Freshmen Fund

Co-founders Hendrik Winkelmans and Steven Spittaels make all investment decisions. Winkelmans contributes operational expertise from founding and exiting a 200-employee bike-retail chain, while Spittaels brings consumer-tech pattern recognition from his tenure as a McKinsey senior partner advising Google, eBay, and Tencent. Investment associate Martina Iannuzzi supports deal evaluation and portfolio management. The firm does not maintain an external investment committee.

Freshmen relies on its founders' cumulative professional networks and its advisory bench of sixteen named operators — including former Google executive Henrique De Castro and ex-Amazon analytics leader Matt Ariker — to surface consumer-product founders. The firm's website frames its pipeline as relationship-driven, targeting entrepreneurs who value operating counsel alongside capital, rather than cold-inbound or intermediary-led sourcing.

Freshmen operates closer to a concentrated angel syndicate than an institutional venture capital fund. The firm is built around two co-founders deploying personal capital and operator expertise, augmented by a curated advisor network that provides portfolio-company support. Freshmen does not publicly disclose a fund structure, LP base, or regulatory status, which distinguishes it from most European venture capital managers.

The firm discloses sixteen advisors spanning consumer tech, retail, digital marketing, and cycling-industry verticals. Notable names include Ann Chapelle, former CFO of Urban Outfitters and Under Armour; Pascal Grieder, former CEO of Salt Mobile; and Jean-Bernard Moens, a European consumer-private-equity operator. These advisors are not formal operating partners but engage directly with portfolio founders according to the firm's website.