The Central and Eastern European (CEE) startup ecosystem has received an impressive boost with the launch of three venture capital funds, collectively deploying over €90 million to strengthen early-stage innovation. For entrepreneurs in the region, this commitment spells opportunity, particularly in fields like technology, sustainability, and even social impact. As a Dutch serial entrepreneur who has been building startups with almost no external financial backing, I often feel a mix of hope and skepticism when large amounts of funding are announced. Let me take you through why this is a moment to pay attention, and what lessons we can apply to our own entrepreneurial journeys.
The Funds Driving the Movement
Aneli Capital: Quick Decisions, Clear Focus
Rooted in the Baltics, Aneli Capital stands out with its €35 million fund. Their approach prioritizes swift investment decisions, which is a breath of fresh air for founders who can't spend months navigating bureaucracy. They aim to support 20 startups over five years, investing up to €1.5 million in companies that have products, paying customers, and strong unit economics. This focus on market traction rather than vague potential drastically improves the odds for startups ready to scale, provided founders understand how to present hard data effectively.
Cofounder VC: Beyond Seed Stage
Poland-based Cofounder VC enters the scene with a €30 million target, already securing €12 million. They’re targeting companies with proven revenue streams, often stepping in at a phase where other investors hesitate. By requiring a clear monthly recurring income and sustainability in operations, they address the so-called "Valley of Death," where European startups often struggle after initial seed funding. For a region with fewer large-scale exits, this is a welcome shift.
Investing for Purpose AKES: Impact-Focused and Ambitious
Greece joins the picture with a €25.4 million fund focused on high-impact businesses benefiting society or the environment. With measurable success metrics, this fund will support companies tackling challenges that really matter, not just for financial returns but for broader societal contributions. It’s a small but essential step for founders hoping to maximize both impact and value.
The Numbers: What Do They Teach Us?
In Central and Eastern Europe, startups still receive significantly less funding compared to their western counterparts. A 2025 report claims that local startups receive 40% less venture capital per capita than those in Western Europe. This means founders often operate lean, making them scrappy and resourceful. For someone like me who’s been bootstrapping my businesses from day one, learning to create value with minimal resources feels second nature, and it’s an underestimated advantage in the long term.
How to Take Advantage if You’re a Founder in Europe
Understand the Expectations: These funds are shifting away from "idea-stage" investing to companies with measurable outputs. Before applying, ensure your startup demonstrates clear traction and sustainable economics. Preparing detailed investor materials, like financial forecasts and user data, will save you from endless feedback loops.
Network Strategically: Investors love founders who know their market. Attend startup events in Europe, build connections with angels, and join LinkedIn startup communities in regions like the Baltics and Greece. Check out platforms like Vestbee’s insights where industry news can sharpen your market understanding.
Build a Resilient Storyline: Make sure your pitch goes beyond the numbers. One lesson from bootstrapping is that investors care about your resourcefulness and agility. Show them how you’ve optimized every euro to create impact.
Timing Matters: With these new funds actively looking, the sooner you’re ready with investment materials, the better your chances. Keep an eye on platforms such as Cofounder VC information for details about application timelines.
Mistakes Entrepreneurs Should Avoid When Seeking Funding
- Overestimating Growth: Investors are smart, they’ve seen wild projections before. Set realistic milestones backed by data.
- Ignoring Storytelling: A killer pitch deck without a compelling story about your purpose won’t resonate.
- Relying Solely on Regional Funding: Don’t limit yourself to these funds. Look beyond borders and find complementary investors.
- Lack of Preparation for Rejection: Even with great numbers, roadblocks are inevitable. Account for alternate outcomes and adapt.
Lessons from a Bootstrapped Journey
Some of my own best insights come from not relying on millions in funding. Here are tips that work for any female founders:
- Solve Real Problems: If your business addresses critical needs, customers will support you financially even when investors don’t.
- Be Fiercely Efficient: Use what you have at your disposal. I’ve created products with fewer resources by adopting systematic, multidisciplinary approaches.
- Prioritize Community: Building a strong user base often pays off much more than financial capital. People will advocate for a brand they believe in.
Conclusion
The €90 million being poured into the CEE region’s startups marks a progressive step, but as with all investments, outcomes will depend on how well the funds are allocated and whether the supported startups can sustain momentum. Founders, especially female entrepreneurs, should grab this opportunity to shine while staying true to their mission. Apply, create smart strategies, and never lose sight of the scrappiness that defines so many of us who started with little and dreamed big.
For daily updates on new startup opportunities, Europe’s startup trends, or networking tips, check out platforms like The Recursive or your local incubator resources. Let’s make 2026 a great year for founders everywhere.
FAQ
1. Which Central & Eastern Europe fund offers quick investment decisions?
Aneli Capital emphasizes rapid decision-making and founder-friendly terms, focusing on early-stage startups across the Baltics and CEE regions. Learn more about Aneli Capital
2. What is Cofounder VC's investment focus?
Cofounder VC targets early growth-stage tech startups with proven market validation and recurring revenue, offering capital and operational support. Explore Cofounder VC
3. Which fund prioritizes societal impact in its investments?
Investing for Purpose AKES, based in Greece, invests in high-impact startups with measurable societal and environmental benefits. Discover Investing for Purpose
4. How does Aneli Capital plan to allocate its investments?
Aneli Capital aims to fund 20 startups over five years, focusing on products with active customers and strong unit economics. Learn more about Aneli Capital's strategy
5. What is the funding gap faced by startups in Central and Eastern Europe?
CEE startups often experience a 40% lower venture capital-per-capita funding compared to their Western counterparts. Read the CEE funding gap report
6. How can founders prepare to attract funding from these new funds?
Founders should emphasize measurable outputs, sustained unit economics, and detailed investor materials, including revenue data and forecasts. Explore preparation tips
7. Why is Cofounder VC important for the region's startup ecosystem?
Cofounder VC helps startups overcome the “Valley of Death” by providing funding and operational support beyond the seed stage. Learn about Cofounder VC's impact
8. What types of projects does Investing for Purpose AKES support?
The fund backs high-impact projects tackling urgent social or environmental challenges with measurable success metrics. Discover projects supported by Investing for Purpose AKES
9. How can founders benefit from networking in CEE?
Attending regional startup events, building angel investor connections, and leveraging insights on platforms like Vestbee can enhance funding prospects. Check out Vestbee’s insights
10. What is a significant challenge the new funds aim to address?
The three funds seek to address the limited scaling capital in the CEE ecosystem and accelerate growth for innovative startups. Explore the initiative
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
