Edouard Grutering

Edouard Grutering is a General Partner of Nausicaa Ventures, acting through AlphaQuest sprl. Nausicaa Ventures describes itself as a multi-industry early-stage venture capital fund created in 2009 by bringing together 35 private investors and selected institutional investors, including the European Investment Fund and ING Bank.

Before joining Nausicaa Ventures, Grutering worked as an analyst with an energy consultancy firm. He holds a Master's degree in International Business and Management from ICHEC in Belgium, and a Master of Arts degree in International Finance and International Energy Policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Baltimore, Maryland.

• Nausicaa Ventures targets investments where “significant value creation” is potentially in sight.
• The fund focuses on early-stage and early-growth companies completing their 3rd or 4th financing round, which it describes as Series C or D, with a view to raising EUR 1 million to EUR 4 million.
• Sector focus includes ICT, medtech, cleantech, other high-tech and related industries; the firm also considers more traditional sectors such as manufacturing.
• The fund generally avoids long-horizon biotechnology projects.
• Geographic focus is projects in and around Belgium, typically within 300 km of Brussels.
• Nausicaa has a particular interest in companies where angel investors or family offices are already present.
• The firm expects to be hands-on: it says it can “get its hands dirty” in helping portfolio companies with growth, financing rounds, profitability, and exit.
• Nausicaa states that it would generally not invest where the collective contribution of its members would not be significant.