JIC Ventures Fund I

Czech Republic
Pre Seed
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About JIC Ventures Fund I

JIC Ventures is a €16.3M pre-seed/seed fund (€13M first close) targeting CEE deep tech founders in cybersecurity, space tech, semiconductors, precision instruments, and dual-use technologies. Backed by CTP, Česká spořitelna, and South Moravian Region. ~20 companies planned.

Investment Focus

Location / RegionCzech Republic
Funding StagePre Seed
Industry Focus
Cybersecurity
Deep Tech
Semiconductors
Space

Investor Signals Profile

active

Sweet Spot

CEE-based PhD or engineering founder in deep tech needing first €1M institutional check

CEE deep tech
dual-use & defense
pre-seed first check
semiconductors & space
engineering-led founders

Bullish Signals

€13M+ already closed from 40 LPs including CTP and Česká spořitelnablog
€1M first check fills real CEE funding gap; few competitors in this nicheblog
NATO spending and European sovereignty agenda create tailwinds for dual-use betsblog
20-year JIC deal flow and founder relationships institutionalized into dedicated vehicleblog
14+ portfolio companies across deep tech, biotech, SaaS, spaceexternal
Exited founders as LPs and advisors — rare alignment signalexternal
University spinoff pipeline: Masaryk, BUT, CEITEC partnerships activeexternal
Portfolio spans 14 named companies incl. GINA (50 countries, UN)website
Fast term sheet to close: weeks, not monthswebsite
Biotech bets: CasInvent, AI|ffinity, Myco — diversified deep science exposurewebsite
Lead investor role: sets pace, stays hands-onwebsite
Pre-investment mentoring available via JIC programswebsite
Aiviro AI agents: 35% cost savings — commercial traction signalwebsite

Contrarian Signals

Deep tech CEE exits historically slow; may take decade longer than expectedblog
Fund too small and Czech-anchored for founders needing pan-European scaleblog
Portfolio mix includes SaaS/logistics — thesis breadth may dilute focusexternal
Eterny, Symfio, Wereldo stretch beyond deep tech corewebsite
Pitch deck max 4MB cap — signals lean ops, not institutionalized processwebsite

Founder Do's

Be CEE-based (CZE/SVK priority) with strong technical or PhD background
Target deep tech, cybersecurity, space, nanotech, biotech or B2B SaaS
Come at pre-seed or seed — earlier and riskier = better fit
Leverage JIC ecosystem: lab access, university ties, EU grant readiness
Show global potential + path to Series A; have traction over slides

Founder Don'ts

Don't pitch B2C consumer internet or non-deep-tech plays
Don't expect US late-stage intros — wrong value-add profile
Don't come post-Series A or with heavy commercial traction — too late

Key GPs & Partners

RK
Radim Kocourek
Managing Partner
ex-founderhands-onthesis-driven
MS
Miloš Sochor
Managing Partner
ex-bankerradical-transparencyexit-focused
Milan Šimek
Fund Advisor (SW/HW)
ex-founderSW/HW
MP
Marek Polčák
Fund Advisor (Space/Dual-use)
ex-founderspacedual-use
LM
Lukáš Maňásek
Fund Advisor (B2B Sales)
operatorB2B-sales
MZ
Martin Zadražil
Fund Advisor (Nanotech/HW/SW)
deep-technanotech
OK
Ondřej Krajíček
Fund Advisor (HW/SW)
operatorprecision-instruments
JN
Jan Neuman
Fund Advisor (SW) & Portfolio Founder
ex-foundernanotech
Juraj Šabatka
Fund Advisor (SW)
ex-founder
KO
Karel Obluk
Fund Advisor (Cybersecurity)
cybersecurityoperator

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Fund Overview

Fund Size€16.3M
Saves0

Key People

Radim Kocourek, Miloš Sochor

Radim KocourekManaging Partner
Miloš SochorManaging Partner
Milan ŠimekFund Advisor (SW/HW)
Marek PolčákFund Advisor (Space/Dual-use)
Lukáš MaňásekFund Advisor (B2B Sales)
Martin ZadražilFund Advisor (Nanotech/HW/SW)
Ondřej KrajíčekFund Advisor (HW/SW)
Jan NeumanFund Advisor (SW) & Portfolio Founder
Juraj ŠabatkaFund Advisor (SW)
Karel OblukFund Advisor (Cybersecurity)

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