SMRK VC Fund

What SMRK VC Fund does

SMRK VC Fund is a Kyiv-based venture capital firm founded in Autumn 2013 by Andriy Dovzhenko (Managing Partner), Oleksandr Kosovan (Partner; also CEO of MacPaw), and Vlad Tislenko (Partner). The firm invests equity capital of $0.5-1.5 million per round into early-stage (seed and Round A) IT startups, with a stated thesis of backing ideas with obvious consumer value and global market potential. SMRK does not sell products or services; its revenue mechanics are the standard VC model of management fees on committed capital plus carried interest from portfolio exits via acquisition or IPO.

SMRK's portfolio spans roughly 20+ companies across edtech (Preply), IoT and smart-home security (Ajax Systems), AI-driven pricing optimization (Competera), bionic prosthetics (Esper Bionics), warehouse robotics (Deus Robotics), carbon capture hardware (Carbominer), AR navigation (Apostera), sales-AI (MyChatBot), and security AI (Osavul), among others. Deal sourcing is network-driven — email applications ([email protected]), founder referrals, and co-investment syndicates with Ukrainian and European peers (SMOK Ventures, YZR Capital, u.ventures, EBRD) plus global scout funds (a16z Scout, Bain Capital Scout, Unpopular Ventures).

Operationally, SMRK is a small partnership (11-50 employees) with minimal digital marketing presence, focused on operator-led diligence and mentorship rather than brand-scale fundraising. The competitive differentiation rests on the founders' personal track records of building and exiting global consumer software (CleanMyMac's 40M+ user base; iblazr distributed through Apple Stores), which provides hands-on product guidance unavailable from purely financial investors.

Name

SMRK VC Fund

Legal name

SMRK VC Fund

Website

https://smrk.vc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SMRK VC Fund is a Kyiv-based venture capital firm founded in 2013 that invests $0.5-1.5M per round in seed and Round A IT startups with global market potential, managing a 20+ company portfolio across AI, IoT, edtech, fintech, robotics, and hardware.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital Funding

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Seed stage funding
• IT startup investments
• Early-stage equity financing
• Portfolio management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyiv

HQ country

Ukraine

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Returns: SMRK generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies. The fund takes ownership stakes in early-stage IT startups and realizes returns through exits via acquisition or IPO events. Revenue is generated from capital appreciation of portfolio companies rather than recurring fees or product sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SMRK VC Fund is a Ukrainian venture capital fund that invests equity capital of $0.5–1.5 million per deal into early-stage IT startups, concentrating on seed and Round A financing rounds. Beyond capital, the fund provides operational mentorship, due-diligence support, and access to its founders' networks to help portfolio companies scale from the Ukrainian market to global audiences. The fund targets IT products with clear consumer value and global market potential across verticals including edtech, IoT/security, AI, bionics, and robotics.

Product overview

SMRK VC Fund is a Ukrainian venture capital firm founded in Autumn 2013 that provides investment services to IT startups. The company operates as a single investment product focused on early-stage startups (seed and Round A), typically deploying $0.5-1.5 million per investment. SMRK's portfolio includes over 20 portfolio companies spanning edtech (Preply), IoT security systems (Ajax Systems), AI-powered pricing optimization (Competera), bionic prosthetics (Esper Bionics), warehouse robotics (Deus Robotics), and various other B2B/B2C software and hardware ventures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Venture Capital Investment Services Equity capital investment services for IT startups at seed and Round A stages, with typical check sizes of $0.5–1.5 million per portfolio company. Includes operator mentorship from experienced founders and access to Ukrainian and international investor networks. Target customers are early-stage IT startup founders in Ukraine and CEE with global market ambitions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Portfolio includes successful exits and growing companies

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 moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Speedinvest: Vienna-based multi-stage VC with larger fund vehicles, but active seed-stage investor across European tech. Competes with SMRK for European IT founders at similar stages.
• Earlybird Digital East Fund: Berlin-headquartered VC that specifically targets Central and Eastern European tech, including Ukraine. Larger fund, broader sector mandate, but overlapping target geographies and founders.

Regional players

• Credo Ventures: Czech-based early-stage VC investing across Central Europe. Comparable check sizes and sector focus, but primarily covers Czech/Slovak/CEE markets rather than Ukraine directly.

Direct peers

• YZR Capital: Munich-based early-stage VC focused on European tech startups. Led the $5M Esper Bionics round with SMRK participating; comparable check size range and seed/Series A focus.
• Genesis Investments: Ukraine-rooted investment platform that deploys capital across multiple funds and direct investments into Ukrainian tech companies. Competes with SMRK for early-stage IT deal flow.
• TA Ventures: One of the most established Ukrainian/CIS early-stage VC funds. Invests across CEE and global at seed/Series A, competing with SMRK for the same Ukrainian tech founders.
• SMOK Ventures: Ukraine-focused early-stage VC fund that frequently co-invests with SMRK (co-led the $2M Principle pre-seed). Same geography, same IT/tech focus, and comparable check sizes make it the closest peer.
• u.ventures: Ukrainian-focused VC fund that co-invested with SMRK in Esper Bionics. Operates in the same Ukrainian tech seed ecosystem with overlapping portfolio and target founders.

Others

• Google for Startups Ukraine Support Fund: Provides non-dilutive grant funding to Ukrainian tech startups, complementing SMRK's investment in the same ecosystem (granted Principle alongside SMRK's equity). An ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Scout Program: a16z's scout network funds individual operators to source deals; SMRK co-invests alongside a16z scouts (Principle round). Represents both potential competition for early sourcing and validation of SMRK's deal selection.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments42 records

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

Frequently asked questions about SMRK VC Fund