
NEW INVESTMENT: Cardino Secures €1M Pre-seed Funding to Build the Marketplace for Used Electric Cars
Berlin-based startup, Cardino, announces its new online platform tailored for the electric vehicle (EV) market. By leveraging innovative tech features, Cardino promises a seamless, digital experience for both EV sellers and car dealerships. The company successfully closed a €1M pre-seed round, with Silence VC and FJ Labs leading, and involvement from distinguished investors like Asymmetric Capital Partners, DEPO Ventures, Voyagers.io, Inclimo, Gaingels, and other industry experts as business angels.

Our Portfolio Company BLOCKMATE Secures 1.5 million Euro Investment! DEPO Is on Board as a Follow-on
Providing analytical insights into the world of digital assets and becoming a bridge between the cryptocurrency and traditional finance worlds is the goal of the Czech-Slovak startup Blockmate. They are developing a new generation of solutions for secure and consolidated financial services. They have now secured an investment totaling 1.5 million euros (approximately 36 million Czech korunas) from seven investors. The largest portion, amounting to 760,000 euros, will come from Seed Starter of Česká a Slovenská spořitelna. Among other investors are investment funds Tensor Ventures, DEPO Ventures, Token Ventures, BADideas.fund, ZAKA Ventures, and Diaspora Ventures. This investment marks a significant milestone for the company, enabling them to continue connecting cryptocurrencies, digital assets, and traditional finance.

Autumn Conference to Welcome European Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors to Prague
The Czech startup environment is gaining momentum, as evidenced by the international investment conference Engaged Investments, which, due to high demand, will offer a two-day program for the first time this year. Organizers expect three hundred participants. The prestigious event in Prague will bring together angel investors, fund investors, and representatives of venture capital funds, primarily focusing on startups from Central and Eastern Europe. The exclusive event, organized for the fifth year by the investment group DEPO Ventures, will provide investors with a deeper insight into the world of startups, expand their knowledge, and help strengthen their collaboration. The conference will take place on October 24th and 25th at the Kaiserštejnský Palace in Prague's Malá Strana.

Why investing in startups could be the key to success during an economic downturn
During market downturns, the best investment opportunities arise. This applies to both stocks and investing in technological startups. In times of crisis and high inflation, leaving money lying in accounts is not advisable. Those who start investing now will have greater profits in the future.

KB SmartSolutions launches cooperation with DEPO Ventures
Banks and financial technology start-ups (in other words fintechs) represent two different worlds. They have different DNA, speak the different language, and the partnership between them may not be easy. However, it can bring many benefits. Not only for both parties involved, but mainly for the client. KB SmartSolutions, the member of the Komerční banka Group, and the investment company DEPO Ventures currently launch their cooperation. Its main goal is the search for promising start-ups, mainly thanks to the expansion of the joint field of activity. Start-ups with smart solutions that could potentially complement the current portfolio of Komerční banka, under the wings of KB SmartSolutions, will be searched for not only in the Czech Republic, but also beyond its borders, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. The partners also want to jointly support the local start-up ecosystem and strengthen the position of start-ups in the region. Mutual support will also take place in the areas of sponsorship and networking.

What do the results of the survey say about Business Angels in the Czech Republic?
Although angel investing is not yet widespread in the Czech Republic, Czechs are still among the most skilled investors in startups. Their strategies have generally been successful so far. Almost nine out of ten investors were able to make a profit on their investment, with nearly 12% making more than ten times their investment. Two-fifths of investors consider investing in startups more profitable than other forms of investment. These are the findings of a survey conducted by investment group DEPO Ventures, which is building a unique syndicate of angel investors in addition to angel funds. The survey was also conducted in partnership with the law firm Havel & Partners and the agency CzechInvest. The aim of this fourth annual survey was to map the environment of angel investing in the Czech Republic.

Take Your Startup Investing to the Next Level with the Angel Masterclass
Are you ready to take your startup investing to the next level? If you're an aspiring investor who wants to learn how to assess investment opportunities, negotiate terms, and structure deals like a pro, then the Angel Masterclass might just be what you need.

RINGIL Advanced In The Digitalization Of Logistics, And This Year They'll Test The American Market
André Dravecký set out on a complex mission more than two years ago. He founded the startup Ringil and began building a modular logistics platform with the goal of digitalizing the transportation of goods as much as possible. "In many companies, logistics still relies only on paper and pencil. When I talk to investors, they often don't believe me, but it's true. And we want to change that," says Dravecký. Read more about his plans.

DEPO Latest News | October 2022
As we approach the end of the year, we wanted to take a moment to thank all our investors, co-investors, partners, founders and others for your support and engagement. It has been an exciting and eventful year for DEPO. We have achieved many milestones and reached some important goals with 12 investments as DEPO Ventures and 7 syndicates as DEPO Angels. We continue and aim higher with the third €20 million fund for another 40 early-stage startups from the CEE region and Baltics. Take a look at our investments for the last quarter.

Tapline, a digital finance platform has announced a pre-seed funding of €31.7 million euro
Fasanara Capital, the UK-based alternative asset management company, is providing debt funding of €30m. The €1.7m equity round is led by the Czech VC firm, V-Sharp Venture Studio, alongside Antler, Black Pearls VC, 365 fintech, Depo Ventures, Impetus Capital, and several business angels investing in the round. The funding will allow the Berlin-based team to tap into the exponentially growing SaaS market, where global transaction volumes are set to reach €720 billion in 2028. The investment will also be used to enhance the Tapline solution and hire key individuals around marketing and product.