*The list was updated in 2023.*
Central and Eastern Europe was perceived as the hottest startup hub in Europe, attracting local and global investors, leading to a prominent rise in new accelerators, VC funds, a growing number of unicorns, and the availability of early-stage funding in the region.
And as with many other countries reviewed in our series (e.g. Estonia, Latvia, or Slovakia), Czech Republic has also taken a great lot of steps to make the country attractive for outside capital. Take for example a widespread availability of investment aid, job creation grants and 10-year tax relief for newfound companies. Therefore it’s no surprise that this country draws more and more venture capital firms.
To discover more VC funds check out our VC list - a complex database of the best early-stage venture capital funds investing in innovative startups across different verticals. Read More.
So without further ado, let’s find out about Top VC funds from the Czech Republic investing in early-stage startups!
Credo Ventures
Geography: Central Europe
Preferred industries: IT, Internet and Health
Investment ticket: €50k - €10M
Company stage: from Seed to Series B
Credo Ventures is a VC focused on early-stage investments in technology companies from Central Europe, with a special preference for those working in IT, Internet and Health areas. Apart from investing sums of €50k to €10M, the fund is also actively supporting its portfolio companies in the expansion into the US and other global markets. Their portfolio consists of more than 50 startups and includes, among others: UiPath, Excalibur, and Productboard.
ZAKA Ventures
Geography: CEE
Preferred industries: Energy, Utilities, Retail, Hospitality, Travel, Real-Estate, AI and Mobility
Investment ticket: €50k - €500k
Company stage: seed and pre-seed
A yet another fund on our list, Slovak ZAKA Ventures has recently relocated to Prague and is on the lookout for bold founders from the CEE region who are building businesses across all sectors and industries. As former startup founders themselves, ZAKA's team can very well help you develop on all aspects of your business such as marketing, sales, product and more. The firm's portfolio includes but is not limited to GitGut.ai, Readmio and nay.sk.
J&T Ventures
Geography: Europe
Preferred industries: Sector-agnostic with a preference for: FinTech, PropTech, Retail, IoT/IoE, and Industry 4.0.
Investment ticket: €250k - €2.5M
Company stage: from Seed / Series A
J&T Ventures is a Prague-based early stage VC fund with €40M worth of assets under management. The fund invests up to €2.5M in promising early-stage startups seeking a seed or series A rounds from Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic region, and Scandinavia. Apart from funding, J&T Ventures provides its portfolio companies with expertise in business expansion, as well as a strong, global network of industry experts and advisors. Among the fund’s portfolio startups you can find well-recognized companies like Yieldigo, Born Digital AI, as well as Robotiq AI.
Lighthouse Ventures
Geography: Europe (mainly the Czech Republic)
Preferred industries: Technology
Investment ticket: up to €2.3M
Company stage: Seed
Lighthouse Ventures with its headquarters located in Prague, is both a venture capital firm and an accelerator. With its €24M under management, Lighthouse Ventures provides early-stage technology startups with the financing dedicated to developing impactful ideas. The fund invests up to €2.3M into European-based startups with strong value-creating operations in the Czech Republic. Apart from direct funding, portfolio companies can benefit from synergies and cooperation with leading Czech startup hubs, tech partners and tech universities.
Presto Ventures
Geography: Central and Eastern Europe
Preferred industries: sector agnostic
Investment ticket: up to €3M
Company stage: Seed (occasionally Pre-seed/angel rounds)
The Prague-based Presto Ventures is a VC fund focused on seed investments of up to €3M. The fund is open to various industries while looking for promising technology startups as well as talented CEE-based founders. In addition to the investment, Presto Ventures also supports its portfolio with networking opportunities, business development, and following-up in the next investment rounds. Fund’s portfolio consists of over 15 startups among which we can find globally recognised names like: Intiaro, IP FABRIC, and Yieldigo.
Kaya Ventures
Geography: Central and Eastern Europe
Preferred industries: sector agnostic
Investment ticket: from €100k up to €3M
Company stage: pre-seed/seed/series A
Kaya VC is a fund that stems from Enern Investments — a regional financial group formed in Prague in 2010. Kaya aims to close the capital gap on the early-stage VC market by providing growth capital to pre-seed and seed startups from Central and Eastern Europe. The fund has more than €70M under management and invests in all types of companies with global potential. The group has already built a portfolio of many interesting startups where, among others, are: Docplanner, Booksy, and Accomango.
Impulse Ventures
Geography: Central Europe
Preferred industries: Sector-Agnostic
Investment ticket: undisclosed
Company stage: from Seed to Series A
Impulse Ventures is a VC fund with a hands-on approach which engagement aspires to reach far beyond its monetary investment and network. As a group of investors, founders, and multi-faceted experts, the Impulse Ventures team is willing to engage with its portfolio without concern for investment horizon, strict rules, or any other limitations. As of today, the firm focuses on investing in companies ranging from seed to series A and some, though not all, of their success stories include: Mall.cz, Kiwi.com and Centrum.cz.
Air Ventures
Geography: Europe
Preferred industries: sector-agnostic
Investment ticket: from €200k and up to €2M
Company stage: from late Seed to Series A
Air Ventures is a VC firm with a focus on early-growth European startups. The team usually looks for late seed to series A companies across all industries while giving preference to businesses having reasonably sized ARR. Air Ventures typically invests from €200k to €2M, frequently combining the marketing and financial expertise of its partners who were also founders themselves before. Some of their investments include InsightArt, Cross Network Intelligence and The Greenest Company.
Koopeo Ventures
Geography: Central and Eastern Europe
Preferred industries: Internet and mobile applications, cloud services, e-commerce and affiliate marketing
Investment ticket: ranging from €200k and up to €500k
Company stage: Early stage
A yet another Prague-based fund focused on promising CEE-based companies with high-growth potential that have global ambitions. An experienced, mature VC firm dating its founding to 1995, Koopeo Ventures would be a good choice for Internet companies working on cloud services, ecommerce or mobile applications. Among a select group of their investments, you can find Precisimo, Trifft and KeyGuru.
Y Soft Ventures
Geography: Central and Eastern Europe
Preferred industries: B2B Hardware and Software
Investment ticket: undisclosed
Company stage: Early stage
Our next VC - Y Soft Ventures is a corporate arm of Y Soft, a multinational Czech Hardware and Software company interested in building and growing companies targeting B2B markets. Expectedly, no timing is wrong for Y Soft that is willing to both incubate nascent business ideas within its startup studio, as well as invest and support the growth of already existing companies across Central and Eastern Europe related to their field of expertise. Among their investments, you can find NenoVision, Comprimato, and Sensoneo.
Nation 1 VC
Geography: Central Europe
Preferred industries: Sector-Agnostic
Investment ticket: From €20k to € 1.5M
Company stage: Seed and Pre-Seed
Another VC from our list - Nation 1 VC is a €35M firm that focuses on Central European startups with global ambitions. Along with its offices spread across the continent and an active startup accelerator, Nation 1 VC has all it takes to start and grow a company into a world-class business. The companies the fund has invested in include a.o. Buildiro, Precismo and Snuggs.
Reflex Capital
Geography: Central Europe
Preferred industries: Sector-Agnostic
Investment ticket: undisclosed
Company stage: Early-stage
Last but not least, Reflex Capital, is an early-stage fund manifesting its thesis and focus in the very name of the firm. To be brief, the team tries to make decisions based neither on industries or particular business models but rather, on gut feeling and alignment of values with the founders. As ex-entrepreneurs themselves, the fund team members are a great value add for the prospective portfolio companies. Some of their investments include Wavepaths, Productboard, and AliceTechnologies.
DEPO Ventures
Geography: Europe with CEE and the Baltics focus
Preferred industries: blockchain, e-commerce, fintech, IT, healthtech
Investment ticket: €50k – 300k
Company stage: pre-seed, seed
DEPO Ventures, founded in 2016, is a venture capital fund and an international angel investor network known as Angel Syndicate. They focus on investing in European tech startups, typically providing around €100k to companies valued up to €3M. Their portfolio includes investments in Augmented Robotics, Kardi AI, and DriveX. DEPO Ventures primarily supports promising technology entrepreneurs in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic regions, managing DEPO Angel Funds and the DEPO Angels investor syndicate.
Tensor Ventures
Geography: CEE, UK
Preferred industries: AI/ML, IoT, sustainable tech, quantum computing, blockchain fintech, aerospace
Investment ticket: Undisclosed
Company stage: seed, Series A
Tensor Ventures, founded in 2018 in Luxembourg, and based in Prague, is a venture capital firm focusing on deep tech startups. VC has made 18 investments, notably in AI, IoT, sustainable tech, quantum computing, and aerospace. The firm operates primarily in the CEE and UK regions, participating in seed and Series A funding rounds. Tensor Ventures offers not just funding but also key connections to Silicon Valley and Asian VC ecosystems. Recent investments include Qc82 and Bioo
Rockaway Capital
Geography: DACH, CEE
Preferred industries: e-commerce, e-travel, media, fintech, blockchain
Investment ticket: Undisclosed
Company stage: Multi-stage
Rockaway Capital, founded in 2013 by Jakub Havrlant, is a multi-stage investment firm focusing on e-commerce, e-travel, media, fintech, and blockchain, mainly in the DACH, CEE, and Balkans regions. Known for its active management approach, Rockaway's portfolio companies achieved over EUR 2.5B in sales in 2019 and employed over five thousand people across 17 European countries. With 58 investments, including recent ones in Campiri and DoDo, the firm is committed to digitizing traditional industries while adhering to environmental, social, and governance principles.
Longevitytech.fund
Geography: Global
Preferred industries: biotech, neurotech, agetech, regenerative therapies, longevity-related AI
Investment ticket: Undisclosed
Company stage: Pre-seed to Series A
Longevitytech.fund, located in Praha, specializes in early-stage investments worldwide, focusing on extending healthy human lifespan. With over 40 investments, including in Remedium Bio, MitoRx Therapeutics, and Sampling Human, the fund targets the rapidly growing longevity industry, projected to reach $27 trillion by 2026. Investments cover areas like therapeutics, diagnostics, and industry accelerators, from seed to Series A stages. The fund's strategy combines a deep understanding of science and market risks, with a network-based investing approach in collaboration with leaders in the longevity field.
Springtide Ventures
Geography: Europe and Israel
Preferred industries: cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, AI/ML, blockchain
Investment ticket: $1M-$10M
Company stage: Seed, Series A,B,C
Springtide Ventures, established in 2014 as part of KKCG Group, invests in early-stage startups in Europe and Israel, with recent investments including NetOp CLD, Source Defense, and OpenLoop. Operating from Prague, Tel Aviv, and Boston, they focus on SaaS companies in Cyber Security, Cloud Infrastructure, AI/ML, and Blockchain, typically investing between one to ten million US dollars. As a subsidiary of KKCG, Springtide supports projects through multiple funding rounds and offers strategic guidance, team-building support, and partnerships with KKCG's IT service group, Aricoma. They prioritize integrity and ethical standards in their investments and seek these qualities in the entrepreneurs they support.
Pale Fire Capital
Geography: Czech Republic
Preferred industries: Sector agnostic
Investment ticket: €400k-€2M
Company stage: Early stages
Pale Fire Capital, founded in 2015 in Prague, is a private equity firm that nurtures technological innovation across various industries. Focused on startups with global potential, the firm offers financial and strategic support for business expansion, especially into foreign markets. Recent investments include Valuo Technologies and Daytrip. Beyond profit, they emphasize societal benefit and are actively seeking talented individuals for roles in their projects, promoting meritocracy and professional growth. Pale Fire Capital tailors its approach to each venture, helping businesses scale and overcome challenges in new markets.
Inven Capital
Geography: CEE
Preferred industries: cleantech, smart energy, IoT
Investment ticket: €2M-€30M
Company stage: Seed
Inven Capital is a venture capital fund focusing on cleantech and smart energy in the European new energy sector. Backed by ČEZ and the European Investment Bank, the fund has EUR 240 million for investing in growth-stage startups. They target companies in energy efficiency, distributed generation, energy IoT, and clean transportation. Inven Capital seeks late-stage opportunities with proven business models, providing active support and building strong investor consortia. Their unique benefits include piloting on customer and asset bases and access to a significant energy trading desk. A notable recent investment is Zolar.
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