Keen Venture Partners
Amsterdam/London-based venture capital firm; participated in Kelluu's €15M Series A.
Keen Venture Partners (keenventurepartners.com) is an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm founded in 2016 by Ben Verwaayen (former BT and Alcatel-Lucent CEO), Alexander Ribbink (former TomTom COO), and Robert Verwaayen (former Prime Ventures principal), with a second office in London. It describes itself as 'the radically human venture capital firm,' sharing network and value before capital ('time first, money later'), and runs periodic 'thesis sprints' to identify long-term trends — currently focused on SME Technology (AI/software for SMEs) and Defence & Security. In November 2025 it announced a first close above €150M for a dedicated Defence & Security Fund, backed by the European Investment Fund, Dutch pension fund PME, TNO, ABN AMRO, and LIOF, with Giuseppe Lacerenza as the fund's public-facing Partner.
Overview
- Firm
- Keen Venture Partners
- Headquarters
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Founded
- 2016
- AUM
- Avg. check
- €1M–€10M
- Stages
- Seed, Series A, Series B
- Thesis
- Keen Venture Partners (keenventurepartners.com) is an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm founded in 2016 by Ben Verwaayen (former BT and Alcatel-Lucent CEO), Alexander Ribbink (former TomTom COO), and Robert Verwaayen (former Prime Ventures principal), with a second office in London. It describes itself as 'the radically human venture capital firm,' operating on a 'time first, money later' philosophy of sharing network and value before capital, and runs periodic 'thesis sprints' to identify long-term trends — currently focused on two tracks: SME Technology (AI/software for SMEs) and Defence & Security. In November 2025 it announced a first close above €150M for a dedicated Defence & Security Fund, backed by the European Investment Fund, Dutch pension fund PME, TNO, ABN AMRO, and LIOF, with Giuseppe Lacerenza as the fund's public-facing Partner.
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Frequently asked
- What is Keen Venture Partners?
- Keen Venture Partners (keenventurepartners.com) is an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm founded in 2016 by Ben Verwaayen (former BT and Alcatel-Lucent CEO), Alexander Ribbink (former TomTom COO), and Robert Verwaayen (former Prime Ventures principal), with a second office in London. It describes itself as 'the radically human venture capital firm,' operating on a 'time first, money later' philosophy of sharing network and value before capital, and runs periodic 'thesis sprints' to identify long-term trends — currently focused on two tracks: SME Technology (AI/software for SMEs) and Defence & Security. In November 2025 it announced a first close above €150M for a dedicated Defence & Security Fund, backed by the European Investment Fund, Dutch pension fund PME, TNO, ABN AMRO, and LIOF, with Giuseppe Lacerenza as the fund's public-facing Partner.
- What stages does Keen Venture Partners invest at?
- Keen Venture Partners invests at Seed, Series A, Series B, with typical checks of €1M–€10M.
Sources & citations2
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- 1
Keen Venture Partners was founded in 2016 by Ben Verwaayen, Alexander Ribbink, and Robert Verwaayen.
TechCrunch: Keen Venture Partners is a new European VC firm founded by ex-BT CEOVerified2016-11-04 - 2
Keen Venture Partners announced a first close above €150 million for its Defence & Security Fund, backed by the European Investment Fund, Dutch pension fund PME, TNO, ABN AMRO, and LIOF, targeting €1M–€10M checks across 25+ companies.
TechFundingNews: Europe's defense tech VC secures $150M+ close for security-focused fundVerified2025-11-18