Robin Capital, a Germany-based Solo GP-led venture capital fund established by Robin Haak, has successfully closed its first fund, “Robin Fund One,” at €13 million. Combined with an additional growth-focused investment vehicle of €2 million, the fund has a total of €15 million ready to deploy. This marks a significant milestone in the European Solo GP landscape, where fund sizes are typically much smaller compared to their U.S. counterparts.
Launched in 2023, Robin Capital is tailored to invest in European B2B mid-market enterprise SaaS startups, particularly in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland). The fund is targeting Pre-Seed and Seed stage companies and spans diverse sectors, including HR, artificial intelligence, fintech, climate tech, DevOps, robotics, and industrial technology.
To date, Robin Capital has invested in 28 companies, with 50% of its capital already deployed. Notable investments include Germany’s Kombo Dev and France’s Phacet Labs. The fund’s founder, Robin Haak, is no stranger to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Haak co-founded Jobspotting, a recruitment platform acquired by U.S.-based SmartRecruiters in 2017. He also made an early investment in the German neobank N26, further establishing his credibility in the tech and venture capital space.
Haak’s network has been instrumental in shaping Robin Capital’s success. The fund is backed by 70 Limited Partners (LPs), comprising general partners from private equity and venture capital firms, as well as founders and operators. Notable venture partners include Renaud Visage, former CTO of Eventbrite and founder of Slate.VC; Jerome Ternynck, founder of SmartRecruiters and the Rypples VC; and Lea Vajnorsky, co-founder of Wo\men Inc.
Speaking on the challenges of raising the fund, Haak reflected on the macroeconomic headwinds: “These one and a half years were probably the toughest times in venture, in history, due to the macroeconomics. I don’t have institutions in the fund, I don’t even have the EIF.” Despite these hurdles, he emphasized the strength of the fund’s LP base: “The LP base I have today are 70 people, and all of them are professionals. The good part now is it’s an amazing value-add community.”
Robin Capital is part of a growing movement of Solo GPs in Europe, many of whom transition into venture capital after careers as fund partners, entrepreneurs, startup operators, or even content creators. Solo GPs are often characterized by their agility in decision-making compared to larger, multi-partner funds. This allows them to act swiftly and leverage their personal networks, expertise, and individual branding to provide startups with quicker access to resources.
The emergence of Solo GPs has gained traction in Europe, with initiatives such as Hypernova, a $25 million fund-of-funds launched in 2022, aimed specifically at investing in Solo GPs. Robin Capital’s achievements underscore the growing potential of this model in the European venture ecosystem, paving the way for more agile, focused, and impactful investment strategies.
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