Shape VC

Shape VC is a Krakow, Poland-based early-stage venture capital fund founded in 2018 and focused on startups that treat hardware as a core component of their solution — IoT, embedded systems, and deep-tech ventures with genuine R&D content. Co-founded by Agnieszka Poznanska (Head of Origination), Maciej Frankowicz, and Tomasz Glowacki, the firm targets pre-seed and seed rounds across Central and Eastern Europe, writing first checks up to EUR 250,000 and leading rounds into hardware-enabled companies at the earliest viable stage. Shape has deployed into approximately 18 companies spanning hardware and IoT, AI, and SaaS. Notable portfolio investments include Stretchme, AdTonos (an audio advertising marketplace), and Checly — where Shape led a $227,000 seed round as the most recently disclosed deal. A distinctive feature of Shape's deal activity is its frequent co-investment relationship with Porsche SE, which appears alongside Shape in a meaningful share of the portfolio, giving hardware-focused founders an unusual link to industrial, automotive, and mobility corporate channels. Shape positions itself as a specialist in a segment that most European VCs underweight: hardware-software integrated companies that require patient capital and manufacturing expertise, not just software playbooks. The firm's compact team brings direct domain knowledge to founders navigating prototyping, design for manufacture, and the operational complexity unique to physical products — an edge that goes beyond writing a check.