In a rapidly evolving venture capital landscape, identifying and supporting groundbreaking innovations requires a blend of advanced tools and deep regional expertise. Igor de la Sota, Founder and General Partner of Cardumen Capital, shares how his firm leverages cutting-edge methodologies and cross-border synergies between Europe and Israel to unlock transformative investment opportunities.
From pioneering AI-driven evaluation techniques to fostering innovation in DeepTech, AgriFoodTech, and beyond, de la Sota offers a glimpse into the insights he will discuss during the panel, “How Venture Capital Funds Can Improve Deal Origination: Innovative Tools and Techniques,” at the 0100 DACH conference in Vienna, taking place from February 18–20. He will share the stage with Henric Hungerhoff, Founding General Partner at HEARTFELT_, Rune Theill, CEO and Co-Founder at Rockstart, and Christian Claussen, General Partner at Ventech.
Israel, often referred to as the "Startup Nation," has a well-established reputation for its vibrant innovation ecosystem. With over 9,000 active startups and a significant 5.6% of GDP invested in R&D, it excels in sectors such as Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, and Agritech. Seamless collaboration between government bodies and industry has fostered groundbreaking advancements, attracting global tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google to establish R&D centers. This dynamic environment, combined with strong government support and extensive international partnerships, positions Israel as a global leader in high-tech innovation.
Europe, meanwhile, offers a complementary landscape with its strong regulatory frameworks, advanced infrastructure, and access to a highly skilled workforce supported by world-class research institutions. Over the past 15 years, Europe has developed a robust early-stage venture capital industry, approaching US levels in some metrics. However, in growth stages, Europe still lags significantly behind the US. This gap highlights the untapped potential in European growth-stage opportunities, particularly in deeptech and sustainability, where the region must be a global leader.
At Cardumen Capital, we capitalize on the synergy between these two regions, leveraging Israel’s technological leadership and Europe’s market depth to drive cross-border growth and scalability to our portfolio companies. This strategic approach allows us to unlock robust investment opportunities that combine innovation with global market access.
At Cardumen Capital, we rely on a proven AI-driven methodology refined over 15 years to identify and support visionary founders driving groundbreaking innovations. This digitalized approach ensures complete traceability, operational efficiency, and replicability at every stage of the opportunity evaluation process, integrating business areas to maximize financial and strategic outcomes.
Our rigorous screening process is multilayered, involving multiple partners and directors to evaluate each opportunity from diverse perspectives. This ensures alignment with the fund’s strategy and allows us to select founders with transformative ideas and exceptional leadership potential. Supported by our robust infrastructure and specialized professionals, we provide founders with access to networks, expertise, and resources that enhance their ability to scale and succeed in DeepTech and AgriFoodTech.
Over the years, we have built an extensive and highly valuable network of connections across the venture capital ecosystem. This network includes relationships with industry leaders, academic institutions, global corporations, and innovative startups. These connections not only provide unparalleled access to a steady and high-quality deal flow but also enable us to identify and collaborate with the most promising founders and disruptive technologies. This strong ecosystem reinforces our ability to uncover and support world-class innovation, ensuring sustained impact and success.
Europe has made significant strides in AI and cybersecurity, supported by strong regulatory frameworks and a growing focus on innovation. However, its full potential as a global hub remains untapped due to opportunities for improvement in key areas. A significant talent shortage and relatively limited venture capital availability constrain growth, as startups face intense competition from global tech hubs like the US and Israel and often struggle to attract international investment.
Harmonizing regulations across countries could further streamline scaling and facilitate cross-border data sharing, essential for AI advancement. Europe’s strong academic and research institutions offer immense promise, but fostering closer collaboration with industry and government is vital to turning cutting-edge research into commercial success.
These challenges present an opportunity for Europe to enhance its position as a leader by leveraging its strengths, creating a more unified ecosystem, and driving global-scale innovation in AI and cybersecurity.
Cardumen has launched a €50M fund dedicated to driving the transformation of food production and consumption through innovative technologies. The agri-food sector faces some of the most pressing global challenges, including the need to adapt agriculture to climate change, address the rising demand for protein, and tackle the environmental impact of the food value chain, which contributes 26% of global emissions. These issues are compounded by inefficiencies such as food waste and the health burdens linked to poor diets, which account for 32% of adult deaths and significantly strain healthcare systems.
To address these challenges, we focus on two key areas. In AgriTech, we invest in technologies that enhance agricultural and livestock productivity, such as precision agriculture, seed genetics, and advanced plant treatments. In FoodTech, we support innovations in food production and processing, including alternative proteins, bioprocessing technologies, and the development of healthy ingredients.
The intersection of sustainability, health, and productivity creates a dynamic space for transformative innovation. We are particularly excited about solutions that improve resource efficiency, reduce emissions, and reimagine food systems to meet the demands of a growing global population while promoting better health outcomes. At Cardumen, we see these innovations as essential to building a resilient and sustainable agri-food ecosystem.
Impact fund of funds led by Cardumen Capital to invest in private markets across multiple asset classes and themes. We bring together our extensive track record of investing +€400M in companies and delivering 3x returns with +15 years of experience investing in funds-
Cardumen Capital’s Fund of Funds investment thesis is rooted in addressing unprecedented climate and social challenges. We are currently dealing with emerging global threats in climate, finance, and health. Solutions to these new challenges offer extraordinary returns to investors.
What sets our approach apart is our commitment to impact-driven investing, reflected in our Article 9 designation. This ensures we pursue not only financial returns but also global-scale impact.
Our investors gain exposure to the expanding private technology sector, access to premier international funds, and hard-to-reach markets, particularly in Europe and the United States. The Fund of Fund strategy allows our investors greater diversification while offering an outstanding risk/return profile.
Supported by a proven and automated methodology for monitoring Impact KPIs and an exceptional team with a local presence, we offer unmatched insights and engagement with American, European and Middle East Venture Capital funds.
Cardumen’s Fund of Funds showcases our commitment to blending innovation, strategic expertise, and impact to unlock the full potential of private markets, driving meaningful change and delivering long-term value to our investors.
Cardumen Capital views 2025 as a pivotal year for venture capital, driven by transformative trends and a shifting global landscape. Europe presents an exceptional opportunity for investment, especially in AI and its enabling sectors. After decades of investing in AI globally, we are witnessing a moment where Europe emerges as a significant player, fueled by increasing AI adoption to enhance productivity and competitiveness, and by geopolitical shifts necessitating the modernization of energy networks and infrastructure.
The European Union’s initiatives, including the €40 billion Innovation Fund and the €250 billion EU Green Deal, highlight a robust commitment to fostering technological leadership and reducing reliance on external capital. These initiatives, combined with Europe’s highly skilled engineering workforce, are reshaping the investment landscape. However, a substantial portion of venture capital funding in Europe still comes from outside the region, underlining the need for locally focused funds to retain talent and support later-stage scaling.
We believe that AI and its enabling sectors, such as energy transition and advanced infrastructure, will be the primary drivers of innovation. Emerging technologies like generative AI, advanced robotics and next-generation energy solutions will redefine industries and accelerate Europe’s transformation. With these trends aligning, Cardumen is well-positioned in 2025, where we will be launching a Europe-focused fund dedicated to capturing these high-growth opportunities and delivering impactful results.
Budapest, 2025. január 15. – Vezető magántőke- és kockázatitőke-befektetők, valamint Magyarország innovációs szektorának meghatározó képviselői gyűltek össze a 0100 Emerging Europe konferencia hivatalos megnyitóján.
Key private equity and venture capital investors, along with top voices from Hungary’s innovation landscape, gathered for the official launch of the 0100 Emerging Europe conference. This international event, scheduled for May 14-16, aims to spotlight and enhance Hungary’s position as an innovation hub in the region.
Vahit Alili, Senior Investment Director in Private Equity at Schroders Capital, shares his perspective on the evolving private equity landscape in the DACH region. Speaking ahead of his appearance at the 0100 DACH Conference, Vahit discusses the challenges and opportunities in 2024, his outlook for 2025, and the critical role of portfolio diversification through Fund-of-Funds (FoF) and co-investments. With insights into mid-market dynamics, the importance of specialist managers, and strategies to align investor and GP interests, this conversation offers valuable guidance for navigating the complexities of the private equity market.
