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Levin Bunz
Levin Bunz is a Partner at Heartcore Capital, a venture capital firm based in Berlin, Germany.1 He has been in this role since January 2019, focusing on investing at the intersection of technology and human aspiration, primarily in pre-seed and seed-stage startups.1
Key Responsibilities and Investments
Bunz is actively involved in various aspects of venture capital:
- Board Memberships: He serves on the boards of several companies, including Kive, Scapin', FORMEL Skin, finn.auto, and Kenbi.1
- Investment Portfolio: Bunz has made investments in notable companies such as Anyfin, HeyJobs, and Canva.13
- Investment Range: Typically, his investments range from $50K to $5.0M, with a sweet spot around $5.0M.3
Expertise and Focus Areas
Bunz has demonstrated expertise in various sectors:
- Consumer Technology: He co-authored the Heartcore Consumer Technology Trends Report 2022.4
- AI and Productivity: In 2023, Bunz contributed to Heartcore Capital's AI & Productivity Report.2
- Sector Rankings: He is recognized in rankings for TransportationTech, Marketplaces, Consumer Internet, and DeepTech across various funding stages.3
Professional Network
Bunz is well-connected in the venture capital ecosystem:
- He has over 500 connections on LinkedIn.1
- Collaborates with other investors such as Angelo Panu, Maht Goepel, and Björn Nilsen.3
As a Partner at Heartcore Capital, Levin Bunz plays a significant role in shaping the firm's investment strategy and supporting innovative startups in the European tech ecosystem.
Highlights
I sat down with Nina and Gründerszene to talk about how we at Heartcore think about new investments. The article is in German and behind a G+ subscription, so here are a few of the essential - if perhaps not only surprising - points:
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As an early stage investor, you need to invest in markets that can still be relevant in 20 years. If I invest in a company today, I assume a great exit to come in 15 years at the earliest. And in order for such an exit to materialize, the company still has to solve a substantial problem then.
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At Heartcore, we invest in “big technology transformation, big trends, big problem areas.” What exactly that is changes over time. --> Like in our earlier funds we invest no matter whether you are currently selling b2b, b2c or else. We see that the distribution models often change over time and are in itself not "why" a company becomes successful, just the "how".
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“Every Heartcore investor has at least one investment theme that he or she is deeply concerned with over a longer period of time.” --> Usually that person will lead or will be looped into the conversation with the teams building in the respective space
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One advice especially for founders: don't just take me and other VCs at their word. Do your due diligence on the fund and the individuals there. "Ultimately, as a founder you want investors who will show up when times are tough. The tough times will come, inevitably. But with a good founder-investor relationship they are much easier to bear."
The team at FINN are leading the transition to EV mobility and have just announced a large Series C to super-charge their growth. Congratulations to Maximilian, Jürgen, Max, Karen, Nikolai, Andreas and the rest of the fine people at FINN! Your leadership, execution and vision for your market and customers have impressed me. According to Crunchbase data this funding round is only one of nine €100M+ rounds in Germany in 2023. This should tell you more about FINN, than the funding environment right now 🚀 🚀
It has been a remarkably fast journey to product / market fit and scale since we invested in their Seed in 2019. Companies and individual customers alike have been choosing an all inclusive car mobility solution over ownership at an increasing rate.
Great to have you join the board Nathan Medlock from Planet First Partners and looking forward to a continued productive work with you Nicholas, Rainer, Antoine and Robin. Onwards.
