HOME›REPORTS›CROATIA STARTUP FUNDINGQ3 2026 UPDATE

REPORT / Q3 2026 UPDATE / DATA TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2026

Croatia startup funding report

Croatian startups raised €138m in 14 rounds in the first nine months of 2026, against €23m in 13 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 uses the same record and rules as our CEE startup funding report, so Croatia can be set against the ten countries it covers.

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

€138m
Raised in 9M 2026
+499% on 9M 2025

€138m in the first nine months, up 499% on a year earlier (€23m). The largest round is Fonoa's €100m growth round, 73% of the total.

10
Seed and later rounds in 9M 2026
11 in 9M 2025

10 seed and later rounds this year, against 11 a year earlier, and 14 rounds in all against 13. 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 499% on the same months of 2025. Rounds: 14 against 13.

Capital raised by stage, € millions
SHOW DATA
Capital raised by stage
RowPre-seedSeedSeries AGrowthTotal
20241.71820920249
20250.9267.90.035
9M 20261.33.633100138

Croatia raised €249m in 2024 and €35m in 2025. The largest 2025 round, GlycanAge's €7.9m, was 22% of that year. 2026 has €138m 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
2024473216
20252141017
9M 2026444214

16 rounds in 2024, 17 in 2025 and 14 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€23m€138m▲ +499%
Rounds1314▲ +8%
Pre-seed rounds24▲ +100%
Seed rounds114▼ -64%
Series A rounds04New
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 countries of our CEE report, so the comparison is like for like. Capital per person divides each country's capital by its population.

Croatia and the ten CEE report countries, 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▼ -49%25897
Lithuania182▲ +3%28▼ -42%7563
Czechia513▲ +101%47▼ -15%2847
Croatia138▲ +499%14▲ +8%936
Bulgaria199▲ +91%22▼ -4%3231
Hungary122▲ +3%22▼ -35%1313
Slovakia55▼ -24%11▼ -39%2110
Ukraine282▲ +336%50▼ -29%27
Poland226▼ -10%67▼ -27%106
Latvia12▼ -84%4▼ -73%436
Romania105▲ +14%30▼ -6%96

Population on 1 January 2025.

Croatia and its neighbours, capital by year, € millions
SHOW DATA
Croatia and its neighbours, capital by year
Row202420259M 2026
Croatia24935138
Hungary59122122
Croatia and its neighbours, rounds by year
SHOW DATA
Croatia and its neighbours, rounds by year
Row202420259M 2026
Croatia161714
Hungary484522

In 2025, Croatia closed 17 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-seed4€1.7m2€0.9m4€1.3m€0.6m-€0.3m
Seed7€18m14€26m4€3.6m€2.9m€2.1m€1.2m
Series A3€209m1€7.9m4€33m€100m-€6.8m
Growth2€20m0-2€100m---

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

Pre-seed

Four rounds in 2024, 2 in 2025 and 4 so far in 2026.

Seed

Seven rounds in 2024, 14 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 4 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: €114m in seven rounds.

By number of rounds since 2024, the largest sectors are AI (20), marketing and media (8) and health and bio (8). A company can sit in several sectors, so sector totals overlap.

Capital by sector, € millions
SHOW DATA
Capital by sector
Row202420259M 2026
AI12512114
Fintech1.33.0100
Hardware and robotics9.93.614
Marketing and media294.513
Defence and security6.56.413
Enterprise software1.53.62.4
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
AI587
Fintech112
Hardware and robotics232
Marketing and media332
Defence and security211
Enterprise software223
Energy and climate112
Food and agri001

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
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
PromptWisePre-seed€0.4mMar 2026Damir Sabol

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

Five 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
InsiderCXUnited Kingdom€1.5mJan 2026Yes
GlycanAgeUnited Kingdom€7.9mDec 2025Yes
GlycanAgeUnited Kingdom€1.4mNov 2025Yes
GlycanAgeUnited Kingdom€0.5mMay 2025Yes
GlycanAgeUnited Kingdom€3.8mFeb 2024Yes

07 / INVESTORS

Investors

GapMinder Venture Partners joined the most pre-seed and seed rounds since January 2025: 4.

Most active at pre-seed and seed since January 2025: GapMinder Venture Partners (4 rounds), Fil Rouge Capital (4 rounds) and Damir Sabol (3 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
GapMinder Venture PartnersNetherlands43
Fil Rouge CapitalLuxembourg42
Damir SabolCroatia30
Interactive Venture PartnersUnited States22
SQ CapitalCroatia22
Silicon GardensSlovenia21
Mihovil Barančićn/a20
Vesna VCCroatia20
AYMO VenturesCroatia11
Croatian Business Angels Networkn/a11
Most active from Series A, 2025 to 9M 2026
Most active Series A and growth investors in Croatia
InvestorBased inRoundsLed
AYMO VenturesCroatia32
BlackPeak Capitaln/a11
Expedition Venturesn/a11
Fifth Quarter Venturesn/a11
BrightCap VenturesBulgaria10
EuroventuresHungary10
Expeditionn/a10
Fil Rouge CapitalLuxembourg10
Guinness VenturesUnited Kingdom10
Impetus CapitalBulgaria10
Rounds with at least one investor based outside CEE
SHOW DATA
Share of rounds with an international investor
Row202420259M 2026
All rounds56%44%67%

Rounds with a fund from outside CEE: 56% in 2024, 44% in 2025 and 67% in 2026 so far, of rounds where investor headquarters are known.

Share of rounds where investor headquarters are known: 9 in 2024, 9 in 2025, 9 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 47 venture rounds (41 with a disclosed amount) at 39 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 ten countries of our CEE report.

RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS: BADIDEAS.FUND.

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