What 10x Founders does

10x Founders is a Munich-headquartered, BaFin-registered European venture capital fund manager operating under EuVECA since 2020/2021. The firm manages a family of four vehicles — the €160 million 10x Founders Fund GmbH & Co. KG and its US parallel feeder, plus successor Fund II and US II vehicles — deploying Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A equity capital (€250k–€2.5m initial checks, with material reserves for follow-on to pre-IPO) into technology startups primarily across Europe and the United States. Fund II explicitly concentrates capital in Robotics/Automation & Infrastructure, Data/AI/Cloud, Planetary Resilience & Sustainability, and B2B SaaS/Platforms.

The firm's core differentiator is a curated community of 300+ entrepreneurs, 50 super angels, and co-investors — operationalized through the 10x Founders Network, the 120-person Fellows 2.0 founder-spotting program, an annual 150-member 10x Founders Summit, recurring Portfolio Roundtables, and a VIP presence at Germany's Bits & Pretzels founders festival. This community layer sits atop a 15-person team organized into Investment (8 partners/analysts), Finance, and Operations functions, with day-to-day leadership from Managing Directors Jan Reichelt (founder of Mendeley and Kopernio) and Rupert Schäfer (co-founder of The Nunatak Group and buildery.vc).

Revenue mechanics follow standard European VC economics: management fees on committed capital from institutional LPs across four fund vehicles, plus carried interest on successful exits. Documented exits include simpleclub, Fjorden, Wib, Accountable, and Charma, while the six partners' combined 16-year track record encompasses 16 unicorns, 40+ notable exits, and 8 IPOs (including first-backer roles in Adyen, EquipmentShare, and Luminar). Distribution to founders is exclusively network-driven — direct outreach, warm referrals, and event-based sourcing — with the website explicitly excluding retail/consumers and operating as wholesale/institutional only under SFDR Article 10 disclosures.

Name

10x Founders

Legal name

10x Founders GmbH

Website

https://10xfounders.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

10x Founders is a Munich-headquartered, BaFin-registered European early-stage venture capital firm (€160M Fund I plus successor Fund II) that backs Pre-Seed through Series A tech startups with €250k–€2.5m checks, leveraging a curated network of 300+ entrepreneurs and 50 super angels to differentiate on operator-led support alongside capital.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Early-Stage Investing

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Early-stage equity funding
• Seed-stage capital
• Pre-seed investments
• Network-driven venture capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Management & performance fees from venture capital funds: 10x Founders earns revenue through traditional VC fund economics: management fees (typically on committed capital) and carried interest (performance fees on fund returns) on its €160 million Fund I and follow-on vehicles (US entity, Fund II, US Entity II).
2. Capital gains from portfolio investments (carried interest / fund returns): Revenue generated from successful exits of portfolio companies; the firm's partners invest personally alongside portfolio companies and participate in upside through fund returns. Documented portfolio exits include simpleclub, Fjorden, Wib, Accountable, Charma.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Core offering

10x Founders is a Munich-headquartered venture capital firm that manages a family of early-stage investment funds — the flagship €160 million Fund I and the successor Fund II, each with US parallel vehicles — deploying Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A equity capital (€250k–€2.5m initial checks, with follow-on reserves through pre-IPO) into European and US technology startups. Beyond capital, the firm provides portfolio founders with access to a curated network of 300+ entrepreneurs and 50+ super angels, plus operator mentorship from its seven entrepreneur-partners.

Product overview

10x Founders is not a technology product company but a European venture capital firm and network-powered early-stage investor. Its core offering is a family of investment funds — the flagship 10x Founders Fund GmbH & Co. KG (€160 million) and its US parallel 10x Founders US GmbH & Co. KG, plus the successor Fund II and US II vehicles — that deploy Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A capital (€250k–€2.5m initial checks) into European and US technology startups. These fund products sit alongside a set of community and ecosystem programs — the 10x Founders Network (300+ entrepreneurs, VCs, and investors), the Fellows 2.0 program (120 select founders), the annual 10x Founders Summit, and Portfolio Roundtables — that together form the value-add support layer for portfolio companies. The portfolio itself spans AI/Data/Infrastructure, B2B SaaS, Climate Tech, Cybersecurity, FinTech, Health, HR, Marketing, Robotics, Consumer, and Productivity Tools categories, with named investments including Simpleclub, Augustus, Cylib, Hydra, qeen.ai, Cerrion, Filics, Formlogic, and many others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 10x Founders Fund GmbH & Co. KG The flagship onshore venture capital fund of 10x Founders. A €160 million fund specializing in Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A investments in European and US technology startups, with initial check sizes of €500k–€2.5m and material reserves for follow-on capital through pre-IPO. LEI: 391200R7PP52PP6UF316. Targeted at limited-partner institutional and professional investors.
• 10x Founders Fund II GmbH & Co. KG Second-generation venture capital fund targeting investments in Robotics, Automation & Infrastructure; Data, AI & Cloud Computing; Planetary Resilience and Sustainability; and B2B/SaaS & Platforms. LEI: 391200XBS485Y1219E87. Targeted at limited-partner institutional and professional investors.
• 10x Founders US GmbH & Co. KG US-domiciled parallel fund vehicle that invests its assets entirely as a limited partner in 10x Founders Fund GmbH & Co. KG, channeling US limited-partner commitments into the flagship fund. Does not invest directly in portfolio companies. LEI: 391200F1NH8V5OR2OB59.
• 10x Founders US II GmbH & Co. KG US-domiciled parallel fund vehicle for Fund II, investing its assets entirely as a limited partner in 10x Founders Fund II GmbH & Co. KG. Does not invest directly in portfolio companies. LEI: 391200VZUD462NT8U204.

Quantifiable outcome

• 16 unicorns backed as first investor, 40+ notable exits, 8 IPOs across the partners' track record
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered portfolio founder's sister fund and flagship annual event partner.

• FLEX Capitalportfolio founder's sister fundStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndreas Etten (Partner at 10x Founders) co-founded FLEX Capital, a private equity fund focused on growth and buyout opportunities in the German Software and Internet Mittelstand. This represents a strategic relationship between the partner's personal ventures and 10x Founders' investment activities.
• Bits & Pretzelsflagship annual event partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBits & Pretzels is Germany's largest founders festival, hosted and chaired by Felix Haas (10x Founders Partner and Executive Chairman). 10x Founders hosts a VIP lounge at Bits & Pretzels annually and cheers on portfolio companies on stage.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Speedinvest: Vienna-based early-stage VC investing from Pre-Seed to Series A across Europe with multiple sector-focused funds. Direct peer — similar stage, geographic footprint (DACH-heavy), and Pre-Seed-to-Series A check sizes; both co-invest alongside top-tier funds on European deals.
• Earlybird Venture Capital: One of Europe's longest-standing early-stage VCs (founded 1997), based in Munich/Berlin with a multi-stage strategy. Direct peer — overlapping DACH headquarters, Pre-Seed-to-Series A focus, and similar operator-network-driven approach; named co-investor on multiple 10x portfolio rounds.
• Point Nine Capital: Berlin-based early-stage VC investing in B2B SaaS at Pre-Seed and Seed across Europe. Direct peer — comparable stage and check size, similar network-led thesis, and frequently syndicated with 10x Founders on European B2B SaaS rounds.
• Cavalry Ventures: Berlin-based early-stage VC focused on European Pre-Seed and Seed technology startups. Direct peer — Chiara Bagaini (10x Operations) previously worked at Cavalry, evidencing tight ecosystem overlap in stage, geography, and platform structure.
• Vsquared Ventures: Munich-based deep-tech early-stage VC investing Pre-Seed to Series A across Europe. Direct peer — same headquarters city, similar stage, frequently co-invests with 10x (e.g., Cylib €8M, mimic $16M), making it a tightly comparable European deep-tech peer.
• Creandum: Northern European early- and growth-stage VC investing from Seed through Series B in tech-enabled companies. Direct peer — co-invested with 10x on Cerrion ($18M Series A) and shares European tech focus; overlapping but slightly later-stage mandate.
• Antler: Global early-stage VC and founder-generation platform active across Europe, US, and emerging markets with Pre-Seed/Seed focus. Direct peer — global network-driven model comparable to 10x's, and frequent co-investor on 10x portfolio rounds (Qorelo, Harper Insure).
• World Fund: Berlin-based climate-tech-focused early-stage VC backing European Pre-Seed and Seed startups. Direct peer — European Pre-Seed/Series A mandate with thematic focus, and direct co-investor with 10x on Cylib (€8M); strong overlap on climate/AI crossover thesis.
• La Famiglia: Munich/Berlin-based early-stage VC focused on European tech with strong operator network. Direct peer — same headquarters city and tight DACH operator-network thesis, comparable Pre-Seed/Seed check sizes, and similar community-led fund structure.

Broad incumbents

• Index Ventures: Established European and US multi-stage VC with offices in London, San Francisco, and Geneva. Broad incumbent — overlapping on European Pre-Seed/Seed AI and B2B SaaS deals but with a much broader stage range and larger fund vehicles than 10x; competes for the same later-stage winners.

Market position

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments89 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 10x Founders