Flashpoint Venture Capital announces US$102 million close of its VCIII fund

Flashpoint Venture Capital, an international technology investment firm that manages equity and debt funds that are focused on global Series A tech startups originating in Emerging Europe and Israel, announces that Széchenyi Funds signed up for a commitment of US$20 million in Flashpoint’s VCIII fund becoming Flashpoint’s first institutional limited partner.

While Széchenyi Funds’ focus is on financial institutions, large corporates, and more mature SMEs, it provides start-ups with “smart money” through domestic incubators and accelerators and especially through fund of funds investments.

Michael Szalontay, co-founder and General Partner at Flashpoint commented: “We are delighted to reach our initial goal of over US$100m in commitments for our VC III fund despite the extremely challenging backdrop for fundraising. Being a Hungarian, I am especially proud that our first institutional investor is from Hungary as we are pursuing a shared mission in developing the venture capital ecosystem in Hungary and the Carpathian basin.”

Alexander Konoplyasty, co-founder, General Partner at Flashpoint, and the Managing Partner for Flashpoint VC III said: “We have a tailored strategy to invest in b2b software companies in Western markets where we are particularly focussing on founders who originate from Emerging Europe and Israel. 1/5th of Western unicorns were founded by expats from Eastern Europe and Israel – they are much more cost-efficient than an average U.S. start-up and there is tremendous pent-up demand for capital among them. We, therefore, bring a strong cultural fit, a wide business network and we look forward to equipping our founders for the next phases in their development.”

Dénes Jobbágy, CEO and president of Széchenyi Funds added: “We know from experience that Emerging Europe talent and professional investment is a highly efficient combination. Especially so in the following years when increasing cost efficiencies through technology will be more important than ever before.”