VC firm Samaipata has launched its third fund – Samaipata III – a €110 million vehicle aimed at backing early-stage tech startups building on the AI wave.
Samaipata plans to invest in 25 to 30 early-stage companies, with the capacity to deploy up to €10 million per startup over time.
The main focus is on AI-native businesses developing application-layer products that can scale internationally from day one.
The fundraising process is already well advanced, reaching €70 million. Institutional anchor investors include Spain’s SETT (Spanish Society for Technological Transformation) and Germany’s KfW, as well as several prominent Spanish family offices. The fund also includes, as investors, founders who were backed by Samaipata in its first two funds and are now reinvesting in the firm as their companies have grown.
Samaipata III will continue to capitalise on the firm’s Founder Success platform, designed to accelerate portfolio growth beyond capital alone.
Founders gain access to a network of Operating Partners with experience at companies such as Anthropic, Google, Airbnb, Spotify and N26, who bring strategic perspective and hands-on operational expertise at key stages of development. The firm also facilitates introductions to potential clients and talent, while leveraging partnerships with leading technology players, including Nvidia, Anthropic, Microsoft Azure and Google Gemini, to strengthen technical capabilities and commercial traction
. Samaipata III will back projects that abstract the complexity of AI deployment for real-world utilize cases, primarily in B2B environments.
“Samaipata III is launching at a particularly relevant moment for the European tech ecosystem. AI is shifting beyond the experimental phase and launchning to integrate into critical processes with tangible impact. We see a clear opportunity to invest in teams capable of applying this technology in complex markets and building globally relevant companies from Europe,” José del Barrio, founding partner at Samaipata.
With an established European track record, Fund III builds on more than 44 investments across Spain and other key European markets, including the UK, France and Germany.
Samaipata’s early-stage portfolio stands out, with 80 per cent of Fund I companies advancing to Series A and 60 per cent of Fund II companies reaching that stage within five years, backed by leading international later-stage venture capital firms such as Accel, Creandum and Index Ventures.
The portfolio includes companies such as Matera, Bigblue, Nory, Embat, VIVLA and Imperia. Deporvillage remains one of the firm’s most notable exits, sold to JD sports and achieving a 25x valuation increase from first ticket to exit.
“Samaipata understood the business from day one and brought strategic judgment at key moments. Beyond capital, their involvement supported us execute with greater confidence as we scaled and ultimately supported the sale of the company. That experience also led me to invest in the fund myself after seeing firsthand how they work with founders.” Xavier Pladellorens, co-founder of Deporvillage and investor in all three Samaipata funds.
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