Critical Ventures

Critical Ventures is a Portuguese venture capital firm founded in 2011 and headquartered in Coimbra, Portugal. The firm invests in game-changing companies with the potential to transform how the world uses technology, with particular focus on IoT, automation and digitalization, cybersecurity, AI and machine learning, and user experience design. What distinguishes Critical Ventures is that its partners are technology entrepreneurs themselves — João, Gonçalo, and Pedro have been with the firm since its founding in 2012 and work side by side with portfolio companies, bringing both funding and direct technical expertise. The firm invests from pre-seed through Series A, writing checks of $250,000 to $3 million. The portfolio of 13 investments includes RunSafe Security in cybersecurity, Twinzo in industrial IoT, and Kirontech in AI-powered technology. With roughly equal representation across security, hardware and IoT, AI, and software, the portfolio reflects Critical Ventures' belief that the most transformative technology companies operate at the convergence of these disciplines rather than within any single vertical. Critical Ventures takes a global investment perspective while maintaining its European operational base. The firm's founding team of seasoned technology operators brings real-world experience in building and scaling tech products, making their engagement with founders substantive rather than advisory. Portfolio companies benefit from the team's technical credibility in customer and partner conversations as well as in product development decisions.