# Call4Ventures: KVA's open calls for AI startups > KVA invests up to €100,000 in early-stage AI startups. Our calls cover banking, fraud, insurtech, professional services, manufacturing, robotics and research. - Page: https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures - Italian version: https://www.kakashi.ventures/it/call4ventures - Organisation: Kakashi Venture Accelerator (KVA), an AI-native venture studio based in Turin, Italy. - Programme: Call4Ventures, 2026 cohort. ## What Call4Ventures is It is an open call for startups that already have a company. It is not a grant and it is not a competition. KVA invests and joins the cap table. Then it works with the team as a venture studio. We assess applications as they arrive. We are looking for early-stage startups in validation or MVP, and pre-scaling startups raising up to €1M (seed rounds up to €700K). We have opened seven themed calls in the sectors where AI is changing how people work. On each one we commit €50,000 to €100,000. We invest in startups based in Europe and the United States. The themed calls belong to the 2026 cohort and are open until 31 December 2026. ## At a glance - **Investment**: It can be cash only or cash and services. - **Who it is for**: We look for startups in validation or MVP and pre-scaling startups raising up to €1M. - **Where**: We invest in startups based in Europe and the United States. - **Deadline**: This call is part of the 2026 cohort. You can apply until 31 December 2026. - **Response**: We reply within seven working days. On average, two to three weeks pass from application to proposal. ## Open calls ### [Call for AI startups in banking and financial services](https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/fintech) We are looking for AI products that improve the work of people who manage capital, savings and assets. The call is for banks, asset managers, wealth managers and intermediaries. It covers onboarding and KYC, credit and risk, advisory, compliance, operations and customer service. - **Investment**: Up to €100,000 invested - Text version: https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/fintech/llms.txt ### [Call for AI startups against fraud, deepfakes and cyber threats](https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/cybersecurity) We are looking for AI that defends personal and financial data against fraud, tampering and phishing carried out with AI. Think of detecting deepfakes, identity theft, tampered documents and transactions, and automated phishing and social engineering. The call is for banks, insurers and any company that handles private data and compliance obligations. - **Investment**: Up to €100,000 invested - Text version: https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/cybersecurity/llms.txt ### [Call for insurtech AI startups in claims, underwriting and fraud](https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/insurtech) We are looking for AI that improves claims handling, underwriting and control in insurance. The call covers claims intake and settlement, fraud detection, underwriting and pricing, distribution, portfolio control and compliance. - **Investment**: Up to €75,000 invested - Text version: https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/insurtech/llms.txt ### [Call for agentic AI startups for professional firms and trades](https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/professional-services) We are looking for agent-first AI workflows for people who sell expertise and time. The agents prepare filings, read contracts and accounts, and handle compliance deadlines, quotes and clients. The call is for law and accounting firms, consultants and knowledge companies. It also covers plumbers, installers and other tradespeople. - **Investment**: Up to €75,000 invested - Text version: https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/professional-services/llms.txt ### [Call for AI startups in industry and manufacturing](https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/manufacturing) We are looking for AI that improves production, quality, maintenance and supply chain in factories. The call covers production planning, quality control, predictive maintenance, energy, supply chain and plant know-how. The software and agents must work inside the processes of the people who make things. - **Investment**: Up to €75,000 invested - Text version: https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/manufacturing/llms.txt ### [Call for physical AI and robotics startups](https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/physical-ai) We are looking for AI that perceives, decides and acts in the physical world. The call covers robotics, autonomous systems, computer vision, sensors and edge AI. These are machines that work alongside people in warehouses, building sites, fields and infrastructure. - **Investment**: Up to €50,000 invested - Text version: https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/physical-ai/llms.txt ### [Call for AI agent startups in biotech and pharma research](https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/autonomous-research) We are looking for agents that read the literature, generate hypotheses and design experiments. The call covers biotech, pharma, life sciences, chemistry and materials. The systems should shorten the research cycle. We already work in this field with MAGELLAN. It is our system for generating scientific hypotheses autonomously. - **Investment**: Up to €75,000 invested - Text version: https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures/autonomous-research/llms.txt ### [General call, always open](https://www.kakashi.ventures/en/call4ventures#general) Is your sector not among the seven calls? Apply to the general call. We assess startups in all our sectors of interest. The commitment covers capital and the time of our product, engineering and go-to-market team. - **Investment**: Up to €60,000 in cash and services ## Why we are not an incubator - **Hands-on**: We do not mentor by the hour. From day one, our product, engineering and go-to-market team works on your venture too. - **Skin in the game**: We put in capital and join the cap table. We only gain if the venture grows. - **Tech first**: Our team includes AI researchers who publish papers. Our agents already run in production on nine of our products. We build the technology with you. We do not judge it from the outside. ## Investment thesis These are the traits we prefer to find in a startup. They show us where we can be most useful. - **Founders who know the sector**: At least one founder knows the sector the startup sells into in depth. - **A CEO who understands the technology**: The CEO knows the core technology and can discuss it with the technical team. - **A problem customers already pay for**: Today the customer spends time, people or money on the problem the startup solves. - **Revenue or verifiable traction**: The startup already has revenue, however small, or customers, users or pilots we can verify. - **A model that scales**: The business model is clear and can grow without costs growing at the same pace. - **AI inside the product**: AI is part of the product. It is not a feature added at the end. - **A sector we know**: The startup works in one of our sectors of interest. - **At least nine months of activity**: The company was founded after 2020 and has been operating for at least nine months. ## Sectors of interest These are the sectors we know best. We prefer to invest here. - Fintech and financial services - Insurtech - Cybersecurity - Compliance and RegTech - Professional services - Industry and manufacturing - Physical AI, robotics and safety - Biotech, pharma and autonomous research - B2B software and SaaS - eCommerce and retail - Food & beverage tech - Climate tech and disaster management - Gaming - Media and entertainment If your startup works in another sector, send it to us anyway. We assess every case. We invest with an ethical approach: we want technology to do good and to leave no one behind. ## Selection process 1. **You apply**: You fill in the form, choose the call and attach your presentation. 2. **Screening**: Our team assesses the proposal. We also use our own proprietary software for the analysis. We reply within seven working days. 3. **We meet**: We meet the founders and talk through the business model, the numbers and the roadmap. 4. **Proposal and partnership**: We agree together how we will work and on what terms. On average, two to three weeks pass from application to proposal. Even when the answer is no, we reply to everyone. ## Submit your venture Here is how to prepare your application. 1. **Choose the call**: Choose the call that fits your startup best: one of the seven themed calls or the general one. 2. **Add your contact details**: Enter your details and your startup's. We use them to get back to you. You can add your co-founders' details in the message. 3. **Attach a presentation**: Always attach a presentation as a PDF or HTML file. It should explain the problem, the solution, the market, the team, the traction and the round you are raising. A DocSend or Drive link also works. 4. **Add supporting documents**: We recommend uploading your financial model and the founders' bios. If you are raising a priced round or a Series A, add the proposed terms. You can upload separate files or a single ZIP. 5. **Tell us what you want from KVA**: Say in the message whether you are looking for co-creation, acceleration, investment or something else. --- This file is the text version of the page for AI assistants and search engines. If the two differ, the page is what counts.