BackingMinds

byFounders is a community-powered early-stage venture fund focused predominantly on the New Nordics, backed by some of the region’s most accomplished founders investing in and supporting the next generation of globally ambitious founders. We invest from pre-seed to series A (investments ranging between €0,5m - €4m) and are currently investing from our second fund. We pride ourselves on three things: True founder compassion - We’re founders ourselves and our empathy for founders permeates our every interaction, where we strive for transparency and candor. We also have some of the most founder-friendly terms on the market ;) Global tight-knit network We’ve built what we call the ‘byFounders Collective’ which consists of 50+ experienced founders and operators who are incentivized to help us with deal sourcing, evaluation, and most importantly: to help our portfolio companies succeed. These people are today - together with our 45 portfolio companies - spread across the US and Europe. We care about Tomorrow - We believe in the future and recognise the power we hold in shaping it. We, therefore, put a lot of effort into responsible investing and help startups to make a positive impact on the world.

We are firmly committed to living and working by these core values: Honesty: We are honest and transparent, informing each other, as well as our portfolio founders, exactly what we think about work and execution. We provide candid feedback in realtime, and we're straight-talkers. Kindness: We always try to remember that we can never know everything happening in someone's life, and try to approach every difficult situation with empathy and understanding. Ambition: In just three years, we have built the most active pre-seed and seed-stage VC fund in Sweden. Now we look across the world to find the technologies and business models of the future, backing the best founders in the Nordic region. Helpfulness: We endeavor to be as helpful as possible to every entrepreneur we meet, whether or not we ultimately invest in their startup. We also try to work with other investors to help them find relevant deals. We invest in founders who live and work by these values: Relentlessness: You have identified a problem to solve and you are absolutely obsessed with developing the solution. You will stop at nothing to solve problems for your customers, and inspire your team to act similarly. Resourcefulness: You leverage all of the tools, opportunities and advice at your disposal. You will always find a way to get the resource you need, even if it seems out of reach. Your hustle is your primary door-opener. Transparency: You never hide from bad news, always keeping your team and stakeholders informed of both your successes and your struggles. You never allow people to operate in silos, championing collaboration. Compassion: You are able to show empathy towards everyone in your organization, even through turbulent times. You never make disagreements personal, and prioritize the wellbeing of the people you work with.

We have a unique setup that combines venture creation and tech investments within a single organization. This advantage enables us to identify new research and deep tech opportunities with both commercial and impact potential, all within Chalmers’ entrepreneurial ecosystem. We are experts in starting up companies based on deep tech and research in the most effective manner possible. This process allows us to cultivate our own high-quality deal flow in which we invest and become active owners. Throughout the entire journey, we function as investors and venture builders until exit. Profits are reinvested through our evergreen model and allocated to Chalmers to support new, groundbreaking research. Our investment processWe identify market potential in research-based tech We match the team We invest in and startup the company We attract competent capital with external VCs We have active ownership until exit Our deal flow criteriaDeep tech / research based tech University spinouts Global commercial and impact potential Our process: from lab to market We use our long experience to create conditions required for a growth company to start up correctly and with the right structural capital. We are then involved in the startup through competence and capital until exit. Simply put: we take groundbreaking research from lab to market. IDENTIFY: We attract, seek out and evaluate research and technology ideas. The technologies with the greatest potential are matched with entrepreneurs. SHAPE AND START: Create the basic conditions to shape companies correctly and build structural capital. We are involved in starting up the companies and provides additional benefits during that first critical period. VALIDATE & VERIFY: Validating business model, working for paying customers and unlocking the business model. Find the right proof points to validate and verify the company’s unique idea to both the market and investors. SCALE: Becoming sustainable growth companies reaching out to an international market. Chalmers Ventures works with its skills as active owners, provides professional governance and syndicates the right growth capital. EXIT: Chalmers Ventures pursues a positive exit strategy at what it feels is the right time. We can focus our resources on those companies with the greatest potential and positive impact on the portfolio.

Inspired by the recent success stories of young Nordic founders, more and more young people see building a startup as the best and most meaningful way to make an impact. Wave is Europe’s largest student-run VC backing the most exceptional Gen Z founders in the New Nordics at the earliest stage. Founded: 2016 Area focus: Nordics & Baltics Location: Finland, Sweden, Estonia Team: 7 members Stage focus: Earliest - Your First Investment

In case you haven´t noticed yet, we are a VC fund. Nothing more, nothing less. So tell us who you are, why do you do this and what you look for. We initially invest up to 1M€ to help you get to the next level, and our primary focus is on software-driven startups in the New Nordics (Finland and the Baltics). We currently invest from our 2024 fund. Occasionally we might join a round outside the New Nordics too. We want you to answer 2 simple questions: "Why us?" "Why now? Everything else is nice to have. Ultimately, you matter. As simple as that. And in return we will help you, if you ask. We will not run your business for you but we do understand what it is to be a Founder. No BS, just focus on building a business.

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.