My Big Idea: deeptech investor Gi21

‍Hi Damir. How do you describe Gi21?

Gi21 is an investment firm defined by a strong “built by entrepreneurs” philosophy. It has evolved far beyond its origins as a family office into a fully-fledged platform focused on backing companies in areas where infrastructure and technical complexity meet, including B2B software, AI, robotics, DeepTech, and aviation across Europe and the US. We are not just capital providers. We are founders who have gone through the entire business lifecycle, from the first line of code to scaling companies and executing major exits. That experience shapes how we work with our portfolio. Today, we support more than 25 high-growth companies with a combined valuation of over $4 billion, helping bridge the gap between early stage innovation and global market leadership.

What makes you a different kind of investor?

We have built and exited companies ourselves, and that fundamentally changes how we operate. We have managed infrastructure at scale, navigated complex M&A processes, and built companies through every stage of growth, so the support we provide is practical and grounded in real experience. Another key difference is that we invest only our own capital. We do not have limited partners, which removes the typical constraints of traditional venture capital, including fund lifecycles, corporate bureaucracy, and external pressure. It allows us to move faster and stay aligned with founders over the long term. We are also highly involved with our startups. When we invest, we think about the eventual outcome early on and make our network, investment community, and resources available to support that path.

Where is Gi21 today?

Today we support more than 25 companies across Europe and the United States, with a combined valuation exceeding $£4 billion. The portfolio includes both early stage DeepTech startups and more established companies in infrastructure and cloud.

In parallel, we are actively deploying capital into AI infrastructure and launching an AI Data Center Infrastructure fund to build the most reliable, high-density digital infrastructure portfolio on the continent. We are not only investing in the future of computing, we are also helping build the foundation for it. Our initial project consists of AI data centers that will run on 100% renewable energy and are expected to be operational in 2028.

What made you decide to become an investor?

It was a natural step after building and exiting my own company. When I was starting, I often worked with investors who had never built a product or scaled a business themselves. There was a clear gap between capital and execution. I wanted to create the type of partner I would have needed at that time. Gi21 is built around that idea, combining capital with real operating experience.

What's your biggest strength?

My biggest strength is the ability to bridge the gap between deep technical complexity and commercial reality. Starting as a developer and building a data center from the ground up trained me to understand the absolute necessity of reliable architecture and uptime. But serving as CEO through major scaling phases and acquisitions taught me the business mechanics of growth. Additionally, flying as a commercial aviation captain has instilled a strict discipline for risk management, precision, and high-stakes decision-making. I don't just look at a startup's code or their pitch deck; I look at the operational resilience of the entire machine, and I know how to help founders build it.

What's the secret to picking the right bets?

There is no single secret, but a deep understanding of the space is essential. We only invest in areas where we have real experience, which allows us to assess technical risk, market timing, and execution challenges much earlier. The second factor is the founder. I look for people who combine strong technical depth with a real drive to build a business. It is not enough to create a great product, you also need the energy to go to market, talk to customers, and push the vision forward. That mix of builder and operator is critical.

How do you find and attract the right founders to back?

Because we have walked in their shoes, our best referrals often come organically from other technical founders within our network. We don’t rely on traditional VC outbound tactics. Instead, we are active in the trenches of the infrastructure and DeepTech communities. When founders realize they can sit across the table from an investor who actually understands the intricacies of cloud architecture, hardware supply chains, or compute constraints—and who can write a check from their own capital without waiting on an LP committee—the partnership forms very naturally. We attract builders because we are builders.

What were you doing before?

I started as a developer and founded VSHosting at 17, after being part of one of the first community networks in the Czech Republic. We grew the company into one of the leading cloud and infrastructure providers in Central Europe, hosting a large part of the Czech and Slovak e-commerce market and building our own data center from the ground up with a long term 100% uptime record. This success led to a series of strategic exits between 2020 and 2022, first to Contabo Group and later to KKR, with me continuing to serve as CEO. At the same time, I became involved in aviation through Alpha Aviation, one of the region’s largest business aviation firms, where I both invested in the company and currently fly as a commercial captain.

Which emerging technologies are you most excited about investing in right now, and why

The first area is AI infrastructure. Most of the focus today is on models and applications, but the real constraint is compute and energy. Without reliable infrastructure, none of this can scale, especially in Europe. What some call an AI bubble is actually the massive front loading of infrastructure for what I see as the most significant industrial shift of our generation. The second area is Applied Robotics. We are moving from AI that produces outputs on a screen to AI that interacts with the physical world. That shift will have a major impact on industries such as manufacturing and logistics. Both areas are technically complex and infrastructure driven, which is where we have strong experience.

What is the future vision?

The long term vision is to build the foundation for Europe’s AI economy. This means developing sovereign, large scale infrastructure that allows companies to scale without relying on external providers. Our data center platform is a key part of that effort. Right now, we are focused on getting our first two data centers operational by 2029. This is the first step in building heavily de-risked infrastructure that allows European AI adoption to scale without bottlenecks. We are serious about making sure Europe does not fall behind in the AI race.