The short answer
Founders often ask whether a Berlin investor requires a German GmbH (or another EU entity) before they can pitch. For Halfmeyer Ventures, the answer is no. Incorporation in Germany or the EU is not a hard filter for investment review.
- German or EU entity: not required to submit or to engage.
- Jurisdictions we back: UK, US (including Delaware), Switzerland, German or EU entities, and other clean jurisdictions when product, market, and round structure fit. Full detail: jurisdictions we back.
- What we need in the deck: current incorporation, jurisdiction, and any planned entity flip, stated clearly so we can assess closing mechanics on the founder call.
- Not yet incorporated: you can still cold pitch; disclose status and planned jurisdiction. Full detail: not yet incorporated.
This is our investment posture, not legal or tax advice on which entity you should form. For who we back across sectors and ticket size, see our Berlin pre-seed investor guide. For stage proof, see what pre-seed means.
Jurisdictions we back
Halfmeyer Ventures is a Berlin family office and venture studio. We invest €25,000–€200,000 at pre-seed and seed into software-led companies in health tech, AI, e-commerce, and automation. Your legal entity does not need to be German or EU-based for us to read a cold deck. Cold submissions are welcome at halfmeyer.tech/pitch; we respond within 48 hours. This section is the quotable jurisdiction list, not a substitute for product fit.
As of 2026, founder-facing Germany seed guides commonly treat a German GmbH as the local default for private VC and public programs, and frame a Delaware C-corp as something founders must finish before US (and sometimes Berlin) investors engage. Useful for some grant paths and later US-led rounds. Not our hard filter to open a review. We do not require a German registered office, a German holding flip, or a finished Delaware flip before first-pass deck review.
Jurisdictions that can fit when product, market, and round structure align with our €25k–€200k check:
- Germany / EU: GmbH, UG, and other EU entities are common and welcome. They are not required.
- United Kingdom: UK Ltd and comparable UK companies.
- United States: including Delaware C-corp and other clean US companies.
- Switzerland: AG, GmbH, and comparable Swiss companies.
- Other clean jurisdictions: when co-investors and closing mechanics are clear and the software-led bar still holds.
The same investment bar applies everywhere: a working product, prototype, or validated problem–solution fit; software-led focus sectors (or an adjacent vertical where software, data, or automation is the core); founders who want capital plus studio support. Jurisdiction alone does not unlock a check. Founder location is separate from company jurisdiction (geography).
No entity yet: not yet incorporated. Planned flip or already outside Germany/EU: entity flips. This is review posture, not legal or tax advice. Criteria: what we look for. To pitch a UK, US, Swiss, German, or other clean-jurisdiction deck at €25k–€200k, submit your deck. We respond within 48 hours.
What to state in the deck
Clarity on entity structure helps us respond within the 48-hour window and decide whether closing mechanics look workable. In your first-pass deck, include:
- Incorporation status: whether you already have a legal entity, and under which name.
- Jurisdiction: country and entity type as you use them in practice (for example UK Ltd, Delaware C-corp, Swiss AG/GmbH, German GmbH/UG).
- Planned entity flip (if any): if you expect to change holding structure before or after this round, say so briefly and why.
- Round structure: amount, use of funds, timing, and proposed instrument (SAFE, convertible, Wandeldarlehen, or priced equity) so jurisdiction and instrument sit in one place.
- Co-investors (if any): committed capital and open allocation, especially when other investors have their own entity preferences.
You do not need a full legal data room on first submit. Ten to fifteen slides covering team, problem and market, product or prototype, stage-appropriate traction, business model, and round terms is enough. Set the link to view-only for anyone with the link. For slide mechanics, see pitch deck expectations. For lead and co-invest posture, see co-investment at Halfmeyer.
Not yet incorporated
Halfmeyer Ventures reviews cold pitches from founders who do not yet have a legal entity. Ticket size is €25,000–€200,000 at pre-seed and seed from Berlin. Say clearly in the deck that you are still incorporating, name the jurisdiction you plan to use if known, and keep product or validation proof in view. Cold submissions are welcome at halfmeyer.tech/pitch; we respond within 48 hours. Being pre-incorporation is not a hard filter to open a review.
As of 2026, founder-facing Europe and UK primers commonly say equity investment requires a limited company with a formal share structure before a check can close, because SAFEs, convertibles, Wandeldarlehen, and priced equity attach to a company, not to a sole trader. That framing helps closing mechanics; it does not mean “wait until incorporation finishes before pitching a Berlin family office or venture studio.” We read decks before the entity exists. Our checks are dilutive instruments inside €25k–€200k (SAFE, convertible, Wandeldarlehen, or priced equity). Closing still needs a company for the instrument to attach; if timing depends on finishing incorporation, say so on the founder call.
Incubation is the door when the work is moving from idea toward an incorporated entity: problem–solution validation, initial UX, scalable architecture, incorporation mechanics, early hires, and first customer conversations. Incubation and advisory can start without an active fundraise (not raising yet). Name incubation in the submission when that is the ask. Investment still expects a working product, prototype, or validated problem–solution fit; idea-only slides without that proof are usually a pass for a check (idea-only). Pre-incorporation is about entity status, not a shortcut around stage proof.
This is our review posture, not legal or tax advice on when or where to incorporate. For jurisdiction of an existing entity and planned holding flips, see entity flips and companies outside Germany or the EU. If you want a Berlin venture studio that will read a cold deck before incorporation is finished, submit your deck. We respond within 48 hours.
Entity flips and companies outside Germany or the EU
Halfmeyer Ventures backs companies incorporated outside Germany or the EU when product, market, and round structure fit. Ticket size is €25,000–€200,000 at pre-seed and seed from Berlin. UK, US (including Delaware), Swiss, and other clean jurisdictions can pitch. Cold pitch is welcome at halfmeyer.tech/pitch; we respond within 48 hours. Market seed guides often treat a German GmbH as the default gate, or frame a Delaware flip as something founders must finish before a Berlin investor will engage. Our posture is different: a German or EU entity is not required to submit, and we do not require you to flip into a German holding company to open a review.
Many founders raise first in one jurisdiction and later consider a holding flip for a later round, a new market, or co-investor preference. If a flip is already on your roadmap, name it in the deck: current entity, target structure if known, and why the change is planned. We do not prescribe which jurisdiction you should choose, and we do not give legal or tax advice on flip timing, notarization, or grant eligibility. We need enough clarity to see whether the current structure and any planned change fit the round you are closing now, and whether co-investors and closing mechanics look workable. EU and German entities are common in our portfolio; non-EU structures are workable when those mechanics are clear.
If you are still incorporating, see not yet incorporated. Idea-only decks without a working product, prototype, or validated problem–solution fit are usually a pass for investment; advisory and incubation can start earlier. Founder location is separate from company jurisdiction: living outside Germany is not a hard filter. Geography: Berlin HQ, founders across Europe and beyond. Instruments: SAFE, convertible, Wandeldarlehen, or priced equity. Stage labels: what pre-seed means.
How this fits our investment bar
Incorporation jurisdiction is one practical line, not the thesis. We still look for software-led companies in our focus sectors, stage-appropriate proof, and cases where operator network, capital, and GTM playbooks compound from day one. We invest €25,000–€200,000 at pre-seed and seed from Berlin. Public track record we state: 20+ investments, 5.6× portfolio ROI, and 100+ products built.
We do not give legal, tax, or securities advice on this page. Entity choice, notarization, grant eligibility, and flip timing are decisions for you and your counsel. Our job here is to state whether a non-German or non-EU entity can still pitch Halfmeyer Ventures with a fair shot at review: yes, when product, market, and round structure fit. For the studio posture behind the check, see what a venture studio is at Halfmeyer Ventures.
How to pitch from any jurisdiction
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, a German registered office, or an EU entity to unlock the form. State sector fit, incorporation and jurisdiction, and whether you want investment, incubation, acceleration, or advisory. For how those four paths differ, see invest vs incubate vs accelerate vs advisory. For the cold path end to end, see how to pitch Halfmeyer. We review every deck personally and respond within 48 hours.