Faber

What Faber does

Faber is a Lisbon-based early-stage venture capital firm that invests in science- and mission-driven founders building frontier-technology companies, with a focus on two verticals: Applied Science & Digital Transformation (artificial intelligence, AI governance, robotics, computational biology and chemistry, AI and data infrastructure, novel computation, photonics, propulsion) and Climate & Ocean Tech (blue biotech, ocean food and feed, ocean health and decarbonization, desalination, ocean energy). Capital is deployed at pre-seed through Series A in tickets up to €2.5M as a first check, with Faber often leading rounds and partnering with European and US co-investors.

The firm is structured around two specialized SFDR-compliant fund vehicles—Faber Tech II (Applied Science / Digital Transformation) and Faber Blue Pioneers I (Climate / Ocean Tech)—both backed by EU institutional capital via the European Investment Fund's Pan-European Guarantee Fund and by Portuguese national development capital through BPF – Banco Português de Fomento under Portugal Tech, Portugal Blue, and Fundo Azul. Revenue is generated through traditional venture fund mechanics: management fees on committed and invested capital, plus carried interest on realizations. Faber also operates Entrepreneurship Programs in Portugal and Spain and an external jobs portal (talent.faber.vc) that act as a pre-investment sourcing funnel for science-driven founders in Southern Europe.

Commercially, Faber runs a founder-first, relationship-driven GTM motion: a small resident team in Lisbon combines direct outbound sourcing with a network of more than 30 expert advisors drawn from OpenAI, Feedzai, Sword Health, Seedrs/Republic Europe, PagerDuty, HiBob, JFrog, Fraunhofer, NOVA School of Science and Technology, the Oceano Azul Foundation, and In-Q-Tel. The firm has built a portfolio of more than 60 companies since 2013 across AI/data, robotics, climate, ocean tech, photonics, propulsion, biotech, and computational biology, with active lead investments through 2026 in Biographica, YPlasma, Ponda, B'ZEOS, and Zymvol, and participation in rounds such as ATMOS Space Cargo's €25.7 million Series A and Luminate's $21 million Series A extension.

Name

Faber

Legal name

Faber

Website

https://faber.vc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Faber is a Lisbon-based early-stage venture capital firm backing deep-tech founders in Southern Europe through two specialized SFDR-compliant funds—Faber Tech II (Applied Science & Digital Transformation) and Faber Blue Pioneers I (Climate & Ocean Tech)—with first tickets up to €2.5M at pre-seed through Series A.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early-Stage Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Venture capital funding
• Deep tech investing
• Pre-seed investment
• Climate tech investment
• Early-stage startups

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Venture capital fund returns: As a venture capital firm, Faber generates returns through fund management fees and carried interest from its pre-seed, seed, and Series A investments across multiple vehicles (Faber Tech II, Faber Blue Pioneers I). Capital is provided in tickets up to €2.5M at pre-seed/seed.
2. Sustainability / SFDR-aligned fund products: Faber manages Article 8/9 SFDR-compliant vehicles (Faber Blue Pioneers I) focused on blue economy and climate tech, generating management fees tied to impact mandates from EU-backed and Portuguese institutional capital.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Faber is a Lisbon-based early-stage venture capital firm that provides pre-seed to Series A equity capital (first tickets up to €2.5M) to science- and mission-driven founders building deep tech companies. The firm operates two complementary fund vehicles — Faber Tech II (Applied Science & Digital Transformation) and Faber Blue Pioneers I (Climate & Ocean Tech) — supported by dedicated investment teams and a 30+ member expert advisory network. Layered on top of the funds are the Faber Entrepreneurship Programs in Portugal and Spain, which provide workshops, sprints, and coaching to founders before and after investment.

Product overview

Faber is a Lisbon-based early-stage venture capital firm that backs deep tech founders transforming industries with frontier technology. Its offering is structured around two complementary investment vehicles — Faber Tech II (Applied Science & Digital Transformation) and Faber Blue Pioneers I (Climate & Ocean Tech) — which deploy pre-seed to Series A capital with first tickets up to €2.5M, supported by dedicated specialized teams and an expert advisory network. Layered on top of these funds are the Faber Entrepreneurship Programs in Portugal and Spain, which provide hands-on workshops, dedicated sprints, and continuous coaching to science- and mission-driven founders before and after investment. Together, the funds and entrepreneurship programs form an integrated platform for sourcing, supporting, and scaling deep tech startups across Southern Europe and selectively across Europe and the US.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Faber Tech II: Applied-science / digital-transformation focused Faber's SFDR-disclosed fund vehicle.
• Faber Blue Pioneers I
• Entrepreneurship Program Portugal
• Entrepreneurship Program Spain

Products and services

• Faber Tech II Faber Tech II is Faber's investment fund focused on applied science and digital transformation deep tech investments, providing pre-seed to Series A capital (first tickets up to €2.5M) to science- and mission-driven founders.
• Faber Blue Pioneers I Faber Blue Pioneers I is Faber's investment fund dedicated to climate and ocean tech deep tech investments, with SFDR-aligned sustainability disclosures for portfolio companies targeting climate action, ocean sustainability, and decarbonization.
• Entrepreneurship Program Portugal The Faber Entrepreneurship Program in Portugal supports science- and mission-driven founders through specialized workshops, dedicated sprints, and access to Faber's expert advisory network to help build globally scalable deep tech companies from Southern Europe.
• Entrepreneurship Program Spain The Faber Entrepreneurship Program in Spain supports science- and mission-driven founders through specialized workshops, dedicated sprints, and access to Faber's expert advisory network to help build globally scalable deep tech companies from Southern Europe.

Quantifiable outcome

• First ticket up to €2.5M at pre-seed/seed
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• BASF | NunhemsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2026Portfolio company Biographica announced a strategic partnership with BASF | Nunhems, one of the world's leading seed companies, with early pilots having progressed into commercial agreements to accelerate the creation of climate-resilient crop varieties using Biographica's AI platform.
• German Aerospace Center (DLR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in ISPTech's €5.5 million Seed round in 2026 alongside Faber and others; Germany's national aerospace research center.
• Royal College of ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in Ponda Bio's $2.4 million Seed round in 2025 alongside Faber; design and research institution relationship.
• In-Q-TelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRita Waite, Partner at In-Q-Tel, is part of Faber's expert advisor network listed on faber.vc/team; signals a strategic intelligence/venture relationship.
• Oceano Azul FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmanuel Gonçalves and Tiago Pitta e Cunha from the Oceano Azul Foundation sit on Faber's expert advisor network, supporting the firm's Climate & Ocean Tech thesis and the Faber Blue Pioneers I mandate.
• Fraunhofer Portugal (AICOS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiliana Ferreira, Executive Director at Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS, is part of Faber's expert advisor network supporting applied science and digital transformation sourcing.
• NOVA School of Science and TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCláudia Soares, Assistant Professor at NOVA School of Science and Technology, is part of Faber's expert advisor network, supporting deep-tech talent and research sourcing.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Creandum: Northern European early-stage VC with broad tech and deep tech exposure. Comparable in stage and ticket size to Faber, though with broader sector coverage and Nordic geographic focus.
• Balderton Capital: Pan-European early-/growth-stage tech VC. Larger and broader portfolio than Faber, but overlapping in pre-seed/seed deep tech with European founders.
• Index Ventures: Pan-European/US tech VC across stages. Index's seed and early-stage activity and science/AI focus overlaps with Faber's, though Faber is more geographically concentrated in Southern Europe.

Direct peers

• Earlybird Venture Capital: European early-stage deep tech VC backing science-driven founders from seed to Series A. Faber's Faber Tech II and Earlybird's deep tech funds address the same founder archetype and ticket sizes across European geographies.
• Elaia Partners: Pan-European deep tech and digital transformation VC investing at seed/Series A. Elaia co-invested with Faber in Zymvol and shares comparable check sizes, thesis, and stage focus.
• Speedinvest: Austrian/European early-stage VC with deep tech, AI/ML, and industrial tech verticals. Speedinvest's sector-led teams and pre-seed/seed tickets overlap directly with Faber's deep tech and Applied Science thesis.
• High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF): Germany's leading early-stage deep tech seed VC. HTGF co-invested with Faber in ATMOS Space Cargo and ISPTech, mirroring Faber's deep tech seed mandate and €1-3M check size.
• APEX Ventures: Vienna/European deep tech and space tech seed VC. APEX co-invested with Faber in ATMOS Space Cargo's Series A, sharing the same deep tech seed-stage profile and European geography.
• Seraphim Space Camp / Seraphim Capital: Space-tech specialist VC. Seraphim co-invested with Faber in ATMOS Space Cargo, sharing the same deep tech (specifically space/propulsion) thesis at seed/Series A in Europe.
• OTB Ventures: European deep tech VC investing in space, AI, and enterprise tech at Series A. OTB co-invested with Faber in ATMOS Space Cargo, operating in adjacent deal-flow corridors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/faber_vc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/faber-vc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments93 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Faber