Vol. 01 / Global Venture Strategy / MMXXVI

We back the disruptors of global scale.

Boutique venture studio and venture capital firm backing Pre-Seed, Seed & Series A founders across the US, Southeast Europe, and Asia Pacific.

Est.
2020
HQ
🇺🇸 🇸🇬 🇷🇸
The Strategy

We back the disruptors of global scale.

Forty.5 Ventures is built for founders who see around corners: those with a sharp insight, the ambition to build something important, and the discipline to turn that insight into an enduring company.

Core Thesis

Early conviction, operator support, and patient capital applied across the US–South Eastern Europe–Asia Pacific corridor and the sectors reshaping the global economy.

F5V Studio (Unlock)

From Stuck to Scale

F5V Studio (Unlock) is for proven companies led by experienced founders that have stalled — a live product, paying customers, and one constraint holding everything else back. We don’t build your company. We unblock it.

  • Built for companies that already work: Post-MVP, with around $5K MRR or three or more paying B2B customers, led by a founder who has built before or brings 10+ years of senior operating experience. Small cohorts of 5–6 companies, twice a year.
  • A scripted six-month program: A free Unlock Diagnostic identifies your primary constraint — go-to-market, operations, infrastructure, funding readiness or global access. Then 26 weeks in four phases — Reset, Fix, Launch, Raise-Ready — with senior operators leading every module.
  • Equity earned, not taken: 7% equity, or 4% plus $2,500 a month — vesting only as milestones are hit. If we miss a milestone we are responsible for, that equity lapses. The studio can also invest up to $200K per company as you progress.

Our goal in F5V Studio is simple: turn “we’re stuck” into “we’re investment-ready” in six months — with clean data, proven unit economics, a repeatable go-to-market in two or more markets, and a first look from F5V Capital at Investor Day.

Apply for the Next Cohort →

F5V Capital

Conviction-Driven Early Stage VC

F5V Capital is our early-stage venture capital arm, designed to lead or co-lead rounds once a venture is ready for its next chapter.

  • Early and focused: We invest at pre-seed and seed with deep conviction, backing a small number of founders we know well and believe can build at global scale.
  • Check size: Checks range from $200K to $1M depending on maturity and traction. In syndicated deals, checks can exceed $1M.
  • Beyond capital: When we invest, we stay actively involved—helping refine strategy, open doors, structure key hires, and navigate future fundraising.
  • Long-term partners: We aim to be the first call on the hard decisions, not just a name on the cap table, supporting founders from early product-market fit through growth and international expansion.

F5V Capital is where the strongest F5V Studio graduates and select external founders get the capital and support to move from traction to market leadership.

One Integrated Platform

For Founders

What makes Forty.5 Ventures different is the tight integration between F5V Studio (Unlock) and F5V Capital. Founders don’t just receive capital or advice in isolation; they plug into a platform that can:

  • Diagnose the one constraint holding a proven company back — free, before you commit.
  • Fix it in six months, with senior operators working inside the business and equity earned only on results.
  • Back you with capital and hands-on support once the evidence is clear and it’s time to scale — across the US, Southeastern Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Experienced founders, small cohorts, equity earned only on milestones — and a conviction-led capital partner ready to stay with you for the long haul. That is the Forty.5 Ventures strategy: unlocking companies that already work, and backing the disruptors who will define the next generation of global markets.

Portfolio

Selected / 2020–26
N°01

qooob

B2B / AI

AI-native studios that generate pipeline, produce content, and compound revenue.

Pre-Seed2026
N°02

OTLRS

Infrastructure / Payments

Global-first payments infrastructure and AI operating platform.

Seed2025
N°03

yooop

Consumer / AI

The first global app for women to scale through access to funding, intelligent matchmaking, and secure networking.

Pre-Seed2025
N°04

Arena+

Sports / Entertainment

Platform that helps athletes and organizations leverage digital tools for growth, fan engagement, and performance visibility.

Seed2026
N°05

Hi-Duke

Infrastructure / Technology

New Standard for Urban Recreation Infrastructure with cutting-edge interactive playground technology.

Seed2026
N°06

GetStuffDone

B2B / AI

The AI operating system for SMEs.

Seed2026
N°07

Maestro

Infrastructure / AI

Reimagining fractional ownership for the modern Mediterranean lifestyle.

Seed2026
N°08

ANDEIM

Consumer / Hard-Tech

Basketball shoes designed to prevent ankle injuries and improve athletic performance.

Seed2026
N°09

Belgrade.Tech

Media / Technology

The operating system for Belgrade's digital economy.

Pre-Seed2026

Advisory + Studio

Active Mentorship
N°01

InvestingNote

Fintech / Community

The #1 platform and community for investors and traders in South East Asia.

AdvisorySoutheast Asia
N°02

Fashory

Consumer / Fashion

Mobile fashion startup that features personalized clothing recommendations, community-curated trends, and shoppable styles from fashion bloggers.

AdvisorySoutheast Asia
N°03

Veli

Fintech / Crypto

Vilnius-based crypto and digital asset platform helping financial advisors manage clients' crypto investments.

AdvisoryEurope
N°04

Lupa Technologies

PropTech / SaaS

Serbian-American SaaS turning unstructured construction data into structured insights.

AdvisoryUS · Balkans
N°05

Farmit

AgTech / Marketplace

Belgrade startup connecting local farmers directly with city buyers for fresh, same-day vegetable delivery.

AdvisoryBalkans
N°06

The Social Formula

AI / Marketing

Belgrade-founded AI marketing intelligence tool that consolidates campaign data for smarter, more profitable decisions.

AdvisoryBalkans
→ Notes from the corridor

Ideas

N°01 / Sept 15, 2026

Forty.5 Ventures launches with $30M first fund

Forty.5 Ventures announces the close of its first $30 million fund, investing at Pre-Seed and Seed across Southeastern Europe and selectively in the United States and Asia Pacific.

Forty.5 Ventures
3 min read
Read →
N°02 / Sept 2026

Forty.5 Ventures and Renovarum Capital Announce Strategic Partnership to Support Founders from Inception to Exit

Forty.5 Ventures and Renovarum Capital team up to create a seamless growth and financing pathway for entrepreneurs across Europe and global markets.

Forty.5 Ventures
3 min read
Read →
N°03 / Aug 2026

Conversational commerce is the future — and it's already here

AI, agentic workflows, and embedded payments are turning messaging from a communications channel into a commercial operating environment. The opportunity is no longer chat to pay — it's conversation to outcome.

Zoran Vasiljev
12 min read
Read →
N°04 / Aug 2026

Forty.5 Ventures Leads $500K Pre-Seed Investment in qooob.co

Forty.5 Ventures leads a $500K pre-seed investment in Belgrade-based qooob.co, an AI-native Leverage Studio building intelligent growth engines for global go-to-market execution.

Forty.5 Ventures
2 min read
Read →
N°05 / Oct 2021

Zoran Vasiljev recognised among the Top 100 Leaders in FinTech

FinTech Magazine's global list of the people shaping financial technology named Zoran Vasiljev among its Top 100 Leaders.

FinTech Magazine
2 min read
Read →
Page 1 / 2
→ The Corridor Brief

Bi-weekly.
No noise.

Every two weeks: our perspectives, new podcast episodes and firm announcements, in one short read. Sign up and we send you The Corridor Report straight away — our deep dive on building and funding across the US, South Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific.

Two emails a month. Unsubscribe any time.

The Team

We are venture builders and investors. First, we are entrepreneurs and operators who understand that meaningful partnership is the only real edge.

Riccardo Monti

Chairman & Venture Partner · Europe

Riccardo Monti
Zoran Vasiljev

Group CEO & Founder · United States

Zoran Vasiljev
Bobby Napiltonia

Venture Partner · United States

Bobby Napiltonia
Danijela Vasiljev

General Partner · United States

Danijela Vasiljev
Greg Tarr

Venture Partner · United States

Greg Tarr
Stipe Maric

Venture Partner · Europe

Stipe Maric
Veljko Vasic

Venture Partner · Asia

Veljko Vasic
Rade Popovic

Venture Partner · Europe

Rade Popovic
→ Founders / Pitch Submissions

Build for the Next Forty.5

Attach your pitch deck — no long write-up needed. We read every submission and respond within 24 hours.

US · SG · Global

We reply within 24 hours.