Draper Esprit

Draper Esprit is a London-based private equity and venture capital firm established in 2006, with additional offices in Cambridge, Dublin, Helsinki, and Paris. It specializes in investing in technology-oriented businesses at various stages of their lifecycle, from seed and series A rounds to growth capital and late-stage investments. The firm focuses on sectors such as digital technology, financial technology, healthcare, and deep tech, and typically invests between €0.02 million and €10 million in companies based in Europe, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Draper Esprit prioritizes both minority and majority investments, allocating a significant portion of its corpus to very early-stage companies. The firm is known for backing high-growth, disruptive companies, including notable names like Revolut and Trustpilot. By going public in 2016, Draper Esprit aimed to provide entrepreneurs with more flexible funding options and longer-term support, leveraging its international networks and extensive experience in building successful businesses.

Edel Coen

Associate

Simon Cook

Co-Founder

Jonathan Freuchet-Sibilia

Partner and Head of Secondaries and Fund of Funds

Diana Krantz

Associate

Jonathan Sibilia

Partner and Head of Secondaries, Fund of Funds

Ben Tompkins

Managing Partner

Ben Wilkinson

CFO

Past deals in Balkans

FintechOS

Series B in 2021
FintechOS SRL, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, specializes in providing an artificial intelligence-driven platform for financial institutions. The company offers a comprehensive suite of applications designed to facilitate digital transformation, including tools for customer engagement, product development, identity management, and document handling. Its platform is characterized by an open-cloud architecture that supports seamless integration and multi-channel interaction. Additionally, FintechOS provides educational resources through FintechOS Academy, focusing on e-learning and inquiry-based teaching methods. By leveraging advanced technologies, FintechOS aims to enhance the customer experience for banking and insurance sectors globally, offering a competitive edge in operational efficiency.

Earlybird Venture Capital

Venture Round in 2018
Earlybird Venture Capital GmbH & Co. KG is a Berlin-based venture capital firm founded in 1997, specializing in early-stage investments across various sectors, including technology, healthcare, and consumer goods. The firm primarily targets growth and development phases in private companies, focusing on disruptive businesses within Europe, particularly in German-speaking countries and Central Eastern Europe, with additional investments in the United States. Earlybird typically invests between €200,000 and €5 million in seed, Series A, and Series B rounds, with the potential for follow-on investments totaling up to €15 million per portfolio company. Known for its extensive network and operational support, Earlybird manages over €1 billion in assets and has achieved notable success, including seven IPOs and 23 trade sales. The firm emphasizes strategic partnerships by often taking a lead investor role and securing board membership in its portfolio companies.