New fundOct 29, 2026, 10:48 UTC

Entourage closes €100M second fund for AI, robotics, and deep tech

What's the deal? Ghent-based early-stage firm Entourage has closed its second fund at €100 million ($111 million), beating its initial €75 million target in two weeks. The fund drew commitments from entrepreneurs, family offices, and private investors, including the founders of Aikido, TechWolf, and Collibra.

Where the money goes: Fund II will back about 25 pre-seed and seed companies across Europe and beyond, with initial cheques of €1 million to €5 million and room for follow-on. It targets AI, enterprise software, robotics, and deep tech.

The track record: Entourage launched in March 2024, writing early cheques into Aikido, Conveo, and Lexroom. Aikido, a Ghent developer security company, hit a $1 billion valuation in January 2026 after a $60 million Series B led by DST Global. Conveo raised a $50 million Series A in September 2026, and Lexroom raised a $50 million Series B in May 2026.

Who's behind it? Founder and general partner Pieterjan Bouten co-founded Showpad in 2011 and grew it past $100 million in annual recurring revenue before Vector Capital acquired it in October 2025. "With Fund II, we're doubling down," Bouten said.

The hands-off pitch: Entourage leads or co-leads most rounds but rarely takes a board seat — an unusual stance at the stage where board seats are often the main formal lever of investment. "Great founders don't need babysitting," Bouten said. "They need trust, challenge when it counts and perspective at pivotal moments."

What could go wrong? The planned shift from software into robotics and physical AI is the key test, as those areas typically need more capital and longer development timelines than Entourage's earlier software bets.

The signal: The oversubscribed raise is a notable result for a young manager at a time when the European Investment Fund reports that smaller and seed-stage investors still face fundraising headwinds. It sits within a broader wave of European AI and deep-tech capital, following Merantix's €103 million AI fund in June and Headline's $400 million seed and Series A fund in October.