Updated:
Fly Ventures
Fly Ventures operates from Berlin as a first-check venture capital firm for technical founders solving hard problems.
Fly Ventures
Fly Ventures operates from Berlin as a first-check venture capital firm for technical founders solving hard problems. The firm invests from day zero through seed stage across Europe, targeting companies where the technical risk is highest and conventional venture appetite is thinnest. Its concentrated approach centers on backing founders everyone wants to meet but nobody dares to invest in before product-market fit is obvious. Fly writes initial checks into AI-native infrastructure, autonomous mobility, developer tooling, and cybersecurity. Confirmed portfolio positions include Wayve, the embodied-AI autonomous-driving company that reached an $8.6 billion valuation with backers including SoftBank, Nvidia, and Microsoft; Orbital, an AI-industrial platform for materials design now building modular data-center infrastructure; and Lakera, an AI-safety layer acquired by Check Point Software Technologies for $300 million in September 2025. Additional holdings span GitButler (AI-native Git client co-founded by GitHub founder Scott Chacon), 9fin (AI-driven debt-market intelligence used by nine of the top ten investment banks), and GitGuardian. The firm’s website states portfolio companies have raised in excess of $3 billion in follow-on funding. The firm’s lean operating model is reflected in the absence of a large disclosed team size; the website lists five named team members — Fredrik, Gabriel, Matt, Meltem, and Julian — without formal titles. Fly does not publish assets under management or aggregate deployment figures. In March 2026, portfolio company 9fin raised a $170 million Series C at a $1.3 billion valuation (per Bloomberg, March 2026). Fly’s structural differentiator is its explicit willingness to lead rounds when category conviction runs ahead of market consensus — more than 60% of portfolio companies secure follow-on funding from US or tier-1 European VCs, a signal that the firm acts as a credentialed first-mover filter for later-stage investors. No parallel philanthropic or adjacent vehicles are publicly disclosed, and the firm presents as a pure-play early-stage manager with no announced ambitions to expand into growth equity or multi-stage strategies.
General information
Firm type
Venture Capital
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Germany
City
Berlin
Corporate office
Berlin, Germany
Principals
Fredrik
Team
Gabriel
Team
Matt
Team
Meltem
Team
Julian
Team
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How does Fly Ventures source proprietary deal flow?
Fly invests from day zero to seed stage, writing first institutional checks when technical risk is highest and most other VCs stay on the sidelines. The firm’s positioning — backing founders that other investors find too early or too unproven — creates a proprietary entry point into AI, autonomy, and deep-tech teams before they are widely known. Its portfolio draws heavily from founder networks in Europe’s technical university ecosystems and early-stage research labs.
Is Fly Ventures structured as a traditional VC or does it operate differently?
Fly is structured as a seed-stage venture manager but operates with an unusually concentrated appetite for technical risk. Rather than spreading capital across a diversified early-stage portfolio, the firm focuses on a small number of day-zero bets where it has deep technical conviction. It does not publish fund sizes or AUM and maintains a deliberately lean team.
What investment stages does Fly Ventures typically target?
Fly targets pre-seed and seed rounds, frequently writing the first institutional check. The firm’s website describes its scope as ‘from day-zero to seed,’ and portfolio evidence — such as the 2017 seed investment in Wayve and the 2022 pre-seed check for Orbital — confirms this narrow and early focus.
Which sectors does Fly Ventures avoid?
Fly does not publish explicit avoidance criteria. However, the portfolio reveals no exposure to direct consumer apps, DTC brands, or non-technical enterprise services. The firm’s investments center on AI and machine-learning infrastructure, autonomous systems, developer tools, industrial automation, and cybersecurity — sectors where deep technical moats exist at inception.
Does Fly Ventures maintain any non-firm philanthropic or adjacent vehicles?
No philanthropic foundations, real-asset arms, operating companies, or multi-family-office services are disclosed. Fly presents as a single-strategy, early-stage venture manager. There are no announced plans for growth funds, opportunistic vehicles, or co-investment clubs separate from its core fund strategy.
How does Fly Ventures handle follow-on investment?
Fly focuses on initial checks, not reserve-heavy follow-on strategies. Its website highlights that more than 60% of portfolio companies go on to raise follow-on rounds from US or tier-1 European VCs, suggesting the firm prefers to act as a bridge to later-stage capital rather than leading inside rounds. The portfolio list does not indicate significant Fly-led Series A or B activity.
Who runs investment decisions at Fly Ventures?
The firm’s website lists five team members — Fredrik, Gabriel, Matt, Meltem, and Julian — with no individual titles, investment committee structure, or hierarchy disclosed. Investment decisions appear to be made collectively by this small group, consistent with a lean, partner-driven seed-stage firm.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on venture capital firms?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: