“Our focus has always been on founders. From our first fund with 500 Emerging Europe, we stayed ahead of the curve by consistently seeking extraordinary talent poised to build the next blue ocean markets,” shared Dilan Sisu, Investment analyst at e2vc.
Supporting innovators from CEE, the Baltics, and Turkey
This week, the team behind 500 Emerging Europe has introduced a new brand, e2vc. They will aim to support pre-seed and seed-stage startups across CEE, the Baltics, and Turkey. Although now completely independent from 500 Global, the team has always operated separately.
“In this environment, we positioned ourselves as early-stage investors (from idea to seed), betting on incredible founders and their unparalleled execution capabilities and vision,” explained Sisu.
“Emerging Europe has proven to be fertile ground for such talent, as startups here tend to think globally from day one. This mindset stems from several factors: a deep respect for math and science, the resilience born from being “underdogs,” and the drive to overcome limited capital access compared to more mature tech ecosystems.”
By providing early-stage funding, e2vc aims to help startups build global traction from the beginning, with an emphasis on big markets like the US. e2vc’s approach centers on $1 million investments.
From 500 Emerging Europe to e2vc
On the questions what key factors motivated 500 Emerging Europe to rebrand and evolve into e2vc, Dilan explains: “Over time, we saw an opportunity to evolve. With our maturity as a seed fund and passion for nurturing this region, we felt it was the right moment to establish our own brand. While it’s a new chapter, it’s business as usual — driven by the same heart, mission, and dedication that define us.”
Fund I was launched with 500 Global in 2016. At the time, the team had built a portfolio of 28 active companies, three of which had become unicorns.
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In 2021, they launched a €70M Fund II and have already backed several companies that are close to achieving unicorn valuations.
e2vc’s portfolio has raised about $3 billion in follow-on funding from top-tier investors like Sequoia and Andreessen Horowitz.
