Venturefriends

VentureFriends is a venture capital fund based in Athens, Greece, that specializes in seed-stage investments in tech-enabled startups. The fund focuses on sectors such as PropTech, FinTech, Marketplaces, TravelTech, and SaaS, aiming to identify companies that can establish a sustainable competitive advantage. VentureFriends typically invests between €0.3 million and €2.5 million per startup, with the ability to follow on with total investments ranging from €5 million to €10 million. The fund is managed by a team of former entrepreneurs and angel investors, which informs its founder-friendly investment approach. While the fund predominantly targets startups in Europe, it also has a strong focus on the Greek market.

Apostolos Apostolakis

Co-Founder & Partner

Michal Bas

Principal

George Dimopoulos

Co-Founder & Partner

George Karabelas

Associate

Alistair Owen

Principal

Pavlos Pavlakis

Principal

Fivos Tsoukatos

Associate

Past deals in Southeastern Europe

Spotawheel

Series B in 2022
Spotawheel is a technology-driven dealership specializing in used cars, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Nea Ionia, Greece. The company operates primarily in Greece and Poland, focusing on providing customers with a trustworthy platform for purchasing certified pre-owned vehicles. Spotawheel aims to enhance customer confidence by ensuring that only high-quality cars are available for sale. By leveraging technology, the company seeks to streamline the buying process and improve the overall experience for consumers in the used car market.

Blueground

Series C in 2021
Blueground is a corporate hospitality company that specializes in leasing and managing residential properties across various locations, including Greece, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Kifisia, Greece, the company provides fully furnished and equipped apartments designed for corporate travelers, expatriates, and leisure visitors. Blueground aims to create a seamless living experience, allowing guests to move in effortlessly for short or long-term stays. With a growing portfolio of over 3,500 apartments in twelve cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, the company is focused on expanding its reach to 50 cities worldwide, ultimately increasing its offerings to more than 50,000 apartments.

FlexCar

Venture Round in 2021
FlexCar is a car-as-a-service company that offers ready-made cars in excellent condition from Greek dealerships. The company was founded in 2018 and based in Athens, Attiki, Greece.

BibeCoffee

Seed Round in 2020
BibeCoffee develops a hardware device that monitors coffee machines and transforms them into smart connected terminals. The company offers IoT real-time monitoring solutions for every coffee machine that ensures zero revenue loss and streamlines activities. It serves roasters and distributors; coffee machine makers and maintenance companies; coffee chains; and coffee shop owners. The company was founded in 2018 and is based in Athens, Greece.

Spotawheel

Venture Round in 2020
Spotawheel is a technology-driven dealership specializing in used cars, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Nea Ionia, Greece. The company operates primarily in Greece and Poland, focusing on providing customers with a trustworthy platform for purchasing certified pre-owned vehicles. Spotawheel aims to enhance customer confidence by ensuring that only high-quality cars are available for sale. By leveraging technology, the company seeks to streamline the buying process and improve the overall experience for consumers in the used car market.

Spotawheel

Series A in 2020
Spotawheel is a technology-driven dealership specializing in used cars, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Nea Ionia, Greece. The company operates primarily in Greece and Poland, focusing on providing customers with a trustworthy platform for purchasing certified pre-owned vehicles. Spotawheel aims to enhance customer confidence by ensuring that only high-quality cars are available for sale. By leveraging technology, the company seeks to streamline the buying process and improve the overall experience for consumers in the used car market.

Accusonus

Series A in 2019
Accusonus, Inc. is a software development company focused on the professional music sector and consumer electronics. Founded in 2012, the company aims to leverage advanced audio technologies to enhance digital audio and speech processing. Its product lineup includes drumatom, a tool for reducing drum bleed; drumatom player, which suppresses audio leakage; ERA-D, designed for sound processing; and Regroover, an AI-driven beat machine for music sampling. Accusonus also develops embedded software for speech enhancement. The company operates from its headquarters in Lexington, Massachusetts, with additional locations in Patras and Athens, Greece, and features a professional recording studio in Patras for acoustic experimentation. With a team of skilled engineers and scientists, Accusonus strives to simplify audio restoration and improve music quality for professionals.

Spotawheel

Seed Round in 2019
Spotawheel is a technology-driven dealership specializing in used cars, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Nea Ionia, Greece. The company operates primarily in Greece and Poland, focusing on providing customers with a trustworthy platform for purchasing certified pre-owned vehicles. Spotawheel aims to enhance customer confidence by ensuring that only high-quality cars are available for sale. By leveraging technology, the company seeks to streamline the buying process and improve the overall experience for consumers in the used car market.

FlexCar

Seed Round in 2019
FlexCar is a car-as-a-service company that offers ready-made cars in excellent condition from Greek dealerships. The company was founded in 2018 and based in Athens, Attiki, Greece.

MyJobNow

Seed Round in 2019
myjobnow Inc develops an application that enables the workers to find jobs. The application provides features that include make resume, make business profile, find jobs, and chat with employers. It additionally enables employers to review, assess, and book interviews with their applicants. The company was founded in 2018 and is based in Athens, Greece.

Welcome Pickups

Series A in 2019
Welcome Travel Technologies Holdings Limited operates a platform that connects travelers with local experts, enhancing the travel experience from planning to return. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Athens, Greece, the company offers a mobile application that allows users to receive tips and suggestions about new cities and hire locals for transportation services. Welcome focuses on providing personalized travel assistance, including airport transfers and essential products and services, ensuring travelers receive informative and friendly support throughout their journey.

RTsafe

Convertible Note in 2019
Founded in 2014, RTsafe is introducing Individualized Care to Radiation Oncology. It designs and manufactures the first FDA-cleared, patient-specific, anatomically-exact models of human head and brain tissue. These are offered to Radiotherapy clinics for simulating radiation therapy for each patient ahead of actual treatment in a totally risk-free environment, thus maximizing cancer patient safety and treatment effectiveness during radiation therapy. This solution is also sold to RT equipment manufacturers for machine-testing purposes. After winning a R&D 100 Award, RTsafe’s PseudoPatientTM is recognized as one of the 100 most significant high-tech products worldwide for 2019. The company’s vision is a world where every radiotherapy intervention is tested on a PseudoPatient® before the real patient.

norbloc

Convertible Note in 2019
norbloc AB is a technology company based in Stockholm, Sweden, with a development hub in Athens, Greece, founded in 2016. The company specializes in know-your-customer (KYC) solutions for the banking and consulting industries through its blockchain-based platform, Fides. This platform addresses significant challenges in KYC compliance, such as digitization and duplication of efforts among institutions. norbloc's Sancus digital onboarding platform allows organizations to consolidate data sources and service providers, enabling a fully digital process for collecting and validating customer data. The Atlas and Fides platforms utilize digital ledger technology to facilitate secure sharing and validation of KYC data between institutions, allowing them to collaborate while also monetizing their validation efforts. Financial institutions using norbloc's solutions can potentially reduce their KYC compliance costs by over 50%. All platforms comply with GDPR regulations, ensuring secure document storage and sharing, particularly for governmental and health sectors.

Blueground

Venture Round in 2018
Blueground is a corporate hospitality company that specializes in leasing and managing residential properties across various locations, including Greece, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Kifisia, Greece, the company provides fully furnished and equipped apartments designed for corporate travelers, expatriates, and leisure visitors. Blueground aims to create a seamless living experience, allowing guests to move in effortlessly for short or long-term stays. With a growing portfolio of over 3,500 apartments in twelve cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, the company is focused on expanding its reach to 50 cities worldwide, ultimately increasing its offerings to more than 50,000 apartments.

Douleutaras

Venture Round in 2017
Douleutaras.Com Limited operates an online platform that connects employers with freelancers, facilitating the provision of a diverse range of professional services. Founded in 2013 and based in London, the company has established itself as a market leader in Greece and Cyprus, addressing significant barriers to industry growth with a high-quality product. The platform enables users to find suitable professionals for various home services, including repairs, renovations, and technical work, as well as legal, accounting, photography, and translation services. Freelancers can create profiles and receive bids for jobs, fostering a competitive environment that benefits both service providers and customers. With plans for international expansion, Douleutaras aims to tap into the extensive European market, valued at €250 billion.

Welcome Pickups

Venture Round in 2017
Welcome Travel Technologies Holdings Limited operates a platform that connects travelers with local experts, enhancing the travel experience from planning to return. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Athens, Greece, the company offers a mobile application that allows users to receive tips and suggestions about new cities and hire locals for transportation services. Welcome focuses on providing personalized travel assistance, including airport transfers and essential products and services, ensuring travelers receive informative and friendly support throughout their journey.

Project Agora

Series B in 2017
Project Agora is a spin-off company of TDG, one of the Digital Marketing agencies in Central / Eastern Europe and the Middle East. During its 18 months of operation, Project Agora has managed to work with 330 leading media, manage more than one billion ad impressions and cooperate with hundreds of advertisers. It also helps local publishers simplify and take the maximum out of their ad-inventory monetization. Project Agora was founded on December 1, 2014, and is headquartered in Athens, Attiki.

Spotawheel

Seed Round in 2017
Spotawheel is a technology-driven dealership specializing in used cars, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Nea Ionia, Greece. The company operates primarily in Greece and Poland, focusing on providing customers with a trustworthy platform for purchasing certified pre-owned vehicles. Spotawheel aims to enhance customer confidence by ensuring that only high-quality cars are available for sale. By leveraging technology, the company seeks to streamline the buying process and improve the overall experience for consumers in the used car market.

e-table.gr

Seed Round in 2017
e-table.gr is an innovative online platform that enables users to discover restaurants and make reservations effortlessly, available 24/7. The service is free of charge and does not require a credit card, offering users exclusive privileges and discounts. Recognizing a gap between customer expectations and the technological capabilities of many restaurants, e-table serves as a bridge by providing a sophisticated platform that enhances the dining experience for customers while allowing restaurants to embrace digital marketing with minimal effort and cost. Founded on September 1, 2014, by George Arfaras and Kostas Saridakis, e-table is headquartered in Moschato, Greece. The platform caters particularly to a younger demographic that values the convenience of planning dining experiences through digital devices.

ContactPigeon

Venture Round in 2017
ContactPigeon is a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform that gives a solution to every retailer’s problem: How to send the right message, at the right time, with the right content to each visitor. It enables one-person-shops and enterprise retailers alike to benefit from the use of a Big Data platform, in order to easily create data-driven Automations and Personalized Campaigns that react to customer/visitor behaviors and catalog changes in seconds. Thus, the recipient is guided to place an order (or complete another goal), while at the same time is shielded from unwanted messages. ContactPigeon won the 2016 Lighthouse Evolution Award. ContactPigeon was founded on September 1, 2014.

Blueground

Series A in 2017
Blueground is a corporate hospitality company that specializes in leasing and managing residential properties across various locations, including Greece, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Kifisia, Greece, the company provides fully furnished and equipped apartments designed for corporate travelers, expatriates, and leisure visitors. Blueground aims to create a seamless living experience, allowing guests to move in effortlessly for short or long-term stays. With a growing portfolio of over 3,500 apartments in twelve cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, the company is focused on expanding its reach to 50 cities worldwide, ultimately increasing its offerings to more than 50,000 apartments.

Nannuka

Seed Round in 2016
NANNUKA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED COMPANY owns and operates an online platform that helps parents find, book and review babysitters, teachers, and other carers for their children. The company is based in Milan, Italy.

Project Agora

Series A in 2016
Project Agora is a spin-off company of TDG, one of the Digital Marketing agencies in Central / Eastern Europe and the Middle East. During its 18 months of operation, Project Agora has managed to work with 330 leading media, manage more than one billion ad impressions and cooperate with hundreds of advertisers. It also helps local publishers simplify and take the maximum out of their ad-inventory monetization. Project Agora was founded on December 1, 2014, and is headquartered in Athens, Attiki.

Welcome Pickups

Seed Round in 2016
Welcome Travel Technologies Holdings Limited operates a platform that connects travelers with local experts, enhancing the travel experience from planning to return. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Athens, Greece, the company offers a mobile application that allows users to receive tips and suggestions about new cities and hire locals for transportation services. Welcome focuses on providing personalized travel assistance, including airport transfers and essential products and services, ensuring travelers receive informative and friendly support throughout their journey.

Spotawheel

Seed Round in 2016
Spotawheel is a technology-driven dealership specializing in used cars, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Nea Ionia, Greece. The company operates primarily in Greece and Poland, focusing on providing customers with a trustworthy platform for purchasing certified pre-owned vehicles. Spotawheel aims to enhance customer confidence by ensuring that only high-quality cars are available for sale. By leveraging technology, the company seeks to streamline the buying process and improve the overall experience for consumers in the used car market.

reEmbed

Seed Round in 2016
ReEmbed is a custom video player that supports embeds from YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion as well as HTML5 videos. It allows its users to create their own video player using the ReEmbed wizard. Its users have the ability to choose a style, add their logo, and pick their colors. Then it enables its users to match their site’s look and feel, and spread their brand when their videos are shared. ReEmbed suite allows its users to monitor performance by tracking impressions, plays, and completions. It is also capable of increasing its users’ site’s page views and user engagement with ReEmbed’s content recommendation widgets. ReEmbed was launched in 2014 and is based in Athens.

Funkmartini

Seed Round in 2016
Funkmartini is an online booking platform for beauty services that provides an opportunity for its users to make their beauty appointments online via their computers, tablets, or mobiles. It currently collaborates with more than 1000 beauty salons and professionals. Funkmartini is based in Athens, Attiki.

Douleutaras

Seed Round in 2016
Douleutaras.Com Limited operates an online platform that connects employers with freelancers, facilitating the provision of a diverse range of professional services. Founded in 2013 and based in London, the company has established itself as a market leader in Greece and Cyprus, addressing significant barriers to industry growth with a high-quality product. The platform enables users to find suitable professionals for various home services, including repairs, renovations, and technical work, as well as legal, accounting, photography, and translation services. Freelancers can create profiles and receive bids for jobs, fostering a competitive environment that benefits both service providers and customers. With plans for international expansion, Douleutaras aims to tap into the extensive European market, valued at €250 billion.

Flashchat

Angel Round in 2016
Flashchat develops a messenger chatbot to automate customer support and sales through Facebook. It performs core customer support functions automatically; replies on frequently asked questions; enables audience to navigate products and services; automates product ordering, newsletters, promotions, and personalized communications. Flashchat was formerly known as wagwan. The company was founded in 2016 and is based in Athens, Greece.

Blueground

Seed Round in 2016
Blueground is a corporate hospitality company that specializes in leasing and managing residential properties across various locations, including Greece, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Kifisia, Greece, the company provides fully furnished and equipped apartments designed for corporate travelers, expatriates, and leisure visitors. Blueground aims to create a seamless living experience, allowing guests to move in effortlessly for short or long-term stays. With a growing portfolio of over 3,500 apartments in twelve cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, the company is focused on expanding its reach to 50 cities worldwide, ultimately increasing its offerings to more than 50,000 apartments.

Pockee

Seed Round in 2016
Pockee is a mobile coupon platform based in Athens, Greece, specializing in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). The company designs and develops applications that allow consumers to access digital coupons for a variety of products, including food items such as juices and snacks, as well as personal and home care goods, and products for pets and infants. Pockee connects FMCG brands with national retailers, enabling consumers to enjoy genuine discounts on their grocery shopping without the need for paper coupons. Launched in August 2014 after receiving initial seed funding, Pockee aims to enhance the shopping experience by providing brands and retailers with tools to engage consumers at critical decision-making moments.

Welcome Pickups

Seed Round in 2015
Welcome Travel Technologies Holdings Limited operates a platform that connects travelers with local experts, enhancing the travel experience from planning to return. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Athens, Greece, the company offers a mobile application that allows users to receive tips and suggestions about new cities and hire locals for transportation services. Welcome focuses on providing personalized travel assistance, including airport transfers and essential products and services, ensuring travelers receive informative and friendly support throughout their journey.

Nannuka

Seed Round in 2015
NANNUKA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED COMPANY owns and operates an online platform that helps parents find, book and review babysitters, teachers, and other carers for their children. The company is based in Milan, Italy.