Bridge
to scale

STRT Invest is the investment arm of the publicly listed STRT Holding group, which invests in early-stage technology companies in the Central and Eastern European region. The group supports the region's most promising early-stage companies in their global growth and provides practical, modern knowledge to company managers for successful operation. STRT's goal is to create sustainable value for its investors, partners, and the wider community by combining capital and up-to-date knowledge. With close to 100 active startups in the portfolio, STRT is the most active early-stage investor in Hungary and among the most active ones in the region.

Website: https://strtinvest.com/

e2vc is an early-stage VC fund backing Eastern European founders building for global markets, with a strong bridge into the US. We operate between San Francisco and Europe, supporting teams from Pre-Seed to Series A. Our portfolio includes 70+ companies such as Insider, Carbon Health, BillionToOne, and fal.ai, totaling 4 unicorns. Beyond capital, we help founders expand globally through deep US networks, co-investor access, and hands-on soft-landing support via our e2 Nest hub in SF.

‍
Website

At ZAS Ventures, we actively invest small checks ($100–300k) in Ukrainian Founders globally at the Pre-Seed/Seed stage who target US/EU markets (AI/SaaS-focused).

Hard2beat is a Poland-based venture capital firm founded by serial entrepreneurs and technology investors that seeks to invest in early-stage deep tech startups with a clear technological edge, solving hard problems through software-driven or hardware-enabled solutions. Hard2beat's mission is to support ambitious founders who are determined to achieve long-term business goals and sustainable company growth against all odds. 

Flyer One Ventures (F1V) is a venture capital fund that invests in startups from Central and Eastern Europe, particularly from Ukraine, at the Seed and Series A stages. It is the first Ukrainian fund to have raised investments simultaneously from the IFC and the EBRD. In addition to capital, F1V provides startups with operational support in hiring, PR, sales, marketing, and fundraising.

Underline Ventures is a founder-driven fund, that partners at the earliest stages with Eastern European founders building high-growth startups with global ambitions. We underline founders.

Presto Tech Horizons is backed by a unique partnership between the VC firm Presto Ventures and the industrial and technology group CSG (Czechoslovak Group). The investment fund shall support dozens of the most promising tech projects from NATO countries and allied nations. Presto Tech Horizons is primarily interested in companies whose solutions leverage advanced technologies to create a safer future: defense tech, resilience tech, deeptech, and dual-use tech.

‍

With a target size of €150 million, the fund will support projects that enhance the safety of not only individuals – their lives, health, data, and privacy – but also the security and resilience of institutions, businesses, states, and infrastructure. It is the largest European fund with this sector experience and expertise.

We find and back extraordinary immigrant founders in the UK who are building in the B2B software space. Being immigrants ourselves, we speak your language — our mission is to help you achieve your full potential in the UK and globally. We support UK-based or UK-focused founders with SEIS/EIS funding at the Pre-Seed and Seed stages. Our focus is on B2B software, but we are sector agnostic and open to international founders. We believe in the power of immigrant founders — a self-selecting group that achieves outsized success yet is often overlooked by investors at early stages. It’s time for that to change.

1991 Ventures is a London-based £15M Venture Capital Fund that invests in mission-driven founders from CEE and Ukraine, providing pre-seed and seed funding of up to $500,000.

Blackwatch Ventures is a venture capital firm headquartered in London and Valletta, focused on early-stage (Seed and Series A) investments in technology companies operating across public safety, homeland security, intelligence, defence, and cyber security.

Linkedin

Bridging Silicon Valley to CEE.

We are a US venture capital fund investing 100k–1M USD in early stage startups in Central & Eastern Europe and diaspora. We invest in software startups with the primary focus on software development tools, gamedev and AI. We love to work with serial entrepreneurs with a global vision who aim to build leaders in their industries.

‍

Neulogy Ventures is a Bratislava-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology startups in Central and Eastern Europe. The fund supports innovative founders building globally scalable products, with a strong emphasis on software, deep tech, and life sciences. Beyond capital, Neulogy Ventures provides hands-on support in strategy, fundraising, and international expansion to help startups reach their full potential.

Website

At Tilia Impact Ventures, we support visionary founders tackling the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.

Our €30M seed-stage impact VC fund empowers bold entrepreneurs across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). But we’re more than investors—we’re long-term partners, providing hands-on support at every stage. With half of our fund reserved for follow-on investments, we’re in it for the journey.

Website

Tenity is a global early-stage venture fund investing in high-potential fintech, insurtech, and Web3 startups shaping the future of finance. Tenity provides capital, strategic connections, and hands-on support to help founders scale internationally. With offices in Zurich, London, Singapore, Madrid, Tallinn, and Istanbul, Tenity bridges global innovation hubs to accelerate the next generation of financial technology leaders.

Website

At Big Pi we bring a well-rounded perspective to tech investing - having experienced the journey from every angle. Big Pi team members have helped build tech companies from zero to global; developed groundbreaking technology with unique IP and global impact; invested across diverse industries & tech subsectors, sizes and stages; advised businesses & shareholders, from securing early and growth stage fundraising across the capital structure to executing rollup strategies, large scale M&A and multi-billion-dollar IPOs.

Our team has worked through booms and crises, with small and large enterprises across the globe. We have also demonstrated  time and again that Greece and the Southeast European region (including their diaspora) can provide fertile terrain for technology companies serving international markets, thanks primarily to exceptional talent and cost-effective operating hubs - themes that we are systematically further building on. We invest out of our two funds (early stage and growth) both our capital and expertise, helping entrepreneurs & businesses navigate their paths to success.

Website

J&T Ventures is a venture capital firm managing over €90 million across three funds, with its third fund launched in December 2024. The firm invests up to €3 million in early and growth-stage technology companies across Central and Southeastern Europe and the Baltics, with a focus on innovative sectors. With more than 30 investments across seven countries and five successful exits, J&T Ventures continues to support high-potential startups on their growth journey.

Website

Povilas Urbonas is a seasoned innovation strategist and ecosystem builder, with extensive experience nurturing early-stage ventures across the tech and sustainability sectors. Currently leading growth initiatives and partnerships at the nexus of public policy, corporate innovation, and startup acceleration. He excels in designing high-impact programmes that connect talent, capital and ideas to drive systemic change.

Daniel Kulig is a startup mentor and advisor helping founders worldwide enter and grow in the US market. With over 20 years of experience in business across the US and Europe, he combines corporate finance expertise with hands-on startup mentoring. Since 2018, he has guided hundreds of tech startups in refining their business models, market strategies, and investor pitches. Daniel’s focus is on practical growth, market entry readiness, and building global business confidence.

Taavi Tuisk is the founder of Ringy, one of the fastest-growing startups in CEE, focused on creating innovative and sustainable solutions for the circular economy. Previously, he served as a Management Board member at Estonia’s largest waste management and recycling centre, where he helped drive operational excellence and industry innovation. With over 15 years of experience, including leading a company with 100+ employees, Taavi brings deep expertise in the circular economy, sustainability, and business growth.

Lyubov is a Founding Partner at Blue Lake VC, investing in exceptional immigrant founders building globally from the UK. Co-founder of Oasis, a London-based hub and community for international founders, investors and operators. Passionate about unlocking immigrant talent, building inclusive ecosystems, and supporting early-stage entrepreneurs with cross-border ambitions.

I am a highly accomplished strategy, growth, and innovation leader with extensive experience in business transformation, consulting, venture building, and sales. My expertise spans multiple industries, with a proven track record of expanding businesses into new markets and building high-performing teams. I have held key leadership roles in several companies, consistently exceeding expectations and achieving significant growth. my skills encompass business development, digital products creation, sales process optimization, operational excellence implementation, and fundraising. I am also active in the startup ecosystem, serving on various boards, mentoring entrepreneurs and supporting VCs in their scouting and investment process.

As an entrepreneur, I also established few companies, both of his own and as a venture builder. My educational background includes an MA in Modern Middle Eastern Studies, Political science and multiple professional certifications in areas such as Lean Six Sigma, strategic management of innovation, venture capital and leadership.

An experienced leader who has built and scaled numerous startups. My strong suits are business strategy, finance, go-to-market strategy, data driven decision making. I have served a CFO and COO role in multiple startups, and currently I am offering strategic consulting to startups and scaleups, as well as building my own startup in the marketplace space.

30y in IT business, serial entrepreneur. Done angel investing, moved to angel syndicate VC, business advisor for private clients, mentor in dozen of European startup accelerators. Last venture is addressing global pain in regards of finding and keeping right people to grow startups/organisations faster.

Professional and serial entrepreneur with over a decade of international experience in technology, marketplaces, and business development. He led global initiatives at Amazon, including launching and scaling the Service Provider Network in Mexico and Europe, and founded one of Latin America’s first circular-economy startups. With a background in finance and economics, and having studied and worked across Mexico, the US, UK, and Poland, he brings a strong analytical foundation and deep strengths in product strategy and innovation. He is currently focused on building in the AI space.

Lawyer focused on tech deals and commercial contractsRunning Ventures'n'Law, the oldest continually active law firm brand dedicated exclusively to tech companies in Romania and a future venture studio focused on compliance tools for SMEsFormer community manager in the space of fintech and legaltech.

Ahmad Piraiee is a venture builder and startup advisor with over 20 years of experience in innovation, acceleration, and market entry across Europe. As CMO at freshmango, he supports early-stage startups and corporate partners through tailored growth programs, community-led events, and investment readiness. Ahmad is also the Director of Startup Grind Warsaw and curator of Techstars Startup Digest, playing a key role in shaping the Polish startup ecosystem. His approach blends strategic clarity with hands-on execution, helping founders turn bold ideas into sustainable ventures.

Matthew Scheepers is a behavioural scientist and founder of Get Prept. His work draws on psychology, neuroscience, and related fields to understand how people communicate and make decisions under pressure. He previously worked with Fortune 500 companies on strategy, change initiatives, and negotiations, and now helps early-stage founders prepare for high-stakes fundraising.

Delia Necula is an experienced mentor for early-stage founders, with involvement in programs like InnovX and Founder Institute. Combining corporate leadership and entrepreneurial expertise, she helps startups refine their business models, design growth strategies, and become investor-ready.

🇪🇺 #EU Startups Scout, Mentor, Investor. 🚀 Specializes in the CEE founder mindset, founder-investor alignment. ex-WeWork Labs Manager, ex-Bolt. 🎓 My PhD and articles explore coworking spaces, corporate accelerators, and the evolution of startup ecosystems in Europe. Sociologist with Executive MBA.

A former VC turned operator, Savina now leads growth at a manufacturing scale-up, drawing on her experience investing in and supporting startups across all stages, where she honed her expertise in portfolio strategy and financial modelling. Having co-founded a drone tech spinout, she brings a deep understanding of the founder journey and remains committed to mentoring entrepreneurs on scaling their ventures.

Gunce Onur is General Partner at Startup Wise Guys - the leading early-stage VC fund in Eastern Europe with more than 450 portfolio companies. Between 2016-2018, Gunce Onur worked for Keiretsu Forum Angel Investor Network and helped 12 startups to raise more than 3 million dollar angel investment in total. Between 2018-2019 managed a portfolio of 60 startups in StartersHub Early Stage VC Fund. Since 2019, Gunce Onur has been part of the Startup Wise Guys Investment team and since 2021 invested in 155 startups as GP. Before her career in the startup ecosystem, she worked for an R&D department in a bank that is part of UniCredit. She has a degree in Chemical Engineering and Computational Science and successfully finished the VC Unlocked invite-only VC training program run by 500 Global and Stanford University.

Gunce Onur is running masterclass and VC Academy programs to support entrepreneurs and investor candidates, also advising new VC funds in emerging markets.

Akhil Menon is the founder of notNULL, working with top incubators and accelerators backed by major investment banks. He is a 3x founder with 1x exit and has raised several million in venture funding. Akhil has guided founders in investment readiness, fundraising, and market expansion, running masterclasses and bootcamps to help startups scale. He has also worked with leading venture builders including Nesta’s Mission Studio, Antler, and Entrepreneur First. With experience on both sides of the table, he brings a unique perspective on building strong, lasting founder–investor relationships.