Who’s Europe’s Best Emerging Manager?

Nominate now for The Best Emerging Manager of The Year & get early bird tickets for the EUVC Summit & Awards Show. Don’t miss your chance to celebrate with us the best in European venture.

Feb 19, 2025

The best emerging managers don’t just write checks—they rewrite the rules.

VC Linkedin is full of posts singing the praises of emerging managers. They’re small, they’re nimble, they’re specialized, they’re lean, they’re hustling. They’re outperforming.

This award is designed to find and champion the best fund I to III’s in Europe.

Nominations for EUVC Awards closed on March 1st.

This is the first year we’re honoring emerging managers with a dedicated award, and we’ve already received some amazing nominations for trailblazers on Fund I—III.

🔥 The three finalists will be publicly announced, alongside a selection of nominees. 🔥 Winners will be crowned at the EUVC Summit & Awards Show, gathering Europe’s leading firms and the world’s most active LPs.
🔥 You can secure your early bird ticket with a 40% discount right here.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the amazing nominations we’ve already received.

FRST

Frst stands out as one of the most conviction-driven managers in France, having backed several of the most promising AI and AI-enabled companies out of the French ecosystem & counting several unicorns across their portfolio (such as Poolside, Pigment & Owkin).

They are radically focused on Day 1, which means they essentially invest pre-incorporation when there is nothing to see but the founders and the idea, with an ability to lean in with a significant check (€1-5m) in a matter of days, if not hours.

Planet A

Planet A Ventures is a Berlin-based VC firm backing European green tech startups with measurable environmental impact. They’ve backed companies like Traceless Materials (plastic-free compostable materials), INERATEC (modular plants for sustainable fuels), Makersite (product passporting), C1 (green methanol), and HIVED (sustainable transportation).

Their approach is defined by:

Science-Backed Investing – Every investment undergoes rigorous life cycle assessments to ensure real environmental impact.
Scalability & Systems Change – Supporting founders who don’t just build businesses but redefine how entire industries operate.

With a €160M fund, Planet A is scaling solutions in manufacturing, energy, transportation and more—proving that impact and returns go hand in hand.

Nucleus Capital

Nucleus Capital a Berlin-based venture capital firm specializing in early-stage investments in climate deep-tech sectors and also took home the KFW's Emerging Manager of The Year Award in 2024. Their portfolio includes companies like Planet A Foods, creators of the world's first 100% cocoa-free chocolate, and Endolith, which uses microbes to enhance copper extraction from low-grade deposits.

Their approach is characterized by:

Purpose-Driven Partnerships: Collaborating with founders committed to turning bold science into real-world solutions.
Sector-Specific Expertise: Providing tailored support and networks in programmable biology, food technology, and green industrials with strong emphasis on scientific founders.
Thesis-Driven Investments: Focusing on high-conviction, concentrated investments in pre-seed and seed-stage companies.

Join Capital

Join Capital is a Berlin-based early-stage VC firm backing deep tech startups transforming industrial, enterprise, and defense sectors. With investments ranging from €1M to €5M at Seed and Series A, they focus on startups building the infrastructure of tomorrow.

Their portfolio includes companies like Calvin Risk (AI governance at scale) and Generative Engineering (software improving physical engineering efficiency), with applications spanning industrial automation, defense, and advanced manufacturing.