Silicon Gardens

Director and managing partner Gregor Rebolj leads the investment team, supported by general partner Rok Zorko on consumer tech, partner Izet Ždralović on go-to-market strategy, and partner Vuk Lau on B2B SaaS. Nina Leskovec handles US-sourced deals from the Bay Area. The partnership’s four other operators — Krešo Gotovac, Kristian Asani, Kaja Domadenik, and Vid Zavalić — manage operations, dealflow, compliance, and sourcing.

The firm draws deal flow primarily from its 120-strong LP base of Adria-region tech founders and operators, its annual State of Adria Tech report, and the personal networks of its partner group — who previously built and exited companies like Outfit7, Photomath, and Celtra. Since opening a Bay Area outpost in November 2025, the firm also sources diaspora and cross-border opportunities directly from the US.

Silicon Gardens is structured as a private early-stage venture capital firm, not a family office. It raises capital from a concentrated group of operator LPs — over 120 founders from the Adria tech ecosystem — rather than institutional investors, which gives it a club-like character but a conventional fund structure with three discrete vehicles.

The firm is comfortable leading or co-investing, depending on the opportunity. It often writes the first institutional check at pre-seed or seed, reserving capital for follow-on rounds in the best-performing portfolio companies. Its disclosed initial check range is €300,000 to €1.5 million.

The €300,000 experimental Fund I — launched in 2014 — made 10 investments and had already returned a 2.1 DPI by the time the firm began reporting the metric. Exited or matured positions include Cleanshelf and Flaviar, both of which provide a proof-of-concept for the founders-for-founders thesis.

Primary focus is the Adria region (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and neighboring countries) including diaspora founders, plus the broader CEE market. However, the fund is privately structured with no geographic restrictions, and it has committed capital to startups outside the region when conviction supports it.

There is no formal corporate tie; the connection is human capital. Partners Gregor Rebolj, Rok Zorko, Izet Ždralović, and Vuk Lau previously held founder or senior roles at Sportradar/Klika, Outfit7, Microblink, Photomath, and Celtra. They leverage those operational experiences — and the alumni networks — to source, diligence, and support portfolio companies, but the fund is a separate legal and commercial entity.