Rick Hao - Ruya Ventures Closes $50 Million Solo GP Debut Fund to Back Europe's Deep Tech

Ruya Ventures, a solo GP fund led by Rick Hao, closes a $50M Solo GP debut fund to back Europe's deep tech.

Ruya Ventures: Investment Philosophy.

Ruya Ventures was founded to take a deliberate approach to venture investing rather than pursuing the easiest entry point into the asset class. The focus is on deep technology, informed by more than a decade of investing through cycles where long timelines and high capital intensity made the category less conventional for many investors.

The firm’s view is that the primary challenge in deep tech is not scientific discovery, but commercialization. Many companies struggle to transition from functional prototypes to scalable, manufacturable products with clear market adoption pathways.

As described by the founder in an interview with Sifted, the key gap lies in supporting founders beyond the initial investment, particularly in manufacturing strategy, commercial execution, and building the global networks required to bring deep tech innovations to market.

Ruya Ventures: Early Momentum and Mission.

Europe’s deep tech ecosystem is at an inflection point, with world-class research emerging from universities and institutions across batteries, semiconductors, AI, robotics, advanced computing, and materials science. Yet many companies struggle not at the point of invention, but in translating early breakthroughs into scalable, manufacturable, and globally adopted products.

Ruya Ventures was founded to address that gap between laboratory innovation and commercial deployment.

Launched in October 2025, the firm raised a $50M fund in under a year, closing oversubscribed while maintaining a focused investment strategy. It has already deployed capital into five companies across its core sectors, investing early, often pre-incorporation, and staying actively involved through critical scale-up phases, from research to pilot production and from European origins to global expansion.

In April 2026, while still in stealth, Ruya Ventures was named “Newcomer of the Year” by EUVC, recognizing its early impact within Europe’s venture ecosystem. The firm acknowledges its early limited partners, including Aldea Ventures, and emphasizes its long-term commitment to supporting deep tech founders through the most challenging stages of commercialization.

Deep tech remains a long-horizon effort, and Ruya positions itself at the earliest and most critical point in that journey.