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KINALI Supports JIC Ventures, a New Fund for Early-Stage Technology Startups
KINALI supports JIC Ventures, a new 400 million CZK fund for early-stage technology startups from Central and Eastern Europe. For KINALI, it is also a way to support the ecosystem around JIC that helped the company learn, connect, and grow.
Introduction
On 7 April 2026, JIC launched the new JIC Ventures fund in Brno. The event brought together investors, innovation leaders, and public representatives, including President Petr Pavel. For the region, it marked the arrival of a stronger capital instrument for early-stage technology companies. For KINALI, it was also a reminder of how important the right environment can be in shaping a company over time. JIC has long been part of the ecosystem in which we were able to learn, connect, and grow, which is one of the reasons this launch mattered to us on a personal level as well.
About JIC Ventures
JIC Ventures is a 400 million CZK fund focused on pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups from Central and Eastern Europe, with a natural priority on Czechia and Slovakia. Over the next three to four years, it plans to support around 20 companies, with investments of up to 1 million EUR per startup. Its focus includes deep tech, SaaS, and other advanced technology fields.
This is not JIC’s first step into startup investing. JIC has been developing investment activities since 2015, when it began making smaller co-investments into early-stage startups. The new fund represents the next step in that journey, with significantly more capital and a shift into the role of a lead investor that not only finances startups, but actively supports their growth.
You can learn more about the wider ecosystem at JIC and about the fund itself at JIC Ventures.
JIC and the Innovation Ecosystem Around It
The new fund stands on a strong foundation. Since 2003, JIC has supported more than 1,300 startups, including companies such as Kiwi.com, Y Soft, and Flowmon. In 2026, the Financial Times ranked JIC among Europe’s leading startup hubs. Over the last five years alone, companies supported by JIC achieved exits worth 640 million EUR.
That experience matters because JIC Ventures is built on more than capital. Founders backed by the fund gain access to expert networks, mentoring, founder know-how, university links, JIC programs, and a strong pipeline of investment opportunities coming from the wider ecosystem. This is especially relevant in areas where JIC has built long-term expertise, including cybersecurity, HW and SW, semiconductors, space tech, defence and dual-use, nanotech, and precision instruments.
In practice, that means the fund is designed to do more than write checks. It is meant to help founders move faster, make better decisions, and grow with stronger support around them.
A Fund with a Rare Structure
What makes JIC Ventures especially interesting is its structure.
Most of the capital comes from private investors, but the fund was initiated by JIC, whose founders include the South Moravian Region, the City of Brno, and four Brno universities. The South Moravian Region also joined the fund as an investor. In the Central and Eastern European context, that kind of structure is still unusual.
The investor base reflects that combination of institutional backing and practical business experience. It includes around 40 limited partners, among them major names such as CTP, Česká spořitelna, Jan Barta, and several successful entrepreneurs with deep roots in the Brno tech region. KINALI is one of the companies listed among those investors.
That gives the fund a distinctive character. It is backed not only by money, but also by people and organisations with a direct interest in strengthening the region’s long-term competitiveness and helping promising companies grow into globally relevant businesses.
Why KINALI Decided to Support JIC Ventures
For KINALI, the decision to support the fund is closely connected to our own story.
This year, KINALI celebrates 20 years on the market. During that time, JIC was often close to our journey. Through its events, founder-focused activities, and long-term role in the entrepreneurial community, it helped shape an environment where companies like ours could learn, connect, and grow.
That kind of work is easy to overlook because it happens gradually. But over time, it has a real effect. It helps a region build confidence, credibility, and momentum.
That is why JIC Ventures feels like a natural continuation of that story. The fund brings not only capital, but also access to people who understand how companies grow, what they need in their early stages, and how to help them move forward.
At KINALI, we build technology for real industrial environments, from optical quality control to robotic systems and automation. We know that strong companies need more than good ideas. They need execution, trust, and the right support around them. That is one of the reasons why a fund like this makes sense to us.
After 20 years of building KINALI, supporting JIC Ventures is one way to put some of our own resources and know-how back into the ecosystem that has been an important part of our journey.
What Comes Next
South Moravia has already shown that it can produce strong technical talent, ambitious founders, and globally relevant companies. The next challenge is helping more of those companies scale.
That is where a fund like JIC Ventures can make a real difference. It helps address the early-stage capital gap, but it also does something broader. It strengthens the infrastructure around growth and supports a wider shift toward an economy built on innovation, research, and technology entrepreneurship.
During the launch in Brno, Radek Štourač had a short conversation with President Petr Pavel and welcomed his support for the initiative and for innovation-led economic development. For Radek, that was an important signal, because projects like this need not only strong founders and investors, but also clear political support if they are to succeed in the long term.
A big thank you goes to Petr Chládek, Radim Kocourek, Miloš Sochor, and everyone else involved for the work it took to bring this initiative to life.
We are proud to be part of it.
