Asternova Vest is a regional venture capital fund with a target size of €37 million, dedicated to technology companies in Timiș, Arad, Hunedoara and Caraș-Severin. Asternova Vest invests between €500,000 and €4 million at Seed and Series A stages and targets a portfolio of more than 18 companies.
Over €26 million of the target fund size has been committed by the West Regional Development Agency (ADR Vest), the fund’s anchor investor, through the West Regional Programme. Private capital complements this structure.
For us, the launch marks the beginning of our work: finding the right companies, getting to know them early and identifying where Asternova’s capital can support their next stage of growth.
For founders: what you need to know
We are looking for companies that have moved beyond initial validation and are preparing for a Seed or Series A round. We assess the product, market, team, traction and the difference an investment could make over the coming years.
Our mandate covers Timiș, Arad, Hunedoara and Caraș-Severin. We actively seek companies across all four counties and operate from Timișoara, close to the ecosystem they emerge from.
We are interested in companies developing products in Romania with international ambitions. Software, artificial intelligence, advanced industry, energy, mobility and healthcare are among the sectors relevant to the fund’s mandate, but our scope is not limited to these.
For investors: access to technology companies in Romania’s West Region
Asternova Vest offers investors access to a portfolio of technology companies in one of Romania’s most economically active regions, through a strategy focused on Seed and Series A investments.
For investors, Asternova Vest’s proposition is clear: exposure to technology companies selected across the region, through a fund managed by a team with international experience and backed by an institutional anchor investor that has already committed capital.
Who manages Asternova Vest
Asternova Vest is managed by Aster Capital Partners, an AIFM authorised by France’s Autorité des Marchés Financiers since 2002, and developed together with Iceberg+ and Venture Booster.
Aster Capital Partners brings experience from managing eight funds, approximately €600 million in assets under management and nearly 100 companies financed. Iceberg+ and Venture Booster bring a regional presence, access to deal flow and experience working with founders and growing companies.
The fund is new. The experience behind it is already established.
The fund benefits from the expertise of Jean-Marc Bally from Aster Capital and Traian Urban from EIT Urban Mobility. The executive team operates from Timișoara and comprises Ionuț Țața (General Partner · Investor Relations & Business Development), founder and CEO of Iceberg+, with over 15 years of experience in innovation financing and developing venture capital instruments; Ioana Ștefănuț (General Partner · Due Diligence & Compliance), with over 20 years of experience in international corporate banking, including at BNP Paribas in Paris, and co-founder of Venture Booster; and Adrian Gheorghe (Partner · Startup Ventures), founder of Doers Movement and co-founder of Growceanu.
If you are a founder
Do you have a technology company in Romania’s West Region, are you at Seed or Series A stage, and are you preparing for your next phase of growth? Send us your pitch deck. We review every company submitted to us.