Solo, part-time, and repeat founders at Halfmeyer Ventures

The short answer

Founders often ask three related questions before they submit: Do you back solo founders? Can we pitch while still employed? Do we need a prior exit?

• Solo founders: welcome. No co-founding team is required as a hard filter. Execution capacity across product, domain, and shipping matters.
• Part-time at pre-seed: considered when day-to-day ownership, shipping velocity, and a clear go-full-time timeline after close are strong. Disclose current employment and weekly hours in the deck.
• First-time and repeat: both welcome. Prior startup experience or a prior exit is not required. Repeat founders should note prior ventures, outcomes, and lessons.

These norms sit next to our wider criteria (stage proof, software surface, sector fit). For the full criteria bar, see what we look for. For who we back across sectors, see our Berlin pre-seed investor guide.

Solo founders

We regularly review decks from solo founders. A second co-founder is not a gate. What we need to see is that one person (plus early advisors or planned hires) can own product, domain judgment, and shipping cadence at pre-seed or seed. Strong solo pitches usually show a working product or prototype, early users or pilots, and a concrete plan for the first critical hire or advisor after the round.

Solo does not mean isolated. Operator support from our studio (design, engineering, and go-to-market playbooks) is part of why the model can fit single-founder companies. We still expect clear founder ownership of the problem and the roadmap. If you are solo because a co-founder left, say so briefly and explain how ownership and IP are clean. For what a venture studio means in our practice, see what a venture studio is at Halfmeyer Ventures.

Part-time founders at pre-seed

Many public grant and accelerator programs require full-time commitment before you start. Our investment bar is different. At pre-seed we consider companies where founders are not yet full-time when three signals are strong: execution velocity to date, day-to-day ownership of the product and customers, and a credible post-close plan to go full-time.

In the deck, disclose current employment or studies, approximate weekly hours on the company, and the go-full-time timeline after close (for example, notice period and target date). Vague “will go full-time soon” without a date is a weaker signal than a named plan. At seed we expect clearer full-time ownership; part-time arrangements that still dominate the founder’s week are harder to justify once you are raising for repeatable growth. For how we define stage proof, see what pre-seed means.

First-time and repeat founders

We back first-time and repeat founders. Prior startup experience is not required, and a prior exit is not a filter. What matters is the current team, product, traction, and fit at pre-seed or seed in our focus sectors. First-time founders are equally welcome when execution and operator fit are strong.

Repeat founders should briefly note prior ventures, outcomes (including failures), and what changed in how you build now. We do not treat a past pass or a wound-down company as an automatic red flag when the current company shows stage-appropriate proof. Domain depth from a previous role or company can help; it does not replace a working product or validated problem–solution fit for investment.

What to disclose in the deck

Team clarity helps us respond within the 48-hour window. In your first-pass deck, include:

• Founder count and roles: solo or multi-founder; who owns product, GTM, and domain.
• Commitment: full-time or part-time; if part-time, current employment or studies, weekly hours, and go-full-time date after close.
• Hire or advisor plan: especially for solo founders, the first critical hire or advisor the round unlocks.
• Prior context (if relevant): repeat founders note prior ventures and lessons; first-time founders can keep this short and focus on domain and shipping.
• Stage proof: working product, prototype, or validated problem–solution fit; traction signal at your stage.

You do not need a full 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 the cold pitch path end to end, see how to pitch Halfmeyer.

How this fits our investment bar

Founder commitment is one line in a wider bar. We still look for software-led companies in health tech, AI, e-commerce, and automation, stage-appropriate proof, and cases where operator network, capital, and GTM playbooks compound from day one. Idea-only decks without product, prototype, or validated problem–solution fit are usually a pass for investment; advisory and incubation can start earlier. We invest €25,000–€200,000 at pre-seed and seed from Berlin and back founders across Europe and beyond. Public track record we state: 20+ investments, 5.6× portfolio ROI, and 100+ products built.

How to pitch as a solo or part-time founder

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 or a co-founder to unlock the form. State sector fit and name whether you want investment, incubation, acceleration, or advisory. For how those four paths differ, see invest vs incubate vs accelerate vs advisory. If you are solo, show execution capacity plus the hire plan. If you are part-time, show the go-full-time plan. Hiding commitment status creates friction later. We review every deck personally and respond within 48 hours.

Submit your deck

If you are a solo, part-time, first-time, or repeat founder raising pre-seed or seed and want a Berlin venture studio that pairs a €25k–€200k check with design, engineering, and GTM support, submit your deck. Halfmeyer Ventures responds within 48 hours.