Amsterdam, 25 September 2025 – Machiel Kunst, founder and CEO of Bluebird, joins Golden Egg Check (GEC) as a Partner. With this addition, the venture capital fund aims to further strengthen its position as a leading (pre-)seed investor in Europe.

From recruitment to venture capital

Kunst is at the helm of Bluebird, one of Europe’s best-known recruitment agencies for the SaaS sector. In that role, he has worked closely with hundreds of founders and growth companies. Previously, he was sales director at N-able (SolarWinds), where he built up the European business from scratch and successfully guided it towards an IPO.

“With Machiel, we are bringing in a partner who has deep experience in go-to-market and building high-performance teams,” says Thomas Mensink, Managing Partner at GEC. “Machiel’s knowledge and network are very welcome at the startups we invest in. This fits perfectly with our mission to not only provide capital, but also to add concrete value to our portfolio companies.”

Value-driven approach

Golden Egg Check distinguishes itself by co-investing alongside strong lead investors such as Cherry Ventures, Galion, General Catalyst, and NAP. This allows the fund to support more startups and spread the risk for investors in the fund. Until now, GEC’s greatest value has been in opening doors for founders to investors and building a strong founder community.

With the arrival of Kunst, GEC adds expertise in three areas: go-to-market strategy; talent & hiring; and access to top operators in the industry.

Skin in the game in second fund

Kunst is also investing in GEC’s second fund, for which fundraising has now begun. The first closing is planned for the first quarter of 2026.

“I said yes to GEC because it takes a bottom-up, value-first approach,” says Kunst. “Thomas was already creating value in the VC landscape before he set up a fund. I strongly believe in that philosophy and am proud to be able to help shape this adventure.”

The partnership is a part-time role alongside his work at Bluebird. Kunst: “For me personally, this is a huge opportunity to grow, both as an entrepreneur and as an investor.”