Hummingbird Ventures
About Hummingbird Ventures
Hummingbird Ventures is a global early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2010, dedicated to supporting outlier founders and nonlinear thinkers in building fast-growth technology companies across Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region. With headquarters in Antwerp, Belgium, and additional offices in London, Ghent, and Istanbul, the firm manages approximately $1.2 billion in assets.
The firm invests primarily from pre-seed to Series A, with check sizes ranging from $500,000 to over $50 million. Hummingbird Ventures emphasizes a founder-first philosophy, providing patient capital
Hummingbird Ventures was founded in Antwerp, Belgium, and is now based in London. Barend Van den Brande is the founder. PitchBook and Dealroom list 2010 as the founding year, while some third-party profiles say 2012. Firat Ileri is Managing Partner and leads investment activity. Press coverage of the firm's 2026 fundraise quotes both men. Crunchbase lists a team of 11 to 50 people. The firm raised a $25 million Opportunities fund in 2014 for later-stage follow-ons and a $95 million third fund in 2017, according to TechCrunch. In March 2026 it announced $800 million in new funds, described as oversubscribed and closed within a week. About $600 million is its first growth fund and about $200 million is for earlier-stage investing.
Hummingbird describes itself as a global generalist seed fund, not an AI-only fund. Its site tags many of its pre-seed and seed positions as AI, across North America, EMEA and APAC. Its best-known AI investment is Lovable, which it backed at pre-seed and seed in 2023. In 2026 it led the $30 million Series A in Healthleap, an AI clinical screening platform for hospitals. It has also led a $220 million round in Olix, a UK photonic AI chip company, which the firm files under deep tech. The Lounge deals desk shows a led $55 million seed round in microagi (July 2026) and a $4 million seed round in Pathfinder AI (March 2026). The firm says it backs founder vision over market maps and has historically led rounds in the companies it believes in most. Public sources do not name individual partners who lead AI specifically.
The firm describes itself as a seed-stage fund investing at the earliest stage of a founder's journey. Its site labels deals as Pre-Seed/Seed or Early. The 2026 growth fund is meant to let it back more mature companies and lead larger rounds. In 2017, TechCrunch reported that the $95 million fund targeted late Seed and Series A with checks of $500,000 to $5 million. The firm has not published a current check-size policy beyond the range in its existing profile.
- Lovable: AI software builder that lets people create applications in everyday language. Pre-seed/seed, 2023.
- Healthleap: AI platform that screens hospital health records for patients at risk of malnutrition and other conditions. $38M seed and Series A, 2026. Hummingbird led the $30M Series A.
- microagi: physical AI lab that collects first-person human task data to train robots. $55M seed, 2026, led by Hummingbird.
- Pathfinder AI: $4M seed, March 2026, per the Lounge deals desk.
- Etched: AI chip company listed in the firm's portfolio.
- Olix: UK photonic AI chip company. Hummingbird led its $220M round in 2026.
- hummingbird.vc
- hummingbird.vc/portfolio
- manda.be/articles/hummingbird-ventures-raises-800-million-dollars-to-b
- everythingstartups.com/vc-funds/hummingbird-ventures
- techcrunch.com/2017/09/21/hummingbird-ventures
- crunchbase.com/organization/hummingbird-ventures
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/52589-44
- dealroom.co/investors/hummingbird-ventures
Investing activity
Hummingbird Ventures appears in 3 AI deals tracked by the AI Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $93M, and led 2 of them. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $38M and the largest at $55M. The most recent are Healthleap (Seed + Series A, $38M, Oct 2026), microagi (Seed, $55M, Jul 2026) and Pathfinder AI (Seed, $4M, Mar 2026).
Hummingbird Ventures most often invests alongside Sequoia Capital, First Round Capital, Transpose Platform Management and LocalGlobe, and the companies it backs on AI Lounge are mostly in AI and Healthcare AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Hummingbird Ventures
What is Hummingbird Ventures' focus in AI?
Hummingbird is a generalist seed fund that backs outlier founders, and AI is one of its main areas. Its AI positions include Lovable, Healthleap, microagi and Etched.
Who founded Hummingbird Ventures?
Barend Van den Brande founded the firm in Antwerp. Firat Ileri is Managing Partner and leads its investing.
How big are Hummingbird Ventures' funds?
In March 2026 the firm announced $800 million in new funds. About $600 million is a growth fund and about $200 million is for earlier-stage deals. Its 2017 fund was $95 million.
Does Hummingbird Ventures lead AI rounds?
Yes. It led the $30M Series A in Healthleap and a $220M round in Olix. The Lounge deals desk also shows it leading microagi's $55M seed.
What stage does Hummingbird Ventures invest at?
It invests at pre-seed and seed and describes its deals as early stage. The new growth fund lets it back more mature companies. The firm has not published a current check-size policy.
What AI companies has Hummingbird Ventures invested in?
Hummingbird Ventures's AI investments include Healthleap, microagi and Pathfinder AI. The 3 rounds on AI Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is Hummingbird Ventures based?
Hummingbird Ventures is based in London, England, United Kingdom.
Who does Hummingbird Ventures co-invest with?
Hummingbird Ventures's most frequent co-investors on AI Lounge are Sequoia Capital (1 deal), First Round Capital (1 deal), Transpose Platform Management (1 deal), LocalGlobe (1 deal) and Northzone (1 deal).
How can founders reach Hummingbird Ventures?
Founders on AI Lounge can see Hummingbird Ventures's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add Hummingbird Ventures to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.