Investor Profile: Peak (Amsterdam) — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Peak is the Amsterdam seed fund that is 100% funded and run by experienced entrepreneurs — an early-stage investor specialising in SaaS, marketplace and platform business models across Europe. And to be clear upfront: this is Peak (peak.capital), the European seed fund — not Peak XV Partners (the former Sequoia Capital India), a completely separate firm. If you are raising early-stage startup funding for a SaaS or marketplace company, Peak's model-first, founder-backed approach is one of Europe's most founder-friendly doors.

Thesis: models, not verticals

Peak specialises in business models rather than industries: more than a decade of experience scaling marketplace, platform and SaaS companies. Its sweet spot is pre-Series A — Pre-Seed through Seed to Series A. The firm values "eye-to-eye conversation, transparency, and complete teams", and describes itself as boots-on-the-ground rather than boardroom-distant. The firm began investing around 2007 as an angel collective, evolved into a formal VC fund, and remains fully backed by entrepreneurs — with many portfolio founders now investing in its funds. Per the firm's own announcement, its performance has placed it in Europe's top 10 percent of best-performing venture capital funds according to PitchBook benchmarks.

Sectors and stages

Focus is laser-sharp: SaaS, marketplaces and platforms (B2B, B2C, B2B2C and C2C — the firm says it does not discriminate across the acronyms). Hardware is generally out of scope unless it is a marginal, off-the-shelf component of a software-led business. Geography is Europe-wide with primary focus on the Benelux, DACH and Nordics, from offices in Amsterdam, Berlin and Stockholm. The firm reports over 40 investments.

Fund size and cheque size

Peak announced its fifth seed fund — a EUR 150M vehicle — in December 2022, aiming to back around 50 companies. Initial ticket sizes range from EUR 250k–4M, with a large portion reserved for follow-on rounds through Series B and beyond. An earlier company statement put assets under management at EUR 84M; the firm has not published a newer consolidated AUM figure.

Notable portfolio

Peak's exits are a calling card: IENS (sold to Tripadvisor in 2014/2015), Radionomy (acquired by Vivendi in 2015), CheapCargo (bought by PostNL in 2016), United Wardrobe (exit to Vinted in 2020) and Catawiki. Recent portfolio names include VoiceLine, Gardia, Basalt, Juo and revel8.

Partners

Peak is led by co-founder and Managing Partner Johan van Mil and Managing Partner Stefan Bary, alongside Partners David Zwagemaker and Indra Sharma (Stockholm). Benelux sourcing is handled by Investment Manager Thijs Dijkman and analyst Tessa van der Geer.

Programs, credits and perks

Peak runs no formal accelerator, but it does publish founder resources such as its Benelux VC landscape map and a pre-seed funding guide for the Netherlands. Perks are operational: go-to-market help and founder-network effects from an entrepreneur investor base.

How to apply for funding

Peak is unusually direct: its official profile says founders looking for a boots-on-the-ground investor should reach out via peak.capital/contact, and its site publishes Benelux team emails directly. No lengthy form: a sharp intro showing a complete team and a scalable model is the expected route.