Private Investment & Innovation Partnerships

We invest in ventures
that scale breakthroughs.

Novactum is a private investment firm focused on ventures that use AI-enabled innovation to achieve a lasting competitive edge — matched to real and hidden market needs, designed to scale fast, with risks we understand and manage.

We invest. We take board seats. We build teams. We protect ROI.

Take the Readiness Scan See Our Portfolio

"The breakthrough is only the beginning. We back ventures that can actually scale it — and we stay until they do."

EdgeLasting Competitive Advantage

FitReal & Hidden Market Needs

SpeedAI-Accelerated Scale

RiskKnown, Managed, Mitigated

Investment Thesis

We back ventures where AI changes
what's possible — not just what's faster

We are not investing in AI as a feature. We back ventures where AI-enabled innovation creates a genuinely defensible breakthrough — matched to real or hidden market needs — with a path to scale that is fast and the risks we understand going in.

Lasting Competitive Edge

We invest where the innovation creates durable, defensible advantage. The first question: does this venture own something structurally unreplicable at scale?

Real & Hidden Market Needs

The best ventures solve problems the market has not yet fully articulated. We use deep intelligence from CREAX, NICE Collective and our network to find genuine demand before the crowd does.

Scale Velocity with AI

AI changes which ventures can reach market scale in years rather than decades. We invest in AI-native architectures because speed to scale is itself a structural competitive advantage.

Known & Manageable Risk

Risk we cannot map is risk we do not take. We assess technical, regulatory, commercial and people risk at entry — and structure our board and executive involvement to actively reduce it post-investment.

ROI & Portfolio Governance

We manage return on investment with the discipline of a professional investor and the engagement of an operator. Board representation, decision-making frameworks and exit planning are built in from day one.

Co-Investment & Partnerships

We co-invest, intermediate and partner alongside aligned PE/VC firms and corporate venturing arms — bringing capital and active ecosystem access to every deal we touch.

Portfolio & Investment Examples

Ventures that demonstrate
the thesis in action

Our investments share a common logic: AI-enabled technology that creates a genuine breakthrough in an underserved or poorly understood market — with a defensible path to fast scale.

Investment · Israel

Resugar

FoodTech · Sugar Innovation · Scale Venture

A plug-and-play sugar replacement that replicates the full taste and functional properties of sugar — including caramelisation, texture and freezing point — while reducing sugar content by 70%, with no sweeteners. Zero reformulation required. Already deployed in Nestlé-Froneri products; partnering with major global F&B corporates.

Why it fits the Novactum thesis

A genuine technological breakthrough (Technion-validated) solving a decades-old market failure. Plug-and-play means near-zero switching cost for manufacturers — exceptional scale velocity. Regulatory simplicity removes a major risk category. The proprietary natural formulation cannot be reverse-engineered cheaply.

FoodTechDeep-TechB2B ScaleIP ProtectedIsrael

Investment · Israel

MAMAY Technologies

AI · Sensory Digitisation · SaaS

The world's first objective, AI-powered digital language for taste, odour and texture. Their Taste GAGE SaaS platform lets food, beverage and cosmetics companies simulate sensory profiles digitally — eliminating slow, expensive physical sensory panels. The digital twin for human taste, built on a decade of scientific research.

Why it fits the Novactum thesis

Addresses a hidden, persistent market problem: there has never been an objective universal language for taste. MAMAY creates a new infrastructure layer for all of food and cosmetics R&D. AI is not peripheral — it is the product. Near-zero marginal cost SaaS means extraordinary scale economics. 10 years of research provides a deep moat.

AI-NativeSaaSFoodTechCosmeticsIsrael

The Book

InnovateSmart
/Partnerships —
Proof of practice.

Innovation partnerships are where most ambition meets most disappointment. This book — written by Mike Vermeer from the inside of hundreds of real innovation journeys across Europe and beyond — is the practical antidote.

Why this matters for Novactum partnerships

Before we invest or engage, we want partners to understand how we think. InnovateSmart is that thinking made concrete: how to structure innovation partnerships that actually deliver ROI, how to manage the messy middle between idea and market, how to assess people and risk honestly. It is the foundation of every engagement we undertake — and a way for any potential partner to evaluate alignment before committing.

Order the Book

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How We Engage

Capital with conviction.
Execution with skin in the game.

Four engagement modes — each designed to protect the investment, accelerate growth, and manage risk at every phase of the scale journey.

Direct Investment & Co-Investment

We invest directly in ventures that meet our thesis — lasting edge, market fit, scale velocity, manageable risk. We co-invest with aligned PE, VC and family office partners, and intermediate deal flow to our network. Investment always comes with active board involvement, not passive capital.

Board Participation & Strategic Oversight

We take Non-Executive Director and advisory board positions in our investee companies. Our board role goes beyond governance — active in strategic decision-making, risk management, partnership development and exit planning. We see after ROI from the inside.

Interim Executive Leadership

When a venture needs more than strategy — at moments of rapid scale, leadership transition, or post-investment transformation — we step in as interim CEO, COO or functional lead. Full executive accountability, clear mandate: close the gap between where you are and where the investment thesis demands.

Strategy, Team Building & Senior Recruitment

Every investment thesis depends on the team that executes it. We define the organisational architecture, recruit the right senior leadership, and — through INNDUCE.me — objectively assess whether teams have the innovation competencies to deliver. Human capital due diligence as a structural investment edge.

Readiness Scans

The first filter in
every partnership.

Before Novactum commits capital, a board seat or executive bandwidth, we need clarity. Our Readiness Scans are structured diagnostics that reveal where a venture stands — on strategy, opportunity, risk and readiness — and chart the path forward.

What scans deliver

Not a consulting report. A diagnostic instrument: surfaces low-hanging fruit, updates strategy against real market signals, identifies material risks before they become deal-breakers — and gives both sides the honest picture needed to decide whether to proceed.

Innovation & Opportunity Scan Where are the breakthrough opportunities? AI capability, market signals, hidden needs, competitive gaps. Surfaces low-hanging fruit and updates strategy.

Scale-Up Readiness Scan Are you structured to scale fast? Commercial model, team quality, operations, risk map and velocity indicators assessed against investor expectations.

Investor Readiness Scan Are you investable at your stated terms? Narrative coherence, financial model, team credibility and due diligence positioning reviewed through an investor lens.

Indicative investment from €3,500 · Delivered within 2–3 weeks

Request a Scan

Tell us where you are. We'll propose the right scan and schedule an intake call — no commitment required.

Name

Organisation

Scan of interest

We respond within one business day. Your data is never shared.

Who We Work With

Three paths into
partnership.

Novactum works with three distinct constituencies — each with a defined engagement model and a clear starting point: a Readiness Scan or a direct conversation.

Ventures & Scaleups

AI breakthrough · Market fit · Scale capital

You have a genuine AI-enabled innovation and the ambition to scale fast. You need capital and a partner who protects the investment from inside the company — through board governance, executive support and network activation.

Direct investment & co-investment
NED / board representation
Interim executive leadership
Investor readiness & fundraising
Senior team recruitment

Start with a Scan

Corporates & Corporate Venturing

Innovation speed · AI transformation · Venture access

You need to innovate faster than your internal structure allows. We design corporate venture vehicles, vet innovation partnerships, and lead from within when pace demands it.

Corporate venture vehicle design
AI-enabled innovation strategy
Startup scouting & partnership brokering
Board & advisory participation
Interim innovation leadership

Let's Talk

Investment Firms & Co-Investors

Deal flow · Due diligence · Value creation

You want qualified AI-innovation deal flow, rigorous due diligence on team and technology, and a hands-on operating partner post-close. We bring all three — including INNDUCE.me-powered human capital assessment.

Qualified AI-innovation deal flow
Innovation & team due diligence
Post-investment interim executive support
Board co-participation
Portfolio company network access

Explore Co-Investment

Leadership

Mike Vermeer

Founder — Novactum

Private Investor NED Executive Venture Partner Board Director

LinkedIn Profile

Investor and executive.
Not on the sidelines.

Mike Vermeer founded Novactum as an investment and execution vehicle — not a consultancy. He invests directly, takes board seats, leads as interim executive when the situation demands it, and builds the organisations he backs from the inside. His involvement is always as principal, never as observer.

With a career spanning senior executive roles, board directorships, venture investment and ecosystem building across Europe, the Middle East and beyond, Mike combines the financial discipline of a professional investor with the operational credibility to accelerate what most advisors can only describe. He does not sit on the outside of innovation — he has been in the room where it happens.

He is also the founder of NICE (New Ingredient Collective Europe), author of InnovateSmart /Partnerships, and holds an active participation in INNDUCE.me — all reflecting a consistent conviction: the best returns come from deep involvement and genuine domain understanding.

Private Investor

Non-Exec Director

Interim Executive

Venture Partner

Senior Advisor

Published Author

Senior executive engagement: Lamb Weston, Royal Cosun and others
Investee board and NED roles across EU and Israel
Founder — NICE (New Ingredient Collective Europe)
Participation — INNDUCE.me innovation competency platform
Author — InnovateSmart /Partnerships
Active across Netherlands, Germany, Israel, Switzerland

Contact

Let's talk about
your opportunity.

Every engagement starts with a direct conversation. Tell us what you're building, where you are, and what you're looking for. We'll tell you quickly and honestly whether and how Novactum can invest and engage.

Novactum Investments & Partnerships · Netherlands
+31 76 850 8080
info@novactum.nl
novactum.nl
Mike Vermeer on LinkedIn

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We respond within one business day.

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Your data is used solely to respond to your enquiry.

We invest in ventures
that scale breakthroughs.

We back ventures where AI changes
what's possible — not just what's faster

Ventures that demonstrate
the thesis in action

InnovateSmart
/Partnerships —
Proof of practice.

Capital with conviction.
Execution with skin in the game.

The first filter in
every partnership.

Three paths into
partnership.

We don't work alone.
We work with the best.

Thinking that shapes decisions

Investor and executive.
Not on the sidelines.

Let's talk about
your opportunity.

We invest in venturesthat scale breakthroughs.

We back ventures where AI changeswhat's possible — not just what's faster

Ventures that demonstratethe thesis in action

InnovateSmart/Partnerships —Proof of practice.

Capital with conviction.Execution with skin in the game.

The first filter inevery partnership.

Three paths intopartnership.

We don't work alone.We work with the best.

Thinking that shapes decisions

Investor and executive.Not on the sidelines.

Let's talk aboutyour opportunity.

We invest in ventures
that scale breakthroughs.

We back ventures where AI changes
what's possible — not just what's faster

Ventures that demonstrate
the thesis in action

InnovateSmart
/Partnerships —
Proof of practice.

Capital with conviction.
Execution with skin in the game.

The first filter in
every partnership.

Three paths into
partnership.

We don't work alone.
We work with the best.

Investor and executive.
Not on the sidelines.

Let's talk about
your opportunity.