Seedcamp

firstminute capital is a $320m sector-agnostic seed fund backed by 120 unicorn founders, including over 20 founders of $10bn+ businesses. Our General Partner Brent Hoberman is a double unicon founder. Yet, we are more than a fund. We’re an ecosystem of entrepreneurs from all over the world who, facilitated by firstminute capital’s team, come together to help one another, turn vision into reality and create the future. Our community is our edge. It is the source of the transformational support we offer to our partners who are warmly welcomed inside. An invitation into the firstminute capital community is secured by those with a special kind of spirit, not just a solid spreadsheet. A rare breed driven by a powerful characteristic we call, ‘Magnetic Ambition.’ Those with it often don’t recognise it in themselves, yet they are propelled forward by it, every day. We see it in their ability to capture hearts and minds with their vision, their belief and their commitment. When we find a founder with Magnetic Ambition, we open the door to the firstminute capital community and we give them everything they need. At your service What can founders expect from working with us? First of all, our 9-person investment team will fight for founders. Between us, members of the team have backed 10 unicorn startups at seed; we have IPO-ed companies; we have started companies; we have fundraised ourselves and we have failed and picked ourselves up again. So we are all here to help with advice, strategy brainstorming, product workshops, introductions to customers, raising a Series A or just being there for you in the tough times as well as the good times. If we can't help, we'll know someone in our extensive network who can and we'll make that intro. On top of the investment team, founders also get the whole "platform" team, which is another 11 people dedicated to helping founders scale their business and help with areas such as hiring and marketing. Our goal is to be the most helpful seed fund in Europe. We love to help founders build. Network effects At firstminute, we see ourselves as collaboration catalysts. We act to unlock the value our the community and bring our own expertise to bear when the time is right. Thanks to our 120 unicorn backers as well as a network of top CEO supporting us, firstminute has an extensive global reach. We like to bring on our investors - some of the top angels in the world - into our deals and as advisers to supercharge companies. firstminute's co-founder is Brent Hoberman, who after founding and exiting two unicorn startups himself created a network of companies under the 'Founders' umbrella. These include a world-class event series called Founders Forum as well as a consultancy, a recruitment firm, a charitable arm and Europe's largest incubator-accelerator. This whole ecosystem is part of our network, which helps with everything from sales introduction to finding top talent. We also have a large investor network to help with that Series A fundraise and beyond, having done deals with our friend at funds such as Tiger Global, Sequoia, Benchmark, a16z, Coatue and Atomico. Being part of our community, with our events and parties with some of the biggest names in tech and business, means you will be working with the best. We do an annual retreat for founders as well as regular drinks and dinners. Every year we hold our flagship summit in London which brings together firstminute investors, portfolio founders, partners from the top US and European multi-stage funds, and friends who are all bright lights in the tech community. Read more about that here.

Our mission is to build an efficient investment infrastructure for individuals and institutions working together to source, vet, finance and grow innovative European technology companies at all stages. We are innovating tech investing by breaking down barriers through lower minimums, a data-driven digital platform, a unique secondary market, and the ecosystem of co-investors such as venture capital firms and business angels. The vision is driven by our desire to shape tech innovation in Europe by building a financing infrastructure that allows investors, founders and partners access to the opportunities, tools and services for equity investments.

We are an international network of startup founders, operators and venture capitalists making early-stage investments in the most ambitious Belgian entrepreneurs, wherever they are building the next generation of technology businesses. As an engaged community collective, we empower Belgian innovators with seed capital to start, hands-on operational advice, tools, mentorship and events to grow, and access to a broad network of founders, operators, investors and industry experts to scale. Our vision We fundamentally believe in Belgium's potential as a key entrepreneurial hub in Europe. And while the local tech ecosystem has come a long way, we're not there yet. By uniting people from across the ecosystem behind a common goal of supporting its most ambitious founders, Syndicate One aims to help Belgian tech reach its full potential. We’ve got the know-how, the network, and the seed capital to deploy.

We invest at seed stage (pre-seed, seed, late seed) along with other investors, which we can also help you find. Our average cheque is €500k. We help founders define the right strategy, milestones and priorities in their company's journey from seed to series A, and help them connect with capital and talent. We believe founders should be in control of the company they are building. We subscribe to their strategy and align our interests for the long term, while providing a needed critical view. And, if things don’t go as planned, which they often do, we help them through thick and thin.

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.

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.