Prague-based venture capital firm ZAKA has announced the launch of its first VC fund, securing €15 million to support early-stage startups in the US and Europe. The fund aims to invest in pre-seed and seed-stage startups, particularly focusing on regions like Central Europe, the Baltics, the UK, DACH, and the US. ZAKA will act as a co-investor, with the potential to co-lead investments.
The new fund will prioritize B2B software, AI applications in B2B sectors, and biotech and health tech innovations. Jan Kasper, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of ZAKA, emphasized the firm’s continued interest in the US market: “The US ecosystem remains a significant focus for us, producing highly competent and motivated founders and offering vast market opportunities. Despite higher valuations compared to the CEE region, the investment returns are extremely compelling.”
Advertisement
ZAKA’s Growth and Investment Strategy
Founded in 2020 by Jan Kasper and Peter Zalesak, ZAKA initially operated as a family office investing private funds in early-stage startups. The firm has since expanded, now boasting a team of six core members and a portfolio of over 55 companies worldwide, with more than €11 million invested. Some notable investments include ExcepGen, Sensible Biotechnologies, Miros.ai, Supliful, Lime Therapeutics, and Webel.
The VC’s strategy focuses on supporting the European diaspora in the US, US-based teams, or CEE-based teams aiming to scale to the US. This unique approach differentiates ZAKA from most CEE-based funds.
Demand and Future Prospects
The creation of ZAKA’s first venture capital fund was driven by demand from external investors looking to co-invest alongside the firm. The ZAKA VC Fund I, sized at €15 million, began with a €10.5 million first closing in June 2024, featuring a minimum LP ticket of €130,000.
Andrej Petrus, Head of the Investment Committee at ZAKA VC, noted two key factors influencing their decision to double down on early-stage investing: “Firstly, there’s a strong imbalance between demand and supply of early-stage funding worldwide, compared to the peak in 2021. Capital is scarce, but the number of new and repeat founders is increasing. Secondly, advancements in AI are opening new, previously non-viable business cases across all sectors. Similar to the mobile and cloud era, we believe these years will create new, category-defining future decacorns in the AI space.”
With this new fund, the VC is set to drive innovation and support the next generation of tech startups, fostering growth and technological advancement in the US and Europe.
