firstminute capital

We have been deeply rooted in the foundations of the 🇬🇷 startups ecosystem since its inception 15 years ago. We have been the launchpad for ventures & initiatives that have defined markets & industries, including many tech darlings of the regional scene. With a focus on empowering “Venture Characters” (hyper-ambitious tech founders with strong ethical foundations), Apeiron leverages its strategic market visibility and access to propel groundbreaking ideas into global success stories in Europe, US and beyond. Our partnership style Augmented Team: We know how hard it is to build a business from the ground up. From hiring the right people to setting up your GtM plan and from governance to your next round of financing - we roll up our sleeves to provide you with what’s critical for your venture. A sound voice, and trustworthy extended team. Real People Network: Apeiron is backed by 40+ investors, including exited Startup Founders (we previously backed), successful entrepreneurs, corporate investors & operators, and some of the region’s largest family offices. Your Partner, Not Your Boss: Every VC in the business claims it brings value. In reality, they talk to you every month, skip the hard talk and play the bossy card. With a toxic free, honest attitude we are your partners first, investors second. Ask for a reference from our previously backed founders.

Exceptional early talent is the greatest leading indicator of a company’s potential. Since 2017 our partners have backed or founded companies with over $1B of enterprise value. We’ve taken companies from napkin sketches to thriving businesses, hired world-class talent and raised capital from top-tier investors. From these experiences, we’ve learned how to identify great talent early, allowing us to lean in well before data, revenue, and sometimes even a deck. We lead pre-seed rounds in founders who:Are magnets for top-tier talent Have the clear, pragmatic vision needed to build a world-changing company, and Are a ton of fun to be around We blend the network of a top-tier fund with the value-add of your most impactful angel. We tailor founder support to optimize for impact. We can be high touch, high energy, or write a check and get out of the way.

The fund partners have been friends for 10+ years and back in the day started what over years has grown to one of the largest tech founder communities in Eastern Europe. Today our wider community comprises over 350 active founders from around the world, including founders of the fast-growing & established tech unicorns (like Hopin, Miro, UiPath, Intercom, and others), as well as founders of several renowned global VC funds. In 2010, when we were making our first steps as entrepreneurs and future executives, we yearned for ways of sharing knowledge and supporting each other. Three of us settled in a big apartment on Shmitovsky 16 (S16) and opened our doors for regular meetings with like-minded entrepreneurs. That move turned out to be instrumental. We learned through each other, motivated and supported each other, and built lifelong friendships. Our small gatherings grew into a tribe of hundreds of like-minded people. We are certain that this community is the common denominator behind our success. Even though the majority of tribe members are very successful entrepreneurs and executives, the community is united by shared values rather than any kind of material KPIs. These values are: Community, not individual Trust Transparency Intrinsic motivation to help Pay forward Beginner mindset People succeed, not ideas The community has long outgrown its founders and small gatherings at Shmit 16 and evolved into many initiatives driven by different people. Twice a year we help organize the legendary closed business event - Founders for Founders. Our members organize a camp at Burning Man. We try our best to spread our knowledge to a wider audience through our Telegram channel. Whatever we do, s16vc stands for preservation and adherence to our values. And s16vc, being the only commercial endeavor, is no exception. We invest in people who share these values and take money from like-minded LPs, making our tribe stronger with every founder we back and every investor we bring inside the community.

We believe in your vision before anyone else. The founder’s ally When ambitious ideas meet brilliant founders, there are no limits. From our team’s entrepreneurial experience to our ever-growing international network, everything we do is to create an environment where founders can thrive. The first believer We want to be your first call. To make an impression, all you need is an outstanding team and driven founders with a strong idea. The leading European ideas Good ideas know no borders - and neither do our investments. We’re a European fund with a genuine curiosity for new challenges and founders motivated to solve them. When we investPre-seed: It’s never too early for us to meet a founding team. We often invest before you have the product or revenue figured out. But we believe that the earlier we join, the farther we can take a company on its mission. Seed: We are an early-stage fund with an interest in all industries and sectors across Europe. If your idea seeks to solve the more challenging issues or brings light to emerging ideas, we’d love to hear from you. Our initial investments range between €300k and €3m. Support: A startup’s success isn’t just defined during funding rounds. Once you’ve hit the ground running and it’s time to build a strong team, our specialists and network experts are by your side to help on the most crucial tech and executive hires, strategic decisions, communications questions, and more. Beyond investments, we make connections.

We want to invest in solutions to problems which impact a lot of people. If you are simply iterating a market, 7percent is not for you. We seek the 200x winners and pass on the less risky, less ambitious opportunities. We are looking for moonshots. We back the technologies and products that in ten years people will wonder how the world ever lived without - the breakthrough companies and technologies. What's in a name? “A good early stage growth rate is 5-7% a week. If you can hit 10% a week you’re doing exceptionally well, but if you can only manage 1%, it’s a sign you haven’t yet figured out what you’re doing“ Paul Graham - Y Combinator Why take our moneyMaybe don't. Not every entrepreneurial business should take venture funding. The venture capital journey is best for big risk, big outcome businesses. A startup is a company which is different because it is able to g Ex-founder led with Silicon Valley ambition. For >10 years we have been investing at pre-seed and seed as angel investors then VC’s. With experience operating as founders in both the U.K. and U.S. we have the confidence to back you to reach for the stars, with access to the expertise and capital via the three networks we co-founded. Read more here. Our Mantra: to help not hinder your startup. This is a guiding principle in everything we do. Because our Partners are ex-Founders themselves, this helps us empathise. We have a better understanding than many other investors, of the challenges you will experience when building a company from scratch, because we’ve done it ourselves. We have: Founded, grown and sold successful tech startups Founded tech startups and failed Taken angel or VC investment for our own startups and raised it for others Built transatlantic reach across startup ecosystems, from West and Eastern European to North America Backed >150 companies over the past 10 years, as a firm or as angels.

Everything here is led by Founders, for Founders. We believe capital is a commodity, experience and inner purpose are not. We want to help our Founders succeed in building extraordinary companies. We’re an experienced team of operators who have started dozens of companies by shaping people's lives. We are on our journey to create a better society by creating impactful companies.