OXO Labs
OXO Labs is a pre-seed venture studio headquartered in Hungary, with a growing presence across Central Europe. They are part of the O3 family, bringing together entrepreneurial heritage, regional and European insight, and practical investment experience to help founders transform ambitious ideas into globally scalable companies. Their mission is to empower the next generation of Hungarian and Central European founders by combining capital, know-how, and a high-touch, partnership-driven approach. They aim to raise the bar in the region by supporting startups that aspire to build at international standards of quality and execution. OXO Labs runs programs that facilitate and mentor early-stage tech projects using lean strategy principles. They also support and fund projects to boost growth and market entry. Their acceleration programs may cover pre-seed and seed funding, aiming to produce MVP-level products, test product-market fit, and prepare subsequent funding rounds, including inviting co-investors. They emphasize tailored support, including mentoring, marketing and go-to-market strategy development, and sales advisory. They also provide founders with access to an extensive network of industry experts and investors. The firm invests in founders who aim higher than the local market and build with global standards from day one. They look for quality, ambition, and scalability in potential investments. The application process involves startups submitting a pitch deck and relevant information through their website. The team reviews the materials and invites promising projects to a video interview. Successful interviews are followed by in-person meetings to better understand the founders, product, and motivations. If both parties are aligned, OXO Labs begins preparing legal documentation and contracts to finalize the investment. Beyond financial backing, OXO Labs prides itself on hands-on knowledge from investors, founders, and operators, providing practical tools, proven methods, and real insights from real markets. Their operations team ensures a smooth and supportive founder journey from the initial conversation to validation, investment, and beyond. The firm participates in hybrid crowdfunding as a lead or co-investor and operates as a qualified incubator under the EU state aid regime.
Oxford Capital Partners
Oxford Capital Partners invests in high-growth, early-stage companies across the UK, focusing on backing exceptional founders with innovative ideas and disruptive technologies. With over 25 years of experience, they have invested over £500 million in over 100 companies, providing capital from pre-seed to growth stages. The firm emphasizes its ability to identify and support entrepreneurial successes from their earliest stages to later growth, making them a valuable partner for startups seeking to scale. They aim to provide individuals, families, and institutions with access to high-potential investment opportunities. Their strategy is centered around identifying and nurturing disruptive technologies and business models, particularly in sectors that benefit from the knowledge cluster around Oxford. They look for companies with strong growth potential and the ability to scale, offering both financial investment and strategic support. Oxford Capital offers products and services that enable individuals, families, and institutions to participate in and benefit from investment opportunities. Oxford Capital positions itself as a partner to founders, providing not just capital but also expertise and access to a valuable network. They are based in Oxford, leveraging its unique ecosystem to find and support innovative companies across the UK. Their commitment to early-stage ventures and their experience in guiding companies through various growth stages make them a prominent player in the UK venture capital landscape. They operate through funds such as their EIS (Enterprise Investment Scheme) funds, offering tax advantages to investors, while directing capital to UK-based startups. Oxford Capital targets sectors driven by innovation, like technology, science and AI driven businesses.
Picuscap
Picus Capital is a global investment firm that seeks to identify and invest in promising business models and founding teams, irrespective of their geographic location. They provide comprehensive market understanding and strategic support to their portfolio companies from early stages, often participating in multiple rounds from pre-seed to Series B and beyond. They emphasize a hands-on approach, offering support in areas such as talent acquisition, fundraising, internationalization, and navigating complex financing challenges. The firm looks to establish close partnerships with founders, acting as a sounding board and offering guidance based on deep industry knowledge. Their portfolio companies highlight the firm's consistency, conviction, and thoughtful support throughout their journeys. Picus demonstrates a commitment to rolling up their sleeves to tackle challenges hands-on, contributing strategic insight and operational support. Picus Capital's investment strategy focuses on identifying companies with the potential to become category-defining players. They appear to have a particular interest in supporting companies that are building at the forefront of technology and are willing to invest early and consistently in promising ventures. Their global approach allows them to identify and support innovation across diverse markets and industries. Recent news indicates a focus on AI, developer platforms, and energy, suggesting a continued emphasis on disruptive technologies and sustainable solutions. The firm's closing of Picus Venture Fund II at €250M indicates a significant commitment to continuing its investment strategy.
Polymatter Invest
Polymatter Invest is a business angel club that invests in pre-seed and seed rounds for French entrepreneurs with global ambitions across any sector. They aim to act as a sparring partner with a team-oriented approach, providing support to talented entrepreneurs during the crucial early stages of their companies. Their investment strategy focuses on providing initial capital and guidance to help companies establish a strong foundation for future growth. Polymatter Invest is specifically targeting pre-seed and seed stages, positioning themselves as one of the first institutional investors in promising startups. They are sector-agnostic, indicating a belief in backing strong teams and innovative ideas regardless of the specific industry. The firm's geographic focus on French entrepreneurs suggests a localized approach, leveraging networks and understanding of the French startup ecosystem to identify and support promising ventures. Their team-oriented approach implies a hands-on involvement with their portfolio companies, aiming to be more than just capital providers. They act as sparring partners, offering guidance, support, and mentorship to help navigate the challenges of early-stage company building. This active involvement is likely a key component of their value proposition to entrepreneurs seeking not only funding but also strategic support and operational expertise. The portfolio showcases an emphasis on SaaS business models with some presence in marketplaces and hardware, and emerging fields such as LegalTech and InsurTech. The listed exited companies also provide credibility, showing their ability to pick winners and guide them toward successful outcomes, either via mergers/acquisitions or continued growth.
Sharpstone Capital
Sharpstone Capital operates as both a financial advisory and a pre-seed/seed stage investor, primarily focusing on technology companies. Their strategy involves providing comprehensive financial support to startups, beginning with guidance on public funding for innovation and international development, extending to private financing options. They emphasize a "smart money for smart people" approach, aiming to assist tech companies from creation to IPO. Sharpstone aims to be a one-stop-shop, supporting companies from all tech to deep tech. The firm seeks to actively engage in building the financial strategies of their portfolio companies, adapting to their maturity phase from Seed to Scale-Up and IPO readiness. They want founders to focus on team, product and customers, and state they will build the financial strategy together.
Skyfall Ventures
Skyfall Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on Nordic tech startups. They seek companies with explosive growth potential, operating in sectors that are undergoing a tectonic shift due to major market changes, new technologies, or shifts in customer mindset. They emphasize 'catching the right wind' or 'riding a huge wave.' The firm is sector-agnostic, but areas of interest include artificial intelligence, energy tech, blockchain, robotics, and cybersecurity. Skyfall's investment strategy centers around backing 'fearless founders' who are building in the face of transformative opportunities. They invest at the earliest stages, typically pre-seed and seed, and are often the first institutional investor on the cap table. They are comfortable with high uncertainty as long as the ambition is large enough. This includes backing teams before product-market fit and sometimes even before product. Their approach combines early capital with operational experience, aiming to support founders from day one. The team emphasizes speed and agility as competitive advantages for startups, believing that momentum is crucial for survival. Skyfall highlights the importance of founders leading their businesses, while they provide support and believe founders know their business best.
Likeminded.vc
Likeminded.vc is an early-stage venture capital firm that operates as an invite-only collective of business angels and active founders working together in a venture capital fund structure. Founded in 2021, the firm aims to be the early-stage investor they wished they had when they were founders. They focus on providing VC-sized tickets with angel-like domain expertise, sourcing investment opportunities through their network of +30 partners to invest in promising early-stage tech startups. A key element of their strategy is matching investments with sector-specific knowledge from within their collective. The firm is dedicated to working closely with portfolio companies, providing guidance and support as they grow. Likeminded.vc is a generalist investor, open to opportunities across various tech-enabled sectors. Their investment approach involves writing initial checks of approximately 1.5 million DKK (200k EUR), primarily targeting early-stage and pre-seed startups. They are geographically focused on the Nordic region. The fund intends to add 18 new startups to their portfolio, further expanding their collective. Likeminded's investment strategy is centered around leveraging the diverse expertise and experience of its +30 active and former founders. This collective brings a wealth of operational knowledge and industry-specific insights that can be directly applied to support their portfolio companies. Their structure allows them to make informed investment decisions and provide meaningful guidance to founders as they navigate the challenges of building and scaling their businesses.
Outlast Fund
Outlast Fund backs disciplined founders building enduring companies, long after trends fade, markets shift, and their vision becomes inevitable. They are proud generalists with zero tolerance for empty trend-chasing, demonstrating a commitment to long-term value creation over short-term gains driven by fleeting trends. They focus on supporting companies with the potential to withstand market fluctuations and achieve lasting impact. Their investment strategy centers around pre-seed and seed stage companies in the Baltics and Nordics. They are flexible in their approach, willing to lead or follow investment rounds, but committed to active involvement in supporting their portfolio companies. They are not passive investors, but actively engage with the teams they back to provide guidance and resources. The fund emphasizes a right-sized fund to maintain an early-stage focus, allowing them to experiment, provide follow-on funding, and remain involved without being spread too thin. They prioritize investing the necessary capital at the early stage to enable companies to build, test, and prove real traction. Furthermore, they reserve significant capital for follow-on investments, indicating a commitment to supporting successful companies as they scale. Operating with offices in Riga and Stockholm, Outlast Fund aims to provide its portfolio companies with access and localized support across the Baltics and Nordics. This dual presence suggests a strong understanding of the regional ecosystems and a commitment to fostering growth within these markets.
Mountside Ventures
Mountside Ventures is positioned as a leading accelerator and advisory firm in Europe, focusing on optimizing the fundraising process for both startups and investors. They aim to be the first point of contact for founders and funds seeking capital, operating across the entire venture value chain from pre-seed to growth stages. Their approach involves offering accelerator programs, providing interim CFO and fundraising advice, and connecting startups with a network of venture capital firms, family offices, and corporate venture capital firms. They also work with venture capital funds, accelerating fund managers and identifying promising managers for Limited Partners, in addition to building connections for Family Offices. Mountside Ventures focuses on supporting ambitious entrepreneurs to become the next generation of technology leaders. Their model revolves around leveraging their experience from building early-stage startup propositions at Big 4 firms, indicating a deep understanding of the challenges faced by early-stage companies. They claim to have advised startups that have raised over £500m with a combined valuation of £3bn. The firm's strategy seems to be two-fold: direct support to startups through fundraising advisory, and also through acting as an intermediary between startups, VCs, LPs and Family Offices. They run free accelerator programs funded by corporates, VCs and government organisations. For more mature companies they offer interim CFO and fundraising support and growth equity advice and debt advice. The firm claims to have facilitated over £210m in funding for their clients. Mountside Ventures appears to be a hybrid model, combining accelerator, advisory and placement agency services, all focused on facilitating the flow of capital within the European startup ecosystem. They are also a B Corp.
Philipp Angermann
PA Ventures GmbH, led by Philipp Angermann, focuses on early-stage fintech and B2B SaaS startups. As an angel investor and startup advisor, Philipp leverages his experience in product management, B2B marketing, B2B sales, and operations to support portfolio companies. His investment strategy centers around providing not only capital but also hands-on guidance to help startups navigate the challenges of early growth. He aims to connect them with a strong network of fellow angel investors, VCs, and family offices for subsequent fundraising rounds. Philipp also runs the PA Foundation to support non-profits and is committed to sustainability by offsetting his carbon footprint through Leaders for Climate Action.
Prequel Ventures
Prequel Ventures focuses on empowering sustainable supply chains by investing in visionary founder teams building resilient, efficient, transparent, and sustainable supply chain solutions. The firm combines operational startup experience and venture capital expertise with a passion for the supply chain industry. They aim to provide financial backing and operational support to transform the inner workings of global trade. Their goal is to fund related startups from the pre-seed stage onwards, helping innovative teams turn their business ideas into financially viable ventures that align profits with principles. Prequel Ventures takes a purpose-driven approach to investing, emphasizing a commitment to building a greener and stronger tomorrow, one supply chain solution at a time. The firm seeks to invest in companies that are at the forefront of positive change within the supply chain sector. They are interested in startups that are driving innovation and creating a more sustainable and efficient future for global trade. Their primary focus is on empowering supply chain pioneers right from the initial stages, specifically pre-seed stage, recognizing the importance of early-stage support. They aim to scout and invest in teams throughout Europe, targeting those who they believe will become champions of industry. They combine over three decades of experience as investment specialists with a common drive to transform the inner workings of global trade.
Ugly Duckling Ventures
Ugly Duckling Ventures (UDV) focuses on backing Nordic founders at the pre-seed and seed stages. Their investment strategy centers around providing capital, know-how, and real-world application to early-stage ventures. They aim to be active GPs, leveraging their experience as builders and business angels to help startups scale rapidly. UDV emphasizes building relationships with founders, valuing transparency, and offering straightforward communication. They take a hands-on, operational approach, actively engaging with their portfolio companies to prepare them for growth. A key differentiator is their GPs-only model, ensuring that portfolio founders work directly with experienced partners rather than junior account managers. Furthermore, their established network within the Danish startup community provides access to investors and resources that can assist portfolio companies.
Concept Ventures
Concept Ventures invests in early-stage startups with a focus on unconventional, high-conviction ideas. They prioritize founders with strong domain expertise and a clear vision, often backing them before broad market validation or traction. The fund emphasizes 'first-cheque' investments and supports founders through the pre-seed and early stages with tailored, founder-centric backing.
Emerge Education
Emerge Education is a pre-seed fund focused on democratizing access to opportunity by investing in early-stage founders building the future of work and learning. The firm aims to be a catalytic partner, providing not only capital but also access to a community of 100+ experienced operators in the future of work and learning space. Their investment approach centers on identifying ambitious founders with a desire to learn from those who have successfully navigated similar challenges, supporting them on their journey to becoming global category leaders. The firm believes in providing hands-on support and being mission-aligned with their portfolio companies from day one. Emerge Education's strategy involves leveraging its extensive network of venture partners, covering a wide range of skills, business models, and customer types relevant to the future of work and learning. By connecting portfolio companies with these experienced operators, Emerge aims to accelerate their growth and increase their chances of success. This community-driven approach is intended to offer early-stage companies valuable insights and mentorship that goes beyond traditional financial investment. They seek pre-seed and seed founders who are building innovative solutions that will shape the future of how people learn and work. The fund is committed to supporting companies with the potential to scale and become global leaders in their respective categories. Emerge Education positions itself as more than just a source of capital; they aim to be a true partner, offering strategic guidance and operational support through its network and dedicated team.
WePlay Ventures
WePlay Ventures is a Gaming VC focused on supporting pre-seed and seed-stage gaming studios in Europe, Central Asia, and Turkey. They aim to power the future of gaming through strategic capital, their extensive network, and deep industry expertise. They go beyond traditional investment by actively partnering with studios, offering an acceleration program (WePlay HUB) and a smart money model to drive growth. Their approach involves functioning as teammates, providing support in all aspects of the studio's journey. WePlay Ventures invests in early-stage gaming studios across all platforms and genres, providing up to $300k with 15% equity. They utilize the WePlay HUB, a 3-month acceleration program, to provide studios with resources, events, and introductions to key partners. This program includes interactive business and technical workshops, as well as 1:1 mentorship led by industry leaders. The firm also operates WePlay Starz, a digital platform that connects investment-ready studios with partners, mentors, and potential collaborations. Their core philosophy revolves around providing value beyond capital. The firm leverages its wide network across different sectors and acts as a first mover in the region. Their team possesses significant experience in both gaming and startups. Their 'Smart Money' approach involves actively supporting game studios, and they offer a flexible and fast investment structure, making them active partners in the studios’ success.
Accelerace
Accelerace positions itself as the leading pre-seed investor and startup accelerator in the Nordics and Baltics. They aim to be the first stop for founders, regardless of their background, who are building promising startups and scaleups in Europe. They provide pre-seed funding and access to a lifelong founders community, Accelerace Allstars, which helps founders prepare to raise seed funding and connects them with successful alumni mentors. Their strategy involves co-managing accelerator and mentoring programs across Europe for startups in various industries and stages, as well as facilitating corporate matchmaking to benefit both startups and established companies. Accelerace's value proposition is centered around not only providing capital but also offering comprehensive support through mentorship, community, and strategic partnerships. The Allstars network, comprised of founders from companies like Templafy, Penneo, and Coinify, serves as a key differentiator, providing valuable guidance and connections to the next generation of founders. They facilitate investment readiness, aiming to improve the chances of startups securing funding and navigating the complexities of scaling their businesses. Their investment strategy seems to encompass active portfolio management, guiding companies through various stages from pre-seed to subsequent rounds. They also focus on helping portfolio companies secure follow-on funding. Accelerace also has partner programs which provides acceleration, matching corporations with startups. The firm's focus is not only on monetary investment but on creating an ecosystem of support and resources for early-stage startups to thrive within the Nordic and Baltic regions. Accelerace operates with a long-term view, building a supportive community for founders that spans their entire entrepreneurial journey. By leveraging their extensive network and experience, they aim to increase the success rate of startups and contribute to the growth of the Nordic and Baltic startup ecosystems. Their strategic emphasis on pre-seed funding and access to a robust network signals a commitment to nurturing early-stage companies and positioning them for long-term success.
CB Investment Management
CB Investment Management (CB IM) operates with the vision of becoming a growth catalyst for thriving startups and SMEs, believing they are the backbone of Europe’s future prosperity. They aim to provide not only capital but also valuable know-how to help businesses succeed. CB IM focuses on seed and pre-seed businesses based in Slovakia, supporting them with funding and leveraging their team's experience in finance management, investment banking, and venture capital. The firm actively seeks startups and SMEs to invest. CB Investment Management Growth One fund was founded in 2019 and has a fund size of €23.2M. They have invested in 32 companies and operate with a 10-year lifetime, with the potential for a 3-year extension. CB Investment Management is associated with Crowdberry, which has been involved in investments in startups, SMEs, impact investing, and real estate projects in Slovakia and Czechia since 2015. The firm's investment strategy focuses on providing both financial resources and strategic guidance to portfolio companies, assisting them in expanding domestically and internationally. They emphasize building a strong network to create opportunities for their investments, and provide experience and capital.
Luminarventures
Luminar Ventures is a pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital firm based in the Nordics. As former founders and angel investors, they aim to help visionary founders turn big ideas into trailblazing companies. They provide capital and support to help founders navigate product-market fit, rapid growth, and international expansion. Their experience and networks guide and support founders on their journey from vision to hyper-growth, including assistance with key hires, first products, and crucial decisions towards global scale. Luminar Ventures emphasizes a hands-on approach and a shared passion for building disruptive, scalable solutions. They are generalist investors but seem to have a strong focus on B2B SaaS and data businesses, as well as companies in Green Transition and Digital Health.
Sarona Ventures
Sarona Ventures is a global venture capital firm and tech ecosystem founded in 2019, headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, with a significant presence in New York, San Francisco, the UK, UAE, and Singapore. They back exceptional founding teams with strong execution capabilities who are shaping the future of business. Evolved from the tech investment arm of the Bouaziz Single Family Office, their combined portfolio includes seven billion-dollar unicorns. They specialize in identifying and supporting promising pre-seed to Series B companies, working with them to create lasting impact. As entrepreneurs themselves, they invest their own capital alongside that of their LPs, creating a greater alignment of interests between their companies, LPs, and the fund. Sarona operates with deep attention and a strong emphasis on growing a strong, immersive, accountable ecosystem of entrepreneurs, talent, investors, and multinational corporations. Sarona maintains a balanced portfolio across stages, geographies, and verticals, investing Pre-Seed to Series-B across Israel, the US, Europe, and Latam in a wide range of software-centric verticals. Their selective LPs and co-investors include global families, corporate funds, partners of the world’s leading VCs, and unicorn founders. With a focus on identifying, backing, and growing extraordinary founders, they support their companies with their selective professional network to achieve their goals and drive innovation globally. Sarona Partners has an edge in discovering early traction startups, grace to our first-hand deal flow from co-investors, LPs, portfolio companies, founders.
innoWerft
innoWerft operates as an early-stage investor and startup accelerator, focusing on B2B high-tech startups. They provide support in fundraising, sales, and other challenges faced by startups. As a StartupBW pre-seed support partner and long-standing accelerator, innoWerft aims to assist startups by acting as a co-investor, early-stage investor, and sparring partner. The firm's vision is to enable founders to overcome societal challenges with innovative solutions. Their mission is to support outstanding founders by developing customized strategies and connecting them with suitable customers and capital. They emphasize sustainable value creation, exits for reinvestment, future-oriented thinking, trust-based collaboration, and responsibility. innoWerft's team encompasses a wide range of skills, from startup experience to financial and coaching expertise. They offer tailored support to startups, companies, and investors, emphasizing diversity, efficient working methods, and passion in their work.
AFI Ventures
AFI Ventures is an impact-focused venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies with a dual ambition: purpose and profits. They operate as a "Day-One Impact Launchpad" for European entrepreneurs, bridging the gap between economic growth and positive impact. AFI combines an equity-free accelerator program (AFI Factory) with a pre-seed and seed fund (AFI Ventures), offering a comprehensive support system for startups. AFI Ventures believes that innovation is a powerful tool for positive evolution and is committed to supporting companies that are building sustainable business models with a positive impact on society and the environment. They aim to accelerate the emergence of tomorrow's leaders and groom the next generation of success stories in the impact sector. The firm is powered by La Ruche, Ventech, and Abeille Assurances, leveraging their expertise and resources to provide a strong foundation for their portfolio companies. They seek out startups that address critical challenges in areas like climate change, social inclusion, and sustainable development, driving both financial returns and measurable social and environmental outcomes.
APX
APX is an earliest-stage venture capital firm based in Berlin and backed by Axel Springer and Porsche. They invest in pre-seed startups from Europe and beyond, often as their first investor. Their focus is on partnering with ambitious founder teams building startups with digital business models. They aim to be a long-term partner, indicating a commitment beyond initial investment. The firm emphasizes a growing family of startups, highlighting a community-focused approach to venture capital.
Alliance For Impact (AFI)
Alliance for Impact (AFI) is a European Day-One Impact Launchpad focused on bridging the gap between purpose and profits. They aim to fast-track the emergence of tomorrow's leaders and support the next generation of impact-driven entrepreneurs. AFI combines equity-free acceleration through AFI Factory with first-ticket seed funding through AFI Ventures. AFI Factory is a 6-12 month acceleration program for growth-stage impact startups seeking funding. AFI Ventures is a pre-seed & seed impact fund investing in 1 to 2 companies per month. AFI believes innovation is a tool for positive evolution, building a sustainable balance between economic growth and positive impact. They consider innovation as a source of opportunity for creating new, sustainable, and impactful business models that benefit society and the environment. The firm is powered by La Ruche, Ventech, and Abeille Assurances, indicating a strong network of partners and resources available to the startups they support. AFI focuses on supporting companies within specific sectors, aiming to create a positive societal and environmental impact alongside financial returns. The firm's manifesto emphasizes the belief in innovation as a driver for sustainable and impactful business models.
Araliventures
Arali Ventures partners with audacious founders rewriting the future of enterprise technology. They invest early, typically at the pre-seed and seed stages, partnering with founders from the initial idea stage through signing early customers. They describe themselves as 'ScaleFounder first | Operator led. | Compounding impact.' offering candid feedback delivered with respect and context. They emphasize deep work on product, customers, and markets, avoiding shallow insights. They value speed of learning through rapid iteration and are committed to long-term trust-based relationships with founders. Arali focuses on businesses that are "workflow-first," with an expanded operator network and a strong understanding of repeatable go-to-market patterns. The fund actively helps fintech founders sharpen business models, understand unit economics, and develop distribution plans. They also support founders on pricing, metrics, and investor readiness, especially for businesses selling into regulated institutions, emphasizing partnerships and clarity of narrative for complex buyers. The firm assists early-stage teams with customer discovery, Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) clarity, and go-to-market iteration. They emphasize turning early signals into actionable plans, focusing on positioning, messaging, and a sustainable execution cadence. Core to their approach is prioritizing clarity on the customer and the fundamental wedge to build upon. They work with teams on pipelines, pilots, and reference-building. They are hands-on when it comes to enterprise deals and helping teams establish the operating cadence needed for long sales cycles. For companies in industrial and regulated domains, they help teams navigate complex buying centers, operational rollouts, and strategic partnerships. The VC firm is particularly useful on sharpening the “why now,” packaging the wedge, and building momentum from lighthouse wins. They provide assistance with key hires, pricing strategy, go-to-market planning, and partnerships, as well as pressure-testing ideas and acting as a sounding board.