XVentures Research
Overview
XVentures (also written X-Ventures or X Ventures) is a German Web3 venture studio and private fund. Its own site calls it "A Very Unusual VC" and describes the model as a closed loop of capital, influence and innovation. Its imprint says XVentures is a trading name of Proof of Talk UG (haftungsbeschraenkt), registered in Aachen (HRB 27556), so the fund and the Proof of Talk conference business are the same legal entity. LinkedIn lists the headquarters as Monheim and about 15 employees, and describes the firm as a venture studio fund focused on Web3 that wants to become the leading blockchain venture studio fund globally. On X it describes itself as Germany's leading Web3 fund backing 100+ Web2 and Web3 innovators.
Investment Thesis
The firm does not pitch a narrow sector thesis. It says it backs founders rather than startups, and that it adds value because the partners are operators who have built and scaled companies (fashion e-commerce, med-tech, education networks and blockchain protocols). Its Circle Alliance Directory listing says it builds and invests in early-stage Web3, DeAI and financial infrastructure projects, and combines capital, network access and execution. Its stated edge is distribution: it hosts the investors, exchanges and institutions that founders want to meet through Proof of Talk.
Stage Focus
Pre-Seed to Series A, according to the Circle directory listing. No check size is published on the website, so none is recorded here.
Check Size
Not disclosed. The site claims EUR 50M+ in capital deployed and 100+ investments, but gives no per-deal range.
Lead Tendency
Unknown. The firm's public posts say it "backed" Knidos alongside the Avalanche Foundation, which suggests participation in syndicates, but no round names XVentures as lead.
Ecosystem and Studio Model
The site lists six ecosystem entities:
- Proof of Talk: invitation-only executive summit for digital assets and AI at the Louvre Palace in Paris (2,500 capped, sold out 2024 to 2026) with a first Gulf edition at the Louvre Abu Dhabi on 3 and 4 December 2026.
- X-Schule: an education venture launching in Cologne in August 2026, with a goal of 100 schools.
- Proof of Pitch: a founder pitch arena.
- Proof of Excellence: the growth arm of Proof of Talk that connects founders with investors and exchanges (Frgmnt is one participant).
- Catalyst3: an on-chain launchpad and acceleration engine.
- Polybrain: an LLM aggregation and scoring product.
The Circle directory also describes an XVentures Growth Program (fundraising, token design, marketing, partnerships) drawing on a network of 120+ VCs, exchanges and ecosystem partners.
Portfolio Highlights
The website portfolio section is rendered by script and shows only category filters (Infrastructure, DeFi, AI, Gaming, DePin) with no company names in the page content or captions. The only third-party-confirmed investment found is Knidos, an AI-powered multi-chain digital asset fund agent that describes itself as backed by the Avalanche Foundation and X Ventures. Studio-built entities (Proof of Talk, X-Schule, Catalyst3, Polybrain) are firm-owned ventures and were not counted as portfolio investments. The site's claim of 100+ investments could not be verified from public pages, so the portfolio here is incomplete.
Team
- Zahir Dehnadi: Managing Director of Proof of Talk UG per the imprint.
- Iaad Kweider: Managing Director of Proof of Talk UG per the imprint.
- Ferdinand Le Tendre: appears as an X Ventures contact in public applications.
- Victor Blas: Venture Analyst.
- LinkedIn also lists Bahman Nedaei, Karl R., Janina Schmidt and Romain Fanucci as employees; roles were not verified.
Decision Process
Not disclosed. Ownership sits with the two managing directors of the operating company.
Founder Preferences
Operators and builders with conviction. The site repeats that XVentures backs founders who want to reshape industries and offers midnight availability, pitch rewrites and introductions.
Geographic Focus
Global Web3, with Europe (Germany, Paris) and the Gulf (Abu Dhabi) as its event and network bases.
Recent Activity and Gaps
The firm is actively running Proof of Talk Abu Dhabi (December 2026) and posted about Knidos and Frgmnt in 2026. Fund size, fund vintage, check size and a named portfolio list were not found, and the research here should be refreshed once a portfolio list is available.