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

For deeptech founders in Europe, OTB Ventures funding is one of the most significant pools of early-stage capital on the continent. OTB Ventures is a Warsaw-based venture capital firm founded in 2017 by Adam Niewiński, Marcin Hejka and Gregory Jankilevitsch, with offices in Warsaw and Amsterdam. It invests in early-growth, post-product deeptech startups with unique technologies, primarily in Central and Eastern Europe, and closed its second fund at PLN 750 million (about $185 million) — the largest VC fund in the CEE region at the time. Understanding how to get funding from OTB Ventures is essential reading for any European founder in space, AI or security.

Thesis

Deeptech is, in the founders' own words, the firm's passion and the foundation of its strategy since 2017. OTB backs Europe's exceptional technological talent, betting that R&D-heavy breakthroughs — not another consumer app — will define the continent's next decade of value creation. The firm is known for its access to CEE deal flow and for reserving more than half of its capital for follow-on rounds, signalling a long-horizon, hands-on style.

Sectors & stage

The firm invests across four core verticals: SpaceTech, Enterprise Automation & AI, Cybersecurity and FinTech Infrastructure, with attention to climatetech solutions. It invests at seed and Series A in early-growth companies, and reserves over 50% of its funds for follow-on investments. The stated ticket range is roughly €1M–€7M.

Fund size & cheque size

OTB's first fund was $138 million, launched in 2017. Its second fund, OTB Fund 2, closed at PLN 750 million (approximately $185 million), significantly above its original target. Anchor investors include the European Investment Fund — which committed €45 million under the InvestEU programme — the NATO Innovation Fund, the Foundation for Polish Science, and Isomer Capital. Across its funds the firm manages well over $300 million.

Notable portfolio

The first fund backed ICEYE (Polish-Finnish synthetic-aperture-radar satellite constellation), Poland's Silent Eight (AI-driven financial crime compliance) and Lithuania's kevin. (account-to-account payments). Fund 2 investments include KYP.ai (productivity and task mining), Semron (AI chips), Veridion (enterprise data), space debris removal startup ClearSpace, Hydrosat and Alta Ares.

Partners

Co-founders Adam Niewiński and Marcin Hejka serve as managing partners, alongside co-founder Gregory Jankilevitsch. The team spans Warsaw and Amsterdam and has deep roots in the CEE technical ecosystem.

Programs & perks

OTB runs no formal accelerator. Its value-add is its European deeptech network, institutional backing from the likes of the EIF and NATO Innovation Fund, and a follow-on-heavy fund structure that supports winners through Series B and beyond.

How to get funding from OTB Ventures

The firm's official website would not load from my side during research, so I could not verify an open application route — treat the direct route as the contact page at otbventures.com and expect a warm introduction to carry more weight. If you found this article via a list of angel investors in India, note that OTB is an institutional European VC, not an angel group; the playbook is the same though — lead with technical differentiation, a post-product milestone and a credible path to global markets.