Downing Capital Group

Allocator One operates as a fund-of-funds platform that anchors first and second-generation venture capital funds with capital and operational support. The firm provides anchor investments ranging from €1 million to €7 million through a 12-week, fully individualized investment process designed to help emerging fund managers reach first close. Allocator One runs two batches annually, investing in approximately five funds per batch and around ten funds per year, targeting the top 3% of breakout general partners globally. Beyond capital deployment, Allocator One delivers comprehensive infrastructure through its Infra One arm, offering regulatory compliance, fund administration, and technology services that enable emerging managers to scale rapidly. The company operates across four continents with core hubs in Vienna, London, and Singapore, positioning itself at the intersection of institutional capital access and the next generation of private market innovators. By combining early commitments with institutional-grade support and proprietary workflows, Allocator One reduces friction from fund setup through reporting and investor engagement.

At Cherry Ventures, we believe venture capital should be built by founders, for founders. Founded in 2012 by Filip Dames and Christian Meermann, Cherry is a pan-European early-stage VC firm led by former entrepreneurs and operators who've scaled companies like Zalando, Spotify, and Uber. We don't just invest - we activate. Our team works alongside founders through the ups and downs of building a startup, drawing from our own experiences to provide hands-on support that matters. We're pan-European by design, with teams in Berlin, London, and Stockholm, and we back founders across all industries who dare to challenge the status quo. We've partnered with 130+ portfolio companies, leveraging our network of operators from Dropbox, N26, Wolt, Doordash, and more. More than 50% of our fund is reserved for follow-on investments because we're in it for the long haul. We invest in anomaly, the red thread, and personality - and we're looking for founders with the wit, heart, and guts to build lasting futures.

In 2016 CV VC was established as a blockchain venture capital firm focused on seed funding and an acceleration program for blockchain startups around the world. The founders, led by Mathias Ruch, sought to provide more than capital by building an investment platform designed to support transformative blockchain teams from around the world. The Crypto Valley ecosystem around Zug inspired a hands on approach that combines capital with mentorship, access to networks, and a commitment to helping startups grow. CV Labs emerged as the ecosystem arm, offering an accelerator, events, and coworking spaces in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Portugal, and South Africa to connect startups with mentors and partners. Today CV VC positions itself as a global blockchain investor investing in pre seed and seed startups through the CV Labs Accelerator and direct investments. Its investment product suite includes venture capital portfolios and portfolios of liquid hedge funds, enabling qualified investors to gain exposure to blockchain technology and digital assets. CV VC is associated with CV Labs in Crypto Valley, with activities spanning multiple regions and a focus on educating the market through research and insights while fostering a community for entrepreneurs, investors, and corporates aiming to leverage blockchain technology.

Index Ventures is a global venture capital firm with a multi continental footprint. Headquartered in London, it maintains offices across San Francisco, New York, Geneva and Jersey, enabling ongoing collaboration with founders as they scale from seed through IPO. Over three decades Index has backed ambitious entrepreneurs who build technology enabled businesses that redefine industries. The firm takes a people first approach, offering capital, strategic guidance and a broad global network to support teams wherever they embark on growth. Index's portfolio includes notable companies such as Figma, Revolut, Scale AI, Wiz and other technology leaders, reflecting a consistent thesis around technology platforms, software and infrastructure. The team operates as one integrated unit across the Atlantic, investing across seed and series A to growth rounds and beyond. Index emphasizes deep relationships with founders, rigorous due diligence and a long term perspective, aiming to create durable value for entrepreneurs, their teams and Index LPs including philanthropic endowments and institutions seeking positive societal impact.

We're by your side from founding to the finish line, following a blueprint for success to take you further. De-risked ideas: We spend 3-4 months vetting each business idea upfront to vastly increase the likelihood of success. Operational Backbone: We streamline the back-end operational processes so our startup leaders can focus on building team, product, and a customer base. This enables our companies to have a best-in-class operations stack with vetted vendors and built for scale. Accelerate funding: The first fundraising round is often the hardest. We provide a multi-year funding runway without the need for outside capital. Network: We are with our executive teams at every step of the journey. Along with our experienced internal teams, we maintain relationships with contractors and consultants to support our leaders where they need it the most. Talent: A company is only as strong as its people. Our in-house talent acquisition function supports leaders in building out their teams as they grow. Mentorship: Even the most accomplished leaders are on constant journeys of betterment and recognize weaknesses can become strengths with practice and attention. We work to further cultivate great leadership talent in our CEO ranks. Community: Our CEOs and portfolio company executives are in frequent contact with one another, serving as sounding boards and thought partners when they have confronted similar challenges. We ideate, validate, create & scaleIdeate: We study industries and niches to discern where they are going next and what white space that creates. We then sketch out the business models, innovations, and technologies that are poised for success. Validate: We only launch businesses in our highest conviction ideas, developed through extensive discussions with potential customers and intensive study of competitors and incumbents to affirm the business idea. Create: Misguided early product decisions can prove disastrous even with a great idea and experienced management team. We work closely with management teams to leverage our industry research and startup experience in MVP and strategy development. Scale: Sifting through stacks of vendor proposals and implementing back-end processes is not the best use of a founding management team’s limited time. We streamline these processes so that the founding team can focus on growing its business. What we do Catalyzing creativity: equipping our leaders to actualize their visions People: The quality of the team ultimately determines whether a new business succeeds or fails. Our experienced in-house talent acquisition function helps structure founding teams, devise talent strategies, and execute on searches. Technology: We have relationships with experienced CTOs, software engineers, and technical recruiters to enable portfolio companies to develop products at a lower cost and to help overcome technical challenges that arise. Funding: Founders often turn to friends and family to pull together the capital needed to get a business off the ground. We provide portfolio companies with a multi-year funding runway. Strategy: Our idea validation process involves customer and competitor interviews, analysis of unit economics, evaluation of ancillary business models, and assessment of go-to-market strategies. We work with management teams to leverage this research in developing an MVP and go-to-market strategy for their company.

How we help. YOUR FIRST CALL Empathetic: We know building a business is really hard. We’re here for you. We listen and care. Value-added: We are knowledgeable about your industry and are responsive to your needs. Through our world class operating platform, we roll up our sleeves and help you solve problems. FLEXIBLE LONG-TERM CAPITAL No LP's: We have a long-term view on value maximization, with no artificial exit time-frames. Flexible: We can write a $500K to $5M initial check. We're an evergreen fund, beside you all the way. CUSTOMER KNOWLEDGE Experienced: We have a knowledgeable, accessible team with more than 20 years of success in the venture business. Clout and reach: We manage billions in public and private assets developed over generations of business building. We have strong ties to Fortune 1000 companies and beyond.