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Tomahawk.VC operates as an early-stage venture capital firm, specializing in pre-seed and seed investments within the Fintech and Decentralized Finance (DeFi) sectors. The firm focuses on identifying and supporting nascent companies that aim to innovate financial services and infrastructure, often emphasizing transparency and accessibility in their approach to funding and portfolio management. They strategically deploy capital to enable founders to develop foundational technologies and business models in these evolving markets.
The firm was co-founded by Cédric Waldburger, a serial entrepreneur, alongside Massimo Schäppi and Claude Donzé, establishing their operations in 2019. Their founding ethos stems from a desire to create the type of venture capital firm they themselves would have valued as founders, emphasizing a transparent and supportive partnership model with their portfolio companies. This perspective guides their interactions and investment philosophy, aiming to cultivate a more collaborative funding environment.
Tomahawk.VC serves founders and their teams building companies within its specialized domains. The firm's overarching vision is rooted in fostering a more transparent, accessible, and inclusive future, particularly within the financial landscape. Their mission is to empower these founders and their ventures, supporting them in their efforts to innovate and shape the next generation of financial systems and technologies.
Key people at Tomahawk.VC.
# Tomahawk.VC: Early-Stage Fintech & DeFi Venture Capital
Tomahawk.VC is an entrepreneur-led early-stage venture capital firm that has established itself as a focused investor in the fintech and decentralized finance (DeFi) sectors since its founding in 2019[1][6]. The firm operates with a mission to back founders who are "ready to occupy the future" by providing capital, mentorship, and operational support during the critical pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A stages[5]. Their investment philosophy centers on three core principles: empathy, execution, and clarity—emphasizing honest and swift feedback to founders rather than lengthy deliberation cycles[1].
The firm deploys capital in a disciplined manner, typically investing between USD 250,000 and USD 1.5 million per transaction with a target ownership stake of 8-12% after initial investment[1]. While headquartered in Switzerland and primarily focused on European opportunities, Tomahawk.VC remains strategically open to global deals that align with their thesis[1]. Their portfolio spans financial services, fintech, Web3, software, and adjacent sectors, though their core conviction remains rooted in the transformation of financial infrastructure through technology and decentralization[2][6].
Tomahawk.VC was founded in 2019 by a team of experienced operators: Cédric Waldburger, Massimo Schäppi, and Claude Donzé[6]. Waldburger brings a particularly compelling founder pedigree—he has been building ventures since age 14 and has successfully built and sold companies across the creative, consumer, and blockchain spaces[6]. His educational background includes a degree in Electrical Engineering from ETH Zurich, one of Europe's premier technical institutions, which informs the firm's technical rigor in evaluating fintech and Web3 opportunities[6]. Waldburger's personal philosophy—famously living with just 64 possessions and documenting life experiments—reflects a minimalist, intentional approach that likely extends to the firm's investment decision-making process.
The founding team's collective experience in building and scaling ventures, combined with their deep roots in the blockchain and fintech ecosystems, positioned them to identify the inflection point in early-stage financial technology investment. By launching in 2019, they entered the market just as institutional capital was beginning to recognize the structural opportunity in decentralized finance and blockchain-based financial services, though before the sector reached mainstream institutional adoption.
Unlike many traditional venture firms staffed primarily by career investors, Tomahawk.VC's leadership consists of proven founders and operators[6]. This background enables the team to provide practical, experience-based guidance rather than theoretical advice—a significant advantage when working with early-stage founders navigating product-market fit and scaling challenges.
The firm has deliberately narrowed its focus to fintech and DeFi, rejecting the generalist approach common among many early-stage VCs[1][5]. This specialization allows for deeper pattern recognition, stronger network effects within their portfolio, and more credible positioning with founders in these sectors. Their constraint to "only invest in Software and Web3 startups" demonstrates disciplined focus[6].
With a typical check size of USD 250K–USD 1.5M and ownership targets of 8-12%, Tomahawk.VC operates in the efficient middle ground between angel investors and larger institutional rounds[1]. This positioning allows them to move quickly and decisively without the bureaucratic overhead of larger firms, while still deploying meaningful capital.
Operating from Switzerland—a jurisdiction with strong fintech infrastructure and regulatory clarity—provides operational advantages, yet the firm maintains openness to compelling global opportunities[1]. This geographic flexibility is increasingly valuable as fintech and DeFi are inherently borderless.
Tomahawk.VC operates at the intersection of two powerful macro trends: the digitization of financial services and the emergence of decentralized finance as infrastructure. The firm's timing and focus position it to capture value from the structural shift away from traditional banking intermediaries toward programmable, transparent financial systems.
The venture capital landscape for early-stage fintech has become increasingly competitive, with both traditional VCs and crypto-native funds competing for deal flow. Tomahawk.VC's differentiation lies in combining technical credibility (through founder backgrounds and ETH Zurich connections) with genuine operational experience in building fintech products. This positions them as a credible partner for founders who are skeptical of either pure financial investors or purely crypto-focused funds.
Their portfolio construction—evidenced by investments like Layer3's USD 15 million Series A and Margarita Finance's USD 1 million seed round—demonstrates an ability to identify companies that can scale beyond early stages[4]. By backing founders at the pre-Seed and Seed stages, they capture significant upside while maintaining the ability to support follow-on rounds as companies mature.
Tomahawk.VC represents a compelling model for specialized early-stage venture capital: deep sector expertise, founder-operator credibility, and disciplined capital deployment. As fintech and DeFi mature from speculative sectors into essential financial infrastructure, the firm's early positioning and founder-friendly approach should continue to generate strong returns and portfolio outcomes.
The firm's future influence will likely expand as their portfolio companies mature and demonstrate sustainable business models. The shift toward institutional adoption of blockchain-based financial services—regulatory clarity, institutional custody solutions, and enterprise adoption—creates tailwinds for the types of companies Tomahawk.VC backs. Their ability to provide both capital and operational guidance during this transition will be increasingly valuable.
Looking ahead, the critical question for Tomahawk.VC will be whether they maintain their specialized focus or expand into adjacent sectors as their portfolio companies mature. Their current discipline suggests they will likely remain focused on fintech and Web3, potentially raising larger subsequent funds to support their portfolio companies through later stages while continuing to source new early-stage opportunities. This focused approach, combined with their founder-operator DNA, positions them well to remain a relevant and respected voice in European fintech venture capital for years to come.
Key people at Tomahawk.VC.
