1. Home
  2. Companies
  3. 500 Emerging Europe
5E

500 Emerging Europe

About

500 aims to help the talented entrepreneurs of the region in building explosive businesses. Our mission is to back defensible technology companies fueling talent arbitrage and help create global powerhouses.

Emerging Europe is a hotbed for talent.

Thanks to the region’s highly skilled human capital, all of the unicorns from Emerging Europe target global markets from the get-go! Bridging these ecosystems globally, creates an opportunity for many more.

Similar companies

EG

Early Game Ventures

We are an early-stage venture capital firm investing in companies that jumpstart new industries in the emerging markets of Europe. Investment thesis Infrastructure for innovation We invest in startups that build the infrastructure for innovation and jumpstart new industries by breaking vicious cycles. The root of all evil Vicious cycles are endemic in emerging ecosystems - they are the byproduct of systemic deficiencies and make it difficult or even impossible for the emerging ecosystem to grow and develop. Example of such a vicious cycle at work in Central and Eastern Europe: the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is slowed down by the lack of the charging infrastructure; conversely, the charging infrastructure is not being built because of the lack of the EVs to use it. Because of their systemic origin, breaking such vicious cycles is a capital-intensive and a long-term endeavor - the kind of task a VC fund is both qualified and responsible to assume. On a high note - the root of all evil is where the promise of venture returns lies. A (technological) leap of faith Emerging ecosystems are strong enough to leapfrog existing technologies and adopt the solutions of the future. It happened in the past (see LTE adoption in Africa/India leapfrogging classical landlines) giving birth to a breed of companies that created their own markets. These startups are the backbone of the future ecosystem populated by dependent/client third parties. Opportunities A brave new world B2C - The rising billions In 2000, 6% of the world population was connected to the internet. In 2010, online adoption increased to 23% or 2 billion people connected. In 2020, more than 66% of all people will have online access. That’s an additional 3 billion people that will get access to the internet, raising the total number of connected population to 5.5 billion. B2B - The unicorn of one It is now possible to start a company valued at $1BN from your garage, with no assets and basically no employees. And this company may serve the giants of the corporate world. Fortune 500 companies already acknowledged that innovations come from small companies agile enough to disrupt industries. Today, the business development and strategy VPs turned into innovation scouters actively seeking emerging technologies and valuable teams to acquire or hire. Let’s talk money How we do it Our philosophy Our philosophy is quite straightforward: we invest at the earliest stages in companies whose founders have skin in the game, are coachable and address big markets. If the opportunity is real, we prefer to be the first institutional investor in such startups. Geography Our firm recruits regionally (in CEE) and invests locally (in Romania) to take advantage of country’s great technical talent, low labor costs, low operating costs and high-speed Internet access. Equity Because of our active engagement with our companies, we typically will take a correspondingly substantial equity ownership position (5% to 15%) in our investments and will join as a member of the company’s board of directors (Series A). Accelerator Stage At the Accelerator stage - we invest anywhere between €50,000 and €200,000 in exchange for 5% to 15% common stock. Series A At the Seed stage - our sweet spot is €500,000 but, if the opportunity is real, we can invest up to €4,500,000 in one company. Timing We are fast to say NO – won’t waste your time. Saying YES takes a bit longer: 4 to 6 weeks on average, but that depends on you too.

U.

u.ventures

We back local entrepreneurs who dare to build exciting global ventures. Our focus:Ambitious founders from Ukraine and Moldova Targeting global markets Scalable product with competitive edge Developed conviction or insight about the target market Our investments range from 100,000 to 2M USD. About UMAEF Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund (UMAEF, formerly Western NIS Enterprise Fund) is a $285 million regional fund, a pioneer in Ukraine and Moldova with over 29 years of successful experience in investing in small and medium-sized companies. UMAEF was funded by the U.S. government via the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Since its inception, UMAEF’s cumulative investments total over $190 million to 143 companies employing 27,000 people and made it possible to unlock $2.4 billion for companies in Ukraine and Moldova. Visit www.umaef.org How it all started? With more than two decades of successful experience investing in small and medium-sized companies in Ukraine and Moldova, in 2017, Western NIS Enterprise Fund established u.ventures to invest in early stage technology startups with world-class teams and a global potential for growth.

LV

LAUNCHub Ventures

LAUNCHUB is a leading early-stage venture capital fund focused on investing in startups in South-Eastern (SEE) and Central-Eastern (CEE) Europe. Since 2012, we’ve been involved in the region and its diaspora, helping exceptional teams create the next generation of game-changing companies. We are currently investing out of our third fund, with a size of €74M, dedicated towards ambitious early-stage founders. Our focus🎯 Pre-seed and seed investing with tickets up to 2.5M EUR. 🧑 Founders solving large-scale problems with a global vision, in any industry. Our value-add💵 We get you prepared to score top-tier VCs for your next financing. 🏢 Access to a global network of clients, advisors, and co-investors. 🤝 Hands-on strategic guidance and mentorship. We are well-known for helping our companies raise large next stage investments rounds. → In fact, 75% of our portfolio companies raise follow-on funding by exceptional VCs from our co-investors network, raising over $450m of capital in total. Check out our co-investors here. FAQ ‣ Which countries do you invest in? We invest in founders with origin from South Eastern Europe, also known as the Balkans, and the broader Central Eastern European region, building companies anywhere around the world. ‣ What is your investment process? Our investment process is designed to be transparent and efficient, with a focus on supporting founders. It typically takes 2-3 weeks and includes: Initial analysis: After our initial conversation, we evaluate the market, opportunity, and the fundraising materials shared by the founder. Q&A: We work asynchronously, creating a shared document with our questions and collaborate with the founder on their answers. In-person meeting: We meet with the founder in-person to discuss their idea in-depth, get to know the team, and brainstorm together on plans for reaching the next funding round objectives. Group discussion: We hold a group meeting with you and our broader investment team to discuss and make a final decision on the investment. 💡 During this process, we also like to thinker with your product and speak to few of your clients to understand their pain points and usage experience. ‣ Are you investing in bridge and subsequent rounds? We tend to look at each subsequent round as a seperate investment decision so our participation is not guaranteed. However, we are committed to support our amazing portfolio companies through all stages of growth, including bridge rounds and subsequent funding rounds, up until Series B. ‣ What are your criteria for evaluating potential deals? When evaluating potential deals, we place a strong emphasis on the team, market, and vision. Specifically, we look for: an ambitious and talanted team proven to execute founder competitive advantage and path to a clear moat a big market or one with potential to grow or emerge ‣ How do you approach board governance and involvement with portfolio companies? As a hands-on investor, we are committed to supporting our portfolio companies in any way we can, including through introductions to customers, guidance on day-to-day operations, and assistance with raising new rounds of funding. In terms of board governance, we typically take a board seat if we are a significant contributor to the total round size or an observer seat otherwise. This allows us to stay informed and actively participate in helping founders make the best decisions for the company's long-term success.

1F

10x Founders

“10x Founders” is a new and innovative European venture company backing early-stage entrepreneurs on their journey of building global companies. Our partners are a team of very successful serial entrepreneurs and accomplished investors with an outstanding investment track record. We genuinely enjoy and are motivated by giving back to, supporting, and collaborating with entrepreneurs and their teams to create global leaders. At the same time, we have the ambition to establish a creative new venture fund that helps to bring European start-ups and entrepreneurship to the forefront of the European and global economy.

SS

Siena Secondary Fund

On the contrary to typical early stage VC fund we are focusing on later stage startups which have already solid business model and growing exponentially. We target companies which are usually post series A, have solid business model and are still in high growth phase. Our investment criteria:100% secondary deals, no primary investment to the company; focusing primarly on the Baltics and Finland, but are open to deals from the rest of CEE and Nordics; preferably post series A, but not a must if company is already in scale up phase; proven business model; scaling phase; exit potential in 3-5 years timeframe; always aiming for a discount from the fair market value. By having a portfolio of successful companies, we are able to provide the investors access to the best deals that are usually kept private and, therefore, offer a kind of "index fund of the best startups from the New Nordics". Our deal process is lean and fast. We do not expect special conditions from the founders (e.g. board position, liquidation preference etc), however we need access to latest relevant management and legal data in order to validate company current situation.

OU

Obuda Uni Venture Capital

OUVC is a Venture Capital and Venture Studio investing 10B HUF (25M EUR) in early-stage tech ventures with tickets ranging between 20-300 million HUF (70-800K EUR). Besides the capital, it offers venture-building services in the fields of technical validation, development, and international market entry. With a committed management, it aims to spread global know-how, trends, and best practices in Hungary and the region to increase visibility and technology readiness.