The Istanbul-based Metis Ventures has entered CEE to invest in 8-10 startups within the next 12 months. Its ticket is up to €3 million for AI-based startups in cybersecurity, finTech, climate tech, and digital health. The fund also appointed Mircea Ghita, SeedBlink’s ex-Country Manager in Romania, to lead their CEE expansion, the Recursive reported.

About Metis Ventures:

  • Metis Ventures is a data-driven early-stage investment platform focusing on Central Eastern Europe, the Baltics, and Turkey. The team behind Metis Ventures has been investing in tech companies for over a decade and deployed $2 billion in public and private markets in total.
  • Since 2020, the team has been investing together through three early-stage funds: TechOne Ventures, LogoVentures, and TwoZero Ventures. These funds are backed by private investors. In 2024, the team gathered its efforts under Metis Ventures.
  • Their portfolio contains more than 55 companies across 27 countries, co-investing with over 100 global investors. They invested in Miros AI, Quin AI, Brand Defense, Kamion, Getmobil, and Cognitive, among others. Within 4 years, the portfolio has realized 4 exits, including BluTV’s acquisition by Warner Bros and Tridi’s acquisition by Xeometry.

Plans of Metis Ventures for the CEE:

Metis Ventures aims to focuses on 5 key AI-enabled areas:

  • AI apps driving productivity;
  • cybersecurity;
  • fintech;
  • climatetech;
  • digital health.

To lead their CEE entering, Metis Ventures has recruited Mircea Ghita, SeedBlink’s ex-Country Manager in Romania. Ghita has been working in the startup investing field since 2018, and worked at Amsterdam-based VC henQ.

Image by SeedBlink:
Mircea Ghita, SeedBlink’s ex-Country Manager in Romania, newly appointed Principal at Metis Ventures

I joined Metis Ventures because I believe that together with this team we can achieve great things. I was drawn to the challenge of expanding and leading our presence in CEE and supporting the best tech entrepreneurs firsthand. My role will be to find top founders to partner with and support while establishing Metis Ventures as the top choice for early-stage rounds in CEE. We invest in entrepreneurs who are fun to work with, are on their way to dominating or creating their markets and who we can genuinely help, — says Mircea Ghita, the newly appointed Principal for CEE at Metis Ventures.

In addition, the fund will target seed and late-seed (early Series A) stages, with initial investments ranging from €500,000 to €3 million. Half of their funds are reserved for follow-on rounds to ensure continued support for portfolio companies.In CEE, the firm is looking to make 8-10 investments in 1 year.