seed + speed Ventures Research
Investment Thesis
seed + speed Ventures is a Berlin-based venture capital firm that positions itself as a "sales-driven VC." Rather than providing capital alone, the firm pairs investment with hands-on, customized sales and marketing support delivered by an in-house team of sales trainers and coaches. The thesis centers on B2B software and software-driven hardware companies that can achieve high customer loyalty, subscription-based revenue, and scalable go-to-market motions, increasingly with an AI-driven product layer. The firm is part of the Maschmeyer Group and leverages co-founder Carsten Maschmeyer's decades of German/DACH business network and media presence to open doors for portfolio founders.
Sector Focus
The portfolio is broadly B2B SaaS and "process management software" spanning many verticals rather than one narrow niche: supply chain and logistics risk (Prewave, Paxly), fintech and payments infrastructure (Cashlink, Pliant, Finanzguru, Tokenize.it, Finperks), HR tech (WorkMotion, TeamEcho, Zortify), legal and compliance/regtech (Kertos, Netzbeweis, Briink), cybersecurity (EngInsight), climate/sustainability (CarbonFuture), manufacturing and Industry 4.0 (UMH, Eleven Dynamics, RIIICO, CERPRO, Optimuse), martech (Adtriba, Promptwatch), and a growing cluster of applied-AI companies (Agaton, Calvin Risk, Orq.ai, Promptwatch, RIIICO). The unifying theme is B2B software with a defensible sales motion the firm's team can help professionalize.
Stage Focus
seed + speed invests at Pre-Seed and Seed, with selective participation alongside portfolio companies into Series A rounds (e.g., Prewave, Enginsight, Meisterwerk, e-mobilio, GreenMnky, Adtriba, Kertos all show Series A milestones after the firm's initial check).
Check Size
Initial ticket size is €500K to €2.0M, with follow-on reserve capacity of up to €5.0M per company across subsequent rounds. The firm describes itself as able to act as lead or co-investor.
Lead Tendency
The firm's own language ("As a lead or co-investor") indicates a mixed posture — willing to lead early rounds but also comfortable co-investing alongside other funds, especially as companies scale into Series A.
Recent Activity
seed + speed has been consistently active through 2025 and into 2026, with new investments roughly monthly: United Manufacturing Hub (Jan 2026), orq.ai (Dec 2025), CERPRO (Nov 2025), Optimuse (Oct 2025), RIIICO (Jun 2025), Eleven Dynamics (Feb 2025), Calvin Risk (Dec 2024), Briink (Sep 2024), and mogenius (Jul 2024), alongside portfolio milestones including Kertos's Series A (Sep 2025), Enginsight's Series A (Sep 2024), Meisterwerk's Series A (Jul 2024), and Prewave's Series B (Jun 2024). This activity pattern, combined with continued team hiring through 2025, indicates a fund that is actively deploying.
Portfolio Highlights
The portfolio spans 45+ active companies plus one disclosed exit (Presize, a sizing-recommendation SaaS company). Notable names include Prewave (supply-chain risk AI, since raised a Series B), WorkMotion (global HR/employment platform), Kertos (privacy/compliance automation, Series A), Filestage (content review/approval platform), Pliant (B2B payment cards), Finanzguru (consumer financial assistant), CarbonFuture (carbon removal marketplace), and Cashlink (tokenization-as-a-service). The portfolio reflects a generalist B2B software strategy rather than a single-sector focus.
Team
- Prof. Dr. h. c. Carsten Maschmeyer — Founder and Managing Director
- Alexander Kölpin — Founder and Managing Director
- Daniel Steffen — Senior Investment Manager
- Isabelle Thierfelder — Senior Investment Manager
- Dr. Jesko Petersen — Legal Counsel
- Stefanie Mercedes Kindt — Investment Manager (on parental leave)
- Petra Kurschat — Team Manager
- Andreas de Greiff — Investment Manager
- Isabell Gollmer — Investment Manager
- Nelly Karsch — Associate
- Maria von der Lieck — Associate
- Marius Eisfeld — Associate
The firm is led by two co-founders and Managing Directors, with a team of investment managers and associates supporting deal sourcing and portfolio sales coaching. Team growth continued steadily through 2024-2025 (Maria, Marco, Jan Thomas Alter, Marius Eisfeld, Antonia, and Nelly Karsch all joined during that window per LinkedIn announcements), suggesting an actively scaling platform.
Decision Process
Not explicitly disclosed on the website. Given the two-founder Managing Director structure plus a team of investment managers who source and support deals, a partnership-style decision process is the most likely fit, though this is inferred rather than confirmed.
Founder Preferences
Testimonials on the site emphasize founders with strong conviction and visionary thinking who are also open to structured, hands-on coaching on sales, marketing, and hiring — consistent with the firm's self-positioning as a "sales-driven VC" that gets operationally involved post-investment.
Geographic Focus
Primary focus is the DACH region (Germany, Switzerland, Austria), with stated secondary interest extending to the Nordics and Benelux across Europe more broadly. Headquarters is in Berlin, Germany.