SmartFin European Venture Capital and Private Equity investor in Smart Technologies

SmartFin operates anti-cyclical and long-term oriented investment vehicles managed by a strong team that combines financial, operational and entrepreneurial experience supporting its portfolio companies in their growth ambitions. We provide replacement and expansion capital to European growth companies that display the potential for significant value creation in fast growing market segments.

We believe in building and growing successful companies rather than setting up financially engineered transactions. We also look for opportunities where other investors hesitate to go, refusing pigeonholing that would limit our flexibility.

We invest in private growth companies where the risks associated with the technology, product and market development have been adequately addressed.

We prefer initial entry-tickets that are complemented by significantly larger follow-on investments in those companies that have proven to be successful after initial investment. Over the lifetime of the portfolio company, the Fund can invest up to 12 million euro. 

We target private technology companies that are headquartered in Europe and the United Kingdom. We maintain a focused but sufficiently diversified investment approach in areas where our executive team has the necessary operational and investment experience. 

We look for management teams that demonstrate leadership, integrity, vision, entrepreneurial spirit, character and the risk profile to build a successful company. We prefer management teams that are strongly committed to their ventures by investing a significant part of their personal financial resources in their companies.

Target companies must operate in existing and rapidly growing market segments. We assess the market size and momentum as well as the client problem that is being solved by the company’s products and/or services. Any prospective portfolio company has to be able to present a viable sales, marketing and financial plan addressing the company’s approach to an international marketplace.

We primarily target companies that have the potential to become a leader in their market and believe that both a unique offering and a strong management team are essential for capturing such leading market position. 

Special consideration is given to proprietary assets and experienced teams that are recognized leaders in their fields. We try to identify companies that are capable of building on advanced technology to provide commercial products and/or services with long-term sustainable competitive advantages.

We target influential stakes in portfolio companies where we actively participate in the decision-making as a hand-on partner together with co-investors.