Earlybird Venture Capital
UnclaimedAt a Glance
- Check Size
- $1M – $30M
- Stage
- Seed, Series A, Series B+
- AUM
- €2.5B
- Sectors
- Enterprise, AI, Digital Health +2
- Founded
- 1997
- HQ
- Berlin, Germany
About Earlybird Venture Capital
Earlybird Venture Capital is a venture capital firm based in Berlin, Germany founded in 1997. Founded in 1997, Earlybird is a pan-European VC investor backing tech-enabled companies and investing in their growth and development. Funds include Earlybird, Earlybird Health, Growth Opportunities. The firm focuses on Seed, Series A, Series B+ investments across sectors including Enterprise, AI, Digital Health, Fintech, Deeptech. The firm manages $2B in assets under management. Notable portfolio companies include Peak Games, UiPath, N26, Contentful, Bragi, 6Wunderkinder, Adjust and Sociomantic. Investing in transformative technology companies with global ambitions, focusing on category-defining opportunities.
Investment Thesis
“Investing in transformative technology companies with global ambitions, focusing on category-defining opportunities.”
Leadership Team
Dr. Christian Nagel and Dr. Hendrik Brandis co-founded Earlybird in 1997 and both remain general partners, Nagel in Berlin and Brandis in Munich, covering deeptech and fintech and insurtech. The general partner group also includes Dr. Andre Retterath and Paul Klemm in Munich and Tim Rehder in Berlin, split across fintech, insurtech and consumer technology. Principals sit mostly in London, including Akash Bajwa, Laura Waldenstrom and Hemini Mistry in investor relations, with Dr. Moritz Belling, Nina Mayer and Alina Bassi in Berlin. Dan Lupu covers Central and Eastern Europe as venture partner alongside Dr. Frederic du Bois-Reymond. Jochen Kust is operating partner and chief financial officer. The firm also runs EagleEye, a proprietary AI and data platform for sourcing and diligence, which it names as one of six stated strengths, and operates from Berlin, Munich, London and Milan.
Sector Focus
Investment Stage
Notable Portfolio Companies
Fund History
Earlybird was founded in 1997 and reports 2.5 billion euros under management, deployed through separate fund families rather than a single flagship line: the core Earlybird technology funds, Earlybird Health for life sciences, and a Growth Opportunities vehicle for follow-on capital. Individual fund sizes and vintages are not published, but the firm discloses the cumulative result of 29 years of investing: nine IPOs, 41 trade sales, and 20 new investments in the most recent year. Initial cheques run up to 12 million euros, and the portfolio is deliberately weighted to the earliest rounds at 20 percent pre-seed, 60 percent seed and 20 percent Series A, which is unusual for a manager of this size and is the clearest statement of its strategy. Holdings span UiPath, N26 and smava from earlier vintages to Aleph Alpha, Black Forest Labs, Marvel Fusion and Hive Technologies in AI, deeptech and nuclear fusion.
SEC Fund Filings
- Vehicles filed, last 24 months
- 1
- Latest filing
Earlybird Venture Capital filed a Form D for 1 fund vehicle between Sep 26, 2024 and Sep 25, 2026.
| Fund vehicle | Source |
|---|---|
| Earlybird Fund VIII GmbH & Co. geschl. InvKG. | SEC Form D, filed |
A Form D is the notice a fund files with the SEC when it raises money in a private offering. Feeder funds, parallel funds and SPVs each file their own, so the count measures filing activity, not the number of flagship funds.
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D filings for pooled investment funds, original filings only (amendments excluded). Our filing data starts Jul 1, 2024. Vehicles are matched to Earlybird Venture Capital by fund name and checked against the sponsor address and named principals on each filing; offering amounts are not shown. Each “SEC Form D” link opens an EDGAR full-text search for that vehicle’s exact name, where the filing itself is listed. See every new fund filing on the Form D Radar.
Frequently Asked Questions
What stage does Earlybird Venture Capital invest at?
Earlybird Venture Capital primarily invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B+ stages. This means they focus on companies that are building their initial product and finding product-market fit.
Where is Earlybird Venture Capital located?
Earlybird Venture Capital is headquartered in Berlin, Germany. Many of their portfolio companies are also based in this region, though they invest across geographies.
What sectors does Earlybird Venture Capital focus on?
Earlybird Venture Capital focuses on investments in Enterprise, AI, Digital Health, Fintech, Deeptech. Their portfolio reflects deep expertise and networks within these sectors.
What is Earlybird Venture Capital's typical check size?
Earlybird Venture Capital's typical investment check size ranges from $1M to $30M. Actual amounts may vary based on the stage, sector, and specific opportunity.
How much does Earlybird Venture Capital have under management?
Earlybird Venture Capital manages approximately €2.5B in assets under management (AUM) across their funds.
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