Product readiness: 3. Prototype for early customer use

Karma Ventures

Karma Ventures invest into early-stage deep tech software in Baltics, Nordics, and in especially strong cases also elsewhere in Europe.

They’re looking for companies with technological advantage. Doesn’t have to be IPR, but something valuable and very hard to imitate. They look for companies with traction, first clients validating the demand, but in exceptional cases pre-revenue can also be considered.

In terms of sectors, life sciences are not their focus, but deep tech B2B health software can be interesting.

They prefer to lead, co-lead or invest solo.

Contrarian Ventures

Contrarian Ventures is a European fund investing into companies transforming the energy sector, including where and how it is used, with an emphasis on sustainability. They are also interested all energy tech, e-mobility, automation, AI, hydrogen, energy grids, and energy storage. They have an especial liking for software and hardware-enabled software.

They focus on B2B, but are interested in especially strong B2C and B2G cases as well.

The partners have extensive expertise and networks in energy and its associated sectors in addition to startups and venture capital. They have a singular focus on helping the best energy-related startups succeed.

They prefer to lead or co-lead in deals. They’re an active investor, seeking to add value through their network, expertise and services for all portfolio companies. They often look for a place on the board, at least as an observer. Their HQ is in Vilnius with partners based in London and other key European cities.

Helen Ventures

Helen Ventures is the €50M energy CVC fund of Helsinki energy company Helen. Their investments are connected to energy: production, storage, transmission, usage, saving, carbon neutrality, digital and other operational solutions for a large energy company, and related solution areas like mobility and circular economy.

Wave Ventures

Wave Ventures specializes in millennial solutions, but not exclusively. In terms of sectors they look at everything except games and pharma. Their investment focus is further described here: https://link.medium.com/tXSCKREFN4

They prefer contacts at team@wave.ventures.

Iron Wolf Capital

Iron Wolf Capital invests in EU, with a focus on Baltics and nearby countries.

They prefer deep tech and other solutions with solid, defensible competitive advantage and teams that can show ability to sell the current solution (traction, e.g. crowdfunding sales).

Their preferred channel for new contacts is partners@ironwolfcapital.com.

SpeedUp Venture Capital

SpeedUp invests in companies that have a connection with Poland. This can come in many forms within 5 years after the investment, for example R&D or sales.

Most of their investments are in B2B, B2B2C and SaaS companies. B2G is possible in cases with strong indications of ability to sell and scale.

It’s common for them to be the only investor in the round, but they’ll be happy to lead or co-invest as well.

SpeedUp has two funds with different investment criteria.

Larger fund

Ticket size €600k – 1M, sweet spot 750k, maximum total allocation per company 5M.

Product type: Any tech except pharma, very rarely also Marketplaces (connection with e.g. energy, IoT, industry, smart manufacturing, cleantech)

Revenue: €100k/y or more.

Product readiness level: Product or Scaling

Valuation: Max €10M

Smaller fund

Ticket size €200k-250k, sweet spot 250k, maximum total allocation per company 250k (no follow-on).

Product type: Any tech that has an R&D component. No marketplaces. Pharma is possible.

Revenue: None or any.

Product stage: Proof of Concept, Prototype or Product.

Valuation: Max €4M

The company’s requirements for a connection with Poland are more strict.

General information

The information below is generated automatically from the investor’s overall information in our database, which doesn’t separate between different funds of the same investor.

Apex Ventures

Apex Ventures is a deep tech fund headquartered in Vienna. Their home markets are the German-speaking DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). They’re happy to lead investment rounds into companies from these countries and co-invest in companies from elsewhere in Europe.

Inventure

Prefer companies with revenue but have invested in strong pre-revenue companies as well. Most investments have a valuation €5-25M and typical tickets are €400k or more.

Especially interested in B2B and B2C companies in Automotive, IoT, Health, SaaS and Fintech fields.

Maki

Maki is an early-stage industry-agnostic global fund from Finland. Their main geographical focus is developed Europe, especially Northern Europe.

They look at all kinds of companies, especially those with scientific advances and customer understanding. This includes strong deep tech and/or brand-driven cases.

They invest also in very early stage, if the team and case is especially promising.

Voima Ventures

Voima Ventures funds research-based deep technology. Pharmaceutical technology is interesting, drug development is not. Content (e.g. game) development is also not interesting, but related technology is.

They collaborate closely with universities and innovation service providers, for example universities’ internal innovation services.

They prefer to co-invest or lead. They seek a board seat when investing. In early stages they prefer to be actively involved in the management of the company.