Silicon Gardens
Silicon Gardens is a Slovenia-based early-stage VC firm managing a €33M+ Fund III, investing €300k–€1.5M at pre-seed and seed in B2B SaaS, marketplaces, consumer apps, and D2C products across the Adria region and CEE, backed by 120+ entrepreneur LPs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLjubljana, Slovenia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Silicon Gardens does
Silicon Gardens is a Slovenia-headquartered early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2014 and operating as a "founders for founders" fund focused on the Adria region (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro) and Central & Eastern Europe. The firm manages three successive funds: Fund I (€300k experimental fund, 2014, 10 investments, 2.1x DPI returned), Fund II (€6M, launched 2019, fully deployed by September 2024), and Fund III (€33M+, launched June 2023, investing through summer 2027). Silicon Gardens invests at pre-seed and seed stages with initial tickets of €300k–€1.5M, with reserved follow-on capital for best-performing portfolio companies. Sector focus is B2B SaaS, marketplaces and network-effect businesses, consumer apps and games, and innovative D2C products.
The firm operates with a nine-person core team (plus a five-person advisory board) composed of former founders and operators of exited Adria/CEE tech companies including Sportradar (via Klika), Outfit7, Microblink, Photomath, and Celtra. Silicon Gardens is backed by 120+ limited partners who are themselves successful regional tech entrepreneurs from companies such as Cosylab, Dewesoft, Nordeus, Runtastic, and Zemanta. In November 2025 the firm opened a Palo Alto office led by Partner Nina Leskovec to bridge Adria/CEE portfolio companies with the Silicon Valley investor and customer ecosystem, and it has established co-investment relationships with tier-1 US funds including a16z, Menlo Ventures, True Ventures, and General Catalyst.
Silicon Gardens' revenue model follows standard VC economics: management fees on committed capital (primary revenue stream) plus carried interest on profitable exits. The firm runs a multi-channel deal sourcing and ecosystem-building operation including a Typeform-based pitch submission portal, co-organization of Podim Conference, annual State of Adria Tech reports, 3-day Founders' Meets for portfolio companies, VC Roadtrip events, and an active LinkedIn presence. Notable portfolio outcomes include Bird Buddy (smart bird feeder, $100M revenue in 2024, exit), Daytona (dev environment orchestration, exit), Prepia (AI education platform, exit), Bible Chat (10M users, $15M annualized revenue, $14M Series A), and InsiderCX (500K+ patients served, tripled revenue in 2024).
Silicon Gardens firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Silicon Gardens
- Legal name
- Silicon Gardens Fund III, fund management, d.o.o.
- Website
- https://silicongardens.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Silicon Gardens is a Slovenia-based early-stage VC firm managing a €33M+ Fund III, investing €300k–€1.5M at pre-seed and seed in B2B SaaS, marketplaces, consumer apps, and D2C products across the Adria region and CEE, backed by 120+ entrepreneur LPs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Silicon Gardens industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Geography-Focused Venture Capital (Regional/Emerging Markets) (FSANAAAE), Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
Keywords
Where Silicon Gardens is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ljubljana
- HQ country
- Slovenia
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Silicon Gardens business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Carried Interest: VC fund returns generated from successful portfolio company exits. Silicon Gardens earns a share of profits above the return of capital to LPs, typically the primary revenue driver for venture funds.
- Management Fees: Annual fees charged on committed capital under management to cover operational expenses of the fund management entity.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Pre-seed and Seed investments |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Silicon Gardens product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Silicon Gardens is a "founders for founders" early-stage venture capital firm that invests €300k–€1.5M tickets at pre-seed and seed stages in B2B SaaS, marketplace and network-effect businesses, B2C digital products (mobile apps and games), and innovative D2C companies. The firm operates three funds (Fund I €300k in 2014, Fund II €6M in 2019, Fund III €33+M in June 2023) and supplements capital with hands-on mentorship, GTM strategy support, and introductions to a 120+ LP network of successful Adria-region tech entrepreneurs. Primary geographic focus is the Adria region (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro) and CEE, with active deal flow from CEE diaspora founders globally and a Bay Area office opened in Palo Alto in November 2025.
Product overview
Silicon Gardens is a "Founders for Founders" early-stage venture capital firm operating across three funds: Fund I (€300k experimental fund launched 2014 with 10 investments, 2.1 DPI return), Fund II (€6 million launched 2019, fully invested as of September 2024), and Fund III (€33+ million launched June 2023, investing until summer 2027). The firm focuses on pre-seed and seed stages with ticket sizes of €300k-€1.5M, targeting B2B SaaS, marketplaces & network effect businesses, B2C digital products (mobile apps and games), and innovative direct-to-consumer products. The primary geographic focus is the Adria region and Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), with operations expanded to the Bay Area (San Francisco/Palo Alto office opened November 2025).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Silicon Gardens Fund III Silicon Gardens Fund III is the firm's currently active venture capital fund vehicle. It invests pre-seed and seed tickets of €300k–€1.5M in technology startups primarily in the Adria region and CEE, with reserved follow-on capital for best-performing portfolio companies. The fund is open to LP commitments and will deploy capital through summer 2027.
- Silicon Gardens Fund II Silicon Gardens Fund II is the firm's second venture capital fund vehicle, a €6M vehicle launched in 2019 and fully invested by September 2024. The fund's portfolio includes marketplace, B2B SaaS, consumer app, and D2C companies in the Adria/CEE region. Capital has been deployed; remaining activity is portfolio management.
- Silicon Gardens Fund I Silicon Gardens Fund I is the firm's inaugural experimental venture capital vehicle, a €300k fund that made 10 early-stage investments in Adria-region startups. It returned a 2.1x DPI to LPs, demonstrating strong early returns that justified scaling to Fund II and Fund III.
Quantifiable outcome
- Fund I achieved 2.1x DPI (Distribution to Paid-In capital)
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Silicon Gardens
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Silicon Gardens technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Silicon Gardens partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Podim ConferencecoreSilicon Gardens joined as co-organizer of Podim Conference, one of the region's most important startup events. Curates the Builders Stage featuring regional tech leaders.
- American Slovenian Education Foundation (ASEF)corePartnered with ASEF to host Silicon Gardens' first US event at Stanford University, bringing together Adria/CEE founders, researchers, and diaspora community.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Silicon Gardens competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Speedinvest: A leading European early-stage VC with multiple sector-focused funds and ~€1B+ AUM. Speedinvest actively invests in CEE founders alongside Western European startups, making it a comparable early-stage investor targeting similar founders but at much larger scale.
- Earlybird Venture Capital: One of Europe's largest early-stage VCs with deep tech and fintech focus, actively investing across CEE including Adria-adjacent founders. Comparable on stage (seed/Series A), sector breadth (B2B SaaS, consumer), and founder support model, though at much larger AUM.
Direct peers
- Credo Ventures: Czech-based early-stage VC investing across CEE at pre-seed and seed stages in B2B SaaS, consumer, and marketplaces. Most directly comparable peer given similar stage, regional focus, founders-for-founders ethos, and similar fund size (Credo Fund III ~€60M).
- LAUNCHub Ventures: Bulgaria-based seed-stage VC focused on Southeast European founders, with strong community and ecosystem-building approach. Directly comparable as a regional seed fund targeting CEE/Balkans founders in similar sectors (SaaS, consumer, marketplaces).
- Eleven Ventures: Bulgarian early-stage VC investing in SEE and CEE founders at seed stage. Comparable regional focus, stage, and founders-for-founders positioning, with similar community-driven approach (Founders' Lounge events, ecosystem reports).
- GapMinder Venture Partners: Croatia-based early-stage VC focused on CEE founders in B2B SaaS, marketplaces, and consumer. Directly comparable as a regional seed investor; notably an active co-investor with Silicon Gardens (e.g., led InsiderCX round where SG participated).
- Early Game Ventures: Romanian early-stage VC focused on CEE founders at seed stage. Comparable on stage, regional focus, and sectors (SaaS, consumer, marketplaces); active co-investor in Silicon Gardens' rounds (Bible Chat Series A).
- Underline Ventures: Romanian early-stage VC targeting CEE founders at pre-seed and seed. Directly comparable on stage, region, and sector focus; co-invested with Silicon Gardens in Bible Chat Series A.
- South Central Ventures: SEE-focused early-to-growth VC backed by the Western Balkans Enterprise Development & Innovation Facility. Comparable regional focus across Adria/Western Balkans at seed and Series A stages in similar sectors.
- Fil Rouge Capital: Slovenia-based early-stage VC (Fund I €25M+) investing in CEE/Adria founders across seed and Series A. Directly comparable given shared Slovenian base, regional focus, similar sectors (SaaS, consumer, marketplaces), and stage orientation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Silicon Gardens social profiles
Digital presenceSilicon Gardens financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Silicon Gardens leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Silicon Gardens funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Silicon Gardens M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments47 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Silicon Gardens
What does Silicon Gardens do?
Silicon Gardens is a "founders for founders" early-stage venture capital firm that invests €300k–€1.5M tickets at pre-seed and seed stages in B2B SaaS, marketplace and network-effect businesses, B2C digital products (mobile apps and games), and innovative D2C companies. The firm operates three funds (Fund I €300k in 2014, Fund II €6M in 2019, Fund III €33+M in June 2023) and supplements capital with hands-on mentorship, GTM strategy support, and introductions to a 120+ LP network of successful Adria-region tech entrepreneurs. Primary geographic focus is the Adria region (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro) and CEE, with active deal flow from CEE diaspora founders globally and a Bay Area office opened in Palo Alto in November 2025.
Is Silicon Gardens a public or private company?
Silicon Gardens is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Silicon Gardens founded?
Silicon Gardens was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Silicon Gardens based?
Silicon Gardens is headquartered in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in the Europe region.
How does Silicon Gardens make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Carried Interest is the primary driver. The others are management Fees.
Who are Silicon Gardens's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Speedinvest and Earlybird Venture Capital. Direct peers are Credo Ventures, LAUNCHub Ventures, Eleven Ventures, GapMinder Venture Partners, Early Game Ventures, Underline Ventures, South Central Ventures and Fil Rouge Capital.
Does Silicon Gardens have an API?
No public API is recorded for Silicon Gardens.
What industry is Silicon Gardens in?
Silicon Gardens's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAE, Geography-Focused Venture Capital (Regional/Emerging Markets). Its NAICS code is 52394 and its SIC code is 6282.