LAUNCHub Secures €65M for CEE Startups
LAUNCHub Ventures reached a €65 million first close for a new early-stage fund focused on Central and Southeast Europe.
European startup funding is still concentrated around a few major hubs, but early-stage capital is spreading more deliberately into Central and Southeast Europe.
What happened
Sofia-based LAUNCHub Ventures reached a €65 million first close for Fund III, with a target of more than €75 million.
The fund will back pre-seed and seed-stage startups across Central and Southeast Europe, as well as founders from the region’s diaspora. The strategy focuses on building early-stage companies before they need larger international capital rounds.
Why it matters
This is a regional VC signal rather than a single company story. For CEE and SEE founders, local early-stage capital can make a difference in the first phase of company formation, especially before international funds are ready to lead rounds.
It also shows that European venture is not only a London, Paris and Berlin story.
The bigger picture
Smaller regional funds can become important feeders for the broader European startup ecosystem. The challenge is whether they can help companies scale beyond the first institutional round and connect into later-stage global capital.