Amsterdam-based Welt, a venture capital firm, announced on Tuesday that it has closed the first round of its VC fund at €35M from a group of tech entrepreneurs and private individuals.
The Dutch VC intends to close the fund at €75M, which is expected after summer, six months sooner than projected.
According to Welt, the latest VC fund has two purposes:
- Democratising Venture Capital by enabling individual investors to invest in top-tier Venture Capital and Growth Equity funds.
- Invest in the next generation of European startups and unicorns.
Bouke Marsman, Managing Partner at Welt, says, “Now is an interesting time to invest in Venture Capital since the correction of tech shares is taking place in the private markets as well. In the process, the distinction between promising and less promising startups and scale-ups is becoming clearer. This presents opportunities for the top Venture Capital funds in particular. Thanks to their track record and experience, it is easier for them to invest in the unicorns of the future. This is reflected in the returns. Historically, funds started during or immediately after crisis years (for example 2001 and 2009) have shown very strong results.”
Welt: What you need to know
Welt, an initiative of Marktlink Investment Partners, is managed by Bouke Marsman and Jaap Vriesendorp.
Based out of Amsterdam, Marktlink Investment Partners helps individual investors invest with the best Private Equity and Venture Capital funds in Europe. The platform has been set up for entrepreneurs who want to invest starting €250K.
The Dutch VC invests in selected top Venture Capital funds, resulting in a well-spread portfolio of investments in over 300 European startups and future unicorns.
As a result, high returns can be achieved at a considerably lower risk due to the broad diversification over multiple companies, says the company.
Welt aims to create long-term value for a new segment of investors that want to get access to high-performing technology investments through its platform.
Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, who promotes the Dutch startup ecosystem on behalf of Techleap, says “The European investment market is three times smaller than in America. As a consequence, our businesses do not grow fast enough and find it hard to compete internationally. It is essential for Europe to become more technologically competitive and independent. We can contribute ourselves by investing more in promising startups.”
