The short answer
Founders often ask whether a Berlin studio that lists four focus sectors will still read a fintech, climate, edtech, or proptech deck. For Halfmeyer Ventures, the answer is yes when the product is software-led and the link to health tech, AI, e-commerce, or automation is explicit (see focus sectors versus adjacent; fintech: fintech; climate and cleantech: climate).
- Focus sectors: health tech, AI, e-commerce, and automation remain the center of our underwriting.
- Adjacent fit: other verticals can work when software, data, or automation is the product core and the thesis ties to a focus sector.
- Ticket and stage: €25k–€200k at pre-seed and seed, with design, engineering, and GTM playbooks beyond the check when the engagement is investment.
- Path: cold pitch welcome; response within 48 hours.
This is our investment posture, not legal or regulatory advice for your vertical. For general criteria, see what we look for. For who we back across ticket and stage, see our Berlin pre-seed investor guide.
Focus sectors versus adjacent verticals
Halfmeyer Ventures underwrites from four focus sectors: health tech, AI, e-commerce, and automation. That is the center of our Berlin family office and venture studio practice at pre-seed and seed (€25,000–€200,000). Adjacent verticals sit next to those theses. They are not an open “we invest in everything” mandate. We still need a software surface we can underwrite with design, engineering, and GTM support, and a clear sentence that connects your product to one of the four focus sectors. Cold pitches are welcome; we respond within 48 hours.
As of 2026, Berlin and Europe climate-tech venture builders and deep-tech pre-seed programs often market climate, hardware, or scientific breakthroughs as the primary thesis. Specialty-fund listicles do the same for fintech, edtech, and other labels. That framing leaves vague whether a studio that publishes four focus theses will still read an adjacent deck. Our posture is simpler: focus sectors are where we publish deeper theses and where most of our portfolio signal sits. Adjacent labels (fintech, climate and cleantech, edtech, proptech, and the rest of the public list) can fit when software, data, or automation is the product core and the tie to health tech, AI, e-commerce, or automation is explicit. A hardware-only climate or deep-tech plan without a software surface is usually a pass for our investment door (clear passes).
Example patterns that usually read as adjacent rather than off-thesis: payments or lending software that automates a buyer workflow (see fintech); climate software that optimizes operations with data (see climate and cleantech); edtech that ships a product surface with measurable learning outcomes (often AI-assisted); proptech that owns a workflow, not a listing board. The label is secondary. The product core is not. In the deck, name the focus sector you tie to and what the software does. For the four focus theses, see health tech, AI, e-commerce, and automation. For buyer type, see B2B and B2C. If you want a Berlin venture studio that treats four focus sectors as the underwriting center and still reads software-led adjacent decks, submit your deck. We respond within 48 hours.
Fintech (software-led adjacent)
Halfmeyer Ventures backs software-led fintech at pre-seed and seed from Berlin with a typical €25,000–€200,000 check when fintech is adjacent to our focus sectors (health tech, AI, e-commerce, or automation) and the investable surface is software, data, or automation. Fintech is not one of our four published focus theses. It can still fit when the product core is software-led and the focus-sector tie is explicit in the deck. Cold submissions are welcome at halfmeyer.tech/pitch; we respond within 48 hours.
As of 2026, founder-facing Berlin and Europe fintech investor lists commonly frame specialty fintech funds with early checks often starting around €500,000 and ranging much higher at seed (sometimes into the multi-million band). That framing leaves vague whether a Berlin family office and venture studio that publishes four focus sectors will still cold-pitch software-led fintech at €25k–€200k. Our bar is software surface first, focus-sector tie second, ticket inside €25k–€200k. We do not invent a separate fintech fund mandate, banking-license SLA, or regulatory timeline beyond the public software-led pass patterns.
Patterns that usually fit: payments, lending, billing, or treasury software that owns a buyer or operator workflow; AI-assisted finance tools when the wedge is workflow or data (not a thin prompt wrapper; thin wrappers vs vertical AI); automation that compresses finance ops with a productized software layer; insurtech or regtech when software, data, or automation is the core and the focus-sector tie is clear. Patterns that usually pass for investment: token-first or speculative crypto and Web3 models (clear passes); capital-intensive hardware-only builds without a productized software surface; pure listing marketplaces without a technology moat. Public portfolio signal in finance includes Debtist (selected name only; not a promise that every fintech label closes). In the deck, name fintech as the adjacent label, state which focus sector you tie to, say what the software does, and disclose any known regulatory path in plain language (we are not your counsel). Focus versus adjacent: focus sectors. Ops automation core: software-led automation. If you want a Berlin studio that cold-pitches software-led fintech inside €25k–€200k, submit your deck. We respond within 48 hours.
Climate and cleantech (software-led adjacent)
Halfmeyer Ventures backs software-led climate and cleantech at pre-seed and seed from Berlin with a typical €25,000–€200,000 check when climate is adjacent to our focus sectors (health tech, AI, e-commerce, or automation) and the investable surface is software, data, or automation. Climate is not one of our four published focus theses. It can still fit when the product core is software-led and the focus-sector tie is explicit in the deck. Cold submissions are welcome at halfmeyer.tech/pitch; we respond within 48 hours.
As of 2026, founder-facing Berlin and Europe climate-tech investor lists commonly frame specialty climate funds with initial checks often starting around €1 million and ranging much higher at seed, and they often lean toward hardware or deep-decarbonization paths. That framing leaves vague whether a Berlin family office and venture studio that publishes four focus sectors will still cold-pitch software-led climate at €25k–€200k. Our bar is software surface first, focus-sector tie second, ticket inside €25k–€200k. We do not invent a separate climate fund mandate or hardware-ban SLA beyond the public software-led pass patterns.
Patterns that usually fit: climate software that owns an operations, energy, logistics, or buyer workflow with data; AI-assisted climate tools when the wedge is workflow or data; automation that compresses climate-relevant ops with a productized software layer. Patterns that usually pass for investment: capital-intensive hardware-only climate bets without a productized software surface (clear passes; software surface). Hardware can sit in the stack when the investable surface remains software. In the deck, name climate as the adjacent label, state which focus sector you tie to, and say what the software does. Focus versus adjacent: focus sectors. Ops automation core: software-led automation. If you want a Berlin studio that cold-pitches software-led climate inside €25k–€200k, submit your deck. We respond within 48 hours.
Which adjacent verticals can fit
We explicitly consider adjacent verticals when the software, data, or automation core is real. The public list includes fintech, insurtech, proptech, climate and cleantech, edtech, agtech, foodtech, logistics, mobility, cybersecurity, HR tech, legal tech, regtech, martech, adtech, developer tools, life sciences, biotech, and medtech. That list is illustrative of where founders commonly ask, not a closed taxonomy that invents new Halfmeyer mandates.
Life sciences, biotech, and medtech can fit when there is a software, data, or automation surface we can underwrite at pre-seed or seed (for example clinical workflow software, decision support, or productized data infrastructure). A pure wet-lab or device-only plan without that surface is a different product and usually a pass for our investment path. For incorporation and jurisdiction when your entity sits outside Germany, see incorporation. For corporate or academic spin-outs with IP questions, see spin-outs.
The software, data, or automation bar
Adjacent fit fails when the vertical label is strong but the product is not software-led. We look for a product or prototype where software, data models, or automation owns a workflow, creates a repeatable buyer value, and can compound with design and engineering support. Spreadsheets plus a pitch narrative are not enough. A services wrapper around someone else’s API is weak unless you own the workflow and the differentiation.
Tie the bar to stage proof. At pre-seed we want a working product, prototype, or validated problem–solution fit. At seed we want clearer repeatability. Adjacent verticals do not get a lower bar. If metrics are thin, state what you validated and what this round will prove. For stage language, see what pre-seed means.
Clear passes: hardware-only, token-first crypto, and pure listing marketplaces
Halfmeyer Ventures typically passes on three patterns at our €25,000–€200,000 pre-seed and seed ticket from Berlin: capital-intensive hardware-only or deep-tech bets without a software surface; token-first or speculative crypto and Web3 models; and pure listing marketplaces without a technology moat. Europe founder lists still market Web3, hardware, and deep-tech capital heavily. Our investment door is software-led. Cold submissions remain welcome when your product is software-led in (or clearly adjacent to) health tech, AI, e-commerce, or automation; we respond within 48 hours.
Hardware-only means the core bet is physical build-out (devices, robotics, lab hardware) without a productized software, data, or automation layer we can underwrite with design and engineering support. A device plus a thin companion app that does not own a workflow usually fails this bar. Token-first crypto and Web3 means primary value depends on token economics or speculative on-chain narratives rather than software used for a real buyer or user workflow. Pure listing marketplaces means classifieds-style inventory aggregation without software that owns matching, pricing, trust, or workflow depth. Commerce products with a real software surface can still fit our e-commerce thesis; the pass is about listing-only aggregation, not every marketplace label.
These are investment passes for our check, not judgments about whether those companies can raise elsewhere. Revenue or a warm intro does not rescue a model outside the software-led bar. Advisory or incubation may still be relevant if that is the engagement you want; name the model clearly. In the deck, state what the software does, the focus-sector tie, and why you are not in one of these three pass patterns. Buyer type is separate: B2B and B2C. Broader criteria: what we look for. Four engagement paths: invest vs incubate vs accelerate vs advisory. If your product is software-led and you want a Berlin venture studio check inside €25k–€200k, submit your deck. We respond within 48 hours.
B2B and B2C
Halfmeyer Ventures backs both B2B and B2C at pre-seed and seed from Berlin. Buyer type is not a hard filter for our €25,000–€200,000 check. What matters is a software-led product in (or clearly adjacent to) health tech, AI, e-commerce, or automation, with stage proof we can underwrite: a working product, prototype, or validated problem–solution fit. Cold pitches are welcome; we respond within 48 hours.
Europe fundraising explainers often imply investors prefer B2B SaaS and treat consumer as a special case. That stereotype is not our filter. We back enterprise and consumer products when the software surface is real and operator support (design, engineering, and go-to-market playbooks) can compound from day one. B2B is not automatic: a services wrapper without a productized software layer still fails. B2C is not out of scope: consumer products need the same stage proof and software depth as enterprise products, not a lower bar dressed as a growth narrative.
Marketplaces and hybrid models sit under the same rules. Pure listing marketplaces without a technology moat (matching, pricing, trust, or workflow depth) are a typical pass. Commerce products with a real software surface can fit our e-commerce thesis. Adjacent vertical labels still need a clear focus-sector tie and a software, data, or automation core. For commerce framing, see e-commerce. For criteria across buyer types, see what we look for.
In the deck, name whether you sell to businesses, consumers, or both, and state the buyer and the workflow the software owns. Do not assume we will infer B2C fit from an e-commerce tag, or B2B fit from a SaaS label. If you want a Berlin venture studio that treats buyer type as secondary to software and sector fit, submit your deck. Keep the link view-only; we respond within 48 hours.
What to state in the deck
Adjacent pitches fail when founders hope we will infer the focus-sector link. In your first-pass deck, include:
- Sector fit sentence: which focus sector (health tech, AI, e-commerce, or automation) your product ties to, and how.
- What the software does: the workflow you own, the data or automation layer, and why it is not a services wrapper.
- Regulatory path (if any): state known constraints in plain language; we are not your counsel, but we need the disclosure.
- Traction: strongest signal at your stage (users, pilots, revenue, retention, or LOIs).
- Round terms: amount, use of funds, timing, and instrument inside a dilutive equity path.
Ten to fifteen slides covering team, problem and market, product or prototype, traction, business model, and round terms is enough for a first submission. Set the link to view-only for anyone with the link. For slide mechanics, see pitch deck expectations. For capital-stack fit (dilutive check; exclusive RBF or grant-only does not fit), see non-dilutive and RBF-only.
How to pitch an adjacent vertical
Submit at halfmeyer.tech/pitch. Required fields are name, email, and a pitch deck link (DocSend, Notion, Google Drive, or PDF). Company name is optional. Cold submissions are welcome; you do not need a warm introduction. Name the adjacent vertical, the focus-sector tie, and whether you want investment, incubation, acceleration, or advisory. We review every deck personally and respond within 48 hours.
Public track record we state for the entity: 20+ investments, 5.6× portfolio ROI, and 100+ products built. Selected public portfolio names include Doctario, Debtist, Fideus, Joy_, Papeer, vi Health, Urban Ray, mula., Morgen Health, Sunset, ClearStack, and Protocol Health. Use those as entity facts, not as a promise that every adjacent label closes. For the cold path end to end, see how to pitch Halfmeyer.