10K Ventures

What 10K Ventures does

10K Ventures is a Berlin-based, privately-held early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2019 and operated by Hansol Joo and Kim Diocampo as the investment vehicle that professionalized their personal investing activity. The firm invests its own capital in pre-seed and seed-stage companies at sub-€10 million post-money valuations, alongside tier-one institutional co-investors that the firm publicly names: Tiger Global, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), SoftBank, Founders Fund, Sequoia Capital and Alter Global. Its stated investment thesis is to back founders with strong founder–market fit attacking proven, recurring, economically meaningful pain in large, fragmented, under-innovated industries — particularly in Europe and the Global South — with target verticals including AI-enabled managed services, the built world/AEC, and healthcare.

The firm provides capital, time and operational support rather than a software product. Distribution is via direct founder outreach through [email protected], its public website, and a Crunchbase portfolio listing that displays a co-investor track record. Public portfolio metrics cited on the firm website are 20+ directly backed early-stage startups, 6 portfolio companies on a trajectory to unicorn status ("soonicorns"), and 1 nine-figure exit to date.

The firm monetizes through equity ownership in portfolio companies rather than disclosed management fees or fund structures; revenue is not disclosed. Visible recent transactions include co-investments in Pieverse ($7M strategic, October 2025, co-led by Animoca Brands and UOB Ventures), Valeria ($2M, February 2026, with VentureFriends and Fortino Capital) and PeakAI ($2M seed, March 2026, with Cogitent Ventures, CatcherVC and others) — together indicating a deployment focus on AI-enabled and Web3 infrastructure adjacencies layered onto the firm's stated European / Global South thesis. No proprietary technology, APIs, certifications, subsidiary structure, or fund-vehicle financials are disclosed.

Name

10K Ventures

Legal name

10K Ventures

Website

https://10kventures.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

10K Ventures is a Berlin-based early-stage venture capital firm, founded in 2019 by Hansol Joo and Kim Diocampo, that invests its own capital at pre-seed and seed in Europe and the Global South, alongside institutional co-investors including Tiger Global, a16z and Sequoia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Early-Stage Investment

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Early-stage startups
• Seed stage funding
• Pre-seed investments
• Startup equity capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

10K Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that deploys its own capital and operational support into pre-seed and seed stage startups (sub-€10M post-money) building in large, fragmented, under-innovated industries, especially across Europe and the Global South. The firm invests alongside top-tier institutional VCs and targets founders with strong founder-market fit addressing proven, recurring, economically meaningful pain points.

Product overview

10K Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that deploys investment capital and operational support to founders building companies in large, fragmented, under-innovated industries. The firm is sector-agnostic but focuses on AI-enabled managed services, built world/AEC, healthcare, and other sectors with structural fragmentation and a credible consolidation path. Rather than offering a software product suite, 10K Ventures provides funding, strategic guidance, and network access to early-stage startups, with a stated thesis of backing founders with strong founder-market fit who are addressing proven, recurring, and economically meaningful pain points.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-seed Equity Investment
• Seed Equity Investment

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator/early-stage investor with programs in multiple geographies including emerging markets. Comparable in stage and global pre-seed/seed orientation, but operates as a much larger, established incumbent with an accelerator model.
• First Round Capital: Established US-based seed-stage investor known for its strong community and founder-first approach. Comparable in early-stage focus and pattern of co-investing with tier-1 later-stage funds, though considerably larger and US-centric relative to 10K Ventures' global emerging-market mandate.

Regional players

• Speedinvest: Vienna-based early-stage VC operating across Europe with multiple sector-focused funds. Comparable in stage (seed/Series A) and European footprint, though larger AUM and more sector-specialized than 10K Ventures.

Direct peers

• Antler: Global pre-seed/seed VC with a strong focus on founders across multiple geographies (including Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and LatAm). Closely comparable to 10K Ventures in stage, global mandate, and founder-first investment philosophy.
• 500 Global (500 Startups): Pioneer of global seed/pre-seed investing with programs across emerging markets (LatAm, Africa, MENA, Southeast Asia). Comparable to 10K Ventures in its global, pre-seed orientation and emphasis on backing founders in fragmented, emerging-economy markets.
• Hustle Fund: Pre-seed/seed VC investing globally with a generalist, founder-focused thesis and small team. Operates in the same sub-$10M post-money check range as 10K Ventures and similarly co-invests with tier-1 funds.
• Global Founders Capital (GFC): Global early-stage investor backing founders across geographies including emerging markets. Comparable stage (pre-seed/seed) and global, founder-first approach akin to 10K Ventures.
• Outlierz Ventures: Amsterdam-based seed fund focused on African and emerging-market tech startups. Comparable to 10K Ventures' Global South pre-seed/seed orientation and European base of operations.
• Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV): Pre-seed/seed firm with explicit focus on fintech and emerging-market founders. Comparable to 10K Ventures in stage (pre-seed/seed), check size, and global emerging-market thesis.
• Seedstars: Swiss-based investor focused on emerging-market seed-stage startups, especially across Africa, LatAm, MENA, and Asia. Highly comparable in its Global South pre-seed/seed orientation and thesis of backing founders in under-innovated verticals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments25 records

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

Frequently asked questions about 10K Ventures