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The first investment of the new JIC Ventures fund goes to technology startup FaceUp

21.05. 2026
line-arrow The first investment of the new JIC Ventures fund goes to technology startup FaceUp

Six weeks after the launch of the new fund, JIC Ventures has entered its first startup – FaceUp, a technology platform that helps companies build an ethical culture and prevent risks. The fund joins a Series A investment round worth more than CZK 110 million led by Croatian fund Fil Rouge Capital. And it brought in not only capital, but also knowledge of the company from its very beginning.

The co-investment of JIC Ventures confirms the focus of the fund and the role of the South Moravian ecosystem in the growth of technology companies to a global level. The story of FaceUp is closely linked to the innovation agency JIC, which initiated the JIC Ventures fund. The company started as a student project in its premises and with its consultancy support. After three years, the original intention to help victims of bullying in schools was transformed into a commercial SaaS platform for businesses.

“JIC was a key partner for us in the early days of the business. Not only thanks to mentoring and long-term support, but also as our first office and the place where all our creative ideas were born, ” says Jan Sláma , co-founder and CEO of FaceUp and adds.JIC has helped us with this in many ways too, and we are thrilled that they are now joining us as an investor.”

Today, FaceUp protects more than one and a half million employees and students in more than 70 countries and last year became the second fastest growing technology company in the Czech Republic and the fourth fastest growing in Central Europe in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50.

“We have been with Jan and the FaceUp team from the very beginning. Watching a student project grow into a comprehensive solution for safe reporting of unethical behavior and corporate compliance in the marketplace is exactly the story we’re doing this for. The founding team is exceptional and the potential of the company for the years to come matches it,“says Radim Kocourek, managing partner of JIC Ventures.

Investors from four European countries

The investment round was led by the Croatian fund Fil Rouge Capital. In addition to JIC Ventures, the Slovak Venture to Future Fund and Gi21 Capital from Prague participated. Existing investors Jiří Hlavenka, Tilia Impact Ventures and Reflex Capital along with a group of angel investors and employees were also heavily involved. The total amount raised by this round – the third in the company’s history – has reached approximately CZK 210 million.

“FaceUp has learned to do B2B business with large corporations – in banks, in global brands, in regulated environments. Getting past the security certifications that institutions require is a real barrier to entry. And they’ve overcome that. The interest of foreign funds only confirms the traction the company is achieving,” sums up Miloš Sochor, managing partner of JIC Ventures.

FaceUp intends to use the investment to develop the platform towards a comprehensive modular system covering the entire agenda of ethics & compliance managers. The company will focus on strengthening its position in the large corporate segment and accelerating growth in the US and UAE markets.

“I am very happy about this investment. It will allow us to grow even faster towards our vision: to become the world’s leading solution for ethical and safe workplaces. It will not only help us to increase our ARR, expand our team and strengthen our product, but most importantly support even more organizations around the world in strengthening trust, ethics and integrity while effectively protecting their reputation, employees or students, finances and culture,” concludes Jan Sláma.

Up to 20 investments in ambitious technology companies

FaceUp illustrates one of JIC Ventures’ natural sources of deal flow – startups that the fund knows from its own incubation and innovation ecosystem. But global ambition and the team’s ability to execute on it, whether in SaaS, deep tech or other advanced technologies, is a prerequisite for any investment by the fund, regardless of where the company comes from.

In Central and Eastern Europe, JIC Ventures intends to support approximately twenty technology startups with a ticket of up to EUR 1 million within four years. FaceUp is the first of these, with more investments in the pipeline.

Media contact: Jana Pokorná, pokorna@jic.cz, tel. 777 964 798

About JIC Ventures:

JIC Ventures is an investment fund focused on pre-seed and seed stage technology startups from Central and Eastern Europe. It invests in companies with global potential in deep tech, SaaS and other advanced technologies, with a ticket size of up to EUR 1 million.

It not only provides founders with capital but also expertise. The fund was initiated by JIC, an agency with over 20 years of experience in building innovation environments, and offers access to a network of experienced founders, mentors and ecosystem partners.

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