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

henQ is the Amsterdam venture fund that describes itself as "funding for the odd ones out" — an early-stage B2B software investor that makes only about two investments a year and backs each with unusual intensity. If your startup operates in a market others call boring, or runs a business model that defies templates, henQ's approach to startup funding is built specifically for you.

Thesis: the odd ones out in B2B software

henQ invests in founders rather than markets. Its stated appetite is for any early-stage B2B business that is simply a little different — a "boring" market, an atypical business model, or a founder's near-obsessive passion. The fund never backs a company that competes with one of its own portfolio companies. It aims for a 100% hit rate rather than spray-and-pray: each portfolio company is meant to be one of roughly two investments per year, and the fund prides itself on needing fewer follow-on rounds — its companies reportedly use less funding and dilute less to reach €60M ARR than the average VC-backed business.

Sectors and stages

The mandate is sector-agnostic within B2B software: SaaS, fintech infrastructure, security, customer-data platforms, hospitality tech, staffing platforms, e-commerce enablement and AI-for-industry all appear in the portfolio. Geography is pan-European — current portfolio spans the Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK, the Nordics, the Baltics and Czechia. Stages are early: Seed to Series A.

Fund size and cheque size

henQ does not publicly disclose its total fund size. Its official site states initial tickets up to €10M; third-party profiles describe the range as roughly €1M–€10M. The process is deliberately fast — days, not weeks, from first meeting to signed term sheet — and no pitch deck is required: the fund works with the founders' own operating documents and metrics.

Notable portfolio

The official portfolio includes hospitality software leader Mews, shipping platform Sendcloud, secure-email company Zivver, wholesale marketplace Orderchamp, market-research platform Stravito, cloud telephony company Cloudtalk, scheduling platform Cronofy, meter-data platform Energyworx, learning platform Studytube, low-code pioneer Mendix, radiology-AI company Aidence, customer community platform Insided, privacy-compliance tool Openli. Exit markers on the firm's own site include Zivver, Orderchamp, Mendix, Aidence and Insided.

Partners

Team members named in third-party profiles include Rob, Mick, Sylvie, Orphée, Jan, Coen, Eda and Hein. Founded in 2004, it is one of the older dedicated B2B software funds in the Netherlands.

Programs, credits and perks

There is no public accelerator, credits programme or standardised perks package. The firm's stated post-investment support is concentrated on hiring, fundraising and goal-setting, with a promise not to push for influence or bad ideas. It is explicitly comfortable if a founder wants to build a sustainable business without ever raising venture funding again.

How to apply for funding

henQ publishes no public application form — the henq.vc contact route returned no usable page at the time of writing. Founders typically reach the team through the website or a warm introduction, and the firm stresses that no pitch deck is required: it prefers to work from the company's own operating documents and metrics.