Today OTB Ventures, a leading venture capital fund specialised in investments in technology companies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), announces the launch of its early growth technology fund, with €92.4 million in commitments. This fund is the largest venture capital fund in CEE and was backed by international institutional investors, including the European Investment Fund (EIF), and high-profile backers including Greg Jankilevitch.

The funds will be awarded by the end of 2022, to a total of 16 early stage, post-product, startups in the CEE region, spanning cyber security, big data and artificial intelligence, fintech, IoT and robotics, as well as cloud and SaaS industry verticals. The fund will deploy up to around €13.8 million per company and will typically acquire a stake of 10-15% in a given company.

OTB’s mission is to empower entrepreneurs to scale their businesses globally, while keeping a strong focus on technology advancement. It focuses on startups with unique IP and disruptive ideas in every technology domain, with strong regional footprint across Central and Eastern Europe. OTB has a proven track record as an adviser, having already invested in 8 successful companies, including Cosmose, SpaceKnow, Silent Eight, Minit, BabbleLabs, Segron, FintechOS and ICEYE.

Adam Niewiński, Managing Partner and co-founder at OTB Ventures, said: “We are grateful for this backing from new and existing investors who share our vision to develop the start-up ecosystem in Central and Eastern Europe. Our deep market knowledge and investment experience proved to be central to the successful international expansion of our portfolio companies. As the largest VC fund in the region investing in post-product and revenue-generating technology companies, we are excited to be able to support more entrepreneurs with investment and guidance on their journey towards building successful and sustainable businesses for the long-term.”

Marcin Hejka, Managing Partner and co-founder at OTB Ventures, said: “We believe in companies with strong technological capabilities and global aspirations. Central and Eastern Europe is a cradle of talented engineers and IT specialists, pioneering innovative companies. We see a huge investment potential in these companies with up-and-running products and initial business traction in international markets. The purpose of our fund is to discover, develop and realise this potential on a global scale.”