Fund profile / Netherlands

Curiosity VC Fund II

Geography: Netherlands
Stage: Pre-Seed
Fund size: €17M
Focus: AI/ML, Cybersecurity, Energy Tech and Enterprise Software
Signals: Published

N°01 / About

About Curiosity VC Fund II

Curiosity VC Fund II reached a €17M first close targeting €30-40M, backing vertical applied AI at pre-seed and seed across Northern Europe. Founded in 2021 by Herman Kienhuis and Maurice Beckand Verwée, Curiosity runs a distinctive community model where portfolio founders and advisors share in carried interest. Fund I produced markers including Strise (Atomico-led Series A), Altura (Octopus-led Series A) and Dreamdata ($55M Series B). Backed by 44 private investors and the Dutch government RVO Seed Capital scheme.

N°02 / Thesis

Investment Focus

Location / RegionNetherlands

Funding StagePre-Seed

Industry Focus

AI/ML

Cybersecurity

Energy Tech

Enterprise Software

FinTech

Manufacturing

PropTech

Investor Signals Profile

active

Sweet Spot

Pre-seed/seed AI founders with deep vertical expertise, Northern Europe focus

vertical applied AI

agentic services

Northern Europe

carry-sharing community

EU AI Act

Bullish Signals

Fund I proof points: Strise (Atomico Series A), Dreamdata ($55M Series B), Altura (Octopus Series A)blog

Carry-sharing community model structurally aligns networkblog

44 private investors + Dutch government RVO backingblog

EU AI Act compliance plays directly to portfolio positioningblog

Amsterdam-based, lean 2-10 person team structure confirms lean operationsexternal

Publicly listed on VC platforms; established credibility signalexternal

Confirmed 2-10 employee footprint aligns pre-seed thesisweb_scrape

Privately held structure preserves fund independence and alignmentweb_scrape

Contrarian Signals

€30-40M target needs ruthless reserve discipline for ownershipblog

Pre-seed-heavy underwriting widens outcome varianceblog

Competing in most crowded theme in venture — vertical AIblog

Carry-sharing dilutes GP economics unless it demonstrably drives returnsblog

Founder Do's

Pitch with deep domain expertise in a specific vertical

Build AI-native software for finance, legal, real estate, energy, manufacturing, cyber

Focus on Benelux, Nordics, Baltics — selective on London, Berlin, Paris

Emphasize vertical data moat and regulatory understanding

Target pre-seed/seed with 2-10 person lean teams

Founder Don'ts

Do not pitch horizontal AI tooling or consumer plays

Do not pitch without clear vertical and industry-insider angle

Avoid if outside Northern European footprint

22 signals on Curiosity VC Fund II

8 bullish · 4 contrarian · 5 pitch do's · 3 don'ts · 2 GP profiles, each with its source. From €9/month, cancel anytime.

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Facts

Fund Overview

Fund Size€17M

Saves0

Website

People

Key People

Herman Kienhuis, Maurice Beckand Verwée

Herman KienhuisCo-founder, Managing Partner

Maurice Beckand VerwéeCo-founder

Backers

Known LPs

Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) Seed CapitalPublic / State institution

N°04 / See also

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