Captiwate, based in Budapest and San Francisco, has raised $600,000 in funding from Interactive Venture Partners, Oktogon Ventures, Fiedler Capital, and Cloudbreak VC. This investment will support the team in the launch of anoperational product and real-world testing conduction.
- Founded in 2024 by Krisztian Berecz and Illés Apród, Captiwate develops software designed to help businesses identify potential customers via their websites. The startup’s tool enables real-time engagement through video calls or live chat with visitors likely to make purchases. The main goal of Captiwate’s solution is to improve customer service and boost sales for online businesses.
- Captiwate plans to launch its product in April, with five pilot companies set to be the first to try the software. As customer numbers grow, the startup intends to expand the team by adding a salesperson.
The investors in the round include:
- Interactive Venture Partners, a venture capital firm supporting CEE startups with focus on the Hungarian market. The fund helps companies expand regionally or enter the global markets. Recently, it launched a €50 million investment fund to support CEE entrepreneurs.
- Fiedler Capital, based in Budapest, invests in CEE and Baltic pre-venture startups, leading or co-leading pre-seed and early seed rounds with ticket sizes ranging between €50,000 and €750,000.
- Oktogon Ventures, which funds CEE early-stage startups, and Budapest-based Cloudbreak Ventures.
- Several business angels also participated in the funding, including Biás Csongor, Jared Schreiber, Zsolt Kocsmárszky, Tamás Kádár, and Bence Töreky.
According to Krisztian Berecz, founder and CEO of Captiwate, the current fund will sustain the startup's operations for two years. However, he emphasized the need for a larger funding round soon to support further growth:
"It would be important to get a reputable European or American investor in the next rounds, and one who not only puts in the money, but can also really help us, both professionally and in the network," founder and CEO of Captiwate, Krisztian Berecz, commented.
