Jasper Masemann is Cherry’s newest partner
The former bootstrapped founder will lead AI and B2B software coverage
Today, we’re thrilled to officially — and finally — welcome Jasper Masemann as our new investment partner here at Cherry Ventures.
His joining us even further deepens our hellbent determination to continue teaming up with the brightest and most daring entrepreneurs across Europe who are embarking on truly transformative technologies, like AI. Having, for example, led Verbit’s seed round (the company is now valued at $2 billion), Jasper brings a well-respected expertise and track record in leading and running AI and B2B software investments across Europe, Israel, and the US.
Prior to Cherry, Jasper was a partner at HV Capital, where he built out their Berlin office from the ground up and created their B2B software team. There, he worked with well over a dozen founding teams, including, as mentioned, Verbit, Sastrify, Hadrian, and Ultimate.ai among others. He was previously an angel investor and backed companies like McMakler from the get-go.
A founder’s first call
But Jasper brings even more than a running list of achievements and portfolio successes.
He brings a proven reputation as an investor who founders trust. The founders he’s previously worked with value his operational experience, his product and growth obsessions, and, most of all, his focus on what works versus shiny objects.
One of the founders he formerly backed called Jasper his “first call.”
“I can honestly say that he will be my first call if I was going to start again from scratch,” Cris Viedma, founder of Lingokids, tells us. “Jasper was one of my first investors and he set the bar too high for everyone else. As a board member, he will share with you what he truly thinks.”
“I can honestly say that he will be my first call if I was going to start again from scratch.”
The team at Sastrify — Maximilian Messing and Sven Lackinger — doubles down on the praise, saying, “Jasper is one of the most dedicated investors we have ever worked with. We truly appreciate his honest, transparent, and open feedback.”
True to Cherry’s mission, Jasper will support founding teams in the Cherry portfolio on all topics, particularly on product and go-to-market strategies, areas that his previous founders highlight.
“He has been really helpful when it comes to GTM, hiring, and fundraising,” Lilian Breidenbach, co-founder and managing director of Legal OS, says. “But what mattered most was that he really cares about the company and the people. I am very grateful that I got to work with him over the last few years.”
He just gets it
One of the several core values we hone in on at Cherry is being approachable. That’s Jasper and that’s primarily because he was a founder, too.
“He’s approachable,” Cris continues. “And he has truly been there whenever we needed him, be it in difficult times or when I needed to interview executives, assess industry benchmarks, or just be a sounding board.”
“Jasper gets excited about big ideas and visions, but he is grounded in reality.”
Simply said, Jasper just gets it. Lilian puts it well, “Jasper gets excited about big ideas and visions, but he is grounded in reality.”
Jasper personally understands what entrepreneurs are going through having built, bootstrapped, and exited his business, greatcontent.com, an online platform selling creative texts in 18 languages to clients around the globe. Since he shifted to full-time investing (and part-time drumming), we’ve witnessed him build important, hands-on working relationships with founders who he meets and, ultimately, backs.
Describing Jasper as a “great friend and investor,” Tom Livne, CEO and founder of Verbit, tells us, “A founder himself, he knows when and how to support his founders. He also knows how to challenge them. And he challenges them where they are good and makes them even better.”
“Jasper is always supporting the teams he works with to the maximum extent possible. We wouldn’t be in the same place today without him, so we can only recommend any B2B software company to work with him,” the Sastrify founders say.
“He’s a big believer who puts his founders first — always.”
Tom adds, “When times are tough, Jasper also knows how to lift founders up and keep founders motivated. As an investor, he’s a big believer who puts his founders first — always.”
This past year, the Cherry portfolio surpassed over 100 companies across several funds, two of which — Cherry IV and Crypto — were launched just last year. On top of that, we’ve just opened a brand new office in the heart of London, firming our physical presence in a key global market. We’ve continued to make strong hires across our investment team in Berlin, London, and Stockholm — and we’re hiring for two more investors in Berlin, join us! — plus across our growing strategic resources team.
Long story short, with developments and Jasper aboard, we cannot stress enough that we are prepared, ready, and excited to team up with the next generation of top European founders.
