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ACT Venture Partners
Gokhan Guner, Okan Kara, Erhan Kilicozlu, and Gurcan Ozan run ACT Venture Partners from Amsterdam, writing €500K–€1.5M checks into European deep-tech at...
ACT Venture Partners
ACT Venture Partners was founded in Amsterdam by Gokhan Guner, Okan Kara, Erhan Kilicozlu, and Gurcan Ozan. The firm targets Europe's earliest-stage deep-tech ventures, deploying initial capital at the point where technical founders are still navigating the transition from laboratory breakthroughs to defensible commercial positions. The partnership model relies on a generalist deep-tech mandate that spans AI, quantum computing, spacetech, and healthtech, distinguishing its seed-stage approach from sector-specialist funds. The firm writes checks from €500K to €1.5M and concentrates on six frontier domains: artificial intelligence applied to chemistry, materials, healthcare, and industrial automation; quantum technologies for communication, simulation, and post-quantum cryptography; spacetech spanning observation, propulsion, and satellite platforms; healthtech and longevity via computational biology and AI-enabled drug discovery; sustainability through advanced materials, construction tech, clean energy, and energy efficiency; and dual-use novel materials and manufacturing. Deployment strategy favors proprietary technical insights and scientific moats, with the partners dedicating significant time to securing early customers and facilitating introductions to Series-A investors from a network built across European and select global technology hubs. The firm operates from a single headquarters, Amsterdam, with a publicly listed partnership of four equal principals. No adjacent vehicles — philanthropic foundation, real-asset arm, or operating business — are disclosed. ACT positions itself as a seed-stage partner that prioritizes problem-solution fit and product-market fit over polished pitch materials, and it publicly commits to supporting pivots until founders achieve the right market alignment. The central structural differentiator is the firm's insistence on generalist deep-tech coverage at the very earliest stages. While many seed funds claim sector agnosticism, ACT's written thesis names six specific frontier-technology clusters and explicitly rejects opportunistic diversification into consumer or enterprise SaaS. This restraint — combined with a partner-level commitment to hands-on customer development and Series-A brokerage — means the fund behaves more like an institutionalized technical co-founder collective than a passive check-writer.
General information
Firm type
Venture Capital
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Netherlands
City
Amsterdam
Corporate office
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Principals
Gokhan Guner
Partner
Okan Kara
Partner
Erhan Kilicozlu
Partner
Gurcan Ozan
Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at ACT Venture Partners?
Investment decisions are made by the four named partners: Gokhan Guner, Okan Kara, Erhan Kilicozlu, and Gurcan Ozan. The firm does not publish a formal investment committee structure, but the website lists all four as the sole team members, implying a flat, partner-driven decision process. No external investment committee or advisory board is disclosed.
How does ACT Venture Partners source proprietary deal flow?
ACT leans on the partners' own deep-tech networks and C-level relationships across Europe to surface founders with proprietary technical insights or scientific moats. The firm explicitly cites securing early customers and facilitating introductions to Series-A investors as core value-add activities, which likely creates a referral flywheel from university labs, research institutions, and prior founders. No formal scout program or partnership network is disclosed.
Is ACT Venture Partners structured as a family office or a traditional venture firm?
ACT operates as a traditional venture capital asset manager registered in the Netherlands, not a family office. It raises external capital to invest on behalf of limited partners, and its public materials describe a standard fund structure targeting financial returns. No single-family wealth origin is attached to the firm.
Does ACT Venture Partners participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
ACT focuses exclusively on direct equity investments into operating companies at the pre-seed and seed stages. The firm's own description of its strategy and portfolio highlights only direct startup investments, with no mention of fund-of-funds commitments, SPVs, or secondary transactions. Its value proposition is built around direct founder engagement.
What investment stages and check sizes does ACT Venture Partners target?
The firm targets pre-seed to post-seed rounds with initial check sizes ranging from €500,000 to €1.5 million. ACT concentrates on the earliest institutional entry point and publicly commits to supporting pivots until the right product-market fit is achieved, positioning itself as a bridge between angel syndicates and larger Series-A funds.
Which sectors does ACT Venture Partners explicitly avoid?
ACT's public investment thesis names six frontier-technology clusters — AI, quantum, spacetech, healthtech, sustainability, and dual-use — and by omission signals no appetite for consumer internet, enterprise SaaS, fintech, or generalist marketplaces. The firm seeks science-led, IP-rich technologies and avoids sectors where technical moats are harder to build or defend.
Does ACT Venture Partners have a philanthropic or operating-company structure alongside the fund?
No philanthropic foundation, real-asset arm, operating business, or parallel co-investment vehicle is disclosed. ACT presents itself as a single-entity venture capital firm managed by its four partners, with no publicly visible adjacent structures.
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