Connect Ventures announces first close of $80M Fund V to back Europe's technical founders

Connect Ventures has revealed the successful completion of its inaugural $55 million raise for Fund V, an investment vehicle dedicated to early-stage technology companies across Europe. The fund, spearheaded by British Business Bank, boasts backing from a range of returning limited partners such as Aldea Ventures, Sella Venture Partners, and Molten Ventures. Additionally, new investors have joined the ranks, including European family offices and alumni of companies once nurtured by Connect Ventures.

Connect Ventures operates with a clear focus on pre-seed rounds, providing financial support of $500,000 to $5 million to startups founded throughout Europe. The fund's primary emphasis lies in companies with technical expertise at the heart of their business model, where that technical prowess informs their product offerings, strategic goals, and growth trajectory. This strategic focus is a reflection of Connect Ventures' unwavering commitment to its early-stage investment strategy.

The fund continues to uphold its proven record of investing in the earliest stages of a company's life cycle, with its General Partner-only investment team consisting of Pietro Bezza, Sitar Teli, and Rory Stirling. Founders of these startups have the unique advantage of working directly with the partner leading their investment, a relationship that remains intact as the company evolves and grows.

Sitar Teli, co-founder and co-managing partner at Connect Ventures, expressed his satisfaction with the first close of Fund V, stating that the fund's values and ambitions remain steadfast: thesis-led, low volume, high conviction, and high support. Teli further emphasized that Connect Ventures aims to invest in the most exceptional founders, providing them with the necessary support from the very beginning.

The era of outlier companies, Teli suggests, will be built by founders with a strong technical foundation at the core of their ventures. Connect Ventures is poised to lead the way in supporting these trailblazing founders, from the day of inception to the initial funding round, across Europe. Established in 2012, Connect Ventures has already backed over 120 companies during their pre-seed and seed stages, including Aikido Security and TrueLayer.