Day One Capital, a Budapest-based early-stage venture firm, introduced a new fund focused on Pre-Seed and Seed investments across Central and Eastern Europe. The vehicle has secured €45 million in its second close, with final closing planned for early 2026.
Founded in 2012 with a €4 million debut fund, Day One Capital built a strong track record by backing frontier-tech and mobility startups, including Oradian, Commsignia, and AImotive — the latter becoming Hungary’s largest startup acquisition following its sale to Stellantis. A second €34 million fund launched in 2018 expanded the firm’s regional scope, supporting 20 companies, four now valued above $100 million. Portfolio teams have raised follow-on rounds from leading global investors such as Lightspeed, Lakestar, Dawn, Molten Ventures, Partech, and Hoxton. Successful exits include Tresorit, Webshippy, and Gamee.
The new fund continues this strategy, targeting breakthrough technologies emerging from the CEE region. Initial investments will range from €500,000 to €2.5 million, with approximately 20 portfolio companies expected. Co-investments with global funds are increasing, reflecting rising international interest in CEE innovation.
“The real question is what comes next, and the answer is clear. The future of the CEE region belongs to those who rethink the rules, push past the familiar, and channel their talent, determination, and a little mischief into bold ambition. We see early-stage investing as part matchmaking, part long-term relationship. It’s about finding chemistry with founders and joining them on some of the most exciting journeys of the next generation,” said Csaba Kákosy.
“Our job is to find talent extremely early, like we did with Nikola and Stefan from Heyreach, or Dominik from Colossyan. Sometimes we discover these founders in overlooked places, like Orqa in Osijek, or Whalebone in Brno. As the CEE venture ecosystem reaches a new level of maturity, established local funds have become key partners and important signals for global investors. Western European and US-based funds started to recognize the region’s potential, and they now enter as early as the Pre-Seed stage. Yet regional investors remain essential: with boots on the ground, we can be more hands-on, informed, and deeply engaged than our Western counterparts,” added György Simó.
Day One Capital plans three to four new investments by year-end and aims to maintain a pace of five to six deals annually.