A members-only club for executives, operators and founders from European tech companies is launching its platform to the wider market after securing pre-seed funding.
Upscalers has spent two years building a 100-member “exclusive” community and is now expanding its operations.
It will host monthly dinners in six European cities – including London – and provide support to members via small-scale cohorts, alongside speaker events from tech figures.
The members club’s services are available via the Upscaler app, which includes a directory of members.
Upscalers charges members €2,000 per year and is aiming to connect operators and entrepreneurs from scaleups and unicorns – startups valued at $1bn or more.
Existing members include former Checkout.com COO Mike Benchimol, ex-Uber executive Cleo Sham, and Klarna’s director of global operations Giovanni Lagasio.
Upscalers said it has been backed by an undisclosed pre-seed funding round, raised from angel investors.
It also secured capital from Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor Caterina Fake, the former co-founder of Flickr and a board member of Etsy, through her fund, yes.vc.
Upscalers said it will use the cash to expand in Europe and has future ambitions to tap into the US market.
It claims to have a waiting list of more than 770 people and plans to onboard 500 members by June.
The members club was founded by Yoann Benhacoun and Timoteo Rouchon.
Benhacoun told UKTN that London is part of its expansion plans and has been an “integral” part of the club so far. He added that Upscalers is running a breakfast for prospective members in London on 12 February.
Benhacoun, who is the CEO of Upscalers, is a repeat founder who as lived across Europe and in the US.
Rouchon, COO, is leading Upscalers’ angel investment arm, which gives members the opportunity to make angel investments into early-stage European or US tech startups.