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2025-05-06 07:53 Top 15

Top 15 Angel Investors for Early-Stage Startups in Europe in 2025

Top 15 Angel Investors for Early-Stage Startups in Europe in 2025

Europe's startup scene is experiencing significant growth, and angel investors play a crucial role in nurturing innovative ideas and emerging entrepreneurs. In 2025, the following investors and networks stand out for their contributions to early-stage startups across various sectors.
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1. Xavier Niel

Area of Focus: Software, SaaS, Artificial Intelligence
Typical Funding Stage: Seed, Series A, Funding Round
Notable Investments: CUBE AI, Pixmania, The Mobile-First Company
Nationality: French
Net Worth: €9.38 billion
Xavier Niel is a prominent figure in the technology sector, best known for founding the French telecommunications company Iliad. He is actively engaged in investing in software and AI startups, providing early-stage companies with significant financial backing and strategic guidance.
Learn more about Xavier Niel

2. Chris Adelsbach

Area of Focus: FinTech, Financial Services, Software
Typical Funding Stage: Seed, Pre-Seed, Series A
Notable Investments: WealthOS, Renew Risk, Camion
Nationality: British
Net Worth: €91.09 million
With a keen focus on financial technologies, Chris Adelsbach has made a name for himself by supporting innovative startups in the FinTech space. His experience in both entrepreneurship and investing helps him provide valuable insights to founders.
Discover Chris Adelsbach
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3. Taavet Hinrikus

Area of Focus: Technology, Various sectors
Notable Investments: Tweetdeck, Mendeley, Improbable
Nationality: Estonian
Net Worth: €136.63 million
As the co-founder and CEO of TransferWise (now Wise), Taavet Hinrikus has extensive experience in technology and startups. His investments often focus on companies that leverage innovative technology to solve real-world problems.
Learn more about Taavet Hinrikus

4. Jitse Groen

Area of Focus: Various, including VC funds
Notable Investments: Mosa Meat, Keen Venture Partners
Nationality: Dutch
Net Worth: €1.37 billion
Jitse Groen is the founder and CEO of Takeaway.com, and his investment strategy is diverse, focusing on various sectors, including food tech and investment funds, providing a significant boost to startups at the early stage.
Discover Jitse Groen

5. Robert Gaal

Area of Focus: Tech startups
Nationality: Dutch
Notable Investments: Wakoopa, Karma
Net Worth: €70 million
Robert Gaal is an angel investor who concentrates on tech startups, particularly in consumer and software enterprises. His background as a tech entrepreneur allows him to identify promising startups that utilize technology creatively.
Learn more about Robert Gaal

6. Thibaud Elziere

Area of Focus: Software, Internet, Information Technology
Typical Funding Stage: Seed, Pre-Seed, Series A
Notable Investments: Hexa, Fotolia
Nationality: French
Thibaud Elziere co-founded several successful startups and uses his expertise to invest in seed and early-stage companies, especially those operating in the software and IT space.
Discover Thibaud Elziere

7. Charlie Songhurst

Area of Focus: Software, Information Technology, AI
Typical Funding Stage: Seed, Pre-Seed, Funding Round
Notable Investments: Stelia, Lodestar, Briefcase
Investment professional Charlie Songhurst focuses on AI and software startups, providing valuable mentorship along with funding to help young companies thrive in their respective markets.
Learn more about Charlie Songhurst
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8. 10x Founders

Area of Focus: Various sectors including consumer, e-commerce, fintech, and deep tech
Stage: Early-stage
Type: Angel Network
Backing: Backed by over 200 entrepreneurs and angels
A collective of seasoned entrepreneurs, 10x Founders focuses on supporting early-stage companies across various sectors, pooling resources and expertise to maximize impact on startups.
Discover 10x Founders

9. Speedinvest

Area of Focus: Deep tech, fintech, healthtech, climate tech, marketplaces, consumer, and SaaS
Stage: Seed-stage
Type: Venture Capital
Operational Support: Provides hands-on support in areas such as product, tech, talent, marketing, and PR
Speedinvest is a venture capital fund that focuses on seed-stage investments while offering extensive support services to foster the growth of its portfolio companies.
Learn more about Speedinvest

10. SFC Capital

Area of Focus: Early-stage companies in climate tech, robotics, fintech, and B2B SaaS
Stage: Early-stage
Type: Angel network and SEIS/EIS fund
Investment Focus: Startups eligible for SEIS and EIS funding (UK)
SFC Capital focuses on startups that are eligible for SEIS and EIS funding in the UK, thereby fostering innovations in critical sectors like climate tech and robotics.
Discover SFC Capital

11. Antler

Area of Focus: Wide range of companies, from B2B and healthtech to property tech and consumer
Stage: Early-stage (Company builder)
Type: Global Company Builder and Investor
Notable Deals: Buddywise, Peachies, Harvy
Antler is a global company builder helping talented entrepreneurs turn their ideas into successful businesses, with a focus on a diverse range of sectors.
Learn about Antler

12. Bpifrance

Area of Focus: Various sectors
Stage: Early-stage
Type: French state bank
Investment Focus: Actively boosting startups
Bpifrance plays a critical role in France's startup ecosystem with initiatives for financing and support services to emerging companies across multiple sectors.
Discover Bpifrance

13. Italian Angels for Growth (IAG)

Area of Focus: Life science, deeptech, digital and fintech startups
Stage: Early stage
Type: Angel Network
Typical Check Size: €200k to €1.5m
IAG is significant in the Italian investment landscape, backing a range of high-potential startups in essential sectors such as life sciences and fintech.
Learn more about Italian Angels for Growth

14. Earlybird

Area of Focus: Early and growth-stage technology companies
Stage: Early and growth stage
Type: Venture Capital firm
Geographic Focus: Europe
Earlybird's investment strategy centers on technology companies at both early and growth stages, making a mark across the European startup ecosystem.
Discover Earlybird

15. Seedcamp

Area of Focus: Various sectors such as fintech, healthtech, consumer, enterprise, and deep tech
Stage: Seed-stage
Type: European seed fund
Notable Investments: Revolut, UiPath, TransferWise, Hopin, and Wise
Seedcamp has gained recognition for its diverse portfolio and the ability to nurture seed-stage companies across various high-growth sectors.
Learn more about Seedcamp
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FAQ

Q: Who is considered the top angel investor for early-stage startups in Europe in 2025?
A: Xavier Niel is recognized for his significant contributions to the startup ecosystem, focusing on areas such as software and AI. Learn more about Xavier Niel.
Q: What sectors does Chris Adelsbach primarily invest in?
A: Chris Adelsbach mainly focuses on fintech and financial services, investing in startups like WealthOS and Renew Risk. Discover Chris Adelsbach's investments.
Q: Which angel investor is known for founding TransferWise?
A: Taavet Hinrikus, co-founder of TransferWise (now Wise), is noted for his investments in technology across various sectors. Explore Taavet Hinrikus's profile.
Q: What is the typical focus area for Jitse Groen's investments?
A: Jitse Groen invests in multiple sectors, primarily through his company Takeaway.com and various VC funds. Learn more about Jitse Groen.
Q: Are there active angel groups in Europe?
A: Yes, 10x Founders is one example, supporting early-stage companies backed by a network of over 200 entrepreneurs and angels. Find out more about 10x Founders.
Q: What investment focus does Speedinvest have?
A: Speedinvest is active in deep tech, healthtech, and climate tech, concentrating on seed-stage investments. Discover Speedinvest's strategy.
Q: Which angel network focuses on early-stage climate tech startups?
A: SFC Capital targets early-stage companies in various fields including climate tech and robotics. Learn more about SFC Capital.
Q: What makes Antler unique as an investor?
A: Antler operates as a global company builder, investing in a wide range of early-stage companies from healthtech to B2B. Explore Antler's initiatives.
Q: How does Bpifrance support startups?
A: Bpifrance is a French state bank that focuses on boosting startups through diverse funding options in various sectors. Learn more about Bpifrance's role.
Q: Which investor group is well-known for its focus on health and fintech startups in Italy?
A: Italian Angels for Growth (IAG) is recognized for its significant investments in life science, deep tech, and fintech startups. Discover more about IAG.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.