Startup
wise guys
Startup Wise Guys is Europe’s most experienced B2B startup accelerator and one of the most active investors in early-stage startups. Founded in Tallinn, Estonia in 2012, we have helped more than 800 founders bring their startups to the next level. To date, we have made 400 startup investments, seen 13 exits, and achieved an overall startup survival and success rate above 77%. Startup Wise Guys is also a proud DanBAN member and collaborates with other Business Angel networks across Europe.
There are various fund vehicles under the Startup Wise Guys brand that are currently (Q3 2023) open to additional investors (among those flagship Challenger 2 fund, Opportunity 1 that invests in the outperformers of Startup Wise Guys, as well as funds focusing either on specific geography like Africa, or verticals like Cyber and Cleantech). With the funds, we aim to invest in a minimum of 200 startups from mostly across Europe and Africa in 2023/24, after making 120 investments in 2022. The minimum ticket depends on the particular fund, the ticket to invest in the main funding vehicle Challenger is 250K eur, DanBan members can inquire about lower minimum.
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Who are Startup Wise Guys?
Startup Wise Guys accelerator funds provide diversified access to venture across underserved markets with proven track record and exclusive access to deals for LPs.
We like to call ourselves the “diamond miners”, as due to our long-standing presence in overlooked markets and strong network of investors, mentors, portfolio companies and ecosystem hubs we get access to very early stage startups with great growth prospects before they come on the radar for others.
We invest in passionate B2B startup founders in the following verticals: SaaS, Fintech, Cybersecurity, Sustainability, Extended Reality (XR) and as of 2023 also in Proptech and Web3. passionerede founders inden for følgende vertikaler: SaaS, Fintech, Cybersecurity, Bæredygtighed, Extended Reality (XR), og fra 2023 også i Proptech og Web3.
Majority of investments done are accelerator investments of up to 100K eur with a program fee included. Best performing startups from accelerator investments are eligible for follow-un funding up to 300K eur. We also invest directly in selected startups that are further in their development and don’t fit our accelerator deal.
We invest in ambitious technical teams with a strong founder market fit looking to build large international companies. The companies need to have their product ready, with some initial customer traction, MRR or revenues.
We are geographically agnostic and probably one of the very rare truly international accelerator funds out there having founders from 60+ nationalities, however, there are some geographic preferences for particular funds, for example, the Africa Micro fund.
Reach out to us if you want to hear more.
Why Startup Wise Guys?
We have been on the market for more than 11 years and successfully run the accelerator fund model. In other words – we have an amazing track record and expertise unparalleled to other European accelerators. The Startup Wise Guys portfolio boasts startups such as Ready Player Me, kevin., StepShot, and Ondato. A number of globally renowned investors have joined its portfolio investments, including A16Z, Accel, Lead ventures, Northzone and AV8.
We have also received external recognition – European VCs in a Sifted article have listed Startup Wise Guys among top 5 accelerators globally, we have been named Hottest Accelerator at the 2021 Europas Startup Awards and received the recognition as Best Accelerator at the Global Startup Awards 2023. We aim to become the go-to accelerator program and investor for any B2B startup looking to scale globally.
With the newer funds we will not only prioritise acceleration investments and follow-ons but also direct investment into growth stage companies. Notable past direct investments include mobility unicorn Bolt, car subscription service Planet42, and Katana, a manufacturer's ERP solution.
The new funds will allow Startup Wise Guys to intensify its investment and expansion in underfunded markets and expand its presence in Europe and Africa. Recent office openings in Italy and Spain enable it to reach more founders in Southern and Western Europe, as well as in Latin America and North Africa.
Team
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Startup Wise Guys is co-founded by Herty Tammo and managed by Global CEO Cristobal Alonso, General Partner Dag Ainsoo, and a 50+ people holding team ensuring accelerator programs and other operations.
We are proud to have 4 female GPs on board with us – Alexandra Balkova, Gunce Onur, as well as Africa Micro fund GPs Petra Wolkenstein and Franziska Kolk. Vertical focused funds are run by GPs with experience and network in the particular field, such as Jourdan Alexander-Younis in Proptech or Farid Singh in Cybersecurity.
Meet our team and Fund General Partners here. -
Our investors
There are more than 200 LPs in total across various Startup Wise Guys funds. Their interest to invest in us is usually driven by diversification of their own portfolio, as well as enabling entrepreneurship in markets that might be underserved in terms of funding availability.
Some of our notable LPs are Founders of Supercell, Vinted, Fortumo, Factory, Bain Capital, and also institutional investors like Multiple Capital, Uniqa Ventures and more.
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Looking for funding?
Read more about the opportunities and apply here.