FAQs
Investment
How do you add value to a founder's company-building journey?
We strive to be the best partner to you and your company from day one. Our founders frequently describe us as an extension of their team and we know what it takes to go from those early-stages to building something significant. We work alongside you to help solve your biggest challenges, leveraging our expansive network and multiple decades of expertise to help you shortcut key learnings.
We are in it with you for the challenges and triumphs of scaling your business. Through our carefully curated, in-house team with expertise around all things Hiring, G2M, Marketing, Product, Finance and Legals to our global Seedcamp Expert Collective, our founders and teams get unique access to a community of exceptional people around the world.
With two core team members now based in the USA, we also open up doors to your US expansion plans.
On top of all that, you get access to one of the most powerful aspects of the Seedcamp Nation: our Founder community. We know the value in collaborating with other entrepreneurs who are at a similar stage or a couple of steps ahead in their journey and we’ve seen the Seedcamp Nation in action over the years through everything from working together as design partners, to customers, to helping with hires and even M&A. Of course, we also love to create special moments for our founders to connect and celebrate, including dinners and Skeedcamp, our annual founder ski trip.
Does Seedcamp like to invest as part of a syndicate?
We are your first backer. We like to lead/co-lead rounds but don’t take a sharp-elbowed approach. We believe in composing a syndicate alongside angels and funds to build a village around you and your team. Seedcamp has the best network and access to angels and coinvestors in Europe, and we are backed ourselves by Tier 1 institutional investors, VCs, angels, and founders. When we decide to partner up, we work collaboratively with you to create an ideal syndicate around your vision.
How much does Seedcamp typically invest?
Our first cheque is usually between $350K-$1M.
What is your investment process and how long does it take?
Our process starts with an initial call with one or more members of the team. Depending on the nature of your business, we might set up a second conversation with another colleague or continue our due diligence via questions over Whatsapp or email. If there is a strong fit, we will invite you to a 45-minute partner pitch with the full team. Expect this meeting to be conversational in nature; we aim to use this time to get to know you (and vice versa), and dig into our last remaining questions on the business. The process is designed for you to get to know us as much as it is for us to get to know you. We hate nothing more than wasting a founder’s time which is why we aim to run an end-to-end process within two weeks of meeting you.
When is the right time to approach Seedcamp for investment?
We are your first backer. The companies we partner with range from pre-product and pre-launch to post-revenue. We appreciate that we can’t speak to everyone straight out of the gates. But from the point you have an idea through to when you have early revenue, we would love to learn more. If you think you are at a point in the business at which Seedcamp’s platform of support can help you step up your plans, then it’s likely the time we should speak! This is really our sweet spot for providing rocket fuel for startups on their journey ahead. If you have already raised more than a couple million dollars, we’re probably not the best fit.
Do you have standard legal documents that you like to use?
For rounds we lead, we use documents based on the standard Seedsummit terms that we helped write with the help of other investors in the ecosystem. Please take a look at our current standard pre-seed ASA (link below). We’re comfortable using either a convertible or equity structure and work with the founders we invest in to figure out what’s best at the time we invest. For larger rounds which we can’t lead, the terms of the round and legals are generally driven by the lead investor. Links:
What is the main thing Seedcamp looks for when investing in a company?
Successful companies come in many different shapes and sizes. A few patterns we’ve spotted over the last two decades of investing are: dissatisfaction with ‘good enough’, relentless default to action, a deep understanding of the customer pain point, and previous experience building 0-1, whether that’s a video game in your bedroom or a venture business.
Does Seedcamp only invest in certain areas/sectors?
We are sector agnostic in our approach and focus on backing world-class founders. While we don’t favour particular verticals, we are software-first investors.
Do you invest in companies outside of Europe?
We believe fast-growing companies can be born anywhere in the world. However, we tend to focus on investing in companies based in Europe and Israel, or companies with a distinctively European angle. This is firstly because these are the market opportunities we understand the most; and secondly because these are the teams who we are best placed to support.
Does Seedcamp insist on always taking board seats?
The best way for us to be able to help you is to have access to the same level of information and conversations as your other investors. In that spirit, we do not take board seats but we do typically take up board observer roles. Usually, we would maintain this role until at least the next round of funding or until the Series A.
Does Seedcamp follow-on?
Yes. We follow on in the subsequent rounds of existing portfolio companies and love supporting our most exciting portfolio companies up until IPO.
Does Seedcamp allow public investment?
Seedcamp is a private investment fund. Seedcamp never has and never will solicit investment through any public-facing platform. If you see any persons imitating Seedcamp please report it immediately to complaints@seedcamp.com
Jobs
I’m interested in working for one of your startups? How can I get in touch?
Check out our jobs page Seedcamp.com/talent.