Cloudberry Ventures, a firm founded by former Google executive and X (formerly Google X) advisor Mahir Sahin, has launched a €50 million fund targeting early-stage deep tech companies across Europe.
The fund will focus on Seed to Series A investments, typically ranging from €1 to €2 million, supporting technologies that address structural limitations in AI, computing, and industrial systems.
What The Company Does
Cloudberry Ventures invests in DeepTech startups developing foundational technologies across industrial, compute, and financial infrastructure. Its strategy centers on backing companies with defensible intellectual property, including patented hardware and data-driven software systems that underpin critical economic functions.
The fund focuses on three primary areas: industrial infrastructure, including advanced materials, energy systems, and autonomous manufacturing; compute infrastructure, such as next-generation memory, quantum technologies, photonics, and edge AI; and financial infrastructure, including blockchain-based settlement systems and digital assets, supporting scalable and resilient innovation across key sectors.
Cloudberry has already deployed capital from the new fund, including an investment in Xavveo, a Berlin-based company developing advanced photonics radar systems for robotics applications.
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Market Context / Industry Background
The launch of the fund reflects growing concerns about the sustainability of current AI development trajectories. While software capabilities continue to advance rapidly, the physical infrastructure that supports them (such as semiconductors, energy systems, and advanced materials) is facing increasing pressure and slower scalability, creating structural limitations.
Mahir Sahin has highlighted the imbalance between the exponential growth of digital systems and the linear pace of physical supply chains. This mismatch is already creating bottlenecks in cloud computing and broader technology ecosystems, limiting how quickly new AI solutions can be deployed, scaled, and efficiently maintained over time.
At the same time, Europe continues to generate strong scientific research and valuable intellectual property but often struggles to translate these into globally competitive companies. Early-stage DeepTech ventures typically require longer development cycles, higher capital intensity, and more specialized support, which traditional venture capital models do not always fully provide or prioritize effectively.
Founder / Investor Commentary
Sahin emphasized that the long-term viability of AI depends on continued investment in the physical technologies that support it. He noted that without advances in areas such as materials and compute infrastructure, progress in AI could slow as systems approach existing limits.
He also pointed to challenges in the European investment landscape, arguing that undervaluation of DeepTech assets has led to external investors acquiring intellectual property at relatively low valuations and relocating it abroad.
Julia Holze, Venture Partner at Cloudberry Ventures, highlighted the need for a different investment approach in DeepTech. She noted that scientific founders often require support beyond capital, including operational expertise and systems-level thinking to translate research into scalable businesses.
Growth Plans / Use Of Funds
The €50 million fund will be deployed across early-stage DeepTech companies globally, with a particular focus on European innovation. Cloudberry aims to provide long-term capital and hands-on support to help companies navigate extended development timelines and complex commercialization pathways.
The firm’s previous investment vehicle, Cloudberry Pioneer Investments, reported strong early performance, supporting companies such as Quantum Brilliance, which is developing quantum computing production capabilities.
With the new fund, Cloudberry plans to expand its portfolio across sectors where technological constraints are most pronounced, including computing infrastructure, advanced materials, and financial systems.
About Cloudberry Ventures
Cloudberry Ventures is a London-based venture capital firm focused on DeepTech investments. Founded by Mahir Sahin, the firm backs early-stage companies developing technologies in industrial, compute, and financial infrastructure. Its mission is to support the development and commercialization of foundational innovations that address critical challenges in science and technology while strengthening Europe’s position in global DeepTech ecosystems.
