ANTWERP – February 29th, 2024. Birdhouse Ventures, an early-stage investment fund focused on European startups that have completed the Birdhouse accelerator program, is excited to announce the addition of Vincent Jocquet to its partnership and its aim to further expand its fund size to at least EUR 25 million.
Jan-Willem Callebaut, CEO of Birdhouse “It has been a great first year for Birdhouse Ventures. With our first 18 cohort investments and 4 follow-on investments under the belt, we are now ready to take it to the next level. We are very happy to welcome Vincent to the team and have already hit the ground running due to our long-standing cooperation in his role as mentor and venture partner.”
Birdhouse Ventures welcomes Vincent Jocquet as managing partner
One year after its inception, Birdhouse Ventures welcomes Vincent Jocquet as managing partner to join the partnership alongside Alexandra Buekens, Jan-Willem Callebaut and Pablo Oeyen. Vincent started his career by researching venture capital backed startups and amassed an extensive background in corporate finance. For the last decade he has been instrumental as CFO in various startups that have expanded globally, realizing over EUR 70 million in funding.
"I am excited to leverage the insights and experience I have gained as part of several startup leadership teams to support and actively invest in the founders that will shape our future." adds Vincent Jocquet
As mentor, Vincent has been part of the Birdhouse network for over 5 years, providing hands-on financial insights to the program and hosting its in-depth finance week.
“Vincent has been a partner to various founders through their entrepreneurial journeys, building both software as hardware products, which equips him with a unique understanding of what it takes to realize growth within these companies and at the same time realize what is necessary to lock in the right amount of funding and investors.” highlights Frank Claassen, chair of Birdhouse Ventures’ investment committee and managing partner of Newion.
Expansion of fund size
In line with its vision to foster innovation and entrepreneurship, Birdhouse Ventures is aiming to further increase its fund size to at least EUR 25 million to invest in startups. During its first close, Birdhouse got the trust of over 50 business angels and 4 Belgian institutional investors and is focused on broadening this group
Raising its size proves the fund’s commitment to providing substantial support to promising startups and to broadening its network of seasoned entrepreneurs and executives to provide hands-on knowledge.
Accelerate and invest
Celebrating its first anniversary, Birdhouse Ventures has backed 18 companies that recently followed the Birdhouse accelerator program and completed 4 follow-on investments in alumni companies that have been accelerated before launching the fund. These investments reflect the company’s strategic approach to driving innovation and economic growth forward, with a focus on technology-enabled startups from Belgium and AgeTech companies based in Europe.
Since launching the fund, Birdhouse has significantly enhanced its accelerator program. The revamped program now offers a more concentrated and rigorous approach, emphasizing the preparation of startups for investor readiness by challenging and validating their product-market fit.
Selected startups are granted a convertible loan of EUR 75,000 and participate in an intensive 12-week program. This program features a series of workshops and testimonials and provides startups with invaluable exposure to industry leaders through mentorship and a customized advisory board tailored to their specific needs.
“The ability to follow the journey of the selected startups from their pitch at the jury all the way through the acceleration program offers a unique advantage for the fund to double down on its initial investment” comments Vincent Jocquet.
Its most recent investment was in BubblyDoo, a startup that brings smiles to children’s faces by creating personalized written adventures combined with their own favorite characters, who EUR 400,000 in follow-on financing. Birdhouse Ventures’ ticket sizes range from EUR 75,000 up to EUR 1,5 million.
The upcoming cohort is set to start in April.
