HOME›REPORTS›CROATIA STARTUP FUNDINGQ3 2026 UPDATE

REPORT / Q3 2026 UPDATE / DATA TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2026

Croatia startup funding report

Croatian startups raised €160m in 33 rounds in the first nine months of 2026, against €24m in 21 rounds a year earlier.

Funding data for Croatian startups is scattered. Rounds are announced by companies, funds, angel networks and the press, often months after they close, and no single database has them all or has them right.

This report builds one record from all of them. We cross check startup databases against company, investor and press announcements, take out grants and loans that are reported as rounds, and add the rounds that were never fully recorded.

It covers venture rounds and exits of startups headquartered in Croatia, and of startups that started here and moved their headquarters abroad. It sets Croatia against the ten largest CEE markets on the same record and rules.

We add a quarter every three months. If you are raising in Croatia, it shows how many rounds close, at what size, and who writes the first cheques.

Highlights

€160m
Raised in 9M 2026
+576% on 9M 2025

€160m in the first nine months, up 576% on a year earlier (€24m). The largest round is Fonoa's €100m growth round, 63% of the total.

11
Seed and later rounds in 9M 2026
11 in 9M 2025

11 seed and later rounds this year, against 11 a year earlier, and 33 rounds in all against 21. Pre-seed is where the record of recent rounds is least complete, and its count will rise as late rounds surface.

1
Venture-backed exits in 9M 2026
0 in 9M 2025

One venture-backed exit by September, against none in the same months of 2025. Buyers include HCLSoftware (HCLTech).

01 / THE MARKET

The market

Capital up 576% on the same months of 2025. Rounds: 33 against 21.

Capital raised by stage, € millions
SHOW DATA
Capital raised by stage
RowPre-seedSeedSeries AGrowthTotal
20242.02820920259
20251.5267.90.036
9M 20261.43.655100160

Croatia raised €259m in 2024 and €36m in 2025. The largest 2025 round, GlycanAge's €7.9m, was 22% of that year. 2026 has €160m so far.

9M 2026 covers January to September 2026. The dashed line marks the same months of 2025.

Number of rounds by stage
SHOW DATA
Number of rounds by stage
RowPre-seedSeedSeries AGrowthTotal
20247103222
202513171031
9M 20262245233

22 rounds in 2024, 31 in 2025 and 33 so far in 2026. Some rounds are recorded months late, so the latest quarters will rise.

Same months, like for like: 9M 2026 against 9M 2025
Year to date against the same months last year
Row9M 20259M 2026Change
Capital€24m€160m▲ +576%
Rounds2133▲ +57%
Pre-seed rounds1022▲ +120%
Seed rounds114▼ -64%
Series A rounds05New
Growth rounds02New
Capital by quarter, € millions

Quarter by quarter, capital swings with the timing of large rounds. The count of rounds is the steadier signal.

The latest quarter is still filling in and will rise.

02 / CROATIA IN THE REGION

Croatia in the region

Croatia raised €9 per person in 2025, 9th of the 11 countries compared here.

The same record and rules for Croatia and the ten largest CEE markets, so the comparison is like for like. Capital per person divides each country's capital by its population.

Croatia and the ten largest CEE markets, 9M 2026 against 9M 2025, most capital per person first
Capital and rounds by country, 9M 2026, with capital per person
Country€m 9M 2026ChangeRounds 9M 2026Change€ per person 2025€ per person 9M 2026
Estonia133▼ -48%39▼ -50%25897
Lithuania222▲ +26%30▼ -39%7577
Czechia515▲ +102%49▼ -11%2847
Croatia160▲ +576%33▲ +57%941
Bulgaria208▲ +100%23flat3232
Hungary119flat21▼ -38%1312
Slovakia55▼ -23%12▼ -33%2110
Ukraine282▲ +336%50▼ -29%27
Romania123▲ +34%32flat96
Poland230▼ -9%69▼ -25%106
Latvia12▼ -84%4▼ -75%436

Population on 1 January 2025.

Croatia and its neighbours, capital by year, € millions
SHOW DATA
Croatia and its neighbours, capital by year
Row202420259M 2026
Croatia25936160
Hungary59122119
Croatia and its neighbours, rounds by year
SHOW DATA
Croatia and its neighbours, rounds by year
Row202420259M 2026
Croatia223133
Hungary484521

In 2025, Croatia closed 31 rounds, against 45 in Hungary.

03 / STAGES AND ROUND SIZES

Stages and round sizes

The typical seed round in 2025 was €2.1m.

Rounds by company stage. Where one round can move a stage's total, the count and the typical round tell more than the capital.

Rounds, capital and median round by stage
Rounds, capital and median round size by stage and year
RowRounds 2024€m 2024Rounds 2025€m 2025Rounds 9M 2026€m 9M 2026Median 2024Median 2025Median 9M 2026
Pre-seed7€2.0m13€1.5m22€1.4m€0.4m€0.4m€0.3m
Seed10€28m17€26m4€3.6m€3.6m€2.1m€1.2m
Series A3€209m1€7.9m5€55m€100m-€7.0m
Growth2€20m0-2€100m---

Median shown where at least three rounds of the stage disclosed an amount.

Pre-seed

Seven rounds in 2024, 13 in 2025 and 22 so far in 2026. The typical pre-seed round in 2025 was €0.4m.

Seed

10 rounds in 2024, 17 in 2025 and 4 so far in 2026. The typical seed round in 2025 was €2.1m.

Series A

Three rounds in 2024, 1 in 2025 and 5 so far in 2026.

Growth

Two rounds in 2024, 0 in 2025 and 2 so far in 2026.

04 / SECTORS

Sectors

AI raised the most this year: €136m in 16 rounds.

By number of rounds since 2024, the largest sectors are AI (39), health and bio (17) and enterprise software (14). A company can sit in several sectors, so sector totals overlap.

Capital by sector, € millions
SHOW DATA
Capital by sector
Row202420259M 2026
AI13013136
Fintech1.33.5100
Enterprise software9.73.624
Hardware and robotics9.93.614
Marketing and media294.613
Defence and security8.36.413
Energy and climate1002.70.6
Food and agri0.00.00.6

Ranked by 9M 2026 capital. Sectors overlap.

Rounds by sector
SHOW DATA
Rounds by sector
Row202420259M 2026
AI71616
Fintech124
Enterprise software437
Hardware and robotics263
Marketing and media354
Defence and security321
Energy and climate112
Food and agri021

Same sectors, counted by number of rounds.

05 / LARGEST ROUNDS

Largest rounds

The largest round this year: Fonoa, €100m.

Largest rounds, 9M 2026
Largest rounds 9M 2026
CompanyStageAmountMonthLead or first investor
FonoaGrowth€100mMay 2026Undisclosed
DaytonaSeries A€22mFeb 2026FirstMark Capital
OrqaSeries A€13mMar 2026Expedition Ventures
Fasal BioSeries A€7.0mApr 2026BlackPeak Capital
FarseerSeries A€6.5mFeb 2026AYMO Ventures
HypefySeries A€6.5mJun 2026AYMO Ventures
InsiderCXSeed€1.5mJan 2026GapMinder Venture Partners
Genesis Space Flight LaboratoriesSeed€1.2mJul 2026GapMinder Venture Partners
ShoutemSeed€0.9mJul 2026Ethos
CrumbsPre-seed€0.6mMay 2026AYMO Ventures

Rounds with a disclosed amount.

Largest rounds, 2025
Largest rounds 2025
CompanyStageAmountMonthLead or first investor
GlycanAgeSeries A€7.9mDec 2025Fifth Quarter Ventures
SplxAISeed€6.4mMar 2025LAUNCHub Ventures
WaspSeed€3.4mApr 2025HV Capital
AestusSeed€3.0mSep 2025SQ Capital
Jurlina CoenergySeed€2.7mMay 2025Undisclosed
LebesgueSeed€2.7mJan 2025Interactive Venture Partners
MoontopSeed€2.7mNov 2025SQ Capital
HypefySeed€1.6mJan 2025Interactive Venture Partners
GlycanAgeSeed€1.4mNov 2025Undisclosed
ANIQSeed€1.1mApr 2025Kristijan Škarica

06 / STARTED IN CROATIA, BASED ELSEWHERE

Started in Croatia, based elsewhere

Eight rounds since 2024 by companies that started in Croatia and are based elsewhere. They count in the totals.

Companies that started in Croatia, or keep their main team here, but are headquartered elsewhere. They count in the totals, under Croatia. Companies that Croatian founders built abroad, with no base here, are not included.

Rounds since 2024, newest first
Rounds of companies started in Croatia and based elsewhere
CompanyBased inAmountMonthIn totals
DaytonaUnited States€22mFeb 2026Yes
InsiderCXUnited Kingdom€1.5mJan 2026Yes
GlycanAgeUnited Kingdom€7.9mDec 2025Yes
GlycanAgeUnited Kingdom€1.4mNov 2025Yes
GlycanAgeUnited Kingdom€0.5mMay 2025Yes
DaytonaUnited States€4.5mJun 2024Yes
GlycanAgeUnited Kingdom€3.8mFeb 2024Yes
PythagoraUnited States€3.6mMay 2024Yes

07 / INVESTORS

Investors

AYMO Ventures joined the most pre-seed and seed rounds since January 2025: 13.

Most active at pre-seed and seed since January 2025: AYMO Ventures (13 rounds), Vesna VC (12 rounds) and Fil Rouge Capital (11 rounds). Investors are ranked by the rounds they joined, led or followed, over 2025 and 2026 together.

Most active at pre-seed and seed, 2025 to 9M 2026
Most active pre-seed and seed investors in Croatia
InvestorBased inRoundsLed
AYMO VenturesCroatia1313
Vesna VCCroatia1210
Fil Rouge CapitalLuxembourg1110
GapMinder Venture PartnersNetherlands43
South Central VenturesSlovenia32
Damir SabolCroatia30
Mihovil BarančićCroatia30
Interactive Venture PartnersUnited States22
SQ CapitalCroatia22
Silicon GardensSlovenia21
Most active from Series A, 2025 to 9M 2026
Most active Series A and growth investors in Croatia
InvestorBased inRoundsLed
AYMO VenturesCroatia32
BlackPeak CapitalAustralia11
Expedition VenturesUnited States11
Fifth Quarter Venturesn/a11
FirstMark CapitalUnited States11
BrightCap VenturesBulgaria10
Darmoden/a10
Datadog VenturesUnited States10
E2VCTürkiye10
EuroventuresHungary10
Rounds with at least one investor based outside CEE
SHOW DATA
Share of rounds with an international investor
Row202420259M 2026
All rounds60%42%36%

Rounds with a fund from outside CEE: 60% in 2024, 42% in 2025 and 36% in 2026 so far, of rounds where investor headquarters are known.

Share of rounds where investor headquarters are known: 20 in 2024, 26 in 2025, 31 in 9M 2026.

08 / EXITS

Exits

The most recent: Robotiq.ai, bought by HCLSoftware (HCLTech), September 2026.

Two venture-backed exits since 2024: 0 in 2024, 1 in 2025 and 1 in 2026 so far. Deal values are rarely disclosed, so we count exits instead of summing them.

Venture-backed exits since 2024
Exits since 2024
CompanyMonthTypeBuyer
Robotiq.aiSep 2026AcquisitionHCLSoftware (HCLTech)
SplxAINov 2025AcquisitionZscaler

09 / METHODOLOGY

Methodology

What the report covers

Period: January 2024 to September 2026. Past years are shown in full. The current year runs to the end of the last complete quarter.

Companies: startups headquartered in Croatia, and startups that began there or keep their main team there and later moved their headquarters abroad. Every kind of startup is included: software and hardware, business and consumer.

Events: venture funding rounds, and exits (acquisitions, buyouts and stock market listings).

Sources: public sources only, namely startup databases, company, investor and angel network announcements, and the press.

Every round and exit named in the report links to its announcement. Totals, changes and charts are built from all rounds and are not linked.

This edition covers 86 venture rounds (50 with a disclosed amount) at 73 companies, and 2 exits. Next update: January 2027, adding Q4 2026.

Stages

Stages are the label the company announced or the source assigned. Where a label clearly does not fit the size of the round, such as a very large round called seed, the round is placed by its size. Where there is no label, round type and size decide.

How it is counted

  • Funding rounds are equity and convertible venture rounds, including angel network rounds. Grants, loans, state support programmes, crowdlending, secondary sales and investments after a listing are not counted.
  • Amounts are in euros, converted at about 1.10 US dollars to the euro. Rounds without a disclosed amount count toward the number of rounds but not toward capital.
  • Companies that are not startups are left out even when they raise venture money, such as established manufacturers, service firms and lenders.
  • Rounds and exits are cross-referenced against company, investor and press announcements where possible.

Limits

  • Public data does not capture every round, so counts are a floor. Small angel rounds are the most likely to be missing.
  • Some rounds are recorded months after they happen. Each update adds them to the month they happened in, so recent quarters, the latest above all, will rise.
  • Croatia's record includes our own search of local press, investor portfolios and companies based abroad (October 2026), which added rounds the startup databases had missed.
  • Where a country raises a few dozen rounds a year, one round can move a total by more than half. Read changes in capital with the largest round in mind.
  • Croatia's record was built in October 2026 from the investors active in Croatian startups, their portfolios and the Croatian press. It holds most of the disclosed capital, but small rounds that were never announced are missing more often than in the larger CEE markets, where a startup database adds rounds the press never reports. Pre-seed rounds from November 2025 on are recorded more fully than earlier ones, because investors' own posts were read back to then, so compare seed and later rounds across years rather than pre-seed.

RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS: BADIDEAS.FUND.

Raising pre-seed or seed in Croatia

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