Investor Profile: NP-Hard Ventures - Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

NP-Hard Ventures is an Amsterdam-based, founder-led firm backing product-obsessed founders who build tomorrow's core infrastructure. For founders asking how to get funding from NP-Hard Ventures, this profile explains NP-Hard Ventures funding, its thesis, cheque sizes, portfolio and application route, so you can judge fit before reaching out.

Thesis: backing the builders of foundational technology

The name comes from computer science, where NP-Hard problems resist easy solutions. NP-Hard Ventures backs founders tackling Europe's toughest technical challenges, aiming for ownership of foundational technology rather than renting it from elsewhere. It prefers to be among the first investors, with rapid decisions and no board-seat requirement reported for its funds.

Sectors and stages

NP-Hard Ventures invests at pre-seed and seed stage in Europe and the United States, with an emphasis on European technical founders. Its focus spans robotics and autonomous systems, applied deep tech and artificial intelligence, computational infrastructure, defence technology and critical infrastructure, plus developer tools, industrial automation and APIs. Lead with technical depth and a credible path to becoming infrastructure for others.

Fund size and cheque size

Fund I was a €12 million fund that invested in 30 companies, with cheques of about €250,000 and a range of €100,000 to €500,000. Fund II targets €25 million for 30 pre-seed and seed companies, at an average of about €450,000 and a range of €250,000 to €550,000. At launch it had closed about 60%, with more than 30 European builders and investors participating.

Notable portfolio

Fund I names reported include Roseman Labs in encrypted computing, Monumental in construction robotics, Engrate in energy APIs and Isembard in distributed manufacturing. Parseable, a cloud-native log-analytics platform, raised a $2.75 million seed round led by Surge and NP-Hard Ventures. The pattern is clear: technically demanding, infrastructure-like businesses where the product itself is the moat.

Partners and team

Anke Huiskes is co-founder and managing partner, with Paul Veugen and Micha Hernandez van Leuffen named as fellow leaders in Fund II coverage. The firm describes itself as operator-led and founder-led, with partners who founded and exited software companies and invested as angels in more than 50 startups before formalising the fund. Verify the current roster on the firm's site before pitching a specific partner.

Programs, credits and perks

No structured accelerator, credits bundle or perks programme is published in the sources reviewed here, so none is claimed. Support is described as early, hands-on partnership: fast decisions and help from fellow builders among its investors. Ask directly what help is available for your bottleneck, whether hiring, customer introductions or technical review, rather than assuming a standard package.

How to apply for funding

No public application form is verified in the sources reviewed here. NP-Hard Ventures invites founders to reach out through its website, and its managing partner has publicly said: if that is you, please reach out. Seek a warm introduction from a portfolio founder or fellow builder where possible, and keep your note short: the hard problem, the technical edge, the stage and the amount sought.