MENLO TIMES

Uplift Ventures, an independently operating venture platform investing in and building startups shaping the future of Physical AI, Energy, Enterprise AI, and Logistics, has announced the launch of its inaugural €100 million venture capital fund, dedicated to backing Europe's next generation of Deep Tech founders. Uplift Ventures plans to back up to 20 startups and selected Deep Tech funds from its €100 million fund, creating a unique global network that benefits founders long

Volition Capital, a Boston-based growth equity investment firm, led by Managing Partners Sean Cantwell, Larry Cheng, Roger Hurwitz, and the team, has announced the final closing of Volition Capital Fund VI, L.P. (“Fund VI”) at its hard cap of $950 million in limited partner capital commitments. Fund VI was oversubscribed, reflecting strong demand from both its existing and new limited partners. Fund VI is the largest fund raised by Volition to date, bringing its total assets

Seed Capital, partnering with remarkable entrepreneurs across the Nordics to build global winners, led by General Partners Lars Andersen, Ulla Brockenhuus-Schack, Geeta Schmidt, and Managing Partner Christian Brøndum, has now completed its fifth fund, valued at €130 million. Fund V will make investments ranging from €3 million to €6 million across 15 to 17 companies, from the seed stage through to Series A. The firm continues to concentrate on fintech and AI-driven B2B servi

Molten Ventures, a leading venture capital firm with a 20-year track record of investing in and developing disruptive high-growth technology companies across Europe and the UK, announced the first close of its Growth Fund at £175 million. The British Business Bank has committed £75 million as a cornerstone investor. Molten Ventures has committed the remaining £100 million of the first close and will continue to seek additional investors, with the aim of growing the Growth Fun

A16Z has raised $1.1B for its newest fund: the Machine Age Fund, aimed at accelerating the physical buildout of AI. The fund reflects a broader push to bring AI into the physical world, positioning the technology as a powerful tool for solving real-world problems and expanding abundance. AI’s capabilities are expanding rapidly, with systems moving from chat to reasoning, coding, and increasingly complex forms of knowledge work. As utility and demand grow, so does the computat

Navisalma, the newly founded European Venture Platform, founded by Einride founders Robert Falck and Linnéa Kornehed Falck, together with previous McKinsey Partner and Material Economics co-founder Robert Westerdahl, announced its launch. Europe does not have an innovation problem. It has a scaling problem. Europe produces world-class science, engineering, and frontier technologies, backed by centuries of leadership in design, craftsmanship, industrial excellence, and quality

RunwayVC, investing in founders shaping industry, led by Tor Bækkelund and the team, has announced the first close of RunwayVC Fund II at NOK 400 million (€40 million). Aker continues as the cornerstone investor, joined by Halliburton, Aker BP and Aker Solutions, institutional investors KLP and Investinor, Norwegian industrial families and a group of experienced technology and finance investors. Fund II reflects more than an increase in capital. It represents a broader convic

South Park Commons, helping the world's most talented technologists discover and build their life's work, announced $575M Fund IV. Since 2016, the firm’s thesis has been that exceptional outcomes emerge when high talent density meets innate curiosity. Its approach focuses on identifying intensely curious builders, bringing them together at the earliest and often most isolating stage of the startup journey, and supporting them through the uncertainty of company building. The f

Highland Europe, a growth-stage specialist investor, has announced its sixth fund of €1.1B and promoted two new Partners, on the back of generating over €1 billion of liquidity in 2026. The firm will continue backing Europe’s next generation of technology leaders. Founded in 2012, Highland has raised €3.75 billion across six funds, backed more than 80 companies, and completed 30 exits. Notable outcomes include the $3 billion sale of Nexthink, Huel's agreed acquisition by Dano

SuperCharger Ventures, the global ecosystem for EdTech startups led by Janos Barberis and the team, has announced the launch of Fund I. It will invest in EdTech and Future-of-Work companies worldwide, with a focus on pre-seed and seed-stage startups. Initial investments in selected startups will be up to €250,000, with follow-on funding ranging from €500,000 to €1.5 million. The fund is backed by family offices and high-net-worth investors, with 90% of first-close commitments

Paradigm, a technology investment firm led by Matt Huang and the team, has raised its fourth fund: $1.2B to back the most ambitious builders at the frontier of technology. Founded in 2018, Paradigm invests in frontier technologies spanning crypto, AI, robotics, and advanced manufacturing, combining research and product development with venture investing. The firm backs founders across stages, with investments in companies such as Zipline, SendCutSend, True Anomaly, and Nous R

Expeditions, investing in the future of European security, led by Mikołaj Firlej and Stanisław Kastory, has announced the final close of its second fund at €197M. Expeditions’ Fund II is investing in the technologies and founders that are shaping the future of European defence and strengthening its sovereignty, helping to define Europe’s role in the world over the next century. Founded in 2021 by defence technology and autonomous warfare experts Dr. Mikolaj Firlej and Stanis

Climentum Capital, investing in climate hard tech companies shaping a sustainable, resilient, and competitive Europe, led by General Partners Doerte Hirschberg, Dr. Jennifer Jacobs Dungs, Morten Halborg, and Stefan Maard, has announced the close of the first €60 million of Fund II, matching the full size of Fund I. The new fund will continue backing hard tech for a new Europe, investing in climate hard tech companies shaping a sustainable, resilient, and competitive industria

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 inves

Menlo Ventures, an early-stage VC firm, marked its 50th anniversary and announced $3 billion in new capital, the largest raise in Menlo’s history, to back the next generation of AI leaders, from infrastructure and frontier models to AI-native applications across enterprise, healthcare, and consumer markets. Two Funds to Go All In on AI. Menlo Ventures XVII focuses on Seed and Series A investments, backing founders at the earliest stages as they develop breakthrough technologi

Seedcamp, partnering with Europe’s most exceptional tech founders from day one, led by Reshma Sohoni, Carlos Eduardo Espinal, and the team, has announced $320 million in new funds. Seedcamp was the first believer in Revolut, Wise, UiPath, Synthesia, and Fluidstack, back when those category-defining companies were just ideas. It has backed teams like BioOrbit, Sunrise Robotics, and Dust, building where software meets science and the physical world. Across every technology cycl

Pitchdrive, backing the boldest founders and build alongside them from day one, led by Boris Bogaert, Koen Christiaens, Wim Derkinderen, Jonas Dhaenens, Lorenz Bogaert, and the team, has announced the closing of its fourth fund at €60 million, strengthening its commitment to the Co-founder Capital model. Fund IV is fully privately backed, with no government or institutional money, unusual for a European fund of this size. Strong Investor Demand. The fund attracted significant

Gigascale Capital, backing early-stage companies rebuilding the physical economy for climate impact, led by Mike Schroepfer and the team, has announced Gigascale Capital Fund I, a $250 million fund to back founders rebuilding the physical economy for climate impact. Climate Impact Starts in the Physical Economy. Most global emissions originate from the physical economy, the energy systems, factories, supply chains, and infrastructure that produce, transport, and consume energ

Convective, investing in systems that keep the world running, led by Bill Clerico, Kat Mañalac, Mike Trapanese, Jay Ribakove, and Amy Brown, has announced $85 Million Fund II for Disaster Resilience. Fund II investments so far span supply chain, manufacturing, forestry, design, and grid resilience and include companies like Drafted, Edge, The Lumber Manufactory, and Voltair, and is backed by LPs like the Arbor Day Foundation, John & Patrick Collison, Pathstone, StepStone Grou

A*, guiding outliers from idea to IPO, led by Kevin Hartz, Bennett Siegel, Gautam Gupta, and the team, has announced A* III, a $450 million early-stage fund. A* was founded on a simple idea: becoming a founder’s first believer. Sector-agnostic but deeply specialized in seed investing, A* backs exceptional builders before consensus, traction, or even a product exists. The focus is driven not by market theses, but by conviction. As seed investing becomes increasingly crowded an

By Andra Bagdonaitė, General Partner at FIRSTPICK Most early-stage investment decisions are made with almost no data. There's no revenue to analyze. No market share to defend. No proven team history at the specific problem they're now attacking. And yet capital gets deployed, at speed, in volume, based on frameworks built for a world that increasingly no longer exists. The question every serious early-stage investor should be asking right now: what is actually driving convict

Wisdom Ventures, a leading early-stage VC fund investing in tech-enabled wellbeing, led by Bradley Horowitz, Cecily Mak, Soren Gordhamer, and the team, announced the close of its oversubscribed $77.7M Fund II. The new raise comes after the successful deployment of its $10 million Fund I. With the new fundraise, Wisdom Ventures will deepen its investment in startups building technologies that advance human resilience and wellbeing at scale. “In an era where AI is reshaping eve

Graduate Ventures, empowering founders through funding and support, is celebrating its 80th investment. The milestone backing goes to FrostByte, a Delft startup whose technology makes it possible to build quantum computers at a greater scale. The investment is part of a 1.3 million euro funding round, alongside Innovation Quarter, Paeonia Group, UNIIQ, and an angel investor. Since its founding in 2021, Graduate Ventures has invested in 79 startups from the ecosystems of TU De

Huan Ventures, backing the founders building the future of finance, led by Katie Haun and the team, has announced Fund II. Founders redefining financial assets operate at the frontier of evolving rules and technology. As capital and trust systems shift, those who can navigate both will shape the next era. Haun Ventures is backing this opportunity with $1 billion in new funds to support builders of the emerging economy. The Opportunity Ahead Core financial services, money, pay

DVC, a San Francisco–based VC focused on AI startups, led by Marina Davidova, Nick Davidov, and the team, has released its State of AI Report — a living, continuously updated analysis of the artificial intelligence landscape. According to the report, the market is mispricing AI. The State of AI report is based on a framework developed by DVC co-founders Nick Davidov and Marina Davidova over more than a decade of AI investing. It combines meta-analysis of leading industry rese

Eka Ventures , investing in founders creating positive system change, led by Camilla Dolan, Jon Coker, and the team, has announced the final close of its second fund at $107m (£80m), making Eka the UK’s largest early-stage impact VC investing across health, wellbeing, and sustainability. Why These Sectors, and Why Now Eka’s thesis is that the biggest opportunities lie in reshaping core systems, health, consumption, and access, where impact and returns align. Three shifts dri

SuperSeed , backing technical founders bringing AI to the physical world, led by Mads Jensen and Dan Bowyer, has launched Fund III, a seed-stage fund focused on Physical AI startups. The fund has secured a cornerstone commitment of up to £50 million from the British Business Bank , which invested through its Enterprise Capital Funds programme. Christine Hockley of British Business Bank said SuperSeed’s backing will attract private capital to support applied physical AI comp

Breakout Ventures , partnering with exceptional founders scaling scientific innovation to build the breakout companies powering our future, led by Managing Partners Lindy Fishburne and Julia Moore, has announced the close of its $114M Fund III. Given Breakout’s ongoing success, the new fund received strong support from returning investors, including Cortes Capital , S-Cubed Capital , The Kraft Group, Pinegrove Venture Partners , and an affiliate of LH Capital, and is pleased

Elaia , backing ambitious tech entrepreneurs with capital and care, has closed its third deep tech seed fund (DTS3) at €134 million, double the size of its previous deep tech seed funds. Developed in partnership with leading European research institutions, including PSL , INRIA , CNRS , the Barcelona Supercomputing Center , and also the Max Planck Foundation , DTS3 reflects strong investor confidence in Europe's growing deep tech ecosystem. Since its first close of €60 mi

Techstars , the original mentorship-driven accelerator, led by David Cohen and the team, has announced a strategic partnership with Global Brain , Japan's leading independent venture capital firm, led by Yasuhiko Yurimoto and others. The collaboration brings together two organizations that have long admired each other’s work and share a remarkably similar philosophy on supporting founders. The partnership allows Global Brain and Techstars to explore joint investment opportun

FIRSTPICK , a first-check VC fund for Baltic founders, led by Partners Jonė Vaitulevičiūtė, Dmitrij Sosunov, Andra Bagdonaitė, Marijus Andrijauskas, and the team, has launched a new €25 million fund to invest in early-stage Baltic startups, focusing on founders who may be overlooked by traditional VC criteria. Some early and successful investments include Samphire Neuroscience by Emile Radyte, Copla by Aurimas Bakas, and Holo. Backed by local entrepreneurs and private invest

OSS Ventures , a Paris-based venture studio building next-generation industrial software, led by Renan Devillieres and the team, has announced the first close of its new investment fund with a target of $80 million. The round is led by Decathlon PULSE and Teknor Apex, with participation from existing investors including Groupe Peugeot Frères . The fund serves as OSS Ventures’ strategic investment arm, dedicated to follow-on financing for companies emerging from the studio’s

Elaia , backing ambitious tech entrepreneurs with capital and care, has announced the first closing of its fifth Digital Venture Fund (DV5), converging at €120m, reaffirming its mission to back enduring, IP-driven ventures that define the future of European technology. Mimic Robotics, a Zurich-based physical AI company, marks DV5’s first investment, highlighting its focus on breakthrough technologies from leading European hubs. As demand grows for next-generation infrastructu

Mundi Ventures , backing bold and purpose-driven founders, led by Partners Javier Santiso, Lluis Vinas, Moises Sanchez, Rafaela Andrade, Rajeev Singh-Molares, and others, has just completed a €750 million first close for Kembara , its fifth fund and largest to date. Europe invests billions in early-stage climate startups, yet many stall at Series B, according to a recent report. New funds are emerging to address this gap, including Spain-based Mundi Ventures’ Kembara Fund

SlateVC , a growth-focused venture firm dedicated to driving the climate transition forward, led by Chloe Giard, Clement Buyse, Renaud Visage, and Sebastien Leger, has secured €132 million in the first close of its first growth fund, backed by EIF , Bpifrance , France 2030’s FNVI, BNP Paribas , and several family offices. Europe faces rising energy instability, high-cost legacy infrastructure, and import dependence, challenging competitiveness and sustainability. SlateVC

Voyager Ventures , investing in energy, industrials, and climate technology companies foundational to future abundance, led by Sarah Sclarsic, Sierra Peterson, and others, has announced Voyager’s $275M Fund II. Systemic instability is accelerating alongside rapid technological progress, with geopolitical tensions, climate risks, and global volatility intensifying as electrification, automation, AI, and advanced manufacturing converge. Emerging technologies have shifted from

B2Venture , an early-stage venture capital firm, supported by an unparalleled community of angel investors, led by partners Florian Schweitzer , Andreas Goeldi , Christian Schütz , Dominik Perisa , Gerrit Jurilj , Jan-Hendrik Bürk , Mathias Ockenfels , Sven Eppert , and others, has closed Fund V at the hard cap of EUR 150m, its largest fund to date. The raise marks a major milestone in a 25-year history, with Fund V accelerating the next wave of European tech leaders buildin

2150 , a venture capital firm investing in technology companies that are redefining cities and the industries that sustain them, led by partners and founders, Mikkel Bülow-Lehnsby, Jacob Bro, Christian Hernandez, Christian Joelck, and others, has announced the final close of Fund II. In 2021, 2150 launched with a €200 million fund to reimagine urban environments as climate tech emerged as a distinct venture category. Venture capital deployment surged between 2021 and 2022, w

Metavallon VC , a venture capital fund investing in early-stage technology startups with ties to Greece, led by Myrto Papathanou, Yorgos Mousmoulas, George Karantonis, and Demetris Iacovide, and others, has launched a new €5 million pre-seed fund. The Brain Gain Fund launches with a clear objective: to invest early in deep-tech startups founded outside Greece or in Greek university spin-outs, provided they commit to building R&D or product teams within the country. Demetris

Vi Partners , promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in the Swiss economy, led by Founder and Senior Advisor Alain Nicod , Managing Partners Arnd Kaltofen , Diego Braguglia , Olivier Laplace , Gaetano Zanon , and others, has announced the first closing of its latest venture capital fund, which is targeting CHF 150 million. The first closing secured strong support from existing limited partners, reflecting confidence in the firm’s disciplined investment strategy and its es

Vanagon Ventures , purpose-built for sovereign-edge technology in Industrial, Nature, and Digital Infrastructure - to seize the €3T DeepTech opportunity in Europe, led by Sandro Stark, Susanne Fromm, and Axel Roitzsch, has announced the final closing of its €20 million Fund I. The fund targets a structural gap in venture capital by providing pre-seed capital to AI-native and deep tech companies with strong economic potential but non-traditional scaling models. It plans to ba

Ananda Impact Ventures , partnering with visionary founders who dare to challenge limits, shaping a future that’s better for people and planet alike, led by Partners Johannes Weber, Florian Erber, Zoe Peden, Bernd Klosterkemper, and others, has secured €73m in the first close of its fifth fund, targeting €108m. The fund, Ananda V, has attracted backing from a mix of returning and new limited partners, including the European Investment Fund , NRW.BANK , Investcorp-Tages , Mer

Lux Capital , a Venture Capital Firm, started in 2000, investing in opportunities at the frontier of science and technology that others find too hard, too early, or too confusing, led by Peter Hebert, Josh Wolfe, and others, has announced its largest fund to date, Lux Ventures IX, a $1.5B commitment to investing in the people turning sci-fi into sci-fact. Entire sectors, from aerospace and biotech to defense and industrials, are being rebuilt by a bold new generation of sci

Cloudberry , a venture capital firm based in Helsinki and London, led by Rene Kromhof, Veera Pietikäinen, Lawrence Lundy-Bryan, Tuomas Hollman, and Lukas Steinmann, has announced the launch of Europe’s first semiconductor venture fund with an initial close of €30 million. The fund invests in companies advancing the technological frontier with semiconductors, photonics, and advanced materials to advance compute, connectivity, sensing, and power. Cloudberry’s fund, anchored

Fortino Capital , a specialist European investor in B2B SaaS companies, led by Duco Sickinghe, Renaat Berckmoes, and others, has announced the final close of its third private equity fund (“Fortino PE III”) at an extended hard cap of €700 million, surpassing its initial €600 million target, with strong support from both existing and new institutional investors across Europe and the US. Fortino PE III is around 85% larger than its predecessor and attracted a diverse base of i

MD One Ventures , Europe's first Defence and National Security Venture Capital, led by Will McManners, Kelvin Au, Edward Ebbern, and others, and Randox , a global diagnostics and healthcare company from the UK and Ireland, have announced the launch of Randox for Builders , a security and biotech incubator and accelerator for UK and European founders and their teams. Alongside funding, founders gain immediate access to world-class scientific, R&D, and commercial expertise, g

Aneli Capital , investing in visionary startups to revolutionize industries and drive transformative change, led by Daiva Rakauskaitė, Jacek Blonski, Nerijus Baliunas, Sabina Siniciene, and others, has announced €35 million fund to support early-stage startups in the Baltics, Poland, and other Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, that will primarily focus on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as well as robotics, space, photonics, and energy startups, to

betacluster Ventures , fueling early-stage smart data startups from the beta phase to worldwide success, led by Florian Steger, Gabriela Brodzińska-Drozd, and Cezary Iwan, has launched betacluster Poland.One , a new early-stage fund under the PFR Starter program with a target capitalisation of €19 million (PLN 81.25 million). The fund will back technology startups primarily from Poland that are building solutions for the Smart Data Economy, where intelligent data systems, AI

FoodLabs , founded with the commitment to revolutionize the food system and improve both planetary and human health, led by Christophe Maire, Patrick Noller, Thilo Winter, Bastian Stöhr, Florian Breiner, and others, has closed its Third Fund of €105m to invest in early-stage food tech startups in Europe. Founded in 2016, FoodLabs invests in software and hardware startups driving a healthier, more sustainable food system. Its portfolio includes Formo (animal-free cheese), Kl

Indico Capital Partners , supporting the best, most unique, and scalable high-tech and sustainable companies, led by Stephan de Moraes, Ricardo Torgal, Cristina Fonseca, Rui Rodrigues, Sofia Egídio, André Almeida Santos, and others, launched its 6th fund, Indico VC Fund III, with a capital target of €125 million, a pivotal moment for the firm and the entire Southern European VC ecosystem. The fund has successfully secured a major anchor commitment of €30 million from The