Cherry Ventures

Thinking about raising your Series A? Our Founding Partner Christian Meermann just sat down with Rahul Thayyalamkandy (Understanding VC) to share what really moves the needle. Straight talk on the metrics that matter, from CAC payback to burn multiple, and why the right pricing strategy can make or break your raise. Drawing from Cherry's playbook and years of investing experience, Christian breaks down what makes startups truly Series A-ready, from building defensible products to executing on go-to-market strategy. Check out the full episode to hear Christian's insights on the journey from Seed to Series A: https://lnkd.in/eVgms4eu Filip Felician Dames Sophia Bendz Dinika Mahtani Jasper Masemann Alexander Langholz-Baikousis  🍒🍒

Sometimes, the best solutions come from the brink of disaster. That's the story of Plato, the latest addition to our portfolio. Born from founder Benedikt Nolte's mission to save his family's wholesale business, Plato is transforming how distributors engage with data and automate processes. Their AI-driven platform is turning reactive sales teams into proactive, data-driven sellers across the $53 trillion global wholesale industry. What sets Plato apart? - Saving sellers 3-5 hours per week - Their AI enables teams to process 5x more information - Tripled their client base in the past year But don't just take our word for it. Early adopters like Layer Grosshandel are already seeing significant improvements in their operations. Cherry is backing Plato's vision with a $6.5 million pre-seed investment, joined by a roster of C-level angels from tech giants including Microsoft, SAP, NVIDIA, Celonis, Personio, Sennder, and Forto. As Jasper Masemann puts it: "While Plato's product vision is undoubtedly ambitious, we're all in to support their growth into a long-term global leader and European success story." Filip Felician Dames Sophia Bendz Dinika Mahtani Jasper Masemann Alexander Langholz-Baikousis Christian Meermann Oliver Birch Matthias Heinrich Morales

"Cash flow keeps me up at night." This single statement echoes across Europe's SMBs, who create 65% of all new jobs. That's why we're backing Tola's $10.2M seed round led by Sequoia Capital, alongside Creandum and RTP Global. 🍒 Alen Cvisic and Guillaume Simard heard this pain point countless times while serving thousands of businesses at Pleo. Today, they're transforming that challenge into opportunity. Their solution is one platform combining AP, AR, and flexible financing to help SMBs take control of their financial operations. In just months, the results speak for themselves: - 100+ businesses streamlining payments - Millions in working capital deployed - Modern tools replacing manual processes We support Alen and Guillaume because they shake up the status quo in B2B payments. They're building what Europe's SMBs need from the start - a financial operating system that works as hard as they do. Learn more about Tola and their latest funding round here (unlock with email): https://lnkd.in/eGnfP-ra Filip Felician Dames Sophia Bendz Dinika Mahtani Jasper Masemann Alexander Langholz-Baikousis Christian Meermann

Want to know what VCs really look for? Our Founding Partner Filip Felician Dames has both built and invested in numerous successful companies. He is the latest guest on the Unicorn Bakery podcast to share practical wisdom from both sides of the table!  🎙️ In this packed 30-minute episode, Filip shares insights on: - Securing the right introductions to target VCs - Navigating deal terms with confidence - Managing partner relationships effectively - Orchestrating a successful fundraising process - Understanding VC decision-making - Common due diligence pitfalls Whether you're a founder gearing up for your next raise or just curious about the VC landscape, you'll get Filip's unique perspective on what makes top-tier VCs say yes! Visit Fabian Tausch's profile or click here: https://lnk.to/filip-dames to listen to the full episode in German. Sophia Bendz Dinika Mahtani Jasper Masemann Alexander Langholz-Baikousis Christian Meermann 🍒

Our investment team is growing and today, we're excited to announce Bruno A. Wisniewski as our new Nordic investor joining us from Candy Crush. Bruno brings significant experience from across the tech ecosystem to Cherry. His journey includes managing global partnerships at Klarna and contributing to Pleo's rapid growth phase, before most recently leading strategy for Candy Crush at King and then moving into product management. Bruno will focus on identifying promising startups in the Nordic region, working alongside Sophia Bendz. He's particularly interested in connecting with founders who are committed to solving meaningful problems with global ambition. We're looking forward to continuing to back the next generation of founders building in the region and beyond with Bruno on our side! 🍒🍒🍒 Filip Felician Dames Dinika Mahtani Jasper Masemann Alexander Langholz-Baikousis Christian Meermann

What a night at SaaStock After-Party Dublin! We teamed up with our friends at Dogpatch Labs and Gloria Baeuerlein from Puzzle Ventures to throw a little get-together at Café en Seine. You know we love getting operators and investors in the same room! The place was packed with SaaS founders, investors, and operators from all over Europe. The conversations were flowing with some exciting ideas bouncing around. But wait, it gets better – we ended the night at a karaoke bar afterwards! Nothing like networking with a duet... Thanks to all who joined us. Here's to the future of SaaS in Europe! 🍒🚀 Filip Felician Dames Sophia Bendz Dinika Mahtani Jasper Masemann Alexander Langholz-Baikousis Christian Meermann Nadja Carina Reischel Dimitri Sedashev

Emerging VC managers, your time to go from an exceptional investor to an exceptional fundraiser is here. Mountside Ventures' Emerging VC Manager Programme opens doors for diverse, innovative investors to shape Europe's VC landscape. Our partner Christian Meermann will join forces with leading VCs to support the programme as a mentor to up and coming investors. The free programme will help managers raise funds more effectively, invest in promising startups, and contribute to Europe's growing tech sector. Filip Felician Dames Sophia Bendz Dinika Mahtani Jasper Masemann Alexander Langholz-Baikousis Jonathan Hollis Applications are now open for the 12-week programme, starting Q1 2025.

While SpaceX may be making headlines, Europe's own space tech industry is picking up steam. At FF Europe, our founding partner Filip Felician Dames sat down with Hélène Huby, The Exploration Company's CEO and SpaceTech expert, for a fireside chat on Europe's space tech ambitions. European Upstream (getting things into space) Tech startups are now worth over $19B, up from less than one billion one decade ago. With the funding scene evolving there are exciting opportunities for space entrepreneurs, with collabs between startups, firms, and public agencies fuelling momentum. It was a great event to learn more about the progress and challenges in the... Space! 🚀🍒 Thanks to Founders Forum Group and Left Lane Capital Sophia Bendz Dinika Mahtani Christian Meermann Jasper Masemann Alexander Langholz-Baikousis

Back in April we led investment into Octomind an agent-powered QA tool that knows what to test without you telling it. Think of it like very own junior QA that builds your tests from scratch and runs them to check your app for bugs. You build your app, Octomind make sure it works. After going live on Product Hunt, the feedback was amazing and they landed Product of the Day! Congratulations team, 🐙 Marc Mengler, Daniel Roedler! We believe Octomind will make developers love software testing soon! Filip Felician Dames Sophia Bendz Dinika Mahtani Christian Meermann Jasper Masemann Alexander Langholz-Baikousis

Berlin's startup ecosystem came alive this morning as we joined forces with New Enterprise Associates (NEA) to host an exclusive pre-ARRtist gathering and celebrate SaaS week. 40 of Europe's most innovative founders and operators connected over breakfast, but the real feast was the exchange of ideas and experiences! From stealth mode startups to scaling unicorns — huge thank you to everyone who joined us, the insights shared made for an incredibly inspiring start to the week. Looking forward to carrying this momentum into ARRTist! 🍒 Filip Felician Dames Sophia Bendz Dinika Mahtani Christian Meermann Jasper Masemann Alexander Langholz-Baikousis