Target Global is a venture capital firm headquartered in Berlin, Germany, with a second office in Tel Aviv, Israel. The firm was founded in 2012 by a team of investors with backgrounds spanning technology, finance, and entrepreneurship across European and Israeli markets. Over more than a decade, it has built a reputation as one of the more active cross-border early-stage and growth-stage investors bridging the European and Middle Eastern technology ecosystems.
The firm invests primarily in technology companies across fintech, mobility, e-commerce, and SaaS. Its geographic focus centers on Germany, the United Kingdom, and Israel, though it has backed companies operating across broader Europe. Target Global typically leads or co-leads rounds at Series A and Series B stages, writing initial checks in the range of $3M–$15M and following on in later rounds. Public information on total assets under management is limited; the firm has raised multiple successive funds and is estimated to manage several hundred million dollars across its vehicles, though an official AUM figure has not been publicly disclosed.
Notable investments
- Trade Republic – Berlin-based neo-broker that grew to become one of Europe's largest retail investment platforms, with over 8 million customers as of 2024. Target Global was among its early backers.
- AUTO1 Group – European digital used-car marketplace that went public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 2021. One of the firm's most prominent exits by market visibility.
- Rapyd – Global fintech infrastructure company offering payment and financial services APIs. Target Global participated in early funding rounds before Rapyd reached unicorn status.
- wefox – Berlin-based insurtech platform. Target Global backed the company as it scaled across European markets.
- Raisin – European savings and investment marketplace. Target Global was an early investor as Raisin expanded its cross-border deposits product.
- Zenjob – Berlin-based flexible staffing platform connecting businesses with temporary workers. Target Global led or co-led early rounds.
- Careem – Middle Eastern ride-hailing platform, later acquired by Uber in 2019 for $3.1 billion, representing one of the region's largest technology exits and a notable win for investors with exposure to the round.
Public information on Target Global's direct crypto or blockchain-native portfolio investments is limited. The firm's stated focus has been on fintech infrastructure and technology platforms more broadly, some of which overlap with digital payments and financial rails adjacent to the crypto space.
Team
Target Global is led by a group of general partners with diverse backgrounds:
- Yaron Valler – Co-founder and General Partner. Previously worked in technology and investment roles across Israel and Europe.
- Lior Akavia – Co-founder and General Partner. Background in technology entrepreneurship.
- Mike Lobanov – General Partner focused on the firm's Russian-speaking market relationships and broader Eastern European deal flow.
- Ricardo Schäfer – General Partner leading investments from the Berlin office, with focus on German-market opportunities.
- Ben Frenkel – Partner involved in portfolio operations and sourcing.
The team structure reflects the firm's dual-hub model, with investment professionals based in both Berlin and Tel Aviv covering their respective regional pipelines.
Recent activity
In 2024 and into 2025, Target Global continued to focus on fintech and B2B software investments across Europe. The firm has been active in the AI-adjacent SaaS space as the broader European market shifted attention toward enterprise AI tools. Specific deal announcements from this period were limited in public disclosures, consistent with the firm's general preference for quieter deal-making compared to larger multi-billion-dollar funds that issue frequent press releases.
Target Global occupies a productive niche as a cross-border early-stage fund operating at the intersection of two strong technology ecosystems – Germany and Israel. Its track record includes genuine wins in fintech (Trade Republic, Rapyd, Raisin) and mobility (AUTO1, Careem). For investors and founders evaluating the firm, its value proposition rests on its bi-continental network rather than sector-specific crypto or blockchain expertise, which remains a less prominent part of its public portfolio. More current fund-level details are available via Crunchbase and the firm's official website.