Amsterdam’s FORWARD.one closes Fund II at €145M; to invest in tech-driven startups
FORWARD.one team | Image credit: FORWARD.one
Amsterdam-based FORWARD.one, a venture capital firm, announced on Monday, December 19, that it has closed its Fund II at €145M. The VC firm focuses on funding product-focused high-tech and deep-tech businesses in the Nordics, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Apart from receiving financial assistance from the European Union through the InvestEU Fund, the Fund’s investors include wealthy individuals, family funds, and successful business owners.
Fund utilisation
FORWARD.one says it will use the funds to support the growth and development of innovative startups in the region and assist them in commercialising their ‘ground-breaking’ technology. This would not only help the businesses, but it will also stimulate local economic development and open up new employment prospects.
Paul Pruijmboom, Managing Partner at FORWARD.one, says, “Our team consists of experienced founders and operators who have navigated through various market cycles and have a track record of building successful global businesses. The new fund will build on FORWARD.one’s proven track record, while also expanding our portfolio of European startups that are growing internationally.”
The Fund will make investments ranging from €1M to €20M in tech-driven enterprises that are addressing some of the most important issues in society. These startups will be run by founders who are enthusiastic about utilising technology for positive impact through commercialisation.
Currently, over 20 entrepreneurs, operators, and professionals make up the FORWARD.one funds. With the help of the new funding, the team will be able to grow by adding new personnel across North-Western Europe. The VC says its goal is to establish itself as Europe’s most helpful early-stage deeptech investor.
Recent investments of the second fund include Optics11 (advanced optics), Quantware (quantum computing), Bi/ond (organ-on-a-chip) and Qualinx (semicon).
Backing game-changing high-tech innovations
Founded in 2018, FORWARD.one is a venture capital firm designed to address the ‘unique’ needs of high-tech companies. It was founded by a team of experienced investors and entrepreneurs who support the growth of the tech ecosystem in Europe.
Since its foundation, the firm has reviewed more than a thousand companies, and its team claims to have learned about the opportunity offered by high tech in the Netherlands.
FORWARD.one is leading investment in industrial technology that is revolutionising critical sectors, from quantum computing to biomanufacturing to robots for EVs. Radical innovation in computing, climate technology, manufacturing, and supply chain will all be based on innovation at the industrial hardware level.
The firm says, “We are looking for big thinkers, who want to turn innovations into commercial success by solving complex problems. FORWARD.one pursues an early-stage strategy and helps entrepreneurs with the capital and hands-on support needed to build global winners.
Here’s what the VC firm looks for in a startup
- Prototype-ready product: If you have a proven technology, the firm can help you take it from prototype to the first version of the product that ships to clients
- Understanding of your market: “Show us that you understand the market you are entering. Who are the main players? What are the market’s dynamics? Does this market have unmet needs? How can your product meet unmet needs in this market?”
- Complete founding team: The founder’s team should have engineering, technology, communications, marketing, and people skills.
- A clear business plan: Describe how your product or solution fulfils an unmet demand. Include a product description, market research, competitor analysis, management structure and a marketing strategy
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