Rockaway Ventures

🚀 H1 is in the books, so it's time for a recap. ➡️ 6 new investments In the past six months we backed six new tech companies across AI, humanoid robotics, defense, and energy. We supported regional founders at BottleCap AI, ValkaAI, Navigara, and AdSpawn, while expanding beyond CEE with U.S.-based Apptronik and Danish energy tech company Float. ➡️ Global ecosystem footprint We joined Panathēnea as an ecosystem partner and co-hosted U.S. community gatherings at SXSW in Austin and TECH WEEK by a16z in New York alongside the European Startup Embassy. ➡️ Media and industry perspectives Looking for a summer read or listen? Catch some of our latest conversations on the venture market and key tech trends with Forbes Česko, HROT, Lupa.cz, and Fin4Elle by Marika Čupa via the links in the comments below. Thanks to every founder, co-investor, and ecosystem partner building alongside us. H2 is already underway, and we look forward to sharing more updates soon. 🤟 #RockawayVentures #DeepTech #Startups #VentureWhereOthersWont

#GenerativeAI can now replicate in just a few hours what software companies spent years developing. This shift proves that the traditional software-as-a-service model faces its biggest disruption since the arrival of the cloud. Our General Partner, Dušan Zábrodský, commented on this paradigm shift in a new article for Lupa.cz. He points out that single-purpose applications that focus only on simple reporting or content generation face the highest pressure, as generative AI can now replicate their core features in hours. To survive, software startups must pivot from selling user licenses to delivering real, automated outcomes. For European B2B and AI founders, this environment requires entering the US market much earlier than before to accelerate distribution and secure critical market feedback. We believe that a clean user interface is no longer a sustainable competitive moat. True enterprise value now lies in proprietary data, deep system integrations, and the ability to operate reliably within a client’s critical infrastructure. The full market breakdown features insights from several local VCs. You can read the complete article (in Czech) by Iva Brejlová via the link in the comments. ⤵️ #SaaS #AI #RockawayVentures #VentureWhereOthersWont

Cursor just found a new home. SpaceX is acquiring the AI coding startup for $60 billion to accelerate its engineering pipeline. Despite heavy competition from Anthropic's Claude Code, which recently cut Cursor's market share to 26%, this deal makes strategic sense for Elon Musk's ecosystem. Our General Partner, Dušan Zábrodský, talked to Hospodářské noviny today about the background of this transaction. He notes that Cursor nailed the user interface by letting developers choose the right LLM for the job, which directly fuels SpaceX's rapid software iteration. We completely agree that engineering velocity now drives ultimate enterprise value. Hospodářské noviny published the full breakdown of this transaction today, both online and in print. 📰 You can read the article by Patrik Salat (in Czech) via the link below. ⤵️ #AI #SpaceX #RockawayVentures

Your summer plans just changed. 🌞 Together with Tilia Impact Ventures, we are opening applications for the second edition of the CEE Summer of Impact. The initiative connects early-stage founders building solutions in climate, health, education, energy, AI, and space tech with international capital. Last year, more than 150 startups and 30 VCs joined the program. Rockaway Ventures joins the initiative for the very first time this year, and our team wants to see projects that form the core digital and physical infrastructure of the future. Selected founders gain direct exposure to 30+ European investors, with tailored mentoring for the Top 20 teams. The Top 8 startups will pitch live at the "Headliners" event in Barcelona. 📅 Applications close June 28. 🔗 Apply now via the link in the comments section. If you know a founder who should not miss this opportunity, tag them below. ⤵️ #CEESummerOfImpact #VentureCapital #Startups #ImpactInvesting #RockawayVentures

New York TECH WEEK by a16z is behind us, and it only confirmed that having a real footprint in the US is irreplaceable when scaling globally. 🗽 Our General Partner Petr Smid and Principal Max Palko spent the week at Tech Week connecting with investors, follow-on backers, promising young founders, and other inspiring people. A few days in New York meeting face to face opened more doors than weeks of online calls back home. It was great to see the Czech community show up in full force. From the Czech Startup Pitch Night to the broader ecosystem of the tech diaspora. We are glad to see that our tech talent has a strong footprint in the US and can easily compete at the highest level. 🇨🇿 Friday's Curated Happy Hour for European Founders & US Investors turned out great. Co-hosted with our partner European Startup Embassy, the afternoon shifted smoothly from an opening interview with Richard Valtr (founder of the Czech unicorn Mews) to a conversation on building globally competitive companies with Vlastimil Venclik from our portfolio startup ValkaAI and Petros Hong from Apify. Special thanks to Vladimira Cincurova for making it happen. With Petr and Max back in the office, we’re taking the time to sort through everything we brought back. It was a great week. See you next year. ✈️ #NYTechWeek #RockawayVentures #EuropeanStartupEmbassy #VentureCapital #Startups #CEE #VentureWhereOthersWont

When our portfolio founders Jaroslav Beck, Filip Dvorak, Vlastimil Venclik and General Partner Petr Smid share a stage, expect a masterclass in global scaling. They agree that Czech talent is incredible, but winning globally takes real American drive and zero hesitation. 🚀 Read “3+1 Lessons from Founders Who Outgrew the Czech Market” in the article below.  

What does it really take to invest in defense, energy, and deep tech? 🚀 Our Investor Eva Faltusova recently joined Marika Čupa on the Fin4elle investment podcast. She unpacked the realities of venture capital, sharing her perspective on investing both as a professional at Rockaway Ventures and in her personal life. In the podcast, Eva highlighted how AI and deep tech are actively shaping the modern world. We are seeing big investment opportunities opening up across ESG, defense technologies, and energy grid stability. Our team reviews hundreds of pitches a year. For us, the core of any pitch is a technology that is clearly understandable, but the final decision ultimately comes down to mutual understanding and synergy with the founder. Beyond capital, we actively help founders to accelerate their global growth. Ambitious tech startups often need a direct US presence, which is exactly why we work closely with our partner, the European Startup Embassy. 🇺🇸 Outside the VC investment world, Eva’s approach to personal finance follows a straightforward rule: invest in what you truly know and genuinely care about. A big thank you to Marika for the invitation. 🎧 Listen to the full episode in Czech via the link in the comments. 👇 #RockawayVentures #VentureCapital #Fin4elle #DeepTech #EnergyTech #Startups #ESG

Innovation took center stage at Žofín on Wednesday ✨ Rockaway Capital hosted the Backstage by Rockaway conference, bringing together our entire ecosystem of partners, founders, investors and friends. Over five dynamic hours, the event offered a diverse range of perspectives on the market opportunities shaping the future. 🎤 During the event, our General Partner Petr Smid joined the "Czech Founders in the Global First League" panel alongside three of our portfolio partners driving the future of AI: Jaroslav Beck (BottleCap AI), Filip Dvorak (Filuta AI), and Vlastimil Venclik (ValkaAI). The conversation highlighted how each founder is capturing hidden market gaps with disruptive tech. Jaroslav introduced BottleCap AI’s AI Scan tool to eliminate model bias, while Filip detailed Filuta AI’s composite framework combining neural networks and explicit models for compliance. Vlastimil then demonstrated Valka AI’s real-time avatars, enabling sports leagues to scale with localized context. They agreed that while domestic talent easily matches the world's best , global scaling requires a major boost in confidence. Success demands pairing this technical excellence with a proactive sales drive, an opportunistic mindset , and local partners to unlock international capital. Huge thanks to our founders and the entire Rockaway Capital team for putting together this event. 👏 #RockawayVentures #RockawayCapital #DeepTech #AI #VentureCapital #GlobalMindset #VentureWhereOthersWont

Our General Partner Petr Smid and Principal Max Palko are heading to New York TECH WEEK by a16z. 🗽 Bringing together the global tech community, it’s the perfect place to connect with angels, co-investors, and follow-on backers to secure capital for our current and future portfolio. Our schedule is fully packed, but Friday, June 5, stands out as the highlight of our trip. We are co-hosting two sessions that are well worth your time: $14M for Faces That Don’t Exist Yet by 📅 Friday, June 5, 1:30–3:30 PM  A deep dive into our portfolio startup ValkaAI, hosted by serial founder Vlastimil Venclik. As one of Europe's biggest pre-seed bets, they are offering a look under the hood of Europe's largest avatar studio, sharing how real-time digital humans transition into actual products and scalable revenue streams. Curated Happy Hour for European Founders & US Investors by  📅 Friday, June 5, 4:00–6:30 PM  Right after, our partner European Startup Embassy is hosting a gathering to bridge both ecosystems. Vladimira Cincurova connects founders moving stateside with US backers looking for international dealflow, kicking off with an interview featuring Richard Valtr, founder of the Czech unicorn 🦄 Mews, followed by networking for builders, investors, and the tech diaspora. We can’t wait to reconnect with familiar faces and meet the new builders and investors shaping the future of global tech. If you’re in town for NY Tech Week, let’s connect! 🇺🇸 #NYTechWeek #RockawayVentures #EuropeanStartupEmbassy #VentureCapital #Startups