Warsaw-based funding agency Montis VC has launched a brand new enterprise capital fund, securing €50 million at first near again Europe’s subsequent technology of power and IndustrialTech startups.
The fund is backed by a mixture of private and non-private buyers supporting technological growth throughout Europe. One of many key restricted companions is the European Funding Fund (EIF), which dedicated capital by way of the REPowerEU programme.
The fund can also be supported by a gaggle of entrepreneurs and worldwide household workplaces from throughout Central and Japanese Europe. Earlier, PFR Ventures additionally turned a part of the investor group, committing €10 million to the brand new Montis VC fund.
The agency states that the €50 million first shut signifies the beginning of its wider fundraising effort, with plans to spice up the fund’s capital within the upcoming months.
Łukasz Dziekoński, Companion at Montis VC, mentioned, “Our purpose is to ship above-average funding returns whereas backing applied sciences that genuinely improve financial productiveness. We’re significantly fascinated with initiatives making use of AI in sectors comparable to trade, power and infrastructure. These are the areas the place we see the strongest potential for constructing world know-how corporations from Europe.
“The €50 million first shut is simply a place to begin. Over the approaching months, we plan to proceed scaling the fund and are already in superior discussions with further buyers.”
Montis VC was based by the funding workforce that beforehand launched and managed Montis Capital. It’s led by Managing Companions Łukasz Dziekoński, Wojciech Szwankowski,and Michał Gawęda. The funding workforce was just lately joined by Michał Baś, who was beforehand related to the pan-European enterprise capital fund Enterprise Pals.
Since 2019, the workforce has invested round €30 million throughout 9 corporations working on the intersection of know-how and trade. Its portfolio contains corporations comparable to Micromobility Port, Recent Inset and Autofixer.
With Montis VC, the workforce is stepping up in scale, construction and funding technique. Alongside a bigger workforce and a global community of companions, the fund will deploy bigger tickets and undertake a extra proactive method throughout European markets. Preliminary investments will vary from €0.5 million to €2 million, with half of the fund’s funding funds reserved for follow-on rounds to assist essentially the most promising portfolio corporations as they scale.
“Europe has distinctive technological potential and a deep pool of expertise. At Montis VC, we wish to assist startups unlock that potential globally by supporting initiatives which have the ambition to remodel whole sectors of the financial system,” mentioned Wojciech Szwankowski, Companion at Montis VC.
In keeping with the agency, the principle elements of the fund’s technique embrace speedy execution and a powerful founder-first method. The fund goals to function an energetic companion for founders, serving to them form their technique, develop internationally, and put together for future funding rounds.
Montis VC asserts that its world presence is bolstered by a community of enterprise companions, comparable to Taavi Rõivas, Estonia’s ex-Prime Minister; Tomasz Misiak, an entrepreneur and Harvard Enterprise College alumnus; and Bart Dujczyński, a renewable power specialist with deep expertise in Western European markets. They may assist the fund in fostering relationships throughout the worldwide know-how ecosystem and in serving to Montis VC portfolio corporations develop globally.
Montis VC’s funding technique focuses on early-stage know-how corporations working throughout areas such because the power and industrial transition, in addition to options that strengthen Europe’s long-term financial competitiveness, whereas selling environmental traits. The fund seeks scalable initiatives with world potential, the place synthetic intelligence helps scale merchandise rapidly and increase real-world influence.
“We spend money on founders who wish to construct the way forward for the European financial system by way of know-how and power effectivity. We’re significantly centered on areas such because the power and industrial transition, the place synthetic intelligence can grow to be a robust driver of innovation and world scale,” mentioned Michał Gawęda, Companion at Montis VC.
It goals to spend money on 20-25 early-stage startups on the pre-Seed and Seed phases, growing applied sciences that assist Europe’s power and industrial transition and promote the broader adoption of synthetic intelligence throughout the financial system.
