We build, own and
grow businesses.
WhaleForest Ventures is a privately held investment firm. We partner with founders and operators — bringing together the right opportunity, hands-on operational experience and patient, long-term capital.
We are entrepreneurs first, investors second. Having built, scaled and restructured companies ourselves, we know that lasting value is created through a rare blend of the right business opportunity, deep operational experience and capital that stays the course.
Three sectors we understand from the inside.
We concentrate on areas where our operational track record lets us add more than capital — and where we can be a genuinely useful partner from day one.
E-Commerce
Digitally native brands and marketplaces — and the infrastructure around them, from fulfillment to agencies. We help sharpen operations, sourcing and growth.
Retail Media
The fast-emerging advertising layer of commerce. We focus on marketers, technologies and platforms that turn retail attention into durable, high-margin revenue.
Real Estate
Selective, value-oriented property investments held for the long term — a stable foundation that complements our operating businesses.
A partner, not just a shareholder.
Since 2016, we have invested our own capital with conviction and patience. That independence lets us think in decades rather than fund cycles, and to stand beside founders through every stage of the journey.
Operational experience
We have sat in the operator's chair — through growth, succession and restructuring alike. We contribute practical know-how in commerce and building teams, not just a term sheet.
Long-term capital
As a privately funded firm, we are free from artificial timelines. We hold, support and compound value over years, not quarters.
Aligned partnership
We back people first. We keep ownership focused, decisions fast, and our interests firmly aligned with the founders we work with.
The companies we are proud to stand behind.
A selection of businesses we have founded, built or invested in — across our focus sectors.
Interested in partnering with us? Let's talk →
Entrepreneurs backing entrepreneurs.
WhaleForest Ventures has been led since 2016 by two entrepreneurs who have built, scaled and invested in companies across commerce and beyond.
Daniel Förstermann
Focused on strategy and finance across the group's investments and operating companies.
Vikrant Agrawal
An innovator driving new products, technology and growth across the portfolio.
Building something exceptional?
Whether you are a founder, an owner planning succession, or a team navigating restructuring — if your ambitions match ours, we would like to hear from you. Every great partnership starts with a conversation.
Gärtnerweg 26
60322 Frankfurt am Main, Germany