Day One Capital
Day One Capital is a Budapest-based early-stage venture capital firm investing Pre-seed and Seed tickets of €300k–€2M into B2B software companies across Central and Eastern Europe from its €45M third fund, supported by EU institutional LPs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBudapest, Hungary
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Day One Capital does
Day One Capital is a Budapest-headquartered venture capital firm founded in 2011 that invests in Pre-seed and Seed-stage B2B software companies across Central and Eastern Europe. The firm currently invests from its third fund, a €45 million vehicle that has been operational since 2024 and is backed by EU institutional limited partners including InnovFin Equity and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI). Day One writes equity tickets of €300k to €2 million per company and targets a concentrated portfolio of approximately 20 companies per fund. Its core thesis is that the CEE region offers an 'unfair advantage' in efficient, skilled technical talent that can build world-class products at competitive cost.
The firm's revenue model is the standard VC two-part structure: recurring management fees on assets under management (scaled to the €45M fund III plus prior vintages) and performance-based carried interest on successful portfolio exits. Day One does not sell software products or services and has no proprietary technology platform; it operates a sales-led origination model with a dedicated pipeline team, Founders Club portfolio events, a public 'Pitch Us' portal, and content marketing via its website, newsletter, LinkedIn, and Medium/Substack. Its team of 10+ is led by three managing partners — Elek Straub (former head of Magyar Telekom Group and IBM Hungary country GM), György Simó (co-founder of Origo.hu and former CEO of T-Online Hungary), and Csaba Kákosy (former Hungarian Minister of Economy and Transport) — supported by partners, principals, an analyst, and an office manager.
Notable track record includes the AImotive exit via Stellantis in November 2022 (~$100M, the largest Hungarian startup exit to date), Tresorit's acquisition by Swiss Post in 2021, NOW Technologies acquired by Sunrise Medical in 2022, and Samebug by Rollbar in 2019. Active portfolio spans robotics (Allonic), Earth observation (Resoloon), industrial drones (ABZ Innovation), mobility (Orqa, Volteum, Perciv AI), TechBio (Turbine), generative AI video (Colossyan), fintech (FLOWX.AI), cybersecurity (Whalebone), EdTech (Circuitmess), and data/AI (Qneiform, Veridion), with portfolio companies operating across at least 10 CEE countries plus Western Europe and the US. The firm is incorporated in Hungary as Day One Capital Kockázati Tőkealap-Kezelő Zrt. and is privately held with no parent company.
Day One Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Day One Capital
- Legal name
- Day One Capital Kockázati Tőkealap-Kezelő Zrt.
- Website
- https://dayonecapital.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Day One Capital is a Budapest-based early-stage venture capital firm investing Pre-seed and Seed tickets of €300k–€2M into B2B software companies across Central and Eastern Europe from its €45M third fund, supported by EU institutional LPs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Day One Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Budapest
- HQ country
- Hungary
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Day One Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Management Fees: VC fund management fees collected from the €45M fund under management
- Carried Interest: Performance-based carried interest from successful portfolio company exits
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Day One Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Day One Capital manages a €45M venture capital fund (its third fund, operational since 2024) that invests between €300,000 and €2 million per company in Pre-seed and Seed stage B2B software companies across Central and Eastern Europe. The firm builds a concentrated portfolio of approximately 20 companies and supports founders with hands-on entrepreneurial, corporate, and investor expertise to help them conquer global markets. Beyond fund management, the firm partners with EU-backed financial institutions (InnovFin Equity, EFSI) and operates a €45M CEE-focused third fund with documented exits including the AImotive acquisition by Stellantis.
Product overview
Day One Capital is a Central and Eastern European venture capital firm offering investment fund management services rather than a traditional product company. Their core offering is a €45M VC fund (operational since 2024, their 3rd fund) that invests in Pre-seed and Seed stage B2B software companies across the CEE region. The fund makes initial investments ranging from €300k to €2 million and aims to build a concentrated portfolio of approximately 20 companies. They support portfolio companies through their entrepreneurial, corporate, and investor experience to help them conquer global markets. Their portfolio spans multiple technology sectors including robotics (Allonic), earth observation (Resoloon), drone technologies (ABZ Innovation), data & AI (Qneiform, Perciv AI, Synnada, Veridion), mobility (Volteum, Orqa), fintech (FLOWX.AI, Oradian), cybersecurity (Whalebone), EdTech (Circuitmess), and TechBio (Turbine, Colossyan).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- €45M CEE Venture Capital Fund (Day One Capital's third fund) A €45M venture capital fund (Day One Capital's third fund, operational since 2024) that invests Pre-seed and Seed stage B2B software companies across Central and Eastern Europe, with ticket sizes from €300,000 to €2 million per company and a concentrated target portfolio of approximately 20 companies. The fund is financially backed by InnovFin Equity with European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) support under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments.
Quantifiable outcome
- Largest startup exit in Hungary: AImotive acquired by Stellantis in 2022
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Day One Capital
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Day One Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Day One Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Erste Bank HungaryminorCollaboration through ERSTE BankSpiration program to foster innovation and accelerate digital transformation via collaboration with fintech and insurtech companies. Day One Capital provided startup ecosystem expertise.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Day One Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Vitosha Ventures: Bulgarian early-stage VC focused on CEE tech founders with a Pre-seed/Seed mandate. Comparable model, stage, and regional focus.
- Oktogon Ventures: Hungarian early-stage VC investing alongside Day One in CEE rounds (e.g., Colossyan, Recart). Local Budapest-based peer with comparable stage and ticket size.
- LAUNCHub Ventures: Bulgarian early-stage VC investing across CEE with a comparable Pre-seed/Seed model. Co-investor alongside Day One in CEE rounds (e.g., Colossyan), making it the closest direct peer in geography, stage, and check size.
- Credo Ventures: Czech Republic-based early-stage VC focused on CEE tech founders, with a similar Pre-seed/Seed mandate and comparable ticket sizes. One of the most direct regional peers to Day One.
- Inovo VC: Polish early-stage VC focused on CEE and CEE-origin founders, with a comparable B2B software tilt and Pre-seed-to-Series A mandate. Direct geographic and stage peer.
- Eleven Ventures: Bulgarian early-stage VC with a Pre-seed/Seed focus on CEE tech startups, often co-investing in the same deals as Day One. Direct regional peer.
- Kaya VC: Polish early-stage VC focused on CEE tech founders, with a comparable Pre-seed/Seed mandate and ticket size. Direct regional peer.
Broad incumbents
- Earlybird Venture Capital: One of Europe's largest early-stage VCs, with multiple funds across Digital, Health, and Industrial Tech. Operates a broader mandate than Day One but frequently invests in CEE Pre-seed and Seed rounds, making it a broad incumbent in the same stage category.
- Speedinvest: Austrian pan-European early-stage VC with multiple sector-focused funds. Active across CEE Pre-seed/Seed, broader geographic and sector mandate than Day One, but directly comparable at the early stage.
Emerging players
- Hoxton Ventures: London-based early-stage VC investing across Europe with a Pre-seed/Seed focus. Similar stage and check size, though more UK/Western Europe-tilted than Day One's CEE focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Day One Capital social profiles
Digital presenceDay One Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Day One Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Day One Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Day One Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments60 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Day One Capital
What does Day One Capital do?
Day One Capital manages a €45M venture capital fund (its third fund, operational since 2024) that invests between €300,000 and €2 million per company in Pre-seed and Seed stage B2B software companies across Central and Eastern Europe. The firm builds a concentrated portfolio of approximately 20 companies and supports founders with hands-on entrepreneurial, corporate, and investor expertise to help them conquer global markets. Beyond fund management, the firm partners with EU-backed financial institutions (InnovFin Equity, EFSI) and operates a €45M CEE-focused third fund with documented exits including the AImotive acquisition by Stellantis.
Is Day One Capital a public or private company?
Day One Capital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Day One Capital founded?
Day One Capital was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Day One Capital based?
Day One Capital is headquartered in Budapest, Hungary, in the Europe region.
How does Day One Capital make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest.
Who are Day One Capital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Vitosha Ventures, Oktogon Ventures, LAUNCHub Ventures, Credo Ventures, Inovo VC, Eleven Ventures and Kaya VC. Broad incumbents are Earlybird Venture Capital and Speedinvest. Hoxton Ventures is listed as an emerging player.
Does Day One Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Day One Capital.