AI core (foundational) Investors
81 investors back AI core (foundational) startups on Startup Fountain.
Startup Fountain is a matching platform for early-stage European startups raising capital. Investors join it themselves and set out what they invest in, so a founder can ask for a warm introduction rather than send a cold email.
This page describes the investors backing AI core (foundational) startups. It is not a scraped directory — everyone counted here chose to be on the platform and can be reached through it. The figures cover all of them; the funds named further down are some of the investors on the platform.
Founders. Raising in AI core (foundational)? These are the investors you could be introduced to. See how it works.
Investors. Investing in AI core (foundational)? This is who else is active, and what they back. See how it works.
What counts as AI core (foundational)
AI core covers startups building foundational AI technology itself, models, infrastructure, and tooling, rather than companies that simply apply AI within another vertical. A healthcare company using AI internally would be classified under HealthTech, for example, this category is reserved for the underlying AI technology and infrastructure layer.
Key figures
| Investors backing AI core (foundational) startups | 81 |
|---|---|
| Joined in the last 90 days | 11 |
Among them, cheques typically run €100k – €250k–€2.5M and above and under 1% are angels.
11 of these 81 investors joined Startup Fountain in the last 90 days.
How this compares
| Typical cheque | €100k – €250k to €2.5M and above |
|---|---|
| Angel investors | <1% |
| Specialists, listing three sectors or fewer (median listed: 12) | 9.9% |
| Startups here per investor | 0.5 |
Other sectors these investors cover
Some of the funds active in AI core (foundational)
Some of the investors on the platform, with the geography and sectors they set themselves. Angels are counted above but never named.
| ASIF Ventures |
|---|
| Borski Fund |
| Bossche Investeringsfonds |
| Dutch Operator Fund |
| FounderFuel Capital |
| Graduate Ventures |
| Holland Capital |
| identity.vc |
| Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland |
| Kairos |
| Keen Venture Partners |
| LIOF |
11 more are on the platform but not shown here; the rest of the 81 counted here are reachable through the platform without being named individually.
AI core (foundational) investors by country
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Frequently asked questions
What is Startup Fountain?
- Startup Fountain is a matching platform for early-stage European startups raising capital. Founders apply once and are matched with investors who have stated they back their sector, stage and country; investors join to see startups that fit the criteria they set. Introductions are made through the platform rather than by cold outreach.
How many investors back AI core (foundational) startups on Startup Fountain?
- 81 investors have named this as something they invest in and accept introductions for it. The figure counts investors who joined the platform and set their own criteria — it does not include the wider group who only receive deal-flow updates.
What cheque sizes do investors in AI core (foundational) startups write?
- Typically €100k – €250k to €2.5M and above, taken as the median minimum and median maximum across the 81 investors counted here. Individual funds vary.
Are there angel investors backing AI core (foundational) startups?
- Yes — under 1% of the 81 investors here are angels rather than funds. They are counted in every figure on this page but are never named, since naming a fund and naming a private individual are different acts.
Why doesn't this number match the investor count on the Startup Fountain homepage?
- This page counts investors who back this specific sector and country and accept introductions through the platform for it. Separately, around 700 investors receive Startup Fountain's deal-flow updates and may reach out to a startup directly; they aren't tied to any one sector or country, so they don't appear in the figures on these pages. The two numbers measure different things and aren't meant to match.
Are these real investors, or a scraped list?
- Real, and reachable. Every investor counted here signed up to Startup Fountain and set out what they invest in themselves — scraped records are excluded from these figures entirely. A startup that passes review can request a warm introduction rather than cold-emailing them.
Are angel investors included?
- Yes, in the figures. Angels are counted alongside funds, because they are the group founders find hardest to locate anywhere else. They are never named, though: naming a fund and naming a private individual are different acts, and only some of the funds on the platform appear by name.
Can investors choose whether they're named publicly?
- Yes. Investors control their own visibility when they join Startup Fountain, and only some choose to appear by name on these pages. The rest are still counted in the figures and reachable through the platform — they're just not named.
How do I reach these investors?
- Apply as a startup. Companies that pass review are matched against the criteria each investor set, and introductions are requested through the platform — including the investors who are counted here but not named.
How current are these figures?
- They are rebuilt from the live platform data, and the date they were last refreshed is shown at the foot of this page. The counts move as startups join, finish raising, or are reviewed.
What does "AI core" mean, specifically?
- Startups building foundational AI technology, models, infrastructure, and developer tooling, as distinct from companies applying AI within a specific industry vertical.
Why isn't every AI-using startup listed under AI core?
- A company using AI to solve a problem in, say, healthcare or finance is categorized under that vertical instead, AI core is reserved for the underlying technology layer itself.
How do I connect with AI core investors on Startup Fountain?
- Apply as a startup for free, no broker fees, and get matched with vetted investors active in foundational AI.
Raising in AI core (foundational)?
Founders apply once and request warm introductions to the investors counted above, rather than cold-emailing them.
See how Startup Fountain worksAn investor yourself? See how the investor side works.
Data as of .