ZAKA VC
ZAKA VC is a Prague-based pre-seed and seed venture capital fund with offices in Bratislava, London and Silicon Valley, investing across Europe and North America with primary focus on Health & Biotech and Industrial/Deep Tech startups from a €15M Fund I.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersPrague, Czechia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ZAKA VC does
ZAKA VC is a pre-seed and seed-focused venture capital fund headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, with additional operating offices in Bratislava, London and Silicon Valley. Founded in 2019 by serial entrepreneurs Jan Kasper and Peter Zalesak as a family office deploying private capital, the firm formalised its structure in July 2024 with the launch of ZAKA VC Fund I (€15M target, €10.5M first close). ZAKA invests primarily in Health & Biotech and Industrial/Deep Tech startups across Europe and the United States, with a stated focus on capital-intensive R&D sectors such as mRNA/gene therapy, AI-driven drug discovery, semiconductors, robotics, fusion, quantum and space tech. As of the most recent data, the firm holds 95 portfolio companies across 25+ countries, has recorded 4 exits, and in October 2025 became an economic shareholder of hospitality-tech unicorn Mews via the acquisition of portfolio company Flexkeeping.
The fund's core operating model combines direct investing (typical ticket €300-350k for 3-5% equity) with co-investment alongside tier-1 funds such as Y Combinator, First Round, General Catalyst, RA Capital, Illumina Ventures, BlueYard, Speedinvest and Pioneer Fund, alongside which it has co-led or participated in rounds including ParcelBio ($13M seed, May 2026) and DeepSeq.AI (co-led with Illumina Ventures, January 2026). Deal-flow is sourced through an inbound pitch-deck portal, an outbound scout network, the AceON Accelerator (jointly with Accace, running Spring/Autumn batches from 49+ countries) and TRUESDAYS community events in Bratislava and London. Limited Partners can participate in Fund I from a €130k minimum ticket, with standard VC fund economics (management fees plus carried interest). The firm employs roughly 9-11 named investment and operating professionals and is registered as a Czech alternative investment fund (ZAKA VC I, osoba rizikového kapitálu, a.s., ID 215 14 992) with the Czech National Bank, though not CNB-supervised.
ZAKA's differentiators are an operator-founder GP base (the founders run 50+ family businesses with cumulative sales near €1.4 billion), a permanent four-office EU-US bridge (Silicon Valley opened January 2025), a vertically specialised Health & Biotech book that the firm itself describes as one of the best in continental Europe, and a proprietary 71-question assessment framework that screens ~3,500 opportunities per year down to roughly 10 investments.
ZAKA VC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ZAKA VC
- Legal name
- ZAKA VC I, osoba rizikového kapitálu, a.s.
- Website
- https://zaka.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ZAKA VC is a Prague-based pre-seed and seed venture capital fund with offices in Bratislava, London and Silicon Valley, investing across Europe and North America with primary focus on Health & Biotech and Industrial/Deep Tech startups from a €15M Fund I.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ZAKA VC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Early-Stage Venture Capital Fund
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Financial Vehicles (525990), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Micro-PE / Lower Middle Market ETA Funds (FSANALAG)
Keywords
Where ZAKA VC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Prague
- HQ country
- Czechia
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
ZAKA VC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Capital gains from portfolio exits: Primary economic engine. Returns generated when portfolio companies exit (e.g., Flexkeeping acquired by Mews in 2025 made ZAKA an economic shareholder of unicorn Mews — first unicorn in the fund).
- Limited Partner fund management (Fund I): ZAKA VC Fund I, sized €15M with €10.5M first close in July 2024, is open to qualified investors with minimum LP ticket of €130k. Standard VC fund economics: management fees on committed/invested capital plus carried interest on exits.
- Family office capital deployment: Pre-2024 the fund operated purely on private family-office capital from founders Jan Kasper and Peter Zalesak (combining 50+ companies with cumulative sales of ~€1.4 billion).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Limited Partner ticket minimum |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
ZAKA VC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ZAKA VC is a pre-seed and seed-focused venture capital fund that invests in tech startups across North America and Europe, with thematic emphasis on Health & Biotech and Industrial/Deep Tech verticals. The fund deploys typical tickets of €300-350K for 3-5% equity, operates Fund I (€15M target, €10.5M first close in July 2024), and provides portfolio support, EU-US bridging, and co-investor network access. It runs complementary programs including the AceON Accelerator (with Accace Slovakia) and the public-facing Pitch Deck Submission Portal for deal flow.
Product overview
ZAKA VC's offering is a platform-plus-program architecture centered on ZAKA VC Fund I, a €15M pre-seed and seed venture capital fund operating from Prague, London, and Silicon Valley. The core "product" is capital deployment alongside co-investment partners (Y Combinator, General Catalyst, First Round, BlueYard, RA Capital, Illumina Ventures, etc.) into 95+ portfolio companies, with thematic emphasis on Health & Biotech and Industrial/Deep Tech. Layered on top are two complementary programs: the AceON Accelerator, an online pre-seed program for European founders (Spring/Autumn batches) operated jointly with Accace Slovakia, and the Pitch Deck Submission Portal, the public-facing intake tool at zaka.vc/submit-pitchdeck/ through which startups are evaluated by ZAKA's investment committee. The portfolio spans Health & Biotech holdings (ParcelBio, DeepSeq.AI, Sensible Biotechnologies, Olio Labs, Eigen Therapeutics, KiraGen Bio, Lime Therapeutics, ExcepGen, Bullseye Biosciences, Alixia Therapeutics, Nephrogen, Cirrus Therapeutics), Industrial Tech & Deep Tech (Sygaldry Technologies, Ateios Systems, Zephyr Fusion, Verne Robotics, Mbodi AI, Inversion Semiconductor, ExoMatter), AI/Data (Human Archive, AxionOrbital Space, CellType, Superlinked), and selected B2B SaaS/consumer plays (Mews, Orderlion, Stackt, Talkie.ai, Readmio).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ZAKA VC Fund I Pre-seed and seed venture capital fund sized at €15M (first closing €10.5M in July 2024), targeting pre-seed and seed startups in Europe (Central Europe, Baltics, UK, DACH) and the US, with emphasis on B2B software, AI applications in B2B, biotech, and health tech. For startups: typical investment of €300-350K for 3-5% equity. For LPs: minimum ticket of €130k for qualified investors.
- AceON Accelerator Online pre-seed and idea-stage accelerator program for European founders operated jointly with Accace Slovakia. Offers up to €70k investment per startup across multiple annual batches, mentorship, and Demo Days. Cohorts have included founders from 49+ countries.
- ZAKA VC Pitch Deck Submission Portal
Quantifiable outcome
- Invests in ~10 of ~3,500 evaluated opportunities per year (~0.3% conversion)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use ZAKA VC
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
ZAKA VC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
ZAKA VC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Accace Slovakia (AceON Accelerator)flagshipCo-running partner of the AceON Accelerator together with Startup Kitchen, launched in 2023. AceON is ZAKA's flagship deal-flow engine, running pre-seed/seed programs with €40k investments and Demo Days, with applicants from 49+ countries. Joint with Accace, ZAKA also co-hosts the TRUESDAYS event in Bratislava.
- Startup KitchencoreCo-organizer of the AceON Accelerator alongside Accace Slovakia. ZAKA and Startup Kitchen partnered to bring the TRUESDAYS event to Bratislava for its second international edition.
- Merck Digital Sciences Studio (DSS)minorMerck DSS is listed as a leading accelerator that has supported DeepSeq.AI (a ZAKA portfolio company). Indirect relationship — ZAKA co-invests in DSS-backed companies.
- Stanford StartXminorStanford StartX is listed as an accelerator that has supported DeepSeq.AI (ZAKA portfolio). Indirect relationship via co-invested companies.
- Berkeley SkyDeckminorBerkeley SkyDeck is listed as an accelerator that has supported DeepSeq.AI (ZAKA portfolio). Indirect relationship via co-invested companies.
- Slovak PRO – Slovak ProfessionalsminorZAKA VC announced a partnership with Slovak PRO in September 2024 to expand its network of Slovak founders and professionals abroad.
- Embassy of the Czech Republic in LondonminorZAKA co-hosts CZ/SK Tech Founder Meet-ups at the Czech Embassy in London, including the London Tech Week side event.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ZAKA VC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Creandum: European early-stage VC with strong seed franchise and pan-European reach; comparable on stage, geography and health/deep-tech portfolio overlap. Direct competitor for top European pre-seed deals.
- Speedinvest: Pan-European pre-seed/seed VC with deep operational playbook; Speedinvest co-founder Michael Schuster mentored ZAKA's Jan Kasper into VC. Same stage and geography focus, making it the closest functional comparator.
- Pioneer Fund: US pre-seed/seed fund investing primarily into Y Combinator startups; ZAKA is an explicit investing partner of Pioneer Fund. Same stage, same deal-flow engine, and explicit alliance — the most directly aligned peer.
- Seedcamp: One of Europe's original pre-seed/seed funds with first-check focus and pan-European coverage. Directly comparable on stage, geography and 'first institutional capital' positioning; key competitor for the same European pre-seed founder pool.
- Earlybird Venture Capital: Long-established European seed/early-stage VC with HealthTech/biotech vertical (Earlybird Health). ZAKA's Health & Biotech focus directly overlaps, and both serve as early-stage European capital for life-sciences founders.
- Octopus Ventures: UK-headquartered early-stage VC with health and deep-tech exposure; listed as a top-tier ZAKA co-investor. Comparable on stage, sector overlap (health/biotech), and UK-European bridge positioning.
- LocalGlobe: London-based pre-seed/seed fund known for founder-first early checks; shares ZAKA's London base and pre-seed orientation. Comparable on deal-stage focus and pan-European startup sourcing.
- First Round Capital: US seed-stage VC with strong founder-community brand and structured seed programs; co-investor with ZAKA across multiple US deals. Closest US-comparable peer on seed-stage mechanics and brand-building.
- Startup Wise Guys: CEE-rooted accelerator and seed fund; ZAKA holds an LP position in Startup Wise Guys and sponsors its Young Entrepreneurs program. Direct peer on CEE geography and pre-seed orientation.
Broad incumbents
- Y Combinator: Dominant global pre-seed accelerator; ZAKA holds 8 YC-backed portfolio companies and is partner of Pioneer Fund. Far larger scale, but operates upstream of ZAKA at the pre-seed stage and is effectively an alliance partner.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ZAKA VC social profiles
Digital presenceZAKA VC compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
ZAKA VC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ZAKA VC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
ZAKA VC subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
ZAKA VC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ZAKA VC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments113 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ZAKA VC
What does ZAKA VC do?
ZAKA VC is a pre-seed and seed-focused venture capital fund that invests in tech startups across North America and Europe, with thematic emphasis on Health & Biotech and Industrial/Deep Tech verticals. The fund deploys typical tickets of €300-350K for 3-5% equity, operates Fund I (€15M target, €10.5M first close in July 2024), and provides portfolio support, EU-US bridging, and co-investor network access. It runs complementary programs including the AceON Accelerator (with Accace Slovakia) and the public-facing Pitch Deck Submission Portal for deal flow.
Is ZAKA VC a public or private company?
ZAKA VC is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was ZAKA VC founded?
ZAKA VC was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ZAKA VC based?
ZAKA VC is headquartered in Prague, Czechia, in the Europe region.
How does ZAKA VC make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Capital gains from portfolio exits are the primary driver. The others are limited Partner fund management (Fund I) and family office capital deployment.
Who are ZAKA VC's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Creandum, Speedinvest, Pioneer Fund, Seedcamp, Earlybird Venture Capital, Octopus Ventures, LocalGlobe, First Round Capital and Startup Wise Guys. Y Combinator is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does ZAKA VC have an API?
No public API is recorded for ZAKA VC.
What industry is ZAKA VC in?
ZAKA VC's product category is Early-Stage Venture Capital Fund. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAI, Micro-VC & Angel Funds, with a secondary code of FSANALAG, Micro-PE / Lower Middle Market ETA Funds. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6211.