6 Degrees Capital Research
Investment Thesis
6 Degrees Capital (6DC) is a European early-stage venture capital firm investing across Fintech, Enterprise Software, and AI. Founded in 2022/2023 by a team with prior operating and investing backgrounds, the firm's manifesto plays on the double meaning of its name: the classic "six degrees of separation" (the firm leans hard on its collective network to make founder introductions) and the idea of "direction" -- the belief that small, precise early corrections compound into a very different destination. 6DC organizes its thesis around three pillars: Future of Enterprise (mission-critical, intelligent SaaS and vertical software that reshapes workflows), AI (backing teams applying AI across the stack, from infrastructure/tooling to applied vertical AI), and Future of FinTech (embedded finance, next-gen payments, digital banking, InsurTech, and crypto/digital-asset infrastructure).
Stage Focus
6DC leads at Seed and Series A, with substantial reserved follow-on capital for later rounds (the portfolio shows meaningful density through Series B). The firm's own site states an initial ticket size of EUR1m-EUR7.5m at Seed/Series A.
Check Size
Initial tickets run roughly EUR1m-EUR7.5m (approximately $1.0M-$8.0M), with follow-on reserves deployed into winners through Series B.
Lead Tendency
Multiple founder testimonials on the 6DC site describe the firm taking the lead in seed and Series A rounds ("took the lead in our seed round", "they led our Series A"), and recent press confirms 6DC has led rounds for Rivero (Series A, with Inference Partners), Landvault (metaverse/3D, co-investor), and others. 6DC frequently co-invests alongside firms such as Newion (co-led Lightbringer's Series A) and Inference Partners.
Recent Activity
6DC closed a new EUR154M Fund III in late November 2025, its third fund generation, to back early-stage enterprise software, AI, and fintech founders across Europe. The firm is actively deploying: publicly announced 2026 investments include Zymtrace (AI infra optimization, April 2026), Linda AI (AI agents for dental practices, May 2026), Lightbringer (AI-native patent law, Series A co-led with Newion, July 2026), Corvera (AI sales/ops layer for consumer brands, September 2026), and HeyDiga (conversational AI for service businesses, September 2026).
Portfolio Highlights
6DC has backed 70+ founding teams across three fund generations. Notable names include Artificial Labs (algorithmic underwriting for commercial insurance, backed since early rounds through Series B), Apaleo (open property management platform, Series B), TrueLayer-related exit In3 (Dutch consumer BNPL, acquired by TrueLayer, 2026), Landvault (AI/3D immersive environments, acquired by Infinite Reality/Napster in a $450M deal), Banked (UK global payments network, exited), Rivero (Swiss payment-ops platform, Series A led by 6DC), Barte (LatAm B2B payments infrastructure), Conveo (AI-led qualitative research, Belgium), Outfund and Banxware (revenue-based/embedded lending), Spruce (climate/home-improvement financing), and Blockpit (crypto tax compliance, Austria).
Team
- Wouter Volckaert, Managing Partner
- Thibault D'hondt, Partner
- Thomas Olszewski, Partner (also sits on portfolio boards, e.g. Lightbringer)
- Lucas Stoops, Partner
- Hilmar Eggertsson, Principal
- Christina Franzeskides, Principal
- Solenne Derussy, Investor
- Fanny Guilyardi, Investor
- Maxime Vanderstichele, CFO
Decision Process
6DC operates as a partnership with a Managing Partner plus several Partners and Principals involved in diligence and portfolio support; partners take board seats on lead investments (e.g., Thomas Olszewski on Lightbringer's board alongside Newion's Dorus Olgers).
Founder Preferences
The firm's public messaging ("ready to back unconventional and unapologetic founders") and testimonials emphasize hands-on, low-ego, patient partnership through pivots and rapid growth, with deep sector expertise in fintech and enterprise software. They favor technical/domain-expert founders building intelligent, indispensable software.
Geographic Focus
Headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium with a second office in London (MYO, 1 Sherwood Street). Rooted in Europe but with global reach: the portfolio spans the UK, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Spain, Sweden, Ireland, Finland, Switzerland, LatAm, MENA, Asia, and the US.