Find the next deep tech unicorn

We're not just another Scout program. We're a community of 120+ engineers, scientists, and founders across Europe.

And we're building the next generation of Deep Tech together.

What's in for you

We are your dedicated partner, providing the resources, network, and expertise you need to navigate the complexities of building a successful deep tech startup

Highly curated members

One in fifteen applicants gets in. 75% technical: PhDs, founders, operators, and alumni across TUM, Cambridge, ETH, EPFL, KIT, Delft, Oxford, and beyond.

A European Network

Real feedback, cash on top

Learn how a technical investor reads a company. Submit a deal, get feedback from our investment team, plus 💰 if we invest.

Insights you won't find anywhere else

Quarterly Town Halls

Our founding partner walks through recent deals, an actual memo, and answers your questions.

A VC course built for engineers

Ten seats, six weeks, twice a year. Sourcing to IC, with real cases.

Lunch & Learn

From robotics to gtm, Scouts share their expertise. Bring your sandwich.

What our Scouts say

"Being part of First Momentum Ventures' scout community is an amazing opportunity to ingrain yourself in the European Deep Tech ecosystem. I've made great connections and constantly get exposed to fascinating ventures and perspectives."

Chris Tagnon

Tech Transfer @ Formula 1 Company

"The First Momentum's Scout Community is mature and professional. It is the next step after the student initiatives for all voluntary and ambitious young (future) entrepreneurs."

Amelie Wolfgart

Circular Economy Analyst @ Bischof+Klein

"The more you put in, the more you get out of it - true for a lot of things in life and very true for FMV. The community is full of wonderful people, and even the founding partners are open to taking time to have a coffee with you. It is truly an amazing organization and a huge privilege to be a part of it."

Istvan Keszte

NPI Lead @ Stealth, ex Phlair & Lilium

"Being part of the scout community has taught me a lot about VC. I've been exposed to so many smart people from all kinds of backgrounds. Joining First Momentum as a Scout is one of the best things you can do if you're looking to break into venture, or thinking about founding one day."

Mohammed Thabit

TUM-student

"The community allows you to expand your knowledge in technical and VC topics and provides access to inspiring people from different backgrounds. The First Momentum team lives their motto, ‘engineers at heart, investors by choice’; they are partners on eye level and super fun!"

Jana Jeggle

Chief of Staff, ex-MIT

"i've been genuinely impressed by the caliber of people in the scout community. Many are deeply technical and bring real domain expertise to the table. Just as importantly, they're thoughtful, principled, and generous with their time. There's a contagious intellectual energy to the group, the kind that pulls you in and makes you want to contribute at the same level."

Jérôme Jaggi

Chief of Staff @ Unikraft

"I was already deeply involved in the startup scene before FMV. However, joining the Scout community has brought me closer to the VC world. It's a super diverse group of portfolio founders, professionals, students, and people from various cities and age groups."

Max Wenger

Stealth, ex Chief of Staff @ 1K5

"Being a Venture Scout is super valuable as I constantly make new industry and VC connections and learn from smart people about market trends. The community is also nicer and less bragging than many others."

Niklas Hildebrand

Co-Founder, ex Tesla & CoPower

Built for where you're headed

We are your dedicated partner, providing the resources, network, and expertise you need to navigate the complexities of building a successful deep tech startup

Founder

Looking behind the scenes at First Momentum helps you understand how VCs tick and what they expect to see at the Pre-Seed stage.

Examples:
Stefan Weirich
Fabian Fussek

VC

How do you source? How do you assess deeply technical products? Learning through constant input, conversations, and your own deal flow is your first step into VC.

Examples:
David Ordonez
‍‍
Janine de Leeuw
Mohammed Faisal Khan

Angel Investor

Use our team as your sparring partner for your own deal flow and discover new deals from our ecosystem.

Startup Operator

Leverage our and other Scouts' networks to learn about jobs before they get posted.

Examples:
Max Wenger
Alexandra Gravereaux

Companies Our Scouts Work For

Want to be where it starts?

Apply
Apply

Our Process

1

Application

2

Questionnaire

3

Interview

4

Final Decision

If you have made it through, you will become part of our community of hand-selected, curious, and passionate Venture Scouts

Some facts

We are your dedicated partner, providing the resources, network, and expertise you need to navigate the complexities of building a successful deep tech startup

10% of the investments we made came from our scouts

>30% of our community members come through referrals

Running since 2018, this is one of Europe's longest-standing deep tech Scout communities.

Most of our scouts want to become a VC (87%) or found a company (72%) one day

scouts at first momentum

  • What you bring

    Deals we haven't seen. A second opinion on a recycling chemistry founder or an industrial robotics startup when our team needs a reference. A warm intro for a portfolio company hiring its first marketing lead. Whatever fits your skills or network.

    The program is designed for people whose week is already full and, according to former Scouts, quietly compounds your main gig rather than competing with it.

  • What you don't get

    A title to put on your LinkedIn and forget about. We track activity and offboard scouts who go quiet. It’s the only way to keep the room worth being in.

  • Time commitment

    There’s no weekly quota. No mandatory calls beyond the quarterly Town Hall.
The job is simple: keep First Momentum and our portfolio companies top of mind. When you meet someone building something interesting, tell us. When a portfolio company needs a warm intro, make it. When you spot a deal in your corner of the ecosystem, submit it.

About us, First Momentum

First Momentum is a pre-seed deep tech fund run by engineers, scientists, and operators. We invest €250k to €1.5m across Europe in the companies building the hard stuff: energy, compute, manufacturing, robotics, as well as techbio, aerospace, and software infrastructure. We don't just write checks. we measure ourselves on support per euro invested.

Want to know what we invest in?

Portfolio Companies
Portfolio Companies

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