A significant part of the 2022 investments of Startup Wise Guys', one of the world’s top accelerators, went to Estonian and Ukrainian companies
Photo: Startup Wise Guys' team
In 2022, a study conducted by the Financial Times' startup news and analysis outlet Sifted, Startup Wise Guys was included among the world's top five accelerators. Last year, Startup Wise Guys invested 8.5 million euros - a third more than the previous year. More than 120 companies from around the world received the investment, with founders from China to Mexico. The largest part of new investments went to Ukrainian and Estonian companies, totaling more than 10%.
More than a quarter of the startups that Startup Wise Guys invested in operate in fintech and cyber security, with sustainability also an important area of interest (16%). Last year, 6 startups from Estonia and 8 from Ukraine were added to Startup Wise Guys' portfolio. "Ukrainian companies showed great performance and growth last year, standing out with significant amounts of investment raised and a strong revenue base," commented Herty Tammo, co-founder of Startup Wise Guys.
Operating alongside the world's top accelerators such as Y Combinator, Techstars, Plug and Play and Entrepreneur First, the Estonian Startup Wise Guys' 375 portfolio companies employ a total of over 3,200 people. A significant share (31%) of the investments made in 2022 went to startups with female founders or managers. This indicator has consistently increased year after year and more than doubled in 2022. Diversity is an important priority for Startup Wise Guys, which is also reflected in the company's own team which includes people from more than 20 nationalities.
Startup Wise Guys' portfolio companies raised a total of nearly 200 million euros last year. Among the investors are some of the world's best-known names such as Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Accel, Lead Ventures, Index Ventures, Northzone and AV8 Ventures, which shows the increased interest of top investors in Estonia and the nearby region.
"Startup companies from this region have once again proven their resilience and ability to survive and succeed in difficult times. Only a tiny fraction of the startups in our portfolio went out of business last year. On the contrary - markets that have traditionally been unattractive to top players in the investment world have now broken through and are on the rise," said Herty Tammo, co-founder of Startup Wise Guys.
In 2023, Startup Wise Guys, which invests money from more than 150 investors, also plans to invest in at least 100 new startups in pre-seed and seed stages. The company typically invests up to 500,000 euros per startup through various funds that manage a total of 45 million euros. Within two years, Startup Wise Guys plans to increase the volume of its funds to 100 million euros.
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Photo credit: Denis Shlenduhhov/ Unsplash; SWG