Why we ask what we ask.

We are called HEARTFELT for a reason: we invest when we feel a heartfelt conviction about the people we back. That conviction is built above all in human interaction — and on a few fundamentals that tell us whether our investment model and your company's stage and model actually fit each other.

We believe excellence at the earliest stage lives in the founders: the ability to dream, to quantify and qualify that dream, to make a plan, to execute, to understand the reality you are creating — and to adapt. That is what we want to discuss with you. And we love coming to that discussion prepared.

So before we meet, we'd like to familiarize ourselves with what you have in mind and what you've already turned into reality. Facts first, in a structured way — through the chat, your agent, or the classic form. The goal is the same on both sides: enough to make the first decision together — should we talk? And you get something back along the way: honest feedback on what's complete, what isn't, and the things we'd be thinking about if we were you.

What we'd love to know

You & the team: Who the founders are, how you met, who does what — and who's full-time. Your own story: what made you the person to build this.
The company: Name, website, founded when, where it's registered and where the team is based, industry.
The sharp sentence: What it does, the problem, the solution — and what's genuinely live today: product, users, revenue. Honest numbers beat polished ones.
Product & technology: Hardware, software or both — and the core technology underneath.
Business model: Who pays, and how. If your space is regulated, tell us how you think about it.
Stage & raise: What you've raised so far, who's on the cap table, what you're raising now and what it funds.
Links, not files: Deck and demo as URLs — our AI won't open files, the humans reading your pitch will.
Contact: Your name and a working email — the code we send there is what authorizes a submission: you in the chat, or the agent acting on your behalf.
HEARTFELT & you: How you found us, and whether you know anyone here.

Why this list? It's what we need to determine the fit — and to prepare, so the first human conversation is about you and your vision, not a clipboard.

Who you'd be talking to

HEARTFELT is the first investor for exceptional founders building transformative companies across Europe and the US. We invest €100–400k as a first check — solo or alongside other early backers — in the 0-to-1 phase, on the way to product-market fit. Our team of nine has backed more than 300 startups, among them N26, DeepL, Colossyan, Charles, Greenlyte, getquin and Qualifyze — and behind us stand deep networks of entrepreneurs, investors, mentors and experts, plus corporate reach through our anchor investors Axel Springer and Porsche.

What happens next

You share the facts through whichever door suits you. Humans at HEARTFELT read everything — typically you hear from us within two weeks. If we both see a fit, we invite your founding team to a call: no clipboard, just you, your vision, and how we can help beyond capital.