more than
180
exits & IPOs
more than
750
investments
about
1.4 B
Under management
more than
45
fund investors

Seed investor for high-tech start-ups

HTGF is a venture capital investor for innovative technologies and business models. We successfully support the best founders whose ideas can revolutionise entire industries and improve people’s lives – from seed to exit.

We are a public–private partnership that works closely and successfully with companies from a wide range of industries. Our fund investors include medium-sized companies, family businesses and corporations. We provide them with access to innovative start-ups and technologies insights into deal flows and connections to our global network.

As a seed investor, we have financed more than 750 start-ups in the industrial tech, digital tech, life sciences and chemicals sectors. We have overseen more than 180 exits, including IPOs. When founding your company together with us, you benefit from an experienced partner at your side.

Our HTGF IV fund investors 

In addition to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and KfW Capital, the investors in our fourth fund include 45 companies from a wide range of industries. Medium-sized companies in particular are strongly represented, along with many large corporations and family offices.

Our portfolio

Our portfolio companies are the heart of HTGF. We are proud of each and every one of them. Our investment managers have a direct line to the founders and are on hand with support and the entire HTGF network.

HTGF Family

We see ourselves as a platform that offers young startups important added value in addition to flexible financing as part of the #HTGFFamily, tailored to their very individual needs.

Dipl. Ing. Miriam Haerst Co-founder and managing partner
HTGF shares its experience with us in matters of reporting, for example. That helps enormously when it comes to optimizing processes on the one hand and remaining transparent on the other. However, the investor never intervenes more deeply than necessary, so that our start-up momentum is maintained.
Pierre Baqué Co-Founder / CEO – Neutral Concept Ltd.
HTGF has developed a very rational and scientific approach to addressing problems in start-ups. I like that. The experience and the breadth of the portfolio make that possible.
Philipp Bürling Founder Numaferm GmbH
Participating in HTGF’s network as a start-up cannot be overstated. We met our first customer at an HTGF event, even though we weren’t even in the portfolio at the time.
Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer Founder and managing director eGym
HTGF has supported us unconditionally for many years. On the journey of a startup, many things develop differently than expected. We entrepreneurs therefore need a partner who supports us with advice and peace of mind to get up anew each time and make things better.
Julia Bösch Founder and managing director OUTFITTERY
HTGF was the first investor who understood our idea and vision and invested pre-product.
Dr. Tim Pohlmann Founder and managing director IPlytics GmbH
We really enjoy being at the HTPC every year. This is where we meet corporate champions from large industrial companies who pass us on to the relevant contacts. That’s worth its weight in gold for our business development.
Felix Brand Founder and managing director CardioSecur
At Family Day, we found a strong investor for our follow-on financing.
Dr. Andreas Sedlmeyer Founder and Managing Director of CardioSecur
Coming from a corporate group, I appreciate regular further development. The HTGF Academy implements this in the best possible way, focussing on the topics of young companies.

Insights

News from the HTGF Family

Press
16. May 2024

Caeli Wind, the digital platform for wind energy sites, secures €11 million in fresh capital in a Series A funding round.

Notion Capital, Santander Alternative Investments and existing investors provide the digital wind energy pioneer with growth capital for deeper value creation and international expansion. Berlin, London, Madrid (16 May 2024) – Caeli Wind, the platform for analysing and marketing wind energy locations founded by Ben Schlemmermeier and Heiko Bartels in 2022, announced today that it has secured €11 million in growth capital from international investors. The round was led by re
 
Press
7. May 2024

Automated renewable energy planning: Greentech startup everyone energy closes seed financing round

Berlin, 7 May 2024 – Berlin-based greentech startup everyone energy announces the successful closing of its seven-figure seed financing round. The round was led by High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), one of Europe’s leading seed investors, and Cologne-based early-stage VC neoteq ventures. Founded in August 2021 by Céline Göhlich, Fabian Reetz and Florian Gmeiner, everyone energy has quickly established itself as a leading provider of white-label software for customized advisory serv
 
Blog
23. April 2024

Interview with Verena Pausder: Entrepreneurial awakening – make it in Germany!

Verena Pausder, Chairwoman of the German Startup Association At Family Day 2024, you’ll be calling for an “entrepreneurial awakening” and for companies to “make it in Germany”. How can this happen?If “Made in Germany” was a seal of quality in the past, then I believe that “Make it in Germany” should be our objective for the future.This can be achieved by supporting a start-up culture that welcomes diversity and talented individuals from around the world. Germany should s
 
Blog
22. March 2024

Successful pitches: 10 tips for an impressive pitch deck 

In their day-to-day work, Kilian von Berlichingen, Senior Investment Manager at HTGF, and Arnas Bräutigam, Co-Founder of AddedVal.io, look at numerous pitch decks critically. In this blog post, they provide a series of tips on how you can avoid making the most common mistakes in your pitch deck  from left: Arnas Bräutigam, Co-Founder of AddedVal.io and Kilian von Berlichingen, Senior Investment Manager at HTGF 1. Keep your pitch deck short and sweet:Your pitch deck should be
 
Blog
22. February 2024

Digital health investments: Road to success requires bold steps and an interdisciplinary approach

Since as far back as 2012, High-Tech Gründerfonds has been investing in start-ups that operate at the intersection between healthcare and digital solutions. In this interview, our Senior Investment Managers Louis Heinz (Digital Tech) and Niels Sharman (Life Sciences) share some insights into the synergies that arise from the HTGF team’s diverse perspectives and also give their take on where the sector stands in Germany and internationally. Louis Heinz and Niels Sharman, Senior Investme
 
Event
6. June 2024

AgriTech Pitch Day 2024

Are you an AgriTech founder and want to present your high-tech solutions for sustainable agriculture to leading investors and corporate decision-makers? Take the opportunity to pitch your technology to an exclusive audience of investors, corporate VCs, and industry experts! Together with our fund investor, Maschinenringe, High-Tech Gründerfonds is organizing AgriTech Pitch Day on 6 June in Neuburg an der Donau. Apply by 12 May. Register here with your company details and submit your non-confide
 

Become Part of the HTGF Family

We invest in start-ups in the fields of industrial technology, digital tech, life sciences, chemistry or related areas.

We are sparring partners in all questions regarding the development of start-ups and will open doors for you.

In the seed round up to 1 million euros. In total we can invest up to 4 million euros in a start-up.

Our start-ups become part of the #HTGFFamily, one of the strongest networks in the high-tech venture sector.

Are you the founder of a high-tech start-up? Does your company match our industry focus and meet our investment criteria? Then we look forward to getting to know you and your company! Send us your pitch deck – we’ll be in touch.

Investment criteria

Your company is a high-tech start-up in the fields of digital tech, industrial tech, life sciences, chemistry or related business areas

Your start-up is less than three years old

Your start-up is headquartered in Germany or – in the case of start-ups from other European countries – has a German base of operations.