Yvonne Bajela Closes $17M Evertrue Fund I for European Startups

After spending more than a decade as a prominent venture capitalist—backing unicorns such as Wise, Marshmellow, and Mooves during her time at LocalGlobe and Impact X Capital Partners—Yvonne Bajela has officially struck out on her own. On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, she announced the official close of her debut fund, Evertrue Fund I, securing an oversubscribed $17 million that handily beat her initial target of roughly $13 million while turning away additional capital to keep the fund size lean.

Reflecting on her journey, Bajela noted that spending over ten years supporting ambitious founders inspired her to finally take the plunge herself. She highlighted that the current AI boom fundamentally altered the economics of company creation, democratizing the ability to build while keeping truly enduring enterprises rare. This structural shift convinced her that the timing was ideal to establish an independent investment vehicle aligned with her personal investment philosophy.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

Evertrue will concentrate its efforts on early-stage investments across the U.K. and Europe, deploying average check sizes around £350,000. The fund aims to support a minimum of 20 companies over the next three years, having already backed seven startups. Interestingly, more than half of its current portfolio operates within the United States, underscoring the fund's global ambitions as numerous British entrepreneurs set their sights firmly on American expansion.

"Fund size is a strategic decision, not a measure of success in itself. I wanted enough capital to build meaningful positions in my highest-conviction investments without creating pressure to deploy capital simply because it was available."

Yvonne Bajela

While the fundraising climate for emerging managers remains daunting—often characterized by capital concentration at the top-tier U.S. firms—the U.K. landscape appears somewhat brighter. PitchBook data through September showed that emerging fund managers in the region raised $7.4 billion, already outpacing the $6.2 billion hauled in throughout all of 2025. Nonetheless, Bajela admitted the fundraising grind was exhausting, noting that the hardest rejections were not immediate declines but those that followed months of intense discussions without ultimate alignment.