Key Takeaways
- • Herbert Ventures officially launched Herbert Ventures Fund I with CHF 30 million (approximately €32.5 million) in committed capital, completing its first close in Q1 2026 and making its initial investment.
- • The fund targets approximately 30 investments at pre-seed and seed stages with geographic focus on the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), operating on an industry-agnostic investment thesis to avoid thematic hype cycles.
- • Co-founders Ben Simon (Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, former COO of VAY, an ETH spin-off acquired by BowFlex) and Luis Huber (former Senior Partner at QBIT Capital) validated their strategy through over 80 structured interviews with founders, entrepreneurs, LPs, and angels before launch.
- • Herbert's distinctive structural feature is the absence of reserved follow-on capital, eliminating sunk-cost bias and ensuring post-investment focus remains solely on supporting portfolio companies to reach the next funding stage.
- • The fund positioning directly addresses identified market gaps: early-stage investors frequently underdeliver on speed, transparency, and operational support—core pillars of Herbert's stated value proposition.
Summary
Zurich-based Herbert Ventures has officially launched Herbert Ventures Fund I, a CHF 30 million early-stage venture capital vehicle focused on pre-seed and seed-stage investments across Europe. The fund achieved its first close during Q1 2026 and has already deployed capital into its inaugural investment, signaling operational momentum in a competitive early-stage funding landscape dominated by larger, generalist platforms.
The fund is managed by Ben Simon and Luis Huber, whose professional backgrounds represent a deliberate pairing of operational and institutional venture experience. Simon brings company-building credibility as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Technology honoree and former COO of VAY, an ETH Zurich spin-off that was successfully acquired by BowFlex Inc. He has developed angel investment experience across 15+ startups and multiple venture funds. Huber contributes institutional venture capital expertise developed through multiple European fund structures, most recently as Senior Partner at QBIT Capital, a Swiss vehicle specializing in university spin-offs. Both partners are based in Zurich, with Huber maintaining an additional base in Madrid.
Prior to launch, the founders conducted over 80 structured interviews with founders, exited entrepreneurs, limited partners, and angel investors to validate their strategic approach. The consistent feedback revealed a market gap: early-stage funds frequently fall short on execution speed, transparency in decision-making, and meaningful operational support for portfolio companies. Herbert's fund structure and investment thesis were explicitly designed to address these identified shortcomings.
The fund targets approximately 30 investments at pre-seed and seed stage with primary focus on the DACH region. A defining structural choice differentiates Herbert from traditional fund models: the vehicle reserves no capital for follow-on investments. This single-shot approach eliminates sunk-cost bias in subsequent financing decisions and ensures that post-investment value creation remains the sole objective, with no capital constraints incentivizing follow-on dilution or maintenance of underperforming positions. The fund operates on an intentionally industry-agnostic investment thesis, avoiding thematic concentration and short-term trend chasing.
The fund is managed by Ben Simon and Luis Huber, whose professional backgrounds represent a deliberate pairing of operational and institutional venture experience. Simon brings company-building credibility as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Technology honoree and former COO of VAY, an ETH Zurich spin-off that was successfully acquired by BowFlex Inc. He has developed angel investment experience across 15+ startups and multiple venture funds. Huber contributes institutional venture capital expertise developed through multiple European fund structures, most recently as Senior Partner at QBIT Capital, a Swiss vehicle specializing in university spin-offs. Both partners are based in Zurich, with Huber maintaining an additional base in Madrid.
Prior to launch, the founders conducted over 80 structured interviews with founders, exited entrepreneurs, limited partners, and angel investors to validate their strategic approach. The consistent feedback revealed a market gap: early-stage funds frequently fall short on execution speed, transparency in decision-making, and meaningful operational support for portfolio companies. Herbert's fund structure and investment thesis were explicitly designed to address these identified shortcomings.
The fund targets approximately 30 investments at pre-seed and seed stage with primary focus on the DACH region. A defining structural choice differentiates Herbert from traditional fund models: the vehicle reserves no capital for follow-on investments. This single-shot approach eliminates sunk-cost bias in subsequent financing decisions and ensures that post-investment value creation remains the sole objective, with no capital constraints incentivizing follow-on dilution or maintenance of underperforming positions. The fund operates on an intentionally industry-agnostic investment thesis, avoiding thematic concentration and short-term trend chasing.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.