Herbert Ventures, a newly established venture firm based in Zurich, has launched Herbert Ventures Fund I, a €32.5 mn early-stage fund focused on pre-Seed and Seed investments across Europe.
The fund completed its first close in Q1 and has already made its first investment in DroidRun, a German startup building an MCP orchestration layer for AI agents across mobile applications.
Founding partner Ben Simon said the firm prioritises founders over market predictions. He said strong teams adjust to uncertainty and build solutions regardless of shifting conditions.
Simon co-founded Herbert Ventures in 2026 alongside Luis Huber. The firm targets DeepTech founders and serial entrepreneurs at an early stage, before broader market consensus forms. Its investment scope spans Europe, with a particular focus on the DACH region.
Simon previously co-founded VAY, an ETH spin-off later acquired by BowFlex Inc., and has invested in more than 15 startups. He holds a degree from the University of St. Gallen and is based in Zurich.
Huber has experience building and operating venture platforms. He most recently worked as senior partner at QBIT Capital, a Swiss fund focused on university spin-offs. He studied computer science and psychology and splits time between Zurich and Madrid.
Herbert Ventures says it focuses on execution rather than narratives, with fast and direct investment decisions. The fund avoids sector-specific strategies and short-term trends, instead targeting around 30 investments across early stages.
Before launching, the partners conducted more than 80 interviews with founders, investors and limited partners to test the strategy.
Feedback pointed to gaps in speed, transparency and support across early-stage investing. The firm said it structured its model as a response to those concerns.
One structural choice stands out. The fund does not reserve capital for follow-on investments. It uses a single-shot approach, aiming to remove sunk-cost bias and keep focus on helping portfolio companies reach the next stage.
Herbert Ventures invests only in teams rather than solo founders. The fund structure includes a significant general partner commitment, an 8% hurdle rate and direct reporting to limited partners.
It operates through HS Capital AG in Zurich and is structured as a Luxembourg SCSP.
