Sunfish Partners
Sunfish Partners is a Warsaw-based early-stage venture capital firm deploying pre-seed capital (€150k-€300k tickets) into deep tech startups from Central and Eastern Europe, with a thematic focus on Space & Defense alongside AI, Cyber Security, and Health Tech.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersWarsaw, Poland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sunfish Partners does
Sunfish Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, with an additional operational office in Berlin, Germany. The firm invests pre-seed capital (€150k-€300k tickets) into deep technology startups founded by entrepreneurs from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), with a stated thematic focus on Space & Defense, alongside adjacent exposure to AI, Cyber Security, and Health Tech. The firm articulates a mission to "secure Europe's autonomy" in strategic technology sectors and targets both hardware and software opportunities. Over a roughly seven-year operating history, Sunfish Partners has made 25 portfolio investments and is credited with supporting the creation of 350+ jobs across its portfolio companies.
The firm's core "product" is investment services — capital plus strategic guidance and network access — distributed through direct founder outreach, advisor and ecosystem referrals, an AirTable-based pitch deck submission portal, an active LinkedIn presence, and participation in industry events such as the Big Space Tech Expo. Revenue is generated through equity stakes in portfolio companies, with exits realized via IPOs (e.g., Liftero), acquisitions, or secondary transactions; the firm lists four exited portfolio companies (Alphamoon, CodeAlly, PerfOps, re_data). The current portfolio of approximately 22 active companies spans Space & Defense (Sky Spy, C2GRID, EU Motors, HyperBUNKER, DefendEye, ENS Dynamics, Orbital Matter, SI Robotics, Zaitra, Asynchronics), AI/Data Science (mysite.ai, Deepflare, Molecule.one), Cyber Security (1Security, RANDAEMON), Health (Aether Biomedical, CliniNote, Smarter Diagnostics, Solvemed), and Automation/Data (Pergamin, Scramjet). Recent co-investment partners include Expeditions Fund, Superangel, Freedom Fund, Crosscourt Ventures, Material Ventures, and BSV Ventures.
The firm is led by a core team of three partners — Dr. Marcus Erken, Max Moldenhauer, and Paweł Lipkowski (the latter serving as head of finance and operations) — supported by a seven-member advisory board with domain expertise across space, defense, and deep tech. Dr. Marcus Erken was recognized among EWOR's Global Top 100 Founder Mentors in December 2025. Sunfish Partners is privately held with no parent company or institutional ownership disclosed, and does not publish revenue, fund size, or AUM data. Deal flow in 2025 was notably active, with investments in mysite.ai, HyperBUNKER, C2GRID, Sky Spy, and EU Motors, followed by the Liftero IPO in 2026.
Sunfish Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sunfish Partners
- Legal name
- Sunfish Partners
- Website
- https://sunfish.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sunfish Partners is a Warsaw-based early-stage venture capital firm deploying pre-seed capital (€150k-€300k tickets) into deep tech startups from Central and Eastern Europe, with a thematic focus on Space & Defense alongside AI, Cyber Security, and Health Tech.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Sunfish Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Warsaw
- HQ country
- Poland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sunfish Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Investment Returns / Fund Management: Sunfish Partners generates returns through equity investments in early-stage deep tech startups. As a VC firm, they take equity stakes in portfolio companies in exchange for capital, aiming for exits through IPOs (e.g., Liftero), acquisitions, or secondary transactions. Their portfolio spans Space & Defense, AI, Health, and other deep tech sectors with ticket sizes of €150k-€300k at pre-seed stage.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Sunfish Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sunfish Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests pre-seed capital (€150k–€300k tickets) into Space & Defense and adjacent deep tech startups founded by entrepreneurs from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The firm sources deals through direct outreach, industry events, and an online pitch submission portal, and supports portfolio companies with strategic guidance and network access, with the stated goal of securing Europe's technological autonomy.
Product overview
Sunfish Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm that provides investment services to deep tech startups in the Space & Defense sector from Eastern Europe (CEE). The firm does not offer a unified product platform but rather invests in a portfolio of portfolio companies spanning categories including Cyber Security (1Security), Health & AI (Aether Biomedical, CliniNote, Smarter Diagnostics, Solvemed), Space & Defense (Asynchronics, C2Grid, DefendEye, EU Motors, ENS Dynamics, HyperBUNKER, Liftero, Orbital Matter, SI Robotics, Sky Spy, Zaitra), AI & Data Science (mysite.ai, Deepflare, Molecule.one), Automation (Pergamin), Defense & Cyber Security (RANDAEMON), Data Streaming (Scramjet). Investment focus areas include pre-seed stage companies with tickets of €150k to €300k, targeting hardware and software solutions with the goal of securing Europe's technological autonomy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pre-Seed Investment Services Pre-seed venture capital investment services for early-stage Space & Defense and deep tech startups from Central and Eastern Europe, with tickets of €150k–€300k and accompanying strategic and network support.
Quantifiable outcome
- 25 investments made over 7 years
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Sunfish Partners
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Sunfish Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sunfish Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sunfish Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Material Ventures: Participant in Sky Spy's $1.6M pre-seed round alongside Sunfish Partners. Comparable as a deep-tech-focused early-stage investor with shared defense/dual-use exposure.
- Inovo VC: Polish early-stage VC that co-invested with Sunfish Partners in mysite.ai's €2.1M pre-seed round. Comparable as a CEE-focused early-stage investor with similar ticket sizes and Polish roots, though broader across software/AI.
- OTB Ventures: Central European deep-tech VC investing in SpaceTech, AI, and cybersecurity from the CEE region. Directly comparable as a CEE deep-tech specialist with overlapping portfolio themes (autonomy, frontier tech) and similar geographic focus.
- Expeditions Fund: Co-lead investor alongside Sunfish Partners in Sky Spy's $1.6M pre-seed round. Comparable as an early-stage fund operating in defense and dual-use technology with overlapping thesis on European sovereignty.
- Superangel: Co-led Sky Spy's $1.6M pre-seed with Expeditions Fund. Comparable as a European early-stage VC with similar pre-seed/seed ticket sizes and overlap in deep-tech/defense thesis.
- BSV Ventures: Co-investor in C2GRID's pre-seed round alongside Sunfish Partners. Comparable early-stage fund with defense and deep-tech orientation.
Broad incumbents
- Earlybird Venture Capital: One of Europe's largest early-stage VCs with deep-tech exposure. Comparable as a European early-stage fund but operates at much larger AUM and broader sector mandate than Sunfish's CEE Space & Defense focus.
- Speedinvest: Large European early-stage VC with deep-tech and industrial-tech funds. Comparable as a multi-sector European early-stage investor but at significantly greater scale than Sunfish Partners.
Regional players
- Credo Ventures: Czech-based early-stage VC with CEE focus on tech startups. Comparable as a CEE early-stage fund with similar ticket-size discipline and regional sourcing network.
Emerging players
- Frederick Engineering Fund: European deep-tech/defense focused early-stage fund. Comparable as an emerging player in the European defense-tech VC space with overlapping thesis on sovereignty-aligned investments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sunfish Partners social profiles
Digital presenceSunfish Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sunfish Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Sunfish Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sunfish Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments35 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sunfish Partners
What does Sunfish Partners do?
Sunfish Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests pre-seed capital (€150k–€300k tickets) into Space & Defense and adjacent deep tech startups founded by entrepreneurs from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The firm sources deals through direct outreach, industry events, and an online pitch submission portal, and supports portfolio companies with strategic guidance and network access, with the stated goal of securing Europe's technological autonomy.
Is Sunfish Partners a public or private company?
Sunfish Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sunfish Partners founded?
Sunfish Partners was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sunfish Partners based?
Sunfish Partners is headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, in the Europe region.
How does Sunfish Partners make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Returns / Fund Management.
Who are Sunfish Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Material Ventures, Inovo VC, OTB Ventures, Expeditions Fund, Superangel and BSV Ventures. Broad incumbents are Earlybird Venture Capital and Speedinvest. Credo Ventures is listed as a regional player. Frederick Engineering Fund is listed as an emerging player.
Does Sunfish Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sunfish Partners.