London-based investor Carles Reina — known for early bets on Revolut and ElevenLabs — has launched Baobab Ventures, a €12.9 million ($15M) solo-GP fund focused on pre-seed and seed startups in AI, robotics, and defence technology.
The fund closed oversubscribed in a single raise, backed by Cendana Capital, Isomer Capital, RSJ Investments, Emergence Ventures, Cyber Fund, and a roster of notable operators and angel investors, including Mario Götze and Dr. Fatima Godall.
A New Operator-Led Model For Europe’s DeepTech Landscape
Reina says founders today are building companies in an environment defined by fast-moving markets, short sales cycles, heavy competition, and collapsing cold outreach effectiveness.
“Founders need operator experience from the AI era — real frontline GTM, growth, and distribution knowledge. That gap is wide open in Europe, and Baobab intends to fill it,” he said.
The fund arrives as European DeepTech sees renewed momentum. Recent major fund announcements include C4 Ventures (€100M for AI/robotics) and Expeditions (€100M+ for cybersecurity, quantum, and defence). Meanwhile, robotics and Physical-AI startups like mimic (€13.8M), Sunrise Robotics (€7.3M), Energy Robotics (€11.5M), and Adaptronics (€3.15M) have collectively contributed to over €235M invested across the sector in 2025.
Against this backdrop, Baobab Ventures stands out for its high-conviction, early-stage focus and its operator-led approach.
Advertisement
Backing Founders With Global GTM Expertise
Reina emphasises that speed is critical in modern company-building:
- enterprise deals can now close in under 60 days
- product-led growth blends into sales-led expansion
- teams must hit “momentum velocity” early to survive
Drawing on his experience scaling GTM at ElevenLabs — from first investor to fourth hire — Carles Reina brings direct operational support. ElevenLabs has since reached €172 million ($200M+) ARR and expanded across the US, Europe, and Asia under his GTM leadership.
Since 2017, Reina has backed 74 startups across FinTech, AI, robotics, and frontier tech, including Revolut, Vsim, Happyrobot, Praktika AI, Praxipal, and Theker Robotics.
Investing Globally With a Sharp Thesis
Baobab Ventures will write initial cheques of €259–302k ($300–350k), deploying half of the fund in Europe and the rest across the US and other global markets.
The fund aims to help founders rapidly build GTM foundations, refine product strategy, hire critical early talent, and accelerate customer acquisition.
About Baobab Ventures
Baobab Ventures is an operator-led DeepTech fund investing in pre-seed and seed startups across AI, robotics, and defence. With hands-on GTM, product, and operational support, Baobab helps founders build momentum early and scale breakthrough technologies into globally competitive companies.
