Impulse Ventures is a venture capital investor focused on tech startups in the CE region
The money we invest and the network we provide are just the beginning; our commitment reaches far beyond. As a team of investors, founders, HR experts, and finance and product specialists, we are ready to work alongside the founders with whom we partner up. We are devoted to understanding our portfolio companies’ businesses—which is why we only invest in a selected few standout companies a year. Over the past decade, we’ve helped build and successfully exited major tech companies including Kiwi.com, Mall.cz or Centrum.cz in combined value exceeding 650 mil EUR. Our focus is on the Seed and Series A stage but we often invest in the follow-up rounds as well, supporting founders throughout the entire journey. Investing our own money allows us to keep our decisions flexible. No fixed investment horizon, no limitations, no artificial rules. Only the impulse to pursue riveting ideas without boundaries.
Managing Partner
Samuel Huba
Being a co-owner and managing partner of Impulse Ventures, Samuel Huba focuses on investing in tech start-ups. Partnering with the founders, his role is to spur them to grow and boost their success. Samuel gained most of his experience with Impulse Ventures portfolio companies. His recent responsibilities at start-ups like Shoptet or Safetica included international expansion projects, definition of business strategies or finance management. Today, beside seeking for future heavy hitter startups he actively assists the founders and CEOs of portfolio companies. He mainly focuses on business strategies and on-going product innovations. Relying on his expertise, Samuel is committed to support start-ups in facing their biggest challenges.
Talent Partner
Matej Matolin
Being one of the best Czech headhunters, Matěj Matolín is on the lookout for top talents for leading tech companies and startups. At Impulse Ventures, he helps startups with recruitment, HR mentoring and with building a functional and attractive employer brand. Matěj’s expertise in recruitment relies on his work with global companies and on training hiring teams. He worked as HR manager at Toyota or Howden, held courses for internal HR teams of global corporations such as Tieto, Deutsche Boerse, Vodafone. Besides having worked for corporate clients, he gained extensive experience in hiring technological experts for startups like Productboard, Shoptet, Kindest or STRV. Matej also acts as a mentor and speaks at international events, runs a popular blog, Lovec-hlav.cz and hosts Nelidské zdroje, a podcast where leaders of the Czech recruitment scene discuss recruitment trends and issues.
Partner
Branislav Gordan
Branislav Gordan is interested in companies that bring ground-breaking technologies or novel business models to the market. Thus, as a partner at Impulse Ventures, he seeks new investment opportunities, particularly among startups in fintech, cybersecurity and e-commerce. He is also in charge of supervising the portfolio companies and collaborating with other investing partners. Branislav Gordan also acts as CEO of Coober Capital, a trading company that specialises in developing quantitative models and strategies for stock-exchange trading in Europe and the US. His career started at Best Buy Investments, a small investment boutique where he was responsible for the Slovak branch, its clients and for new investment strategies. Later he founded a company with Ondřej Tomek to specialise in algorithm trading and has been active with the company to this day.
Startups, Marketing & Events
Dominika Prekopova
At Impulse Ventures, Dominika Prekopová specialises in marketing, operations and event organisation. She assists portfolio startups in community integration to gain experience and useful contacts through networking. Dominika also works closely with company management and portfolio companies. Dominika gained most of her experience with startups, the community, event management and education while working in the UP21 incubator’s marketing team, where she spent three years as community and event manager. She also participated in creating WeAre Summit, the first virtual startup summit. For over a year now, she has worked with CzechCrunch Shine, a startup community helping companies, entrepreneurs and students break into the business world. Every year she organizes dozens of events and workshops, internships, mentoring programs for the community.
Investment Director
Jan Hospodka
Jan Hospodka helps startups with accounting, reporting, taxes, due diligence and corporate finances. At Impulse Ventures he acts as the investment director. His extensive experience in investments and M&A is an invaluable and much-needed support to the founders and contribution to the investment selection process. He also acts as CFO with two portfolio companies – Shoptet, an e-commerce platform, and Safetica, specialising in company data protection. Jan Hospodka started his career as an auditor at Roedl & Partner, later he spent three years in Ernst & Young’s transaction department focusing on financial due diligence. Currently, Jan lectures advanced financial accounting besides finishing his PhD at the Prague University of Economics and Business. During his studies he spent a long time abroad, mainly in the United Kingdom and China.
