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Building a Startup without going crazy

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Building a Startup without going crazy

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Living Hope vC

We back exceptional European technology founders for the long term.
We invest EUR 100k – 1M as a first ticket in Seed and Growth companies.
We do this with patient capital in an Evergreen structure

We have a special interest in HealthTech and European Sovereignty companies

What’s in a name?

Investing in startups and scale-ups can be done very opportunistically, money-driven, and short-term. We like to invest differently, in a meaningful way. Long-term. Together. Supporting the journey of our founders and investors in many ways. Ideally, investing in something that will not perish, spoil, or fade. The inspiration for our name came from this Bible verse.    

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.”

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We are building and investing in startups & scale-ups across Europe
We are based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Fourfold Return

We believe in a Fourfold Return.

Let’s define the return we are trying to achieve.

15% Target Net IRR on total invested amount. We invest in the most promising Tech startups and scale-ups in Europe in seed and growth equity. 

A spiritual return, means a return where founders, investors and their companies reflect the christian values of faith, hope, love, compassion, joy, truth, grace and justice and bring them into action in a meaningful and reasonable way.

We would like to contribute to social cohesion, by focusing on businesses with restorative capacity, run by entrepreneurs with a passion to build bridges and bring people together. 

We focus on the long term. We believe in patient capital, in long lasting relationships, in a creation we should care for, in a society where it is vital to seek common ground and create mutual understanding.  

Our philosophy

Living Hope VC is emerging as one of Europe’s most distinctive early stage venture capital firms.

Each year, we invest in around ten exceptional technology companies. With experienced investors on the ground in the Netherlands, the UK, Germany and the Nordics, we combine local presence with a pan European network. We move quickly when conviction is high. We back exceptional founders with courage, experience and an entrepreneurial mindset.

We believe great companies are built with a great community. Building a company that truly matters is never a solo endeavour. It takes time, often far more than expected. It takes conviction. Above all, it takes people. Founders, teams, mentors, early believers and patient investors.

That is why we invest for the long term. Building an enduring company can easily take 10 to 15 years. We are structured to stay, to support and to grow alongside our founders.

Living Hope VC is built on a growing European community of entrepreneurs, investors, thinkers and builders. People who believe business can create lasting value and who want to build companies shaped by creativity, responsibility and hope.

If you are building a company that truly matters, we would love to hear from you.

Leen de Bruyne

Leen started his first business when he was 23 years old. Ten years later, it was sold to private equity. 

After that, he began investing in several startups as an angel investor. He also started a consulting boutique to help startups.
In the meantime, he was actively involved in supporting several charities with strategy and organizational development.

In 2022, he founded Living Hope VC, a new concept with an integrated vision on investing, stewardship, community, and philanthropy.
Think things through. Make it happen. Get things done. That is his motivation.

In 2024, his first book, Building a Startup Without Going Crazy, was published—a deeply personal book aimed at supporting the mental health of founders.

Jordan Kuhnemann
Jordan Kuhnemann

Jordan brings eight years of private equity experience focused on technology and tech-enabled services across four continents. He has executed 15 transactions – three successful exits among them – and stewarded more than $500 million of growth capital into founder-led companies.

As a graduate of the University of Oxford (MBA), Jordan pairs rigorous analytical discipline with experience and a well-developed intuition for finding and investing in the most promising businesses. 

At Living Hope VC, Jordan sources and leads the full deal cycle, from valuation & negotiation, term sheet, due-diligence sprints and actually executing the transaction. 

Team Reuben Coulter
Reuben Coulter

Reuben Coulter is living – as an Irishman -in Oxford, UK. He is the guy that knows literally everyone in the business. He is a community builder, an entrepreneur himself, very known into the field of impact investing. He was the founder of Tear fund Ireland, he worked and lived in Africa for many years. Currently he is advising family business to be a good steward of their capital. He is the European Strategy Director for the Faith Driven movement and he is part of the Living Hope team, as an advisor and community lead. His focus areas are: impact investments, deal sourcing, investors relations, and community building across Europe. Reuben has done an MBA, studied at Wharton and Insead and is strongly motivated by faith to build great businesses with high spiritual and social impact.

Our Team

Meet our team

Our team, including our actively involved advisors, has a wealth of experience in building and exiting companies, VC investing, due diligence, value creation, community building and founder support. With different nationalities and backgrounds, we aim to give our founders, companies and partners the best we can!

Investment Criteria

What do we invest in?

We back ambitious European founders building technology companies with the potential to shape industries and create lasting value. Some will become unicorns. Others will grow into highly profitable, resilient businesses. We believe both matter.

We invest from Seed to Growth and support founders throughout their journey. We provide primary growth capital, invest through secondaries and, where appropriate, help facilitate founder or angel liquidity.

We invest with conviction in companies that demonstrate strong traction, operate in large markets and build durable competitive advantages. 

Our focus is Europe. We invest in companies headquartered across the continent with the ambition to build globally.

In summary

  • Seed and Growth stage technology companies
  • Primary investments and secondaries
  • Exceptional founding teams
  • Strong traction and scalable business models
  • Defensible competitive advantages
  • European headquarters with global ambition
  • Long-term value creation through Unicorns and Zebras
  • Particular interest in HealthTech and European Sovereignty

Investments & partnerships

Our portfolio

Meet our

Advisory board

The experienced advisory board of Living Hope VC reflects our values and secures our vision and the right execution of our investment strategy.

Dirk Meuleman

Dirk Meuleman is the CEO of Phenix Capital Group and the chairman of our advisory board. With a background in private equity, venture capital, and infrastructure at MN and Shell, he now advises institutional investors globally on impact investing.

Daniel McKinlay
Manages Firstfruits Foundation, a private family charity linked to a family office and private equity funds. Dan is an ordained Anglican minister and brings experience in debt structuring, property and charity investments. He currently lives in Oxfordshire, UK.

Experienced Tech Entrepreneur and (startup) investor from Norway. Scaled multiple businesses. Strong leadership skills. Bridge builder between business, church and society.

Janneke Plantinga

Entrepreneur and impact maker. CEO of several high impact charities, like World Servants. Worked as leader of the Evangelical Collaboration in the Protestant Church of the Netherlands

Paul Kieviet

Entrepreneur and CEO of XSARUS, a leading Digital Commerce agency in The Netherlands. Economist and theologian. Great domain expertise in the field of E-commerce and SaaS.

Why do founders choose us?

How we partner with our founders

We’re entrepreneurs, not just investors

We know that building a company is one of the hardest things you can do. We have built businesses ourselves and understand the decisions, uncertainty and responsibility that come with the journey.

That is why we believe venture capital should be practical. We are accessible, responsive and easy to reach. Founders never have to wonder whether they can pick up the phone.

We enjoy working alongside founders on the challenges that matter most. From refining a go to market strategy and making key commercial decisions to hiring, financial planning, fundraising and preparing the next investment round. Sometimes we challenge. Sometimes we connect. Sometimes we simply listen. We always aim to add value.

We are comfortable leading investment rounds and equally happy to invest alongside other venture capital firms. We believe the best outcomes are often created by strong syndicates built on mutual respect, complementary expertise and shared conviction.

Our evergreen structure gives us something many venture funds do not have. Time. We invest with a long term perspective and support founders for as long as we continue to create value together.

Above all, we believe companies are built by people. We value ambition, integrity and respect. We aim to be the kind of investor founders enjoy working with and want around the table when the journey becomes difficult.

What founders can expect

  • Accessible, responsive and pragmatic partners
  • Honest advice with an entrepreneurial mindset
  • Support on strategy, sales, hiring, finance and fundraising
  • Lead investments or co investments alongside other funds
  • Fast decisions and flexible deal structures
  • Long term alignment through our evergreen fund
  • Relationships built on trust, respect and stewardship

Access to unique deal flow

Europe Ambassador Board

Living Hope VC is building a network of faith- and value-aligned entrepreneurs, founders, and (angel) investors across Europe. Together, we share deals, come together, invest, and help our local venture networks succeed throughout the continent. Our shared vision, values, and passion make this a truly unique and powerful network — one that seeks to be a blessing for the Tech Venture space in Europe.

Andrius Markevičius

After dedicating 14 years as a missionary in the Philippines, Andrius Markevičius returned to Lithuania. As the founder of Digio Apps, a mobile app development company, he is currently leading an exciting project called SafeKid. His passion lies in cultivating an ecosystem of faith-driven investors and founders in Lithuania.

Morten Mellergaard

Morten Mellergaard is the founder and former CEO of Plandisc. As a seasoned entrepreneur and investor, he represents Denmark in our network. Morten brings strategic insight, relational depth, and a strong commitment to values-based leadership across European venture ecosystems.

Simon Almström

Simon leads Fyrish Ventures, an advisory and investment company. As a product guy and entrepreneur, he represents Sweden. He brings product clarity, broad sector insight, and hands-on experience building software and tech products across Europe.

Alan Yeboah

Alan Yeboah is the founder of Living Stones, based in Geneva. As an experienced entrepreneur and values-driven consultant, he represents parts of Switzerland and France in our network, supporting faith driven founders and promoting principled leadership across the European venture ecosystem.

Tomek Bujok

​Tom Bujok is the founder and CEO of No Fluff Jobs, Europe’s largest IT job board. As a seasoned software engineer and entrepreneur, he represents Poland in our network, bringing extensive experience in technology, business development, and values-driven leadership to support and empower European tech founders.

Daan de Groot

Daan de Groot is our ambassador in Romania, where he has lived since 2008. As co-founder of Engage, Bam connect and Rustic Art,, he builds social enterprises and connects entrepreneurs across Eastern Europe around faith-driven business and redemptive impact.

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