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The world today is riven by cultural differences, political divisions, and geopolitical disputes \u2014 a challenging environment for any investor hunting for startups that can grow large enough to deliver venture-scale returns.<\/p>\n
Kompas VC has developed a regionally sensitive strategy to help it navigate, and invest in, this fragmented world. And it\u2019s putting fresh capital towards this approach with a new \u20ac160 million fund ($187.5 million), the firm told TechCrunch.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see the world really falling into three main spheres of economic activity, of political activity \u2014 the U.S., Europe, and China,\u201d Sebastian Peck, partner at Kompas VC<\/a>, told TechCrunch. \u201cWe certainly see today that these three domains follow very, very different trajectories.\u201d<\/p>\n Kompas has staked its reputation on backing startups that tackle core industrial competitiveness challenges, from manufacturing and supply chains to critical infrastructure and sustainability. Those themes haven\u2019t disappeared, but different regions emphasize them to varying degrees. <\/p>\n \u201cThere was a lot of enthusiasm around these themes back in 2021,\u201d Peck said. \u201cIn 2026, we\u2019re in a very, very different paradigm. It\u2019s all about AI, it\u2019s all about fast growth, very explosive growth. A lot of big topics that we partially play to but also are not really part of what we stand for.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur focus is in the physical world, anything around producing physical goods,\u201d he added, saying that Kompas focuses on startups working on decarbonization, productivity, and risk management. \u201cWe\u2019ve found our niche.\u201d<\/p>\n That niche turns out to be pretty broad. Reshoring<\/a> is en vogue<\/em> in nearly every market, and depending on the startup, those markets typically have more than enough scale for a firm like Kompas.<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco, CA<\/span> Though dwarfed by some venture funds these days, Kompas\u2019s newly raised second fund should give it ample opportunity to lead early stage rounds with checks ranging from \u20ac3 million to \u20ac5 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a European fund, Kompas has access to a range of founders and startups in the region. But it must weigh how global fragmentation might limit the potential for some to deliver venture returns. Peck cites prefab housing as an example. The approach is widely used in Scandinavian countries, but it isn\u2019t as common in Germany or the rest of Europe, let alone the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels like such an intuitive solution. It\u2019s a product that is effectively an industrial product. It should be highly scalable,\u201d he said. Ultimately, the reason it doesn\u2019t resonate outside Scandinavia has more to do with \u201ccultural conditioning\u201d than the technology itself, he said. \u201cIn that industry, if the U.S. isn\u2019t the market you can go to, you need to look very, very carefully at whether there\u2019s a large enough addressable market.\u201d<\/p>\n The fragmentation extends beyond housing. For example, in Europe, sustainability is still broadly attractive, in contrast to the U.S., where the theme doesn\u2019t have the cachet it did several years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, a lot can change quickly, Peck acknowledges. \u201cWe are investing over 10-, 15-year horizons. That\u2019s a few legislative periods to bridge, and sometimes things swing in unexpected directions.\u201d<\/p>\n The shifting landscape poses a challenge, but also an opportunity for a smaller investor like Kompas. \u201cI think there\u2019s a great space for highly focused, highly specialized, smaller funds like ours to be the first check-in and bring sweep up certain themes and certain founders,\u201d Peck said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 13-15, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n