The Hard2beat VC fund, led by Maciej Zawadziński, Konrad Trzyna, and Maciej Frankowicz, has just closed its first three deals. A total of PLN 7.5 million has been invested in Neuromedical, Defguard, and DefendEye – and the fund isn’t slowing down. It plans to back at least five more startups by the end of the year.
The investments were announced during Hard2beat Connect, the fund’s inaugural event, held on May 20, 2025. Although Hard2beat was first announced a year and a half ago, the team has put that time to good use. The result: three initial deals made with support from the FENG program under the PFR Starter initiative. For the local startup ecosystem, this is a long-awaited milestone. After years of capital scarcity at the pre-seed and seed stage, a fresh stream of funding is finally reaching early-stage tech companies.
Although Neuromedical, Defguard and DefendEye operate in the areas of medtech, cybersecurity and dual-use technology, respectively, they share what is at the heart of Hard2beat’s strategy: each has a sustainable, hard-to-copy technological advantage.
We invest in teams building truly unique technology products that can’t easily be copied. That kind of edge is a must-have if you want to be in our portfolio.
The capital raised is expected to be enough for what is most difficult in the early stages: obtaining certification, creating the first MVP versions and executing pilot contracts with customers.
We want to fund projects that combine ambitious science with real-world applications and have a clear path to going global.
What do the startups backed by Hard2beat actually do?
Neuromedical is a Polish-Israeli med-tech project. The company is developing VGuard, a small, device that stimulates the vagus nerve with electrical impulses. Such stimulation stimulates the areas of the brain responsible for memory and concentration, which, in a medical experiment conducted by the company, led to a significant improvement in the condition of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
The funding from Hard2beat will allow the company to complete its clinical trials and obtain the European CE Mark, and will support Neuromedical in its efforts to apply for the FDA in the US. The funding from Hard2beat is part of a larger round of funding currently being raised by the company.
Defguard is a modern open-source cybersecurity platform that enables organizations to fully control access to their IT infrastructure. It combines three key functions in a single, open and self-hosted solution: remote access (VPN), identity management (IAM) and user access lifecycle management (ALM). This is the first solution that adds multi-factor authentication (MFA) directly at the WireGuard protocol level, addressing the key issue preventing many organizations from adopting this modern VPN protocol.
DefendEye is developing dual-use autonomous UAV systems for the civilian market for rescue teams and the military market as part of a soldier’s protective equipment on the battlefield or securing border spaces. The system consists of a drone, launcher (launch-tube) and cloud infrastructure. Such a set-up enables rapid emergency response and threat identification. The company has raised a round of about 4.8 million zlotys from Hard2beat, Sunfish Partners and business angels, which will accelerate field testing and allow the launch of the first small production line.
What’s next for the fund?
Hard2beat has no plans to slow down after its debut in May.
"We're in advanced talks with two more startups and are actively reviewing additional projects. Our goal is to close at least five new investments by the end of the year”
The team emphasizes that they will continue to be involved with Neuromedical, Defguard, and DefendEye in future rounds by providing follow-on capital and ongoing support.