Speedinvest combines the expertise of investors from across their six sector-focused teams to fund the technologies that can reshape industries and redefine global economy.
€100K - €3M
Pre-Seed, Seed & Series A startups
Speedinvest is a specialised early-stage venture capital fund headquartered in Vienna, focused on backing technology-driven companies aiming for substantial market transformation and positive societal outcomes. Founded in 2011 as part of the broader Speedinvest platform, Speedinvest invests in innovative, high-potential startups across Europe and beyond, providing capital, hands-on operational expertise, and strategic guidance to help founders accelerate their growth and impact. The fund is dedicated to supporting companies solving critical global challenges through investments in fintech, climate and industrial tech, digital health, SaaS, and deep tech sectors.
Committed to fostering an ecosystem of breakthrough innovation, Speedinvest operates with a strong focus on professionalisation, regulatory compliance, and responsible investing under European guidelines. While not designated as an Article 9 fund under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, Speedinvest prioritises sustainable growth and responsible business practices, aiming to empower founders who combine purpose, profitability, and long-term impact. The firm leverages over a decade of sector expertise and an extensive European network to champion mission-driven entrepreneurs dedicated to building transformative and resilient technology businesses.
Speedinvest’s mission is to empower visionary entrepreneurs and catalyse enduring technological progress by investing in and supporting early-stage, high-growth companies. The fund is dedicated to fuelling Europe’s innovation economy by backing businesses that create transformative market impact while pursuing responsible, long-term growth.
Goals:
Speedinvest aims to:
Values:
Speedinvest’s core values centre on integrity, transparency, and founder-first stewardship. The fund believes commercial success and societal value are mutually reinforcing, and will only support companies whose business models have the potential for market transformation and positive impact. Internally, Speedinvest promotes a culture of collaboration, inclusivity, and accountability, united by a commitment to support ambitious founders and drive innovation. The team upholds high standards of ethical governance and sustainability in all its activities, ensuring discipline, responsibility, and purpose underpin every investment decision.
Speedinvest was founded in 2011 by Oliver Holle and Daniel Keiper-Knorr with a vision to create a pioneering European venture capital platform that supports technology entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of their journeys. Building on their extensive experience founding and scaling companies, Oliver and Daniel established a founder-first approach to seed investing, focused on operational partnership and long-term impact. Werner Zahnt, a founding partner, played a key role in shaping the firm's corporate development and strategic growth from the beginning. Having experienced both the highs and the lows of building technology businesses, Oliver and Daniel built Speedinvest with a “founders first” philosophy, aiming for long term impact and innovation beyond rapid exits or short term gains.
Explore the founders professional journeys: Oliver Holle, Daniel Keiper-Knorr, Werner Zahnt.
Speedinvest invests in early-stage, technology-driven companies addressing critical market and societal opportunities through innovation. The fund focuses on high-potential ventures delivering transformative impact across industries while fostering sustainable and responsible growth.
Geographic Scope:
Speedinvest primarily invests across Europe, with a broad regional scope that includes startups from multiple European countries. Portfolio companies often have global ambitions and scalability, leveraging Speedinvest’s extensive network to expand internationally.
Sectors of Interest:
Speedinvest focuses on technology sectors poised for disruption and growth, prioritising companies with a mission-driven mindset. Key areas include:
With a commitment to operational excellence and founder partnership, Speedinvest combines capital investment with strategic support to help startups scale, driving both market success and broader positive impact across the European innovation ecosystem.
Speedinvest primarily invests in early-stage European technology startups that demonstrate strong potential for growth and innovation. To be considered for investment, companies typically meet the following criteria:
Speedinvest combines capital with operational support and access to a pan-European network to help founders scale globally while driving innovation and sustainable success.
Speedinvest follows a comprehensive, multi-stage assessment process to identify and invest in high-potential early-stage technology companies that align with its vision of sustainable and responsible growth.
The process begins with an initial evaluation of the company’s technology, market opportunity, business model, and early traction. Founders are expected to demonstrate product-market fit, initial revenue or user growth, and readiness for seed or pre-seed investment. The fund places strong emphasis on ESG factors, conducting an ESG-focused due diligence to assess environmental, social, and governance risks using sector-specific reviews and proprietary questionnaires.
Following the initial screening, Speedinvest engages closely with management teams to understand strategic priorities, operational capabilities, and growth potential. This includes a detailed review of financial forecasts, market positioning, competitive landscape, team dynamics, and technical validation. Additional consultations with sector experts inform the analysis and risk assessment.
Once due diligence is complete, the investment committee rigorously reviews all findings to ensure alignment with Speedinvest’s mission, risk-return profile, and ESG governance standards. The fund also includes post-investment engagement policies, providing portfolio companies with ongoing ESG support, governance guidance, and operational resources to maximise impact and long-term value creation.
This disciplined and collaborative approach enables Speedinvest to back startups poised for significant growth and impact in the European technology ecosystem.
Speedinvest invests in early-stage technology companies whose innovative products and services drive impactful transformation across sectors, supporting its mission to foster sustainable growth and market leadership. Some of the most notable portfolio companies include:
Bitpanda
Bitpanda is a leading European digital investment platform that makes it easy for millions of users to invest in cryptocurrencies, stocks, and ETFs. By democratising access to financial markets, Bitpanda aims to enhance financial inclusion and modernise personal wealth management. Visit Bitpanda.
Wefox
Wefox is a digital insurance platform revolutionising how insurance is purchased and managed using data analytics and AI to improve customer experience, risk pricing, and operational efficiency. Visit Wefox.
GoStudent
GoStudent operates an online learning platform offering personalised tutoring services, enabling scalable access to quality education across Europe and beyond, and addressing educational inequality. Visit GoStudent.
Discover more successful investments: Speedinvest portfolio.
Speedinvest is primarily supported by a diverse group of institutional investors, strategic partners, and family offices across Europe and beyond. Notable backers include the European Investment Fund (EIF), New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Bpifrance, Aviva, PwC Germany, Bitburger, and Generali, alongside various government funds, banks, insurance companies, pension funds, and large family offices.
The firm recently closed its fourth flagship fund at €350 million, exceeding its initial €300 million target, with total assets under management now exceeding €1 billion. Speedinvest deploys capital primarily into early-stage, technology-oriented European startups across sectors such as fintech, SaaS, health and biotech, deep tech, marketplaces, climate and industrial tech. Investment sizes typically range from around €200,000 up to €3 million per round, with additional funding reserved for follow-on investments.
Although Speedinvest benefits from some government fund participation, its focus is on institutional and private capital sources. The fund combines financial commitments with hands-on operational support to help startups scale globally and maximise their impact within the European tech ecosystem.
Speedinvest focuses primarily on early-stage investments, targeting seed and pre-seed rounds, and extending through Series A and B funding. The firm partners with technology-driven companies that have proven products or services and strong potential for scalable growth across European and global markets.
Equity:
Speedinvest typically invests on an equity basis, deploying capital in amounts ranging from approximately €200,000 up to €3 million per round. It usually takes minority positions, often acting as lead or co-lead investor, securing board representation and active governance rights to support portfolio companies’ growth and operational scaling.
Funds:
Speedinvest has raised multiple funds over the years, with the latest flagship fund closing at €350 million in early 2024, surpassing its initial target. The fund combines capital from institutional investors, family offices, and strategic partners. While not classified specifically as an Article 9 SFDR fund, Speedinvest incorporates strong ESG policies and governance practices aligned with sustainable investing principles.
Recent Developments:
Following the successful close of its fourth flagship fund, Speedinvest continues to back disruptive startups across fintech, climate and industrial tech, SaaS, digital health, and deep tech sectors. The firm maintains a hands-on approach, combining capital with operational and strategic support to help ambitious entrepreneurs scale and generate lasting impact in the European technology ecosystem.
Speedinvest’s investment strategy emphasises partnering with visionary founders to maximise both financial returns and broader societal value, leveraging its extensive network and expertise to accelerate innovation and growth.
Speedinvest is deeply committed to generating measurable environmental and social impact alongside strong financial returns. The firm integrates sustainability principles throughout its investment process, including selection, due diligence, and portfolio management. Speedinvest supports companies whose products or services contribute positively to society and the environment, guided by robust ESG policies and reporting frameworks.
Speedinvest actively measures impact using recognised standards related to environmental, social, and governance criteria. Post-investment, it partners with portfolio companies to track verified impact metrics, promote transparency, uphold accountability, and foster responsible business conduct. The firm maintains strict ethical guidelines, including exclusion policies against sectors contrary to sustainability goals, such as fossil fuels, ensuring alignment with its mission-driven investing ethos.
Speedinvest actively cultivates a collaborative community of founders, investors, and industry experts across Europe and beyond. Through this network, the firm facilitates knowledge exchange, strategic collaboration, and co-investment opportunities to accelerate growth and innovation. Regular founder workshops, investor forums, and sector roundtables engage stakeholders, share insights, and strengthen the European tech ecosystem’s capacity.
The firm also maintains transparent communication with its community through newsletters, portfolio updates, and impact reports, aligning stakeholders with Speedinvest’s mission to back transformative technology companies that deliver positive societal and economic outcomes.
Speedinvest is led by a highly experienced group of professionals combining deep expertise in venture capital, technology investment, and operational value creation. United by a shared commitment to supporting innovative, tech-enabled startups that drive transformative change, the team provides strategic guidance and active partnership to portfolio companies across Europe.
Leadership and Key Team Members:
Additional Team Members:
Speedinvest includes senior investment associates, sector specialists, operational partners, and advisors who provide expertise in financial analysis, technology trends, sustainability assessment, and portfolio management. The team collaborates closely to support founders in scaling their businesses, while championing innovation and responsible investing in the European technology ecosystem.
Learn more on the Speedinvest team page.
Are you a visionary entrepreneur scaling a tech-enabled business with measurable impact in fintech, deep tech, health, climate and industrial technology, marketplaces and consumer, or SaaS? Discover how Speedinvest can support your growth journey by providing early-stage capital alongside hands-on operational and strategic partnership. Visit Speedinvest Website.
Stay informed on the latest insights, portfolio updates, and investment opportunities by following Speedinvest on LinkedIn: Speedinvest LinkedIn.
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