Croatian Business Angels Network

What Croatian Business Angels Network does

CRANE (Croatian Business Angels Network) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2008 and headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia. The organization functions as a membership-based association that brings together business angels from Croatia and abroad, operating within the early-stage investment ecosystem. Its stated purpose is to organize and grow the Croatian angel-investing community and to channel individual private capital into early-stage companies. The organization employs between 11 and 50 people based in Zagreb, with its founder Davorin Štetner continuing to serve as Founder, CEO and President.

The core offering is the network itself: a structured environment for business angel activity, including deal sourcing, syndication of co-investments, shared due diligence, and educational programming for both angel members and entrepreneurs. As a nonprofit, CRANE most plausibly derives revenue from a mix of membership dues, event sponsorship, training programs, and institutional or EU grant funding, although the source data does not disclose revenue mechanics, pricing, or specific funding sources. No digital products, software platforms, APIs, or proprietary technology assets are described in the available material.

Founded 16+ years ago, CRANE serves two principal counterparties: Croatian and internationally-based high-net-worth individuals seeking structured access to early-stage deal flow in Croatia, and Croatian early-stage companies seeking angel capital. The firm's enduring role in the regional angel ecosystem suggests an established brand position, but detailed operating metrics (membership count, capital deployed, deal flow, recent strategic activity) are not available in the source data, which is materially incomplete and includes an unverifiable website payload.

Name

Croatian Business Angels Network

Website

https://crane.hr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CRANE (Croatian Business Angels Network) is a Zagreb-based nonprofit founded in 2008 that organizes business angels from Croatia and abroad, connecting individual investors with Croatian early-stage companies seeking angel capital and co-investment opportunities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Angel Investment Network

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

Keywords

• Business angel network
• Angel investment matching
• Early-stage startup funding
• Nonprofit investor network
• Croatian private investing

Headquarters

HQ city

Zagreb

HQ country

Croatia

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Core offering

Croatian Business Angels Network (CRANE) is a nonprofit organization that brings together business angels from Croatia and abroad to co-invest in early-stage companies and startups. The network facilitates deal flow, investor education, and matchmaking between high-net-worth individual investors and entrepreneurs seeking seed and early-stage capital.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Angel Network Membership Membership-based nonprofit network that connects business angels with entrepreneurs and startups, providing deal flow, co-investment opportunities, and investor education for high-net-worth individuals and early-stage companies.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Broad incumbents

• European Business Angels Network (EBAN): EBAN is the pan-European federation of business angel networks, of which CRANE is a regional member. It is directly comparable as a higher-order umbrella organization serving the same angel-investing category across Europe, including Croatia.
• Keiretsu Forum: A global network of accredited angel investor chapters with shared deal-sourcing processes. Comparable to CRANE in being a multi-chapter angel syndication platform with standardized due-diligence practices.

Direct peers

• Tech Coast Angels: One of the most active U.S. angel networks, operating as a structured member-run nonprofit that screens, funds, and supports early-stage companies. Directly comparable to CRANE in structure, scale intent, and member-driven deal flow.
• Band of Angels: One of the largest U.S.-based angel networks, structured similarly to CRANE as a nonprofit/club of individual angels screening and syndicating early-stage deals. Highly comparable operating model and member governance.
• New York Angels: A long-standing nonprofit U.S. angel network screening and syndicating early-stage investments. Mirrors CRANE's nonprofit member-driven model and cross-deal collaboration.

Regional players

• Slovenian Business Angels Network (SBAN): A national angel network operating in Slovenia, a neighboring ex-Yugoslav market to Croatia. Highly comparable in mandate (national nonprofit angel infrastructure), target geography (small CEE economy), and likely member overlap with CRANE.
• Italian Business Angels Network (IBAN/Italian Angels for Growth): Italy's leading business angel network, structured as a nonprofit association of individual investors screening and co-investing in early-stage Italian startups. Directly comparable regional model to CRANE, though operating in a larger deal market.
• Croatian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (CVCA): The main Croatian industry body for PE/VC investors. It is adjacent rather than directly competitive but covers the same Croatian early-stage capital ecosystem that CRANE serves.
• Golden Egg Check: A CEE-focused early-stage deal-sourcing and screening platform. Comparable to CRANE in serving the regional angel and seed-investor community, though operating a different model (deal platform rather than member network).

Emerging players

• Starters.co: An early-stage investor activity platform focused on the Croatian/CEE region that facilitates connections between founders and investors. Adjacent to CRANE's angel-matching mission in the same geographic ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/craneHR
• Facebookfacebook.com/Croatian.Business.Angel.Network
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1775731

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Croatian Business Angels Network