Tar Heel Capital Pathfinder Clinches Top PSIK Awards
Venture capital fund earns double honours for deal of the year and fund performance
Tar Heel Capital Pathfinder (THCP), a leading Polish venture builder and early-stage VC fund, has been awarded Venture Capital Deal of the Year and Venture Capital Fund of the Year at the 2025 PSIK Awards, hosted by the Polish Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (PSIK). The double accolade comes on the back of THCP’s standout exit from Wellbee, a digital mental health platform, which delivered a 10x cash-on-cash return and marked a major milestone for the fund and the broader PFR Starter program.
Founded with the mission to build startups from the ground up, THCP has built a reputation for deep involvement with its portfolio companies—from ideation to growth and exit. The Wellbee deal exemplifies this model. THCP didn’t merely invest; it co-founded the company and supported its scaling across the mental health market in Poland. Wellbee has since supported tens of thousands of patients, offering B2C psychotherapy services as well as B2B solutions for employers.
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The 2024 exit of Wellbee to Benefit Systems, a leader in the employee benefits market, was not only THCP’s third major exit in as many years—it also turned the fund profitable for its investors within the first year of divestment. This makes THCP the first fund under the Polish Development Fund’s (PFR) Starter program to reach this threshold.
The THCP team, including Radosław Czyrko, Arkadiusz Seńko, Maciej Kosuń, Aron Nowosad, Michał Wrzolek, Borys Szkodziak, and Bartosz Lis, was publicly recognised at the PSIK ceremony. “We get involved at the very beginning—often co-creating projects with founders. I’m proud the results speak for themselves, and that we and our co-founders can profit together,” said Czyrko. Seńko added, “Thank you for recognising us. We invite new and existing founders to build with us. Who knows? Your project might be the next deal of the year—or even the decade.”
THCP’s broader track record is equally impressive. With over €25M available for new investments in the coming months, the fund has supported 60+ projects over the years and currently manages a portfolio of 30+ active companies. Its approach blends traditional VC investment with venture building through in-house product, marketing, design, and engineering teams, enabling portfolio companies to scale quickly and efficiently.
Past exits include:
RemoteMyApp (acquired by Intel, 2021)
Primetric (acquired by BigTime, 2023)
Unikrn (acquired by Entain, 2021)
Through these achievements, THCP continues to shape the Polish and Central European startup landscape. Its recognition by PSIK reinforces a growing trend in the region—one where deep operational support and early-stage conviction are just as critical as capital.
Here is the list of winners in this year's edition of the competition:
Management company: MidEuropa
Venture capital fund: Tar Heel Capital Pathfinder
Private equity transaction: MidEuropa portfolio Diagnostyka
Venture capital transaction: Wellbee from the Tar Heel Capital Pathfinder portfolio
ESG initiative: Innova Capital and BIELENDA Group S.A.
Figure of the year: Gosia Bobrowska
Mentor Social Business Accelerator: Katarzyna Pac-Malesa, CFA
Legal Advisor – Private Equity: Greenberg Traurig Poland
Legal advisor – venture capital: Kondracki Celej
Financial and tax advisor: Deloitte Polska
Transaction advisor: PwC Polska
Strategic and Commercial Advisor: Bain & Company
Financing bank: mBank S.A.
