Hummingbird Ventures is an Antwerp-founded, London-based venture capital firm that backs unconventional founders globally. Founded in 2012, the firm is known for its contrarian thesis of backing misfit entrepreneurs who operate outside conventional business norms, with early bets on companies including Kraken and Lovable.
Hummingbird invests in founders who are, in the firm's own words, truly misfits and anomalies who have built their own theory of the world. Sector-agnostic in approach, the firm has concentrated historically in consumer tech, crypto and Web3, and AI applications.
The firm backs founders globally with a particular eye for operators in markets underserved by Bay Area capital, believing that unconventional founders can emerge anywhere.
Hummingbird announced $800 million in new funds in March 2026, oversubscribed and closed within a week. The capital includes the firm's first-ever growth fund at approximately $600 million, plus $200 million for earlier-stage investments.
The raise brings Hummingbird's total assets under management to nearly $2 billion. The growth fund marks a deliberate strategic expansion, enabling the firm to back more mature companies and address a structural gap in European late-stage capital, where many scaling companies currently rely on US-based investors to access their next funding rounds.
Leadership
Barend Van den Brande is the founder of Hummingbird Ventures. He leads the firm's vision of backing rule-breaking founders globally, drawing on its Belgian and UK roots. Firat Ileri is Managing Partner and leads investment activities, focusing on identifying founders who challenge conventional wisdom and build from first principles rather than following market consensus.
Investment Strategy
Hummingbird operates without sector constraints, building conviction in founder vision over market maps. The firm writes early checks when others have not yet formed a thesis and has historically led rounds in its most convicting bets. With the new growth fund, it is expanding to support portfolio companies further into their journeys and lead larger rounds. The recent $220 million round it led in Olix illustrates its appetite for backing technically complex, capital-intensive companies at scale.
Notable Investments
Hummingbird's portfolio includes prominent names across crypto, AI, and consumer tech:
Other
Hummingbird was founded in Antwerp and retains Belgian roots despite its London headquarters. Its global mandate means it actively sources in markets typically overlooked by Bay Area VC, particularly in emerging innovation hubs across Europe and beyond. The first growth fund directly addresses a gap the firm has observed in its own portfolio, where strong companies at Series C and beyond often face limited European growth-stage options.
United Kingdom
