Beyond Capital: How Elevator Ventures Turns Access into Outcomes
What happens after the termsheet?
At Elevator Ventures, we have always maintained that the decision to back a founder is only the beginning. What follows are the introductions made, the partnerships enabled, and the doors opened. Portfolio Success is our structured answer to a question every ambitious founder should ask before choosing an investor: what happens after the term sheet?
Access to the Raiffeisen Network
Our position as the venture arm of Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) provides portfolio companies with direct access to one of the most extensive financial and corporate networks in Austria and Central and Eastern Europe. We actively work to identify relevant use cases, facilitate targeted introductions, and support the follow-up discussions that convert conversations into commercial relationships.
Wultra delivers authentication and in-app protection across RBI Group and its network banks, a relationship that has developed and expanded across the Group over time and today protects millions of users across all digital channels. Elucidate provides financial crime risk scoring for RBI, assessing hundreds of thousands of transactions per month. Tangany contributed to a panel on security measures for custodians and exchanges at the Bluechip25 Conference hosted at RBI premises, a forum that brought together senior voices from across the financial industry.
A Network That Goes Beyond Banking
The Raiffeisen ecosystem extends well beyond the banking group itself. Through our Limited Partners and network participation, portfolio companies gain exposure to leading organisations across food and agriculture, infrastructure, energy, health, and media.
Klim has built a meaningful cooperation with RBI around connecting financial solutions with regenerative agriculture. This collaboration has gained recognition at a senior level within the Group, reflecting a shared ambition to advance sustainable finance in a concrete and measurable way. Trustfull presented at RBI's Annual Fraud Conference in Vienna, joining Group-wide experts on the practical challenges of fraud prevention. Pisano, as a customer and employee experience solutions provider, has established itself as a vendor serving clients across the broader Raiffeisen network, collecting customer feedback and supporting in increasing customer satisfaction and NPS scores.
External Advisors with Deep Market Expertise
In addition, Elevator Ventures benefits from an external Advisory Board. Susanne Chishti, Founder and Chair of FINTECH Circle, offers deep connections to the UK and global fintech ecosystem. Jörg Flöck, former Speedinvest partner, brings a broad European VC network and extensive scaling and fundraising experience. Christoph Haimberger, Partner at Oaklins, contributes expertise in M&A and the energy sector. Russell E. Perry, serial entrepreneur and founder of kompany, provides the perspective of a successful founder who has built and scaled a leading regtech business. Together, they support portfolio companies through strategic introductions, market insights, fundraising and international expansion opportunities.
Corporate Partnerships That Open Doors
We maintain active, long-term relationships with corporate partners focused on innovation, and connect portfolio companies where there is a genuine strategic fit. As an example, Elevator Ventures is a member of the Microsoft for Startups Network. Our portfolio companies gain access to enterprise customers, co-sell opportunities, and Microsoft's platform and tooling to accelerate their path to commercialisation.
Finqware's admission to the Microsoft for Startups program is a concrete example, with the company receiving Azure credits, B2B Microsoft integrations, and a dedicated engagement manager.
Looking Ahead
DACH and CEE produce some of the most technically strong and commercially ambitious founding teams in Europe. What they often lack is not product quality but proximity to the institutional networks and later-stage capital pools. That is precisely the gap we are built to close
Many of our portfolio companies are based in DACH and CEE. Our network and presence across both regions help them establish credibility and commercial traction internationally, which strengthens their position when approaching later-stage investors. We support founders on capital strategy across the full journey: equity rounds, non-dilutive debt through RBI's Growth Financing Program, and exit pathways through our M&A network.
We also support portfolio companies in building the foundations that growth requires. Through partnerships with executive search firms and access to curated tech and startup talent pools, we support founders in building strong teams. Our media channels and corporate audience offer visibility, particularly relevant for B2B companies seeking enterprise traction. Additionally, our Founder Portal gives portfolio companies access to perks, discounts, and tools that reduce friction as they scale.
What This Means for Founders
Founders who approach Elevator Ventures are not seeking capital alone. They are entering a framework built for companies that intend to operate and scale within the DACH and CEE markets, companies that understand the value of institutional relationships, that are prepared to engage with corporatepartners, and that see long-term ecosystem positioning as a strategic asset.
If that describes how you are building your company, we would like to hear from you.
We look forward to elevating your growth.
Interested in joining the Elevator Ventures portfolio? Visit our website to learn more about our investment focus and how to apply.