Investor Profile: Cavalry Ventures — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Founders researching how to get funding from Cavalry Ventures should know the latest chapter first: the Berlin early-stage fund has rebranded as NAP (nap.vc), with cavalry.vc pointing founders to the new brand. The playbook, however, is unchanged. Cavalry invests in software businesses across Europe at what it calls the "as early as it makes sense for the company" stage — often pre-product and pre-revenue — leading pre-seed and seed rounds. Its portfolio includes AI company Aleph Alpha (now part of Cohere), consent-management platform Usercentrics and construction software PlanRadar.

The investment thesis

Cavalry was created as the early-stage fund its founders wished had existed when they started their first companies: considerable company-building experience from zero to IPO, a massive network of engaged supporters — the fund is backed by 250+ well-connected individuals — and a strong record of Series A follow-ons by the world's top funds, including Accel, Index, Sequoia and Benchmark. The style is deliberately "no bullshit": upfront, long-term, without months of unnecessary due diligence or renegotiated terms. NAP's current framing sharpens the mission — investing in companies "on the path forward to effect positive change."

Sectors and stages: what Cavalry Ventures funding covers

Rather than focusing on a vertical, the firm focuses on a stage: pre-seed and seed, which it likes to lead while leaving room for strong angels. It invests in software businesses across Europe — both enterprise and consumer — and looks for outstanding founding teams with founder-market fit, a big vision for a substantial company in a large market, and the ability to build an amazing product.

Fund size and cheque size

Cavalry's initial investments run between €500,000 and €4 million, with flexibility on either side, and it does both priced rounds and convertibles. Founded in 2016, the firm has backed more than 50 companies and was named the "Hottest Seed Fund" at The Europas Tech Startup Awards in 2021. Its third fund was raised with $163 million of firepower targeted at cloud, sustainability and B2B startups.

Notable portfolio

Standout companies include Aleph Alpha (now part of Cohere), Usercentrics (active on 2.3 million websites), PlanRadar (replacing clipboards on 170,000+ construction sites in 75+ countries), freight-forwarder Forto, McMakler, REKKI, no-code platform BRYTER, Clarisights, WhenThen (acquired by Mangopay) and Planetly (acquired by OneTrust), alongside newer AI bets such as Enzai, Deltia.AI and Charm.

Partners

The founding partners are Rouven Dresselhaus, Markus Fuhrmann, Marcel Hollerbach, Dominik Matyka, Claude Ritter and Stefan Walter — themselves experienced founders and operators, which underpins the fund's founder-friendly positioning.

Programmes run

Beyond investing, the NAP team hosts the "Big Bets on Cheap Chairs" podcast, runs Automate VC, a community where VCs discuss the future of their work, publishes the NAP Log newsletter and has built a proprietary tool for sourcing future unicorns.

How to apply for funding

Founders can reach the team via the contact routes on cavalry.vc and nap.vc — the site's "interested in working with us" section is the front door. The firm prides itself on a fast, honest process: no months of diligence, no term-sheet games. Come with a strong founding team, founder-market fit and a big vision for a software business that can matter across Europe.