Pitchdrive is an Antwerp-based pre-seed and seed venture firm founded in 2020 by Belgian entrepreneurs Boris Bogaert, Wim Derkinderen, Koen Christiaens, Lorenz Bogaert, and Toon Coppens, with Jonas Dhaenens — founder of European unicorn team.blue — serving as co-founder and board chair. The firm describes its model as "Co-founder Capital": a 100% entrepreneur-backed fund where the investors are themselves operators who have already built and scaled companies, offering founders hands-on partnership from day one rather than passive capital.
Pitchdrive backs AI-native and AI-enabled founders at pre-seed and seed across B2B software, consumer, marketplaces, and software-defined hardware.
For Fund IV, the firm focuses on three areas: AI-native products (vertical AI, developer infrastructure, agent platforms); AI-enabled categories (consumer, commerce, content, and marketplaces where AI unlocks new unit economics); and software-defined physical companies (hardware, robotics, and mobility where AI sits in the design or operations).
The firm explicitly avoids pure model labs, "AI for X" projects lacking genuine data or operational advantages, and companies using AI as a funding narrative rather than a core business foundation.
The firm is Europe-focused with selective global reach.
Pitchdrive Fund IV closed oversubscribed at ~$66M USD (€60M) in June 2026, fully privately backed with no government or institutional capital, all LPs are entrepreneurs and family offices.
The fund will back 25–30 companies with initial checks of ~$275K–$2.2M USD (€250K–€2M), with an average check of ~$825K–$1.1M USD (€750K–€1M) reflecting the larger pre-seed rounds now required for AI-native companies.
Fund IV made its first US investment alongside the close: a $10M seed round in ZeroDrift, a New York-based compliance AI startup, co-invested with a16z Speedrun.
Leadership
Boris Bogaert is Co-Founder and Managing Partner.
Koen Christiaens is Co-Founder and Managing Partner, formerly of Rydoo.
Wim Derkinderen is Co-Founder and Managing Partner.
Jonas Dhaenens is Co-Founder and Board Chair, founder of team.blue, Europe's largest domain and web hosting group and a unicorn.
Lorenz Bogaert is Co-Founder and Board Member, co-founder of Netlog/Twoo and StarApps.
Toon Coppens is Co-Founder, also from Netlog/Twoo and StarApps.
Bart Swanson is an operator partner with prior experience at Zoom and Horizon Ventures. Emily Kegels and Alexine Capiau serve as Partners.
Investment Strategy
Pitchdrive invests at pre-seed and seed with an average check now ranging from ~$800K-$1M investing in 25–30 companies per fund.
The firm's deliberate fund size cap, turning away over-subscribed capital to stay at €60M, reflects a philosophy that hands-on co-founder involvement is incompatible with portfolios of 50+ companies. Roughly 70% of portfolio companies raise follow-on funding within two years.
The firm reviews more than 500 pitch decks per month. The flywheel model means successful portfolio founders cycle back as mentors and LPs, compounding the operator network over time.
Notable Investments
Boris Bogaert — Co-Founder & Managing Partner
boris@pitchdrive.com
Koen Christiaens — Co-Founder & Managing Partner
koen@pitchdrive.com
Emily Kegels — Partner
emily@pitchdrive.com
Wim Derkinderen — Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Jonas Dhaenens — Co-Founder & Board Chair
Lorenz Bogaert — Co-Founder & Board Member
Belgium
