Heartfelt

Heartfelt (also known as Heartfelt Capital) is a Berlin-based venture capital firm positioning itself as Europe's First Cheque Fund. Founded by the former managers of APX — a joint venture of Axel Springer and Porsche — the firm writes initial checks of €100K–€400K, typically as the first institutional investor, often before the angel round. It targets exceptional founders building companies across Europe and the US, with no stated sector focus, covering AI, fintech, climate, healthcare, logistics, and consumer goods, among others. The team of 9 full-time investment professionals has made initial investments in over 300 startups, including N26, DeepL, Colossyan, and Greenlyte. Heartfelt invests solo or alongside other early backers and reserves follow-on capital up to Series A for top performers. The firm's debut vehicle, Heartfelt European Fund I, had a target size of €80M and reached a first close of €40M in mid-2023. Founders can apply via pitch.heartfelt.vc.