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Top 20 Pre-Seed VCs in Europe in 2025

Top 20 Pre-Seed VCs in Europe in 2025: Investment Focus, Funding, and Notable Investments
The pre-seed stage is a critical phase for startups, where founders transform ideas into viable products.

In 2025, Europe’s pre-seed venture capital ecosystem is thriving, with numerous VCs actively supporting early-stage startups.

Below is a curated list of the top 20 pre-seed VCs in Europe, detailing their investment focus, funding amounts, and notable portfolio companies.

1. Seedcamp

  • Investment Focus: Early-stage tech startups across sectors like fintech, SaaS, and AI.
  • Funding: Typically invests €500,000 to €1 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Wise, Revolut, UiPath.
  • Website: Seedcamp

2. Point Nine Capital

  • Investment Focus: SaaS, B2B, and marketplace startups.
  • Funding: Invests €500,000 to €2 million in pre-seed and seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Zendesk, Delivery Hero, Typeform.
  • Website: Point Nine Capital
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3. Speedinvest

  • Investment Focus: Fintech, healthtech, and industrial tech.
  • Funding: Invests €500,000 to €1.5 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Bitpanda, Wefox, Twaice.
  • Website: Speedinvest

4. Cherry Ventures

  • Investment Focus: Climate tech, healthtech, and fintech.
  • Funding: Invests €500,000 to €1 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Flixbus, Infarm, Cazoo.
  • Website: Cherry Ventures

5. LocalGlobe

  • Investment Focus: Fintech, healthtech, and proptech.
  • Funding: Invests €500,000 to €1 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Zoopla, Citymapper, Wise.
  • Website: LocalGlobe

6. Kima Ventures

  • Investment Focus: Early-stage startups across Europe and North America.
  • Funding: Invests €150,000 to €300,000 in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Zenly, Carta, Algolia.
  • Website: Kima Ventures

7. Connect Ventures

  • Investment Focus: Tech and digital sectors.
  • Funding: Invests €500,000 to €1 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Typeform, Citymapper, Oyster.
  • Website: Connect Ventures

8. Playfair Capital

  • Investment Focus: High-conviction, low-volume investments in tech startups.
  • Funding: Invests €500,000 to €1 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Thought Machine, Ravelin, Mapillary.
  • Website: Playfair Capital

9. Inovo

  • Investment Focus: AI, machine learning, and SaaS-enabled marketplaces.
  • Funding: Invests €500,000 to €4 million in pre-seed and seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Booksy, Infermedica, Preply.
  • Website: Inovo

10. Credo Ventures

  • Investment Focus: Enterprise software, fintech, and healthcare.
  • Funding: Invests €100,000 to €5 million in pre-seed to Series A rounds.
  • Notable Investments: UiPath, Productboard, ElevenLabs.
  • Website: Credo Ventures

11. Hoxton Ventures

  • Investment Focus: Deep tech, digital health, and fintech.
  • Funding: Invests 500,000to500,000to5 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Deliveroo, Darktrace, Babylon.
  • Website: Hoxton Ventures
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12. Startup Wise Guys

  • Investment Focus: Fintech, SaaS, and sustainability.
  • Funding: Invests €100,000 in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Investory, Elai.io, CallPage.
  • Website: Startup Wise Guys

13. VentureFriends

  • Investment Focus: Marketplaces, SaaS, and fintech.
  • Funding: Invests €500,000 to €2.5 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Jeeves, Tabas, Viral Loops.
  • Website: VentureFriends

14. 500 Emerging Europe

  • Investment Focus: Industry-agnostic, with a preference for global trends.
  • Funding: Invests up to €1 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Carbon Health, Insider, BillionToOne.
  • Website: 500 Emerging Europe

15. Presto Ventures

  • Investment Focus: Security, defense, and aerospace.
  • Funding: Invests €500,000 to €5 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Inventoro, Persoo.
  • Website: Presto Ventures

16. SMOK Ventures

  • Investment Focus: Dev tools, AI, and fintech.
  • Funding: Invests 100,000to100,000to1 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: N/A.
  • Website: SMOK Ventures

17. Earlybird Venture Capital

  • Investment Focus: Fintech, enterprise software, and deep tech.
  • Funding: Invests €500,000 to $10 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: UiPath, Lilium, Oculis.
  • Website: Earlybird Venture Capital

18. Market One Capital

  • Investment Focus: Vertical SaaS, marketplaces, and infrastructure software.
  • Funding: Invests up to €2 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: TIER Mobility, Eversports, CallPage.
  • Website: Market One Capital

19. Tera Ventures

  • Investment Focus: Fintech, automation, and AI/ML.
  • Funding: Invests €200,000 to €1.5 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: Neon, GrabCAD, Modesat.
  • Website: Tera Ventures

20. Movens Capital

  • Investment Focus: AI, fintech, and SaaS.
  • Funding: Invests €200,000 to €1.5 million in pre-seed rounds.
  • Notable Investments: N/A.
  • Website: Movens Capital
These pre-seed VCs are instrumental in shaping Europe’s startup ecosystem, providing not only capital but also mentorship, networks, and strategic guidance.
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Understanding the Pre-Seed Stage in Startups

The pre-seed stage is a crucial phase in a startup's life cycle. It's at this stage that entrepreneurs take their innovative ideas and begin turning them into potential businesses. It's about validating the concept, building a prototype, and preparing for the next stages of growth. However, this stage also comes with significant financial requirements. This is where pre-seed funding comes into play.
Pre-seed funding is the initial capital that entrepreneurs seek to get their startups off the ground. It's often used to cover the costs associated with market research, product development, and other preliminary business operations. In Europe, there's an active ecosystem of pre-seed VCs, or venture capitalists, who are keen to invest in promising startups at this early stage.
But should startups consider pre-seed VCs at this stage? It really depends on the startup's specific situation.

The Role of Pre-Seed VCs and Seed Funding in Europe

Pre-seed VCs in Europe are known for their investment focus on technology-oriented sectors such as SaaS (Software as a Service) and online marketplaces. Often, they have a wealth of experience and a vast network of industry connections that can provide startups with valuable guidance and resources.
However, partnering with a VC isn't the only way to fund a startup. Bootstrapping, or self-funding, is a viable alternative that allows entrepreneurs to maintain complete control over their business. It's a challenging path but can be rewarding for those who prefer to grow their startup organically.
Seed funding in Europe, the next stage after pre-seed, is another critical step for startups. It's often more substantial and is used to finance the first steps of actual business operations, such as hiring staff, marketing, and further product development. Seed venture capital in Europe and seed VC Belgium are examples of funds that focus on this stage.

Early-Stage Investment and its Importance

The term early-stage investment encompasses both pre-seed and seed stages. It's a critical funding phase that can shape the future trajectory of a startup. Early-stage VCs, such as those focused on early-stage SaaS investor Europe, often look for startups with a solid business plan, a scalable product, and a strong team.

Final Thoughts on Pre-Seed Ventures and Other Funding Options

In conclusion, pre-seed funding is an essential building block in a startup's journey. Whether through VCs, bootstrapping, or other means, securing this funding is a critical task for any entrepreneur. The European startup scene offers a wide variety of funding options, from pre-seed VCs to seed marketplace investor Europe and more.
However, it's crucial to remember that funding isn't everything. Building a successful startup also requires a compelling vision, a dedicated team, and a relentless commitment to bringing value to customers.
The most important thing is to choose the funding route that best aligns with your startup's goals and values. Whether that's partnering with a top European VC, securing seed startup funding in Europe, or bootstrapping your way to success, the choice is yours.
2025-01-10 08:28 Top in 2025