Want to co-invest?
We make angel investing easy for you. Start with €1K per deal.
We are a community of experienced founders and operators investing €300K-€1.5M in post-MVP startups across CEE. Our members, who have built companies like Vimeo, Bolt, and Wise, not only provide capital but also deep industry insights and connections. Since launching at TechChill ‘22, we’ve invested over €3.8M and leveraged a network of 250+ startup builders from more than 20 countries to support startups aiming for significant growth. Our track record already includes a successful €75M exit with RoomPriceGenie, demonstrating our ability to identify and elevate startups with high potential early in their journey.
Backed by unicorn builders from:
Investment strategy
As a community of highly driven and accomplished founders, operators and angel investors, we can source a much bigger and much higher quality dealflow than alone. Besides that we also source dealflow from business angel networks, other angels, VCs, service providers, inbound.
Target check size
First check - €300K-€500K (fund + syndicate), but to maximize return, we like to double down on the best performing startups by investing in follow on rounds 3X the initial investment.
Frequency
We are starting with 1 investment per month, however we will scale this up over time.
Stages
Pre-seed (MVP live and some market traction) --> Series A ($40k+ MRR)
Geography
Our focus is on founders living or having roots in CEE.
Sector
Our focus is where we are most passionate and can contribute most. Collectively we have most experience in B2B SaaS and marketplace, so that’s what we gravitate more towards.
A community of
unicorn builders
Our members are founders and operators who’ve been building such companies as Vimeo ($450M), Printify ($54M), Pandadoc ($51M funding), Pipedrive ($90M), Bolt ($1.3B funding), Apollo ($151M funding), Bird ($783M funding), Shopify ($122M), Printful ($130M), Twilio ($614M), Veriff ($192.3M), Wise ($1.3B raised), Interactio ($30M), Vinted ($562.3M), NordVPN ($100M), Hubspot ($100.5M).
"It's so much harder for investors to support companies when they haven't had the lived experience as an operator."
Miranda Gottlieb
$25M Marketing
$0 → Unicorn
7K Employees
“As an investor with BADideas, the deep operational insights we offer startups truly set us apart.”
Raimonds Kulbergs
SaaS Exit
Fundraising Expert
GTM & Strategy
“Being part of BADideas means you’re actively participating in the growth of innovative startups, not just funding them.”
Ben Leblois
EdTech & ClimateTech
3x Founder
1 Exit
Frequently asked
questions
Find answers to common questions about our investment process, eligibility, support, and everything in between. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, feel free to reach out directly.
-
What’s the benefit of raising from BADideas.fund?One line on your cap table, backed by unicorn builders, operators, and founders who’ve been there, done that—and want to help you do it too.
-
What is your typical ticket size?We invest both via our €22M fund and our syndicate, meaning we can back founders from their first check to their later rounds. First (pre-seed) round: €250k–€500k Follow-on (seed) round: Up to €1.5M
-
What kind of startups do you invest in?We’re generalists with a preference for B2B SaaS, marketplaces, and startups with CEE roots but global ambitions. Whether it’s Fintech, Space-tech, or Edtech, if you’re bold, we’re interested.
-
What’s your track record so far?We’ve invested in 24 startups and deployed over €3M, with one exit already and several portfolio companies on rapid growth trajectories.
-
What’s the difference between the syndicate and the fund?Syndicate: Crowdsourced investments from a pool of 250+ angel investors and operators. Fund: Our newly launched €22M fund allows us to write bigger checks and lead rounds while still involving our syndicate.
-
How do you allocate tickets between the syndicate and the fund?We invest through two sources: our syndicate and our €22M fund. Syndicate: Backed by a network of 200+ founders, operators, and angels, typically investing €50K–€100K in early rounds. Fund: Enables larger investments of up to €250K in pre-seed and €1.5M in seed rounds. This allows us to be flexible and grow our support as your company scales.
-
Do you work at startup speed?Yes. We typically deliver decisions within weeks, not months, so you can focus on building your startup, not fundraising.
-
What happens after I apply?Form 1: Initial screening to evaluate fit. Reviewed within a few days. Form 2: Follow-up application (sent to startups that pass Form 1). Once submitted, you’ll receive feedback within a week, and if all goes well, we’ll proceed to an interview and due diligence.
-
What will you evaluate when reviewing my application?We evaluate startups based on these 4 pillars: Team - what’s the secret sauce behind your dream team, how big is it and how many FTE team members do you have; what is your strategy for capital use. Market - who - how do you acquire your customers, eg, content, SEO, partnerships, direct sales, affiliate, community strategy, and who you’re competing against. Product/traction - when was your product launched, what growth have you seen since then and what your retention is like. Distribution - how do you acquire your customers, eg, content, SEO, partnerships, direct sales, affiliate, community strategy
-
How long does the process take?Typically, 4 weeks from the initial application to funding, but can vary depending on due diligence or additional clarifications.
-
What if I’m too early stage?If you’re not yet ready for a round but have potential, we’re happy to work with you for 3–6 months to refine your pitch, fundraising strategy, and go-to-market plan.
-
What investment agreements do you use?We’re flexible but prefer SAFE agreements, convertible notes, or equity investments. We require pro-rata rights and information rights as standard. Here is one resource for standard docs.
-
How important is a warm introduction for my application?A warm introduction is not required, but it can be beneficial, particularly when it's genuinely warm. It provides social proof and gives us added confidence in your startup. However, a mediocre warm intro is worse than an awesome cold email. So, if you don't have a strong warm intro, feel free to just fill out the application, which if you like you can supplement reaching out directly with a well-crafted cold email. Ultimately, it's the quality of your startup and your communication that matters most to us.
-
What kind of support can I expect post-investment?Beyond capital, we provide access to 250+ founder-operator mentors, tailored microadvising, help with US market expansion, and guidance in product and enterprise sales.
-
How do I communicate with the investors?We set up a mailing list where we include the syndicate members who have invested in your company, and ask you to send them investor updates. Many of our investors want to be helpful in the area they can, so make sure to include your ask in every monthly investor update.
-
What if we need additional funding later on?We can participate in follow-on rounds and help you build the right co-investor syndicate.
-
Is there a fee associated with my application?There is no cost to pitch. If our syndicate invests in your company, we charge a one-off €1.5K-€3K fee to: onboard you to our founder & operator community, match you with the most right advisor(s) to help fill the current round, as well as streamline the fundraising process, do investor intros, or run a go-to-market & product focused structured one-month advisory program to help you unlock the most important growth bottleneck.
-
What jurisdictions do you support?We invest in companies registered anywhere in the EU and Delaware, US. No problem if your entity is registered elsewhere - we will happily offer advice as to the most attractive jurisdictions in the eyes of VCs and angel investors. That said we prioritize supporting founders with CEE roots.
-
What if I have additional questions?No problem! Feel free to reach out directly at comms@badideas.fund.