Team Scaleup launches to close Europe’s post-Seed funding gap

Today sees the launch of a new venture targeting Europe's scaleup gap. Europe is losing too many of its most promising companies in the critical growth phase after seed funding; only one in four ever graduates to a Series A round. 

In response, Team Scaleup, a newly launched platform, is building a bespoke accelerator that tailors its programme to each company's specific gaps, stage, and potential.

Behind the initiative are Stella Futura co-founders Jonas Jonsson and Ulrika Tornerefelt – together with CEO Siavash Habibi, whose background includes McKinsey and European scaleup TechBuddy. Dahlgren Capital joins as a strategic investor and co-owner, and Oskar Gillström, CEO of Epicenter, is also an investor in the company. Team

Scaleup is now launching its first cohort in Sweden, where a select group of growth-stage companies will work closely with the platform to strengthen their structure, strategy and capital readiness ahead of their next funding round.

According to Siavash Habibi, CEO and co-founder of Team Scaleup, Europe has become very good at supporting early-stage companies. 

“But when it's time to raise larger rounds and scale internationally, the support drops off sharply – just as investor demands increase. That's where many companies lose momentum.”

"Scaling a company requires a fundamentally different kind of support than starting one – the right legal framework, the right technology, and a deep understanding of what investors are actually looking for. Most founders don't have the time or experience to navigate everything that's required at this stage. We identify the gaps and bring in the right expertise at the right moment, so that more European companies can grow globally from home,"  says Siavash Habibi.

Despite a strong startup ecosystem, many growth-stage companies lack the structures and processes required to attract institutional investment.

The result is often prolonged, inefficient fundraising, or companies relocating abroad to find the right support. Team Scaleup focuses specifically on this transition, where companies need to become investment-ready quickly to take the next step. The platform combines a proprietary AI-driven analysis engine with a network of operational experts, entrepreneurs and investors.

By assessing a company's structure, strategy, and capital readiness, it identifies gaps to address ahead of the next funding round or expansion phase. This enables tailored programmes for each company, with relevant experts brought in to work alongside the founders for a defined period.

Lead image: Jonas Jonsson, Siavash Habibi, and Ulrika Tornerefelt. Photo: uncredited.