KAYA
KAYA is a Prague-headquartered venture capital firm, founded in 2011, that backs Central and Eastern European technical founders from pre-seed through Series A via five funds totaling over $500M AUM, with first cheques of $500K–$2M and follow-on capacity up to €20M per company.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersPrague, Czechia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What KAYA does
KAYA is a Central and Eastern Europe-focused venture capital firm founded in 2011 in Prague that backs technical founders from pre-seed through Series A. It operates a partnership-driven model led by four equal General Partners (Tomas Obrtac, Tomas Pacinda, Martin Rajcan, Karel Zheng) supported by venture partners including Tomáš Čupr (Rohlik founder). The firm invests first cheques of $500K–$2M (€100K–€3M across programmes) with follow-on reserves exceeding €20M per company, and is geographically agnostic within the broader CEE region with thematic emphasis on personal health, energy transition, and next-generation consumer experiences. Across five funds since 2011, KAYA has grown assets under management to over $500M and backed more than 50 portfolio companies, including three CEE unicorns (Rohlik, Docplanner, Booksy) whose aggregate portfolio value is approximately €350M.
The firm's offering is a multi-decade founder partnership rather than a software product. Core capabilities include an early-conviction thesis underwriting process tuned to opportunities that "look wrong today and obvious in retrospect," an ESG due diligence framework co-developed with VentureESG covering eight issue areas, a venture studio / co-creation offering for idea-stage founders, and a curated founder community anchored by recurring expert talks, offsites, and informal dinners. Distribution is built on an open online pitch form, university partnerships (Charles University/MFF UK), community events across CEE cities, and co-investor relationships with Tier-1 lead investors (Accel, Index, Bessemer, Insight Partners, Earlybird) that lead later rounds in KAYA deals.
The business model is standard VC fund economics: KAYA VC GP S.à r.l, a Luxembourg-registered Alternative Investment Fund Manager (AIFM), earns management fees and carried interest on the firm's €70M Fund V first close and prior vintages. The ET3 and ET4 subfunds additionally benefit from InnovFin Equity / European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) backing. The GP is headquartered in Prague with regional offices in Warsaw, London, and San Francisco, and explicitly excludes non-West-aligned countries per its Sustainability policy. Revenue (management fees) is realized on multi-year fund lifecycles, while capital gains from exits flow opportunistically over the hold period.
KAYA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- KAYA
- Legal name
- KAYA VC GP S.à r.l
- Website
- https://kaya.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- KAYA is a Prague-headquartered venture capital firm, founded in 2011, that backs Central and Eastern European technical founders from pre-seed through Series A via five funds totaling over $500M AUM, with first cheques of $500K–$2M and follow-on capacity up to €20M per company.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
KAYA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Other Financial Vehicles (525990), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- SBIC Venture Debt Funds (FSANAIAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Managed Account / SMA Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAGAL), Financial Planning & Analysis Support (Budgeting, Forecasting, Management Reporting) (BPAAAGAJ)
Keywords
Where KAYA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Prague
- HQ country
- Czechia
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
KAYA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venture fund management: Standard VC fund economics across five funds: management fees and carried interest earned by KAYA VC GP S.à r.l (Luxembourg AIFM) on €70M+ fifth-fund vintage and prior funds totaling over $500M AUM, with capital deployed into pre-seed through Series A investments.
- Investment returns / capital gains on exits: Long-term capital appreciation from portfolio exits, including three unicorn outcomes (Rohlik, Docplanner, Booksy) contributing to an approximate €350M portfolio value; revenue is realized opportunistically via acquisitions, secondary sales, and IPOs over a multi-year hold.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Pre-seed / seed first cheque |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Pre-seed to pre-Series A investment |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
KAYA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KAYA is a Central and Eastern Europe-focused venture capital firm that invests early-stage equity capital into pre-seed and seed-stage technical founders, writing first cheques of $500K to $2M and reserving up to €20M per company for follow-on rounds. The firm manages five venture funds with over $500M under management, anchored by a €70M fifth-fund first close completed in June 2025 that expanded investment scope from Czech, Polish, and Slovak startups to the broader CEE region. Beyond capital, KAYA delivers hands-on team-building support, operational guidance, founder community events, and an ESG due diligence framework co-developed with VentureESG.
Product overview
KAYA is a Central and Eastern Europe-focused venture capital firm (not a software product company) whose offering is centred on a series of flagship investment funds — most recently Fund V with a €70M first close in June 2025 — deployed through a Pre-Seed and Seed Investment Programme (€500K–$2M first cheques) plus a Follow-On Investment Capacity of over €20M per company. Beyond capital, the firm operates a Studio and Co-Created Ventures offering at the idea stage, a Founder Community and Events Programme for portfolio companies, and an ESG and Sustainability Toolkit to embed responsible practices from day one. The firm's full lifecycle support model is delivered to a portfolio that has produced CEE unicorns such as Rohlik, DocPlanner, Booksy, E2B and others (per the homepage, companies page, ethos page and about/facts page).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- KAYA Fund V The fifth and current flagship venture capital fund of KAYA, anchored by a €70M first close in June 2025, expanding the firm's investment scope from Czech, Polish, and Slovak startups to the broader Central and Eastern European region. Targets up to 25 startups at pre-seed to Series A stages with initial checks of €1M to €3M. Available to CEE-rooted technical founders via direct outreach or open online pitch application.
- Pre-Seed and Seed Investment Programme
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $500M under management across five funds since 2011
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use KAYA
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
KAYA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
KAYA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- ETH ZurichminorAcademic collaboration partner with KAYA portfolio company Theorema for AI-driven scientific research; referenced alongside Charles University and the Czech Academy of Sciences.
- Czech Academy of SciencesminorAcademic collaboration partner of KAYA portfolio company Theorema for agentic AI in laboratory research.
- NVIDIAcoreProvides accelerated computing and AI infrastructure used by KAYA portfolio company Sensible Biotechnologies to slash the time taken to optimize novel cell-based mRNA therapeutics by more than 90%.
- SymeresminorTransatlantic small molecule contract research and manufacturing organization that collaborated with KAYA portfolio company Yoneda Labs to use AI for cross-coupling reaction optimization.
- VentureESGcoreKAYA co-developed its eight-issue-area ESG framework with VentureESG and is part of the international VentureESG community of 150+ VC funds between the US, Europe and Israel.
- Included VCcoreKAYA is a founding sponsor of Included VC, which actively drives diversity and inclusion in the venture capital industry.
- Charles University (MFF UK)minorUniversity partnership used as part of KAYA's open-application and sourcing approach to identify technical founders in the CEE region.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
KAYA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Day One Capital: Budapest-based early-stage CEE VC; directly comparable thesis and stage but centered on Hungary rather than Czechia/Poland where KAYA is anchored.
Broad incumbents
- Atomico: London-based pan-European VC; comparable as a European early-stage investor and follow-on capital source for CEE founders scaling globally, but with a far larger fund size and broader mandate.
- Index Ventures: Global Tier-1 VC that has led follow-on rounds in KAYA portfolio companies; not a CEE specialist, but a relevant incumbent peer in the broader European venture ecosystem.
- Accel: Global Tier-1 VC that has led later rounds in KAYA-backed companies (e.g., Viktor); comparable as a leading source of follow-on capital into the CEE ecosystem.
- Insight Partners: US-based growth investor that led E2B's $21M Series A in July 2025 with KAYA participation; relevant as a benchmark for the type of follow-on capital KAYA partners with as portfolio companies scale.
Direct peers
- Credo Ventures: Prague-based early-stage VC focused on CEE technical founders; the most direct geographic and stage peer to KAYA, frequently co-investing (e.g., Theorema pre-seed round).
- Inovo VC: Poland-based early- and growth-stage VC investing across CEE; directly comparable in thesis and region, and a frequent co-investor with KAYA (e.g., Viktor Series A).
- Bek Ventures: CEE-focused early-stage fund with offices in Berlin and Istanbul; operates a similar thesis of backing technical founders from the region at pre-seed/seed, and co-invests with KAYA (e.g., Viktor).
- Earlybird: Berlin-based European early-stage VC with deep CEE exposure; comparable in stage (seed/Series A) and cross-invested in TopK's seed alongside KAYA.
- Speedinvest: Vienna-based early-stage fund with sector-focused programs across Europe; overlaps with KAYA in stage, region, and community-driven founder support.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
KAYA social profiles
Digital presenceKAYA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
KAYA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
KAYA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
KAYA subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
KAYA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
KAYA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments94 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about KAYA
What does KAYA do?
KAYA is a Central and Eastern Europe-focused venture capital firm that invests early-stage equity capital into pre-seed and seed-stage technical founders, writing first cheques of $500K to $2M and reserving up to €20M per company for follow-on rounds. The firm manages five venture funds with over $500M under management, anchored by a €70M fifth-fund first close completed in June 2025 that expanded investment scope from Czech, Polish, and Slovak startups to the broader CEE region. Beyond capital, KAYA delivers hands-on team-building support, operational guidance, founder community events, and an ESG due diligence framework co-developed with VentureESG.
Is KAYA a public or private company?
KAYA is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was KAYA founded?
KAYA was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is KAYA based?
KAYA is headquartered in Prague, Czechia, in the Europe region.
How does KAYA make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Venture fund management is the primary driver. The others are investment returns / capital gains on exits.
Who are KAYA's main competitors?
Day One Capital is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Atomico, Index Ventures, Accel and Insight Partners. Direct peers are Credo Ventures, Inovo VC, Bek Ventures, Earlybird and Speedinvest.
Does KAYA have an API?
No public API is recorded for KAYA.
What industry is KAYA in?
KAYA's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAIAD, SBIC Venture Debt Funds, with a secondary code of FSANAGAL, Managed Account / SMA Multi-Manager Platforms. Its NAICS code is 525990 and its SIC code is 6282.