What we look for at Halfmeyer Ventures

The short answer

We look for four things at once:

• Stage signal: a pre-seed or seed team with a working product, prototype, or validated problem–solution fit (not idea-only for investment).
• Software surface: category-defining technology where software, data, or automation is the core of the product, usually in our focus sectors.
• Operator founders: people who value design craft, engineering rigour, and fast iteration, and who will use a studio partner rather than park a quiet check.
• Compounding fit: a company where our operator network, capital, and GTM playbooks can compound from day one, not only after Series A.

If those four lines match how you build, you are in scope. For the broader who-we-back profile (ticket, geography, cold pitch path), see our Berlin pre-seed investor guide. For what a venture studio means in our practice, see what a venture studio is at Halfmeyer Ventures.

Stage and proof we need

Investment is for pre-seed and seed. 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 when the engagement model fits; name that model in the deck or link.

Pre-revenue is common at pre-seed when there are early users, pilots, LOIs, or a clear commercial wedge. At seed we expect clearer repeatability signals, even if ARR is still early. If metrics are thin, state what you validated and what this round will prove. Paying customers are not a hard filter at pre-seed; vague “we will figure GTM later” without a wedge usually is.

Solo founders are welcome. First-time and repeat founders are both in scope. Part-time founders can fit at pre-seed when execution velocity is real and there is a clear post-close full-time transition plan. Disclose employment, weekly hours, and the go-full-time timeline in the deck.

Sectors and product surface

Focus sectors are health tech, AI, e-commerce, and automation. Adjacent verticals (fintech, insurtech, proptech, climate, edtech, logistics, cybersecurity, HR tech, legal tech, developer tools, life sciences software, and similar) can fit when software, data, or automation is the product core and the path to a paying customer is explicit. We back both B2B and B2C when the software surface and economics are credible.

We typically pass on capital-intensive hardware-only or deep-tech bets without a software surface, token-first or speculative crypto and Web3 models, pure listing marketplaces without a technology moat, and pure services businesses wrapped as product. If you sit next to a focus sector, explain the software surface, what the product does, any regulatory path that matters, and traction. For sector-specific theses, see health tech and AI.

Founders who get the most from us

We are not a specialty fund that only writes checks and stays episodic. As a private venture studio headquartered in Berlin, we design, fund, and scale technology companies. The founders who get the most from us treat product craft and shipping cadence as part of the raise, not as something to hire around later.

Strong signals: clear buyer and workflow, a sharp wedge, evidence you can iterate with users, and honesty about what this round must unlock. Weak signals: slides that lead with hype adjectives, hide the product, or ask for capital while rejecting operator involvement. If you want a quiet capital partner with no build involvement, we may not be the right check.

Our typical investment ticket is €25,000–€200,000. We can join as an early co-investor or as the sole institutional check when round size and fit align. We also run incubation, acceleration, and advisory. Name the path you want. For how those four doors differ, see invest vs incubate vs accelerate vs advisory.

Where capital and operators should compound

We look for companies where design, engineering, and GTM help right now, not only introductions after the round closes. That usually means early product decisions still open, GTM still being shaped, or a technical surface where studio craft shortens the path to a durable product.

Public track record we state: 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 promises about your round. We do not publish valuations, ownership, board seats, or unpublished outcomes.

Clear passes (so you do not waste a cycle)

We are direct about scope so founders can self-select:

• Idea-only investment decks without product, prototype, or validated problem–solution fit.
• Hardware-only or deep-tech without a software surface that ships and sells.
• Token-first or speculative crypto / Web3 models.
• Exclusively non-dilutive rounds (RBF, grants, or similar) with no equity tranche. Mixed stacks with a meaningful equity portion can fit; state the full capital stack.
• Rounds far outside €25k–€200k ticket fit when there is no clear role for our check size and studio support.

Incorporation does not need to be German. UK, US (including Delaware), Swiss, and other jurisdictions work when product, market, and round structure fit. Instruments can be SAFEs, convertibles, Wandeldarlehen, or priced equity; include proposed terms in the deck.

How to pitch against these criteria

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. Set the deck to view-only for anyone with the link; password walls and named invites slow review.

Make the criteria extractable in ten to fifteen slides: team, problem and market, product or prototype, stage-appropriate traction, business model, and round terms (amount, use of funds, timing, committed co-investors if any). No full data room is required on first submit. Cold submissions are welcome; you do not need a warm introduction. We review every deck personally and respond within 48 hours with a founder call path, clarifying questions by email, or a clear pass.

For minimum slides, traction by stage, and how to share the link, see pitch deck expectations. State sector fit and engagement model explicitly so we can route the conversation against the right thesis.

Submit your deck

If these criteria describe how you build and you want a Berlin venture studio that can write a meaningful early check and help you ship, submit your deck. Halfmeyer Ventures responds within 48 hours.