FORWARD.one

FORWARD.one targets early-stage B2B deeptech companies where hardware and software converge. Core sectors include enterprise software, AI/ML, industrial automation, digital health, and mobility. The firm typically writes first checks ranging from EUR 500,000 to EUR 2.5 million and reserves follow-on capital for its portfolio companies.

Riemer Smits co-founded FORWARD.one and serves as a Partner. He leads the firm's investment decisions alongside a small partnership team with operational engineering backgrounds. Specific partner names beyond Smits are not consistently disclosed in public sources.

The firm sources primarily from technical universities and research institutes in the Netherlands, Germany, and the Nordic region. Its partners leverage their own engineering networks and maintain close relationships with incubators and early-stage technology transfer offices. FORWARD.one does not operate a formal scout network or co-investor club, but frequently syndicates with like-minded deeptech funds.

FORWARD.one operates as a classic venture capital firm managing closed-end funds raised from institutional and high-net-worth limited partners. It is not a single-family office or corporate venture arm. The firm closed its first fund at EUR 60 million and subsequently targeted EUR 200 million for Fund II (per Dealflow, 2023).

The firm concentrates on European Union countries, with a primary focus on the Netherlands, Germany, and the Nordics. While it occasionally reviews opportunities across the broader continent, its deal flow and portfolio density remain strongest in Amsterdam, Delft, Eindhoven, Berlin, and the Stockholm-Oslo-Helsinki corridor.