Karista
Karista is a Paris-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2001 that invests Seed-to-Series B+ across Health, DeepTech (Space & Defense), and Digital in Western Europe, primarily through its thematic CosmiCapital Spacetech fund and the Paris Region Venture Fund.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Karista does
Karista is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in Paris in 2001, investing across Health, DeepTech (Space & Defense), and Digital from Seed to Series B+ stages, with a thematic emphasis on the NewSpace sub-vertical. The firm manages several thematic vehicles, most notably the CosmiCapital Spacetech/NewSpace fund (launched in partnership with CNES and later supported by ESA and Eutelsat), the Paris Region Venture Fund (€50M capacity), and sector-focused vehicles in Health and Digital; typical equity tickets range from €1M to €5M, with Karista often leading rounds.
Karista's core technology is investment selection and portfolio support rather than a proprietary software or product platform; its differentiation rests on 20+ years of operating history in European VC, specialised sector expertise (especially in space, where it has built a clustered portfolio including Exotrail, Look Up Space, Leanspace, Constellr, Miratlas, and Cysec), and hands-on portfolio involvement including board participation. The firm has supported more than 100 companies across Western Europe (France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Estonia) and reports 471+ jobs created through CosmiCapital portfolio companies, with more than $170M raised from international investors into the space portfolio.
The business model is standard for a regulated asset manager: Karista generates revenue through management fees (typically 1–2% of committed capital) and carried interest (typically 20% above a hurdle) across its fund vintages. The firm is registered with the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) under number GP07000047 as a professional investment manager, and is signatory of the Sista charter and France Invest's Investor Commitment Charter for Growth. Customers are bifurcated into early-stage portfolio companies (the deal-flow side) and institutional LPs including CNES, ESA, Eutelsat, family offices, and corporate strategics.
Karista firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Karista
- Legal name
- Karista SAS
- Website
- https://karista.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Karista is a Paris-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2001 that invests Seed-to-Series B+ across Health, DeepTech (Space & Defense), and Digital in Western Europe, primarily through its thematic CosmiCapital Spacetech fund and the Paris Region Venture Fund.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Karista industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital Fund Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Geography-Focused Venture Capital (Regional/Emerging Markets) (FSANAAAE)
Keywords
Where Karista is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Karista business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Karista product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Karista is an early-stage venture capital firm providing equity investment from Seed to Series B+ stages to startups in Western Europe. The firm invests across three verticals — Health, DeepTech (Space & Defense), and Digital — through thematic funds including CosmiCapital (Spacetech/NewSpace) and the Paris Region Venture Fund, typically leading or co-leading rounds with tickets between €1M and €5M. Karista also provides strategic guidance, board participation, and network access to portfolio founders beyond capital deployment.
Product overview
Karista is an early-stage venture capital firm (created in 2001) offering investment fund products and venture capital services. The firm manages multiple thematic funds including CosmiCapital (SpaceTech/NewSpace focused), the Paris Region Venture Fund (regional innovation), and provides general VC investment services across Health, DeepTech, Digital, and NewSpace sectors. The investment strategy covers Seed to Series B+ stages, with typical investment tickets of €1-5 million for SpaceTech. Karista positions itself as a strategic partner to entrepreneurs, providing not only capital but also operational support, network access, and board involvement. The firm has supported over 100 companies since inception and generates sustained performance for investors through specialized sector expertise and hands-on portfolio support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CosmiCapital: Karista's Spacetech/NewSpace fund that invests in disruptive startups in the space ecosystem, launched in partnership with CNES and ESA.
- Paris Region Venture Fund (PRVF)
Products and services
- CosmiCapital Karista's specialized early-stage venture capital fund dedicated to the NewSpace sector. The fund invests in disruptive startups across the NewSpace ecosystem, focusing predominantly on data and software downstream applications, with occasional upstream infrastructure-related investments. Seed/Series A tickets range between €1 million and €5 million per company. Subscribers include CNES, Eutelsat, and other institutional investors.
- Paris Region Venture Fund A regional venture fund managed by Karista to support innovation in the Paris Region, targeting young innovative companies across key sectors including sustainable cities, aeronautics, digital technology, cybersecurity, tourism, agri-food, health, and mobility. The fund has an investment capacity of €50 million.
- General Early-Stage Venture Capital Services Early-stage venture capital investment services spanning Health, DeepTech (Space & Defense), Digital, and NewSpace sectors. Karista invests from Seed to Series B+ stages, typically leading rounds and often being the first institutional investor on board. Services include strategic partnership, board involvement, and network access for portfolio companies.
Quantifiable outcome
- More than 100 companies funded over two decades
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Karista
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Karista technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Karista partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Karista competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Seraphim Capital: UK-based specialist NewSpace/space-tech VC fund with similar thesis to Karista's CosmiCapital; competes for European spacetech deal flow and LP capital.
- OTB Ventures: European deep-tech/space-focused VC that co-led Waiv's $33M round alongside Karista; competes head-to-head for SpaceTech and DeepTech deals in Europe.
- XAnge: European early-stage VC (Paris office) investing in Digital and DeepTech; comparable stage, geography, and ticket size to Karista.
- 42CAP: Munich-based seed-stage DeepTech/SpaceTech VC that co-invests with Karista (Fuzzy Logic, Leanspace); closely comparable in mandate and stage focus.
- Vsquared Ventures: Munich-based deep-tech VC backing frontier tech including space (co-invested in Constellr alongside Karista); directly comparable early-stage deep-tech mandate.
- Elaia Partners: Paris-based early-stage VC investing in Digital and DeepTech with similar sector thesis and ticket sizes to Karista; directly competes for French seed-to-Series A deals.
- Partech: Major Paris-headquartered European VC with early-stage funds covering Digital and DeepTech; directly comparable in geographic focus, stage, and sector breadth to Karista.
Broad incumbents
- Earlybird Venture Capital: One of Europe's largest early-stage VCs with broader sector coverage (Digital, Health, Tech) and longer-established funds; competes with Karista for Western European deals.
- HTGF (High-Tech Gründerfonds): Germany's leading early-stage DeepTech/Tech VC, far larger by AUM; comparable in deep-tech seed-stage thesis but with much broader geographic and capital reach.
Others
- Bpifrance (Large Venture): French public investment bank and significant VC LP/co-investor in Karista's portfolio companies (Exotrail, Leanspace); both LP and co-investor relationship with Karista, shaping competitive dynamics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Karista social profiles
Digital presenceKarista financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Karista leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Karista funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Karista M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A6 records
Investments148 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Karista
What does Karista do?
Karista is an early-stage venture capital firm providing equity investment from Seed to Series B+ stages to startups in Western Europe. The firm invests across three verticals — Health, DeepTech (Space & Defense), and Digital — through thematic funds including CosmiCapital (Spacetech/NewSpace) and the Paris Region Venture Fund, typically leading or co-leading rounds with tickets between €1M and €5M. Karista also provides strategic guidance, board participation, and network access to portfolio founders beyond capital deployment.
Is Karista a public or private company?
Karista is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Karista founded?
Karista was founded in 2001. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Karista based?
Karista is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
Who are Karista's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Seraphim Capital, OTB Ventures, XAnge, 42CAP, Vsquared Ventures, Elaia Partners and Partech. Broad incumbents are Earlybird Venture Capital and HTGF (High-Tech Gründerfonds). Bpifrance (Large Venture) is listed as an others.
Does Karista have an API?
No public API is recorded for Karista.
What industry is Karista in?
Karista's product category is Venture Capital Fund Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists), with a secondary code of FSANAAAE, Geography-Focused Venture Capital (Regional/Emerging Markets). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.