Skybound launches with $38M to back early deeptech founders

Skybound Venture Capital has announced the launch of its founder-led venture capital fund focused on deeptech startups, securing a $38 million oversubscribed first close anchored by the European Investment Fund.

Based in Athens, Skybound was founded by Thaleia Misailidou, who previously worked at Marathon Venture Capital and has been active in the Greek deeptech ecosystem, alongside George Varvarelis, co-founder of Augmenta, which was acquired by CNH Industrial.

Skybound invests in pre-seed and seed-stage companies developing technically complex software and hardware across areas including infrastructure, advanced computing, bioengineering and frontier technologies. The fund plans to write initial cheques ranging from $500,000 to $2 million while maintaining a concentrated portfolio strategy with significant follow-on reserves for selected companies.

Skybound describes its investment approach as founder-led and operationally focused, targeting companies building defensible technologies with long-term industrial and societal impact, with the aim of supporting founders from the earliest stages of company formation.

Commenting on the launch, Thaleia Misailidou said the team’s experience as both founders and investors shapes Skybound’s focus on backing technically ambitious founders developing original technologies before broader market adoption.

Europe doesn't need another passive fund, it needs investors who understand the grind, move at founder pace, and go all-in when they believe. We back founders with a massive chip on their shoulder. The ones obsessed with atoms, not just bits,

added George Varvarelis.

The fund’s first investment was in Neurosoft Bioelectronics, a company developing scalable and minimally invasive brain-computer interfaces. According to Skybound, the investment reflects the fund’s focus on technically complex companies combining scientific research with scalable commercial applications.

Looking ahead, Skybound plans to focus on founders developing technologies that could reshape industries over the coming decade, particularly across deeptech and frontier technology sectors.