What HEARTFELT does

HEARTFELT is a Berlin-headquartered, privately held venture capital firm operating as 'Europe's First Cheque Fund.' The firm provides initial equity investments of €100-400k — either solo or alongside other early backers — to exceptional founders building transformative companies across Europe and the United States, with follow-on capital deployed in subsequent rounds. Over the past decade, the firm and its individual team members have been initial investors in more than 300 startups across diverse industries, with named prior investments including N26, DeepL, Colossyan, Charles, Greenlyte, getquin, and Qualifyze. Portfolio companies have subsequently raised from tier-one funds such as Insight Partners, Index, Benchmark, Bessemer, Google Ventures, and Lightspeed.

HEARTFELT is staffed by a team of nine full-time investment professionals with international backgrounds and prior early-stage venture experience. The firm is anchored by Axel Springer and Porsche as strategic investors, whose corporate networks are positioned as a core value-add — providing portfolio companies with introductions to potential enterprise customers across corporate Europe. Deal flow originates primarily through a digital pitch portal (pitch.heartfelt.vc) and the firm's LinkedIn presence, consistent with a lean, digitally sourced model.

The firm's revenue is generated through standard venture-fund mechanics: management fees on committed capital and, prospectively, carried interest on successful realizations. Investment-return timing is lumpy and long-dated. Recent disclosed portfolio activity between December 2025 and April 2026 shows concentrated thematic exposure to AI-native startups across gaming, marketing, no-code development, mental health, dementia care, hospitality operations, and digital-asset infrastructure, signaling a deliberate AI-led first-cheque strategy.

Name

HEARTFELT

Legal name

Heartfelt

Website

https://heartfelt.capital

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HEARTFELT is a Berlin-based, privately held early-stage venture capital firm providing €100-400k first cheques and follow-on capital to exceptional founders across Europe and the United States, anchored by Axel Springer and Porsche and supported by a team of nine investment professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early-Stage Venture Capital

NAICS

Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAAAJ)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: HEARTFELT generates returns through equity investments in early-stage startups. They invest €100-400k initially and make follow-on investments as portfolio companies raise subsequent funding rounds.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

HEARTFELT is an early-stage venture capital firm branded as "Europe's First Cheque Fund" that provides initial investments of €100-400k to exceptional founders building transformative companies across Europe and the US. The firm invests either solo or alongside other early backers and provides follow-on investments as portfolio companies raise subsequent rounds. HEARTFELT supplements capital with access to networks of entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, experts, and potential corporate customers through anchor investors including Axel Springer and Porsche.

Product overview

HEARTFELT is a venture capital firm and 'Europe's First Cheque Fund,' providing early-stage investment funding to exceptional founders building transformative companies across Europe and the US. Their investment product spans initial investments ranging from €100-400k, made either solo or alongside other early backers, with follow-on investments available as portfolio companies raise subsequent rounds. The firm targets founders going from 0 to 1 and seeking product-market fit, with a portfolio including N26, DeepL, Colossyan, Charles, Greenlyte, getquin, and Qualifyze.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Initial Seed and Pre-Seed Investments First cheque equity investments ranging from €100-400k, made either solo or alongside other early backers, targeted at founders building transformative companies seeking to go from 0 to 1 and achieve product-market fit.
• Follow-On Investments Follow-on equity investments made as portfolio companies raise subsequent funding rounds, providing continued capital support through later stages of growth.
• Corporate Network Access and Introductions Portfolio support service offering introductions to potential customers in corporate Europe, including access through anchor investors Axel Springer and Porsche, alongside connections to a network of entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, and experts.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Atomico: Atomico is a London-based European tech VC founded by Skype's Niklas Zennström, investing across stages from growth to later seed. While typically writing larger cheques than HEARTFELT, it competes for the same European founder pool and serves as a broader incumbent in HEARTFELT's category.
• Balderton Capital: Balderton Capital is a leading European Series A VC that frequently co-invests at the seed stage alongside first-cheque funds like HEARTFELT. As one of the named top-tier funds that has backed HEARTFELT's portfolio companies (e.g., referenced in their value proposition), Balderton represents both a follow-on capital source and a broader European incumbent peer.

Direct peers

• Seedcamp: Seedcamp is one of Europe's most established seed-stage VC funds, making initial investments in early-stage founders across Europe. Like HEARTFELT, it positions as a first-cheque investor for transformative founders and has built a portfolio including category-defining European companies — making it the closest direct comparable by stage, geography, and thesis.
• Speedinvest: Speedinvest is a Vienna-based European early-stage VC with sector-focused funds and a strong corporate LP network. Its first-cheque seed model, pan-European footprint, and emphasis on operational support are directly comparable to HEARTFELT's approach.
• LocalGlobe: LocalGlobe is a London-based seed VC investing initial cheques in European founders, with a strong "first money in" positioning analogous to HEARTFELT's "First Cheque Fund" branding. Comparable stage, geography, and entry-ticket philosophy.
• Creandum: Creandum is a leading European early-stage VC with offices in Stockholm, Berlin, and London, leading seed and Series A rounds in tech startups. Its early-stage European tech focus and ticket sizes overlap with HEARTFELT's investment profile.
• Earlybird Venture Capital: Earlybird is one of Europe's longest-standing early-stage VCs, with seed and growth funds and a Berlin presence. Its early-stage strategy across European tech startups makes it a comparable peer to HEARTFELT in stage, geography, and institutional approach.
• Point Nine Capital: Point Nine Capital is a Berlin-based seed VC focused on B2B SaaS and marketplace startups across Europe. Its early-stage focus, Berlin headquarters, and €100k–€1M check sizes make it a direct peer to HEARTFELT in terms of stage, geography, and ticket size.

Emerging players

• Antler: Antler is a global early-stage VC that identifies and backs exceptional founders from day zero, with significant European operations. Its founder-first, pre-idea/pre-team investment thesis and pan-European presence overlap meaningfully with HEARTFELT, though Antler also runs residency programs and operates at larger scale.
• Entrepreneur First: Entrepreneur First is a London-based "talent-first" investor that funds individuals before they form companies, with operations across Europe and Asia. Its 0-to-1 founder thesis and pre-company entry point are conceptually similar to HEARTFELT's first-cheque positioning, though the talent-sourcing model differs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heartfeltcapital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments65 records

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

Frequently asked questions about HEARTFELT