ZAKA VC

ZAKA VC Research Investment Thesis ZAKA VC is a Prague and Silicon Valley-based seed and pre-seed fund founded in 2020 by serial entrepreneur Jan Kasper and Peter Zalešák as a family office. The fund formally transitioned to an institutional venture capital vehicle with the announcement of Fund I (€15M target, €10.5M first close) in July 2024. ZAKA's core thesis centers on bridging the North American and Central/Eastern European startup ecosystems, backing founders — particularly from Europe — who aspire to build globally scaled companies. The firm describes itself as "Founders backed by entrepreneurs," emphasizing that its partners are operators with deep sector expertise rather than pure financial investors. ZAKA invests primarily in Health & Biotech and Industrial Tech, with increasing allocation to B2B software and the cross-sectional application of AI across these verticals. Stage Focus ZAKA invests primarily at the pre-seed and seed stages, where it acts as an early institutional backer. The firm typically enters as a co-investor or co-lead alongside other seed funds, and occasionally participates in follow-on Series A rounds for portfolio companies. Check Size As a €15M fund investing across pre-seed and seed, ZAKA's typical check size is estimated at €100K–€500K (~$110K–$550K) per company. The fund has deployed investments across 80+ companies since founding. Exact check size has not been publicly disclosed; the €130K minimum LP ticket does not reflect the investment check size. Lead Tendency ZAKA positions itself as a co-investor with the ability to co-lead rounds. They are not exclusively lead investors and frequently partner with other seed-stage funds, accelerators, and strategic investors. Geographic Focus ZAKA invests across two primary geographies: United States : Through their Silicon Valley office (opened January 2025), led by Filip Orth as Head of Investor Relations Europe : Particularly Central and Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland), Baltics, UK, and DACH region The firm's strategic differentiation is bridging European founders into the US market and vice versa. They particularly seek European diaspora founders based in the US, US-based teams with European roots, and CEE-based teams with global ambitions. Sector Focus Primary: Health & Biotech ZAKA has built what they describe as "one of the best Healthcare & Life Sciences portfolios in continental Europe," with 40+ portfolio companies in the space including: Gene therapy: Cirrus Therapeutics, Kano Therapeutics, Nephrogen, KiraGen Drug discovery AI: DeepSeq.AI, Alixia Therapeutics, Bullseye Biosciences mRNA platforms: ParcelBio ($13M financing, 2026), Sensible Biotechnologies (Forbes 30u30 Europe) Stem cell and regenerative medicine: HexemBio, InGel Therapeutics Medical AI and diagnostics: Avelis Health, MediSearch, Lunabill Biotech services: ExcepGen, Creasallis Secondary: Industrial Tech & Robotics Battery technology: Ateios Systems ($7.25M Series A, March 2026) Robotics AI: Verne Robotics, Mbodi AI Quantum computing hardware: Sygaldry Technologies ($139M raise, April 2026), Inversion Semiconductor Space tech: AxionOrbital, Zephyr Fusion Tertiary: B2B Software & Developer Tools AI/ML tools: ExoMatter, b-12 Voice AI: Bluejay, Talkie.ai Enterprise software: Adentris, Velaris, Superlinked Dev tools: Sutro, Alpha3D, edgetrace Recent Activity ZAKA has been actively deploying from Fund I since its close in July 2024. In 2025, the firm made 3 investments. In early 2026: April 2026: Sygaldry Technologies — quantum AI infrastructure, $139M raised March 2026: Ateios Systems — battery electrode manufacturing, $7.25M Series A March 2026: DeepSeq.AI — AI protein drug discovery February 2026: Elucidate Bio — spatial multi-omics oncology February 2026: Cirrus Therapeutics — gene therapy for eye diseases May 2026: ParcelBio — next-gen mRNA medicines, $13M Portfolio milestones: Mews (hotel property management) raised $300M Series D in January 2026 Flexkeeping (ZAKA portfolio) acquired by Mews in October 2025 Sensible Biotechnologies: Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2024 Team ZAKA has a team of 9 investment professionals: Jan Kasper, Co-Founder & Managing Partner : Serial entrepreneur with experience operating 47 companies across 5 countries in retail, marketing, energy, and mobility. PhDs from Comenius University and University of Economics; MBA from Webster. Peter Zalešák, Co-Founder & Partner : Built ecommerce company Nay Elektrodom; ventures in agriculture and real estate. MSc from Slovak Technical University. Andrej Petrus, Partner & Head of Investment Committee : Venture building and M&A/strategy consulting background. Newton Venture Fellow; Forbes 30 Under 30. Based in Prague, studied at Humboldt University Berlin. Jan Buza, Partner : High-growth company experience in SaaS and real estate; co-founded two LegalTech firms. CEMS graduate. Natalia Sachova, Head of Portfolio and Communication : Senior marketing roles; studied mass media and psychology at University of Vienna. Richard Kopunik, COO : 20+ years building and leading businesses in media & marketing. Degrees from University of Economics Bratislava and LSE. Filip Orth, Head of Investor Relations : Santa Clara University graduate (Entrepreneurship/Politics). Leads Silicon Valley operations and North American initiatives. Samo Zalešák, Associate & Investment Committee Member : Engineering background in energy/renewables; portfolio management focused on sustainable, impactful ventures. Jozef Macak, Analyst : TUM studies in Management and Computer Engineering. Experience in sourcing, tech, sales, and event organization. Decision Process ZAKA operates with an investment committee structure, as evidenced by the dedicated roles of "Head of Investment Committee" (Andrej Petrus) and "Investment Committee Member" (Samo Zalešák). Decisions are made through a partnership/committee model with co-founder oversight. Portfolio Highlights ZAKA's most notable portfolio companies include: Mews : Hotel PMS raised $300M Series D (2026) — one of Europe's leading hospitality tech unicorns Sygaldry Technologies : Quantum-accelerated AI infrastructure, $139M raised (2026) Sensible Biotechnologies : Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe (2024) Flexkeeping : Acquired by Mews (October 2025) — exit for ZAKA Orderlion : Restaurant wholesale ordering platform MediSearch : Science-based medical Q&A Superlinked : Vector embedding compute framework Founder Preferences ZAKA particularly backs: European founders (especially CEE-based) with global ambitions Founders from European diaspora in the US Deep-science and biotech founders with PhDs and academic credentials Industrial tech builders combining hardware + software AI application builders in B2B verticals (especially health and industrial) Anti-Thesis ZAKA does not appear to invest in: Pure consumer social media Crypto/speculation (though ZeePrime Capital, a crypto VC fund, is in their portfolio as an LP investment) Late-stage / growth equity Non-scalable local services