Founder FAQ

Answers to the questions founders most often ask us before or during a first conversation with Cloudberry Ventures.

Focus and stage
What does Cloudberry Ventures invest in?

Cloudberry Ventures backs DeepTech companies building the foundational infrastructure of the next decade. We invest in companies with strong technical defensibility, whether through data-driven software, patented hardware, or a combination of both.

We are particularly interested in breakthroughs across compute, industrial and energy transformation, and financial infrastructure, especially where the technology can become mission-critical for regulated or complex markets.

What stage do you invest at?

We invest from Seed to Series A. We like to meet founders early, often before everything is fully proven, but we look for a clear technical edge, a credible path to commercial adoption, and a market that can support venture-scale outcomes.

Do you invest in hardware, software, or both?

Both. We back data-driven software and patented hardware when they create defensible moats and solve durable, high-value problems. In DeepTech, the strongest companies often combine software, data, hardware, scientific insight, and go-to-market discipline into a system that is hard to replicate.

Fit and process
What makes a company a good fit for Cloudberry Ventures?

A strong fit usually has four characteristics: a rare technology, a large and durable problem, a credible team, and a path to exceptional value creation.

We look for founders building products that can leapfrog existing solutions, redefine markets, or become critical infrastructure for enterprises, industries, governments, or financial systems. We are especially drawn to lean, high-velocity teams that can turn technical depth into commercial momentum.

Do we need to have revenue before speaking with you?

Not necessarily. At Seed, we understand that DeepTech companies may still be validating the technology, business model, or first commercial use cases. Revenue is helpful, but it is not the only signal.

We look at technical validation, customer pull, strategic urgency, team quality, defensibility, and the likelihood that the company can become a category-defining business.

Do you lead rounds or co-invest?

We are open to both leading and co-investing, depending on the company, round structure, and syndicate. Our priority is to be useful to founders and help build the right investor base for the stage and ambition of the company.

Markets and geography
What sectors are you most interested in?

Our core interest is DeepTech that serves as infrastructure for the next decade. This includes areas such as compute, AI infrastructure, industrial transformation, energy systems, financial infrastructure, advanced automation, frontier data systems, and other mission-critical technologies.

We are less focused on narrow applications and more interested in platforms, systems, and technologies that can unlock new markets or reshape existing ones.

Do you invest only in Europe?

Cloudberry Ventures is based in London, and we have a strong interest in European DeepTech. That said, great DeepTech companies are global by nature. We look for founders and technologies with the ambition and ability to compete internationally.

Do you invest in regulated markets?

Yes. We are interested in mission-critical and regulated markets because they often contain large, durable problems where better technology can create substantial value. These markets can be harder to enter, but they can also reward companies that build trust, reliability, and long-term infrastructure relevance.

Team, technology and risk
What do you look for in founders?

We look for founders with deep insight, urgency, resilience, and the ability to communicate a complex vision clearly. DeepTech companies need more than strong science or engineering; they need founders who can recruit talent, win customers, raise capital, and build conviction across technical and commercial stakeholders.

We particularly value founders who can turn complexity into a compelling narrative, translating complex visions into compelling pitches, capital formation, revenue growth, and long-term conviction.

How technical does the team need to be?

Very technical, if the core advantage of the company depends on technology. We do not expect every founder to have the same background, but we do expect the team to understand the science, engineering, data, infrastructure, or system-level complexity that makes the company defensible.

For DeepTech companies, technical depth is not optional. The question is how that depth converts into a product customers urgently need.

What do you mean by a defensible moat?

A defensible moat is something that makes the company difficult to copy or displace. In DeepTech, that may include patents, proprietary datasets, complex engineering, unique technical know-how, regulatory advantage, customer integration, supply-chain position, infrastructure dependence, or a combination of these.

We prefer moats that become stronger as the company scales.

How do you assess DeepTech risk?

We look at risk across several dimensions: technical feasibility, time to market, capital intensity, regulatory pathway, customer adoption, supply-chain dependence, and the strength of the founding team.

We do not expect every risk to be solved at Seed or Series A. We do expect founders to understand the key risks, have a credible plan to reduce them, and know which milestones will matter most for the next financing round.

Working with Cloudberry
How can Cloudberry Ventures help beyond capital?

We help founders sharpen strategy, positioning, fundraising narratives, go-to-market plans, partnerships, and commercial pathways. The Cloudberry team brings experience across global technology, venture investing, corporate innovation, commercialization, legal and capital markets, and deep technical due diligence.

What should founders send you?

The most useful materials are a short deck, a clear description of the technology, the problem you are solving, your target market, current traction or validation, team background, funding plans, and the specific milestones you want to reach with the round.

If the technology is complex, we appreciate a simple explanation of why now is the right time and why your team is uniquely positioned to win.

What is the best way to approach Cloudberry Ventures?

Send a concise introduction that explains what you are building, why it matters, what is technically differentiated, and what commercial or technical proof points you already have. A warm introduction is welcome, but not required if the opportunity is clearly relevant.

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