Find venture capital with professional investment companies

What can you expect from PE funds and VCs?

Private Equity and Venture Capital funds provide venture or venture capital for unlisted companies. Because they take more risks, they expect a high financial return at the end of the trip. In addition to capital, they often offer advice, support and open up their network. Then we talk about “smart capital”. The big difference with private investors is that they often work more professionally and have larger amounts of money.

Some of the best-known funds in Belgium include:

• Fortino Capital
• Volta Ventures
• 9.5 Ventures
• Capricorn Partners
• Hummingbird Ventures
• Peak Capital
• Baltisse
• Tilleghem

What are the benefits?

A professional investor can follow you over several rounds. Once you have made the contacts for a first round of capital, it is therefore easier to come to the same partners for a further investment.

The experience and network of professional investors are valuable to further scale your business. A venture capital fund often has a certain investment focus, so they know a lot about a particular sector. That is why it is important to find the right partners.

What are the disadvantages?

Private equity and venture capital funds are focused on high financial returns. They have firm ambitions and often want more control to ensure that their investment does not go to waste.

In addition, their engagement is often only temporary, namely 5 to 10 years. Then they focus on other goals and look for an exit.

Finally, there is a lot of administration involved. These funds do thorough due diligence and require extensive legal documentation.

What are the challenges with PE funds and VCs?

Funds often invest in more mature and larger companies where the risk is smaller.

VCs take more risks but expect an exit from the startup after a certain period of time (often no longer than 10 years) so that they can recover their investment with a high return.

Why seek funding via The Harbour?

The Harbour has a very extensive network of funds. We have built a strong reputation among both private equity investors and VCs. We know exactly who to turn to, understand what they're looking for and how to convince them with compelling analyses.

Once we have found the most suitable matches for your situation, we will further guide you through every phase of the negotiation, from the first contact to a signed contract.