Square One
SquareOne is a venture capital firm that invests in B2B tech entrepreneurs at the pre-seed and seed stages. They focus on entrepreneurs who are deeply committed to solving complex problems in large, expanding markets. Their website highlights a focus on industry expertise, product advising, tech advising, mentorship, and customer connections to provide value beyond capital. The firm appears to take a hands-on approach, assisting portfolio companies with building, connecting, facilitating, and hustling. SquareOne's investment strategy seems centered around identifying and supporting companies developing innovative solutions, often involving deep tech or software, as evidenced by their portfolio. They aim to actively assist their portfolio companies in scaling and navigating the challenges of early-stage growth. The inclusion of veteran mentors and guaranteed connections indicates an emphasis on practical guidance and leveraging a strong network. Their approach to 'squaring ideas' likely encompasses a rigorous evaluation process coupled with active involvement in refining and executing the company's vision. Given the repeated reference to assistance with 'building, hustling, connecting, and facilitating,' SquareOne seems to position itself as an active, operationally-focused investor, rather than solely a provider of capital. The fund invests in startups across various sectors including AI, robotics, cybersecurity, ecommerce, and green technology. They appear to offer a strong network through their industry, product, and tech advisors to help with customer connections and problem-solving.
Start-up BW Innovation Fund (managed by MBG Baden-Württemberg)
MBG Baden-Württemberg, managing the Start-up BW Innovation Fund, focuses on providing flexible financing solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Baden-Württemberg. They offer both mezzanine capital and venture capital to facilitate growth, business start-ups, and succession planning. The firm aims to act as a neutral and bank-independent financial partner, providing long-term stable financing instruments through both silent and open participations. MBG actively supports companies through various stages, from seed to Series A and beyond, focusing on increasing the long-term value of the invested companies. MBG emphasizes the importance of maintaining the entrepreneur's freedom in making business decisions, refraining from interfering in the daily operations of the companies they invest. They provide access to a broad network of associations, chambers, and consultants to assist with business model evaluation, entrepreneur preparation, and problem-solving. This network also facilitates the exchange of ideas between established corporations and startups, fostering innovation and offering new perspectives to traditional businesses. The firm aims to strengthen the equity base of companies, primarily through silent participations that are considered economic equity by banks due to their subordinated status in case of insolvency. This can positively influence the company's credit rating. MBG aims to provide a financial structure that offers a solid foundation for entrepreneurial flexibility, enabling companies to remain agile in a dynamic environment with rapidly changing conditions. MBG Baden-Württemberg also takes pride in its ability to link the Old and New Economy, by connecting startups and established companies to foster innovation and new ideas. They emphasize the collaborative nature of their investment approach, combining their long-standing experience in financing and participations with the industry know-how of their clients to successfully implement business plans.
Startup BW Seed Fonds (MBG Baden-Württemberg)
MBG Baden-Württemberg, through its Startup BW Seed Fonds, aims to enable growth, establishment, and succession for businesses in Baden-Württemberg. They provide independent and competent access to new opportunities through Mezzanine-Kapital and Venture Capital. Their approach involves offering stable, long-term financing instruments, expanding companies' liquidity, increasing their economic equity ratio, and improving their credit rating. They focus on supporting companies through various phases, from Seed to Series A, to increase long-term company value. As a bridge between established companies and startups, they facilitate the exchange of new ideas, offering startups access to established businesses and providing established companies access to innovative concepts. They enhance entrepreneurial freedom by not interfering in daily operations while providing access to a strong network of associations, chambers, and advisors for business model evaluation and support.
Stormventures
Storm Ventures is an early-stage, B2B-focused venture capital firm that specializes in building enterprise leaders. With over 23 years of experience and 200+ investments, they partner with founders across the globe from inception to industry leader. They invest in disruptive B2B software startups with proven success, aiming to unlock growth together with their portfolio companies. Their investment strategy centers around identifying and supporting early-stage B2B software companies with disruptive potential in sectors like artificial intelligence, enterprise infrastructure, cybersecurity, SaaS, HRTech, FinTech and the future of work. The firm actively collaborates with entrepreneurs in residence (EIRs), a global network of go-to-market experts and tech executives, providing insight into investment strategies and guidance to the portfolio. They leverage the diverse expertise of their international team to bridge different communities and help companies go global. Storm Ventures looks for startups that solve critical business problems and have the potential to become industry leaders. They utilize their extensive experience and network to guide founders through the challenges of scaling a B2B software company. By focusing on specific sectors and offering both financial and operational support, Storm Ventures aims to increase the chances of success for its portfolio companies. The firm invests in companies that are building the future of enterprise software, and they aim to be a valuable partner for founders looking to create impactful and lasting businesses.
Sunfish Partners
Sunfish Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in deep tech startups originating from Eastern Europe (CEE). Their core mission revolves around bolstering Europe's autonomy through strategic investments in the space and defense sectors, alongside hardware and software startups. They provide pre-seed funding with ticket sizes between €150k to €300k. The firm's investment strategy targets companies that contribute to technological advancement and independence within Europe, particularly within the space and defense industries. They invest in both hardware and software, acknowledging the critical intersection of these domains in fostering impactful innovation. Geographically, they prioritize founders based in Eastern Europe (CEE). Sunfish Partners emphasizes providing early-stage capital and expertise to support the growth of promising startups. They actively engage with the space and defense tech ecosystem, participating in events and sharing insights through articles and videos. They are dedicated to fostering the next generation of deep tech companies in the region.
THI Investments
THI Investments invests in businesses positioned to thrive on disruption driven by social, technological, and economic changes. They provide long-term capital, operational expertise, and partnership to high-growth companies in select sectors, focusing on sustainable value creation without fund life constraints.
Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen (TGFS)
Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen (TGFS) is a venture capital firm that invests in knowledge-based, technology-oriented startups in Saxony, Germany. It focuses on providing capital and management support to teams in both the seed and startup phases. TGFS aims to be the leading early-stage financier in Saxony and helps its portfolio companies access international investors. The firm invests in companies across various technology sectors, providing equity financing and leveraging its experience to support founders. TGFS is active in early phases, backing ideas and teams they believe. The fund's investment strategy is centered around supporting the growth and scalability of its portfolio companies, as evidenced by recent investments in areas such as HR tech (clarait), Deep-Tech (Last Mile Semiconductor), and quantum computing (SaxonQ). Established in 2008, TGFS has evolved through three fund generations, demonstrating a long-term commitment to the Saxon startup ecosystem. The current fund generation has a total volume of €241.2 million, reflecting the firm's significant resources and capacity to support promising startups in the region. Their focus is heavily geared towards firms with strong technology underpinnings, and the ability to scale globally.
Tokentus
Tokentus is a venture capital firm focused on investing in the blockchain market. They believe blockchain technology is at a similar stage to the internet and telecommunications industries in the early 1990s, presenting a significant financial opportunity. They have evolved from a startup investor to a growth and later stage investor. They emphasize a distinctive focus and a successful track record. Their investment decisions are guided by six core rules: focusing on equity and selected tokens for best multiples, investing in growth and later stages for sensible risk/opportunity ratios, targeting classic sectors where blockchain is the means and not the end, investing globally with top co-investors for reaching top targets as a team, offering transparency to all partners as a stock-listed company, and prioritizing the business side first due to the professional seniority of tokentus shareholders. They aim to partner with targets that strive to change business from scratch, offering competence and experience to support them on their path to success. As a German stock corporation, the supervisory board supports the executive board in an advisory and auditing capacity, composed of elected representatives of the shareholders. Blockchain know-how, entrepreneurship, start-up support, and finance knowledge are equally represented. Tokentus sees blockchain as an opportunity that they want to take advantage of. Oliver Michel and his team aim to play a significant role as investors in the emerging blockchain market by investing in companies and tokens. They look for targets that strive to change business from scratch. As investors, tokentus looks for solid future-proofed partners. Their investment targets can benefit from the company's competence and experience; tokentus supports portfolio companies' visions and helps them on the path to success. Their investment decision-making is razorsharp.
VR Equitypartner
VR Equitypartner specializes in tailored financing solutions for mid-sized German companies, focusing on succession planning, growth expansion, and platform scaling. They provide flexible capital structures (e.g., mezzanine, direct equity) to support operational scaling, internationalization, and ownership transitions across diverse sectors.
Vito Ventures
Vito Ventures, part of the Viessmann Generations Group, focuses on making majority investments in regional market leaders with a strong local presence and diversified offerings. Their investment strategy centers around businesses built for long-term growth, particularly those that are key enablers of the green energy transition. They aim to build a more livable, sustainable planet through efficient, low-carbon systems. The firm's primary investment platforms include Grid Infrastructure, District Heating & Cooling (Pipes, Stations & Controls), and Clean & Cold solutions in both the US and EU. They partner with companies that share their values and provide operational expertise to unlock their full potential. Their investments are aligned with global sustainability goals, including greenhouse gas reduction, air quality improvement, and overall environmental health. Vito Ventures identifies and supports companies that directly contribute to a low-carbon future. For example, Gritec, a portfolio company, is pivotal in enabling decentralized renewable grids and delivering climate-resilient infrastructure. Similarly, Isoplus Group is revolutionizing heat distribution with high-performance pre-insulated piping systems, connecting renewable energy sources to district heating networks. aqotec implements regenerative heating solutions in multiple countries. The "Viessmann Way" serves as their guiding principle, emphasizing responsibility, innovation, and purposeful growth. Their approach is characterized by conviction, care, and a long-term perspective, reflecting a commitment to future generations. Vito Ventures aims to create scalable energy transition solutions and enhance system-wide resilience by leveraging specialized solutions within their ecosystem.
Vsquared Ventures
Vsquared invests in bold, visionary entrepreneurs who challenge conventional wisdom with radical ideas. The firm focuses on transformative technologies and startups that push boundaries in fields like space, quantum computing, and AR/VR, often backing founders before mainstream validation. Vsquared emphasizes curiosity, creativity, and long-term potential, providing hands-on support to accelerate scaling and unlock disruptive potential.
Wayra Germany
Wayra Germany invests in startups to drive innovation for Telefónica, transforming ideas into profitable growth. Focuses on enabling startups to scale by connecting them with Telefónica’s resources, networks, and corporate partnerships.
bmp Ventures AG
bmp Ventures AG invests venture capital in outstanding teams with innovative business models, empowering tech companies. Since 1997, they have partnered with early-stage and growth startups. With 25 years of experience, they have managed 11 funds, invested in over 250 companies, achieved 120 exits, and more than 15 IPOs. Their investment strategy focuses on strengthening the founding team and providing them with expertise and a network for building technology companies. They invest in companies with sustainable growth, strong teams, and entrepreneurial substance. They aim to support companies in several financing rounds to enable solid company building in multiple stages. Often acting as the lead investor, bmp Ventures focuses on innovative and scalable companies with clear USPs. Their sweet spot lies between EUR 1.5-5 million per financing round, with total investments of up to EUR 15 million. They invest in the Pre-Seed stage (up to 500.000 EUR), Seed (1-3M EUR), Series A (2-5M EUR), and Growth stages.
bmt
bm|t is the investment company of the Free State of Thuringia, Germany. They invest in innovative and growth-oriented companies with significant future potential. Their approach involves providing venture capital and private equity to support companies at various stages of development. bm|t manages multiple funds, investing in a diverse portfolio of companies primarily within the Thuringia region, aiming to foster a robust regional innovation ecosystem. The firm's investment strategy includes supporting established, medium-sized Thuringian companies to strengthen their equity base for further growth, evidenced by the launch of the Mittelstands-Fonds Thüringen II (MFT II). They also focus on early-stage disruptors, offering follow-on financing to their investee partners, indicating a long-term commitment to building successful companies. The firm emphasizes collaboration within the Thuringian innovation ecosystem, working with partners and stakeholders to drive economic growth. They actively participate in financing rounds and support companies beyond the initial investment, fostering a supportive environment for their portfolio companies. bm|t seeks to enable long-term value creation, exemplified by successful exits like Spleenlab to Quantum Systems. Overall, bm|t's strategy is centered on strengthening the Thuringian economy by providing financial and strategic support to innovative companies across various stages, leveraging their expertise and network to foster growth and create value.
capiton
Capiton is a private equity firm based in the DACH region, investing in mid-sized companies since 1999. They partner with companies seeking to reposition themselves for the future, providing capital, expertise, and commitment. Capiton focuses on creating sustainable value and driving growth within its portfolio companies. They invest in innovative, profitable mid-sized companies with a turnover between 50 and 300 million euros and an average annual EBITDA growth of 18 percent. Capiton emphasizes a deep understanding of the challenges faced by mid-sized businesses, gained through long-term partnerships with portfolio companies. They aim to identify and capitalize on new opportunities through professional competence and a holistic perspective. Their investment approach is characterized by taking responsibility, and pursuing opportunities with courage and determination, ensuring the long-term success of their portfolio companies, employees, and investors. Capiton leverages a strong network, including the Global PE Alliance, to share best practices, provide access to international markets, and connect portfolio companies with specialists and advisors. This network facilitates international expansion and provides access to international investors. The firm builds dedicated partner teams for each investment, ensuring consistent support and a deep understanding of the specific challenges faced by each company. Capiton manages a fund volume of approximately 1.6 billion euros. They focus on future-oriented companies in the High-Tech Industrials and Healthcare & Life Sciences sectors. Their approach combines market experience with entrepreneurial thinking, enabling them to be a partner at eye level with the Mittelstand.
leAD Sports & Health Tech Partners
leAD Sports & Health Tech Partners is a global venture corporation focused on shaping the future of the sports and health tech industries. They operate with two business units: an institutional asset manager that builds a global family of funds, and an advisory arm specializing in strategic innovation and investment initiatives. Their investment strategy involves deploying capital across various stages, from Pre-Seed to Opportunistic, through their diverse fund portfolio, including LEAD ONE, Lake Nona Fund, ADvantage, and Locker Room. They actively seek to partner with companies that have bold visions, and the stamina to build future-oriented businesses, aiming to improve health and democratize coaching, demonstrating belief in the power of play. Their approach emphasizes a global ecosystem, leveraging their distributed team, shareholders, portfolio companies, and network partners to impact the industry worldwide. They prioritize impact over ego and are committed to offering more than just capital, providing thoughtful introductions, strategic advice, and support in various ways to their portfolio companies. This hands-on approach is evident in their engagement with portfolio companies like Bitewell, TAPPP, and Mustard, where they have played crucial roles in strategic initiatives and athlete recruitment. leAD distinguishes itself through a combined approach of investment funds and strategic advisory services. This enables them to offer portfolio companies a combination of capital investment and strategic guidance, from M&A to Venture Capital as a Service. This comprehensive approach positions them not only as financial backers but as active partners in the growth and development of their portfolio companies. Their value proposition is underscored by testimonials from founders within their portfolio, which reflect the transformative difference their investment and advisory expertise have made to businesses. This illustrates leAD's commitment to fostering long-term growth and impact, creating a supportive ecosystem for innovation and development within the sports and health tech sectors.
saas.group
saas.group focuses on acquiring SaaS companies, particularly those with a 'bootstrapper mindset'. They aim to provide founders with a founder-friendly exit, financial freedom, and the opportunity to start new ventures. Their strategy involves improving the acquired product, scaling the team, and maintaining the original company identity that drove its success. They view acquisitions as a platform for founders to become part of something bigger, take risk off the table, and take business processes to a new level. saas.group values companies with a strong product-market fit and ARR between $2M and $10M. They are drawn to companies with product-led growth strategies, self-service models with limited operating costs, remote-first cultures, and international teams. They also consider VC-backed companies where there's potential for a bootstrapped "reboot". The firm emphasizes a transparent and streamlined due diligence process respecting the founder's time. They're interested in information about product, user base, financials, and legal status, and often gain direct access to key tools such as Stripe, Intercom, and Chargebee for deep-dive analysis. They champion a 'no jerk' policy, respecting the hard work of acquired companies and wanting to preserve their cultures. They aim to keep the acquisition process simple, supporting autonomy and mastery within acquired teams. They believe a successful exit goes beyond financial metrics, focusing on the founder’s happiness and future plans.
torq.partners
torq.partners specializes in providing flexible, expert-led finance support to startups and companies, focusing on operational efficiency, investor readiness, and strategic financial guidance. Their team of 60+ finance professionals offers interim and fractional CFO services, finance operations setup, M&A advisory, fundraising support, and financial due diligence. They cater to diverse industries, helping companies optimize cash flow, improve reporting, and scale finance functions without long-term commitments.
vent.io
Vent.io is a corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of Deutsche Leasing AG that aims to accelerate the growth of the German Mittelstand by investing in and building digital solutions. They focus on strengthening Deutsche Leasing AG's position as the financial backbone of the German Mittelstand by driving digitalization and innovation and creating long-term value for its customers. They operate two business areas: product engineering, which builds data-driven digital solutions, AI-powered products, and customer-centric portals for Deutsche Leasing Group, and corporate venture capital (CVC), which invests in B2B startups and connects them with the Deutsche Leasing ecosystem and customers through strategic partnering and pilot projects. Vent.io's investment strategy centers around data-driven B2B startups from seed to Series A. They leverage Deutsche Leasing AG's 60+ years of experience in the leasing business, its €40+ billion assets under management, and its extensive distribution network to benefit their portfolio companies. This network includes 341 savings banks and over 100 top-tier OEM partners. The firm emphasizes strategic relevance, long-term value creation, and strengthening the future of asset finance and asset-related services. They also prioritize venture partnering, assisting startups in developing needs-based strategies and identifying strategic customer fit within the Deutsche Leasing ecosystem. This includes facilitating access to customers and partners and helping startups expand their customer base through pilot projects with clear KPIs to validate business potential.
Acton Capital
Backing companies ready to scale, built to last. Focus on optionality—unicorns or profitably growing ventures—with a long-term, mission-driven approach. Partnering with a select few founders annually to develop tailored growth strategies.
DB1 Ventures
DB1 Ventures invests in fintech startups that innovate along the capital markets infrastructure value chain, aiming to drive technological and strategic advancements aligned with Deutsche Börse Group’s core business. The firm provides operational support, industry connections, and minority stakes (5-20%) to help portfolio companies scale through technical and business connectivity.
DTCP
DTCP is a platform focused on specialist investment strategies, driven by the conviction that rapid technology adoption fuels innovation, disrupts industries, and unlocks unprecedented wealth creation. Their approach is centered on identifying and investing in transformative sectors, where digital advancements lead to lasting impact and growth. They focus on two primary investment strategies: Infra and Growth. DTCP Infra specializes in digital infrastructure investments within the European mid-market. They target essential assets like data centers, mobile towers, and fiber networks. Their aim is to support the growth of these critical infrastructures, playing a vital role in enabling the modern digital economy. They believe that ESG and sustainability principles are integral to creating value for investors and stakeholders alike by mitigating risks and capturing new opportunities. Proactively addressing ESG matters throughout the investment cycle not only benefits society but also drives value creation and enhances investment outcomes. DTCP Growth partners with top enterprise SaaS entrepreneurs in Europe, the US, and Israel. They focus on growth-stage companies – scale-ups – in Cybersecurity, Vertical SaaS, DevOps, Cloud, AI, and Robotics. Their goal is to drive transformative growth and support their journey toward successful global expansion. DTCP aims to deliver transformative value to its portfolio companies through a team of over 60 professionals with a unique blend of financial acumen and vast operational experience.
DTCP Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners
DTCP operates as a platform focused on specialist investment strategies, driven by the belief that rapid technology adoption fuels innovation, disrupts industries, and unlocks wealth creation. Their investment approach is centered on identifying and investing in transformative sectors where digital advancements lead to lasting impact and growth. They focus on both digital infrastructure and growth-stage enterprise SaaS companies. DTCP aims to play a vital role in enabling the modern digital economy by supporting the growth of critical infrastructures and driving transformative growth in their partner companies, supporting their journey towards successful global expansion. The firm also emphasizes ESG principles as integral to creating value for investors and stakeholders, focusing on environmental sustainability and social responsibility to reduce business risk and enhance financial performance. DTCP's ESG Committee oversees the integration of ESG principles across all aspects of their operations.
DTCP Digital Transformation Capital Partners GmbH
DTCP Digital Transformation Capital Partners is a platform focused on specialist investment strategies, driven by the conviction that rapid technology adoption fuels innovation, disrupts industries, and unlocks unprecedented wealth creation. Their approach centers on identifying and investing in transformative sectors where digital advancements lead to lasting impact and growth. DTCP operates across two primary investment strategies: Infra and Growth. DTCP Infra specializes in digital infrastructure investments within the European mid-market. They focus on developing and operating essential assets like data centers, mobile towers, and fiber networks, supporting the growth of critical infrastructure for the modern digital economy. DTCP Growth partners with top enterprise SaaS entrepreneurs in Europe, the US, and Israel. They concentrate on growth-stage companies (scale-ups) in Cybersecurity, Vertical SaaS, DevOps, Cloud, AI, and Robotics, aiming to drive transformative growth and support their journey toward successful global expansion. DTCP's ESG and sustainability principles are integral to their value creation process. They believe proactively addressing ESG matters throughout the investment cycle not only benefits society but also drives value creation and enhances investment outcomes. They are committed to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).