program include a 3-day in-person kickoff and weekly talks by successful startup founders, providing candid insights into the early stages of their companies. The program culminates in Demo Day. YC's investment is structured as $125,000 on a post-money safe in return for 7% of the company and $375,000 on an uncapped safe with a Most Favored Nation (MFN) provision. Beyond funding, YC emphasizes building a strong community among its founders, fostering a collaborative environment where alumni support is an increasingly valuable resource.
Yellow
Yellow.vc is a pre-seed venture capital firm that focuses on backing ambitious European founders. They aim to be more than just a capital provider, offering a strong network, operational experience, and a collaborative approach. Yellow.vc invests in extraordinary founders with bold and disruptive ideas, without necessarily requiring extensive data at the pre-seed stage. They are particularly interested in leveraging their network across Southern Europe, an area they see as underserved by other investors, to help founders unlock its economic potential. Their approach is centered around being a scaling co-pilot, sharing the lessons they've learned from their own entrepreneurial journey, including founding and scaling Glovo to a +€2 billion exit. This experience allows them to understand the nuances of building a business that non-founder VCs may miss. They emphasize giving back to the ecosystem and supporting founders through the challenges of scaling. Yellow.vc also positions itself as a non-traditional VC buddy, leveraging their experience within international VCs to help founders navigate the VC landscape. They meet founders early in their journey and provide guidance, and are willing to collaborate with other seed funds, both European and international. Their goal is to be a valuable partner to founders throughout their pre-seed journey, offering not only capital but also strategic guidance and access to a powerful network.
Yellow Accelerator by Snap Inc.
Based on the provided website content, Yellow Accelerator by Snap Inc. appears to be an initiative focused on supporting early-stage companies that align with Snap Inc.'s mission to empower people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. The accelerator likely seeks to invest in and nurture companies that can leverage Snap Inc.'s technologies, such as Snapchat, Spectacles, and Lens Studio, or that can enhance the user experience within Snap Inc.'s ecosystem. The strategy seems to revolve around fostering innovation in visual messaging, augmented reality, and related fields. Considering that Snap Inc. is a major player in these areas, the accelerator likely aims to identify and support startups that can complement and expand Snap Inc.'s offerings. While the provided data is limited, it is reasonable to infer that the program seeks companies that are building novel experiences or tools for communication, entertainment, and learning. The strategic alignment with Snap Inc. suggests a focus on technologies and applications related to mobile, camera-based interactions, and user-generated content. Yellow Accelerator likely provides funding, mentorship, and access to Snap Inc.'s resources to help these early-stage companies accelerate their growth. The program's value proposition is likely strengthened by the ability to provide insights, data, and distribution channels through Snap Inc.'s existing user base and platform. The accelerator potentially leverages Snap Inc.'s existing infrastructure and technical expertise to accelerate the development of cutting-edge technologies and solutions. It is intended to be mutually beneficial, offering startups the resources to scale their businesses while simultaneously providing Snap Inc. with visibility into new trends and opportunities in the market. This dual purpose could result in potential acquisitions or long-term partnerships between Snap Inc. and successful portfolio companies.
YellowRockets
YellowRockets focuses on helping corporations launch acceleration programs, pilot technological solutions, and organize educational initiatives tailored to specific business needs. They aim to bridge the gap between established companies and innovative startups by providing expertise in corporate development and innovation. Their approach involves creating and implementing corporate development and innovation programs, offering online courses for entrepreneurs, organizing hackathons, developing internal accelerators, scouting projects, and managing pilot programs. They facilitate the integration of external technologies into corporate environments, assessing the effectiveness of these integrations and identifying new revenue streams. Their services cater to corporations, development institutions, and investors, emphasizing innovation discovery, startup development, and investment opportunities.
Yolo Investments
Yolo Investments is a fund manager investing in companies innovating and disrupting the norm in the iGaming, Fintech, and Crypto sectors. They look for 'truly outstanding people with bright ideas' and leverage over a decade of experience in building world-class iGaming products and services. They aim to make a difference by supporting companies that are changing the landscape of these industries. They deploy capital into late seed, series A and growth stages.
ZAKA Ventures
ZAKA Ventures is a seed & pre-seed VC fund that primarily invests in the US and Europe. They focus on backing founders with a global ambition, bridging the gap between North America and Europe. The firm concentrates on startups within the Health & Biotech and Industrial Tech verticals. They have invested in 88 companies across 5 continents, with 4 exits and 1 unicorn to date. They appear to seek entrepreneurs building startups with high growth potential in the United States and Europe.
a16z Scouting Fund
a16z was founded in 2009 on the belief that software would fundamentally transform the world and that the most successful technology companies would become immensely valuable. The firm operates on a platform model, providing founders with a comprehensive team of operators across various functions, including marketing, talent, legal, and policy, to support them at every stage. Their investment team comprises former founders and operators with experience in building successful companies, offering firsthand knowledge of the challenges entrepreneurs face. a16z's investment strategy is centered around identifying and supporting builders who are shaping the future. They aim to provide these builders with the resources and support they need to succeed. The firm emphasizes long-term relationships and operates with a commitment to integrity, honesty, and keeping their word. a16z emphasizes investing in entrepreneurs to help achieve a better future and avoids public criticism of any entrepreneur or startup. They believe in taking a long view of relationships and prioritize truth and honesty in their interactions. The firm's philosophy extends to its internal culture, where actions are valued over beliefs. The firm emphasizes clarity about its values and expectations of team members. a16z takes inspiration from James Pierpont Morgan's approach to business, prioritizing respect for the entrepreneurial process and providing timely, substantive feedback to founders, even in cases of rejection. The firm invests across various sectors, from seed to growth stage, focusing on technology companies. The firm also actively produces content and engages with various forms of media to communicate and share big ideas.