Riemer Smink

Managing Partner

Riemer leads FORWARD.one’s strategy, performance and portfolio, backing technical founders building hard technology that scales and delivers real commercial outcomes.

Focus chips

Industrial & advanced hardware

Semiconductors

Automation & robotics

Commercial strategy & exits

Background

Riemer co-founded FORWARD.one in 2017, shaping it into Europe’s most commercially oriented industrial tech VC. He built the firm’s strategy, portfolio construction, culture and performance standards from the ground up.

Before venturing into venture capital, he spent years at Kempen & Co Corporate Finance, managing mergers, acquisitions and financial restructurings in private markets. These years built the analytical foundation, negotiation capability and exit-focused mindset he uses with founders today and the knowledge he is able to transfer on to his team.

Key expertise and milestones

Deep M&A background. Years of experience in restructurings, private deals, buyer mapping, positioning and complex negotiations.
Exit architect. Brings strategic exit preparation into the earliest phases of company building.
Fundraising & LP relations. Led fundraising across Fund I, Fund II, Fund III and multiple co-investment vehicles. Almost every euro raised carries his fingerprints.
Strategist behind FORWARD.one’s portfolio construction. Sector focus, pacing, reserves and follow-on strategy.
Builder of the internal culture. Hiring, developing talent, enforcing performance expectations and aligning the team around a commercial, outcome-driven vision.

I back founders who build hard tech that actually works and can scale. No stories, no fluff. Just execution.

Focus & Thesis

What Riemer invests in

Deep engineering with massive commercial potential. Industrial automation, semiconductors, precision hardware and energy systems. Technologies where execution, reliability and performance matter.
Founders who scale. Sharp thinkers, fast learners and commercially aware operators who move quickly and stay ambitious through complexity.
Traction over theatre. He looks for early proof points, strong engineering culture and clarity of thought, which matter more to him than storytelling.

His investment philosophy

Riemer backs founders who combine technical excellence with commercial ambition. Technology is only valuable when it works in the real world; at scale, under pressure, and in environments where failure is expensive. He is driven by building exceptional companies, raising expectations and pushing teams (including his team) toward outcomes that compound.

How he embodies “the most commercially oriented VC team”

At FORWARD.one, Riemer sets the bar: