nuuEnergy Secures Multi-Million Euro Funding – and Aims to Rethink the Heat Pump Industry as a Premium Quality Provider 

Heat pump installation and energy startup nuuEnergy has closed a seven-figure pre-seed funding round in spring 2025.

Investors include HTGF, business angel club better ventures—with members such as energy entrepreneur Marco Vogt—alongside EnjoyVenture, Vireo Ventures, and Bynd. The funding will be used to launch and scale regional specialist craft businesses and to further digitalize the entire process from individual planning to installation and maintenance. 

Unreliable installers, complex planning, opaque pricing—many Germans are still hesitant to switch to heat pumps. Digital providers often prioritize aggressive growth with a strong focus on sales, often at the expense of installation quality. Traditional craft businesses, on the other hand, frequently lack the capacity for in-depth consulting and planning. 

This is where nuuEnergy comes in: Founded in 2023, the company combines the efficiency of digital processes with the quality and customer proximity of traditional craft businesses. 

“Our customers want a local partner to guide them through the entire process – with top-notch quality in planning, installation, and service. That’s exactly what we offer through our regional businesses and digitalized planning,” says Tobias Klug, co-founder and CEO of nuuEnergy. 

The Better Way to Heat Pumps – Local, Digital, Human 

nuuEnergy establishes its own regional craft businesses, fully integrated into the company. This allows nuuEnergy to merge the benefits of digital workflows – such as software-based planning and streamlined subsidy management—with the hands-on expertise and local presence of traditional tradespeople. A dedicated regional contact ensures smooth coordination and alignment throughout all stages. 

“We’re the skilled trades’ answer to the big digital players who focus purely on sales and neglect quality,” says Julia Rafschneider, co-founder and CRO of nuuEnergy. “Our technicians are not just service providers – they’re the heart of our company. They are the experts, they plan, install, and deliver excellent craftsmanship. We provide the processes and technology to support them in doing just that.” 

From initial consultation to final installation, all steps come from a single source. Tailored planning by skilled professionals ensures that every heat pump is precisely matched to its building. Proper sizing and high-quality installation reduce operating costs and extend the system’s lifespan. The Munich-based company has already successfully launched a second location in Hamburg, with a third site currently in planning. 

A Growth Market with Enormous Potential 

Demand for heat pumps is growing rapidly—despite a market dip in 2024. Following a record year in 2023, with over 350,000 installations in Germany (a 50% increase over 2022), the industry expects rising numbers again in 2025. By 2030, the German Heat Pump Association (BWP) forecasts up to 500,000 units installed annually to meet climate goals. The environmental impact is significant: switching to heat pumps can reduce a building’s CO₂ emissions by up to 70%. However, a shortage of skilled workers and inefficient processes are slowing progress. This is where nuuEnergy’s infrastructure comes in—to drive a new generation of the energy transition: locally rooted, digitally enabled, and human-centered. 

For better ventures, this investment marks a key move in addressing one of the most critical levers in the energy transition. “Germany’s skilled trades sector holds the key to a successful heating transition—but a lack of skilled labor and inefficient processes are holding it back. nuuEnergy blends digitalization with excellent craftsmanship and offers a solution that doesn’t currently exist in the market—but is urgently needed,” says Tina Dreimann, founder and managing director of better ventures. 

HTGF has been observing the heat pump market for some time and made a conscious decision to invest in the Munich-based startup: “Every house is different, and making renovations scalable is a challenge. We see nuuEnergy as the first convincing solution where a scalable model is emerging in close partnership with skilled trades—enabling millions of homes to switch to heat pumps without compromising quality,” says Johannes Weber, Principal at HTGF. 

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About nuuEnergy  
Founded in 2023, nuuEnergy specializes in the planning and installation of heat pumps. With a unique business model, the company combines the advantages of digital processes with the quality and proximity of traditional craft businesses. The goal: to make the switch to climate-friendly heating as simple, efficient, and high-quality as possible. More at: www.nuuenergy.com 

About better ventures  
better ventures is Europe’s leading alliance for impact entrepreneurs. The network has invested in over 45 impact startups with more than 80 entrepreneurial angels and focuses on scalable business models that unite impact and returns. better ventures believes that entrepreneurs—founders, angels, and family business owners—are the most powerful lever to tackle the greatest challenges of our time. More at: www.betterventures.io 

About EnjoyVenture 
EnjoyVenture is one of Germany’s oldest venture capital firms, investing in early-stage technology and growth companies for over 25 years. More at: www.enjoyventure.vc  

About Vireo Ventures 
Vireo Ventures is a Berlin-based early-stage fund specializing in European startups in the energy and electrification sectors. More at: www.vireo.vc  

About Bynd 
Bynd is a leading Iberian startup fund that has been investing in disruptive European tech companies for 15 years. More at: www.bynd.vc  

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds 
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing start-ups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports start-ups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 start-ups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.  

Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.  For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.   

Media contact 
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH 
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager  
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121
t.jacob@htgf.de   

Proxima Fusion raises €130M Series A to build world’s first stellarator-based fusion power plant in the 2030s 

Europe’s fastest-growing fusion startup unlocks funding to advance commercial fusion technology and secure energy resilience for the continent. 

Proxima Fusion, Europe’s fastest-growing fusion energy startup, today announced the close of a €130 million ($150 million) Series A funding round—marking it the largest private fusion investment round in Europe. 

The Series A round was co-led by Cherry Ventures and Balderton Capital, with significant participation from UVC Partners, the DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF), Plural, Leitmotif, Lightspeed, Bayern Kapital, HTGF, Club degli Investitori, OMNES Capital and Elaia Partners.  

This brings Proxima Fusion’s total funding to more than €185 million ($200 million) in public and private capital, accelerating its mission to build the world’s first commercial fusion power plant based on a stellarator design.  

Francesco Sciortino, CEO and Co-founder of Proxima Fusion, said: “Fusion has become a real, strategic opportunity to shift global energy dependence from natural resources to technological leadership. Proxima is perfectly positioned to harness that momentum by uniting a spectacular engineering and manufacturing team with world-leading research institutions, accelerating the path toward bringing the first European fusion power plant online in the next decade.” 

Shifting global energy dependence  

Proxima was founded in early 2023 as a spin-out from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP), with which it continues to work closely together in a public-private partnership to lead Europe into a new era of clean energy. The EU, as well as national governments including Germany, the UK, France and Italy, are increasingly recognizing fusion as a strategic, generational technology essential for energy sovereignty, industrial competitiveness, and carbon-neutral economic growth.  

By building on Europe’s long-standing public fusion investment and industrial supply chains, Proxima Fusion is laying the groundwork for a new high-tech energy industry—one that transforms the continent from a leader in fusion research to a global powerhouse in fusion deployment. 

“We back founders solving humanity’s hardest problems — and few are bigger than clean, limitless energy,” said Filip Dames, Cherry Ventures Founding Partner. “Proxima Fusion combines Europe’s scientific edge with commercial ambition, turning world-class research into one of the most promising fusion ventures globally. This is deep tech at its best, and a bold signal that Europe can lead on the world stage.” 

Proxima is taking a simulation-driven approach to engineering that leverages advanced computing and high-temperature superconducting (HTS) technology to build on the groundbreaking results of the IPP’s W7-X stellarator experiment. 

Just earlier this year, together with the IPP, KIT and other partners, Proxima unveiled Stellaris. As the first commercial stellarator concept to integrate physics, engineering, and maintenance considerations from the outset, Stellaris has been widely recognized as a major breakthrough for the fusion industry, advancing the case for quasi-isodynamic (QI) stellarators as the most promising pathway to a commercial fusion power plant. 

Daniel Waterhouse, Partner at Balderton Capital, said: “Stellarators aren’t just the most technologically viable approach to fusion energy—they’re the power plants of the future, capable of leading Europe into a new era of clean energy. Proxima has firmly secured its position as the leading European contender in the global race to commercial fusion. We are thrilled to partner with Proxima’s game-changing team of engineers, alongside Europe’s top manufacturers, to build a company that will be transformational for Europe.” 

With this new funding, the company will complete its Stellarator Model Coil (SMC) in 2027, a major hardware demonstration that will de-risk HTS technology for stellarators and stimulate European HTS innovation. Proxima will also finalize a site for Alpha, its demo stellarator, for which it is in talks with several European governments already. Alpha is scheduled to begin operations in 2031, and will serve as the key step to demonstrate Q>1 (net energy gain) and move towards a first-of-a-kind fusion power plant . The company will continue to grow its 80+-strong team across its three offices: at the headquarters in Munich, at the Paul Scherrer Institute near Zurich (Switzerland), and at the Culham fusion campus near Oxford (UK). 

“Fusion energy is entering a new era—moving from lab-based science to industrial-scale engineering,” said Dr. Francesco Sciortino. “This investment validates our approach and gives us the resources to deliver hardware that will be essential to make clean fusion power a reality.”  

Ian Hogarth, Partner at Plural said: “Proxima Fusion exemplifies a new kind of European ambition – a full force effort to develop the world’s first fusion power plant. Since their first round of funding two years ago, Francesco and the team have hit extremely challenging milestones ahead of schedule and hired a team that spans plasma physics, advanced magnet design and simulation experts. Their peer-reviewed stellarator power plant design concept proves that fusion really can be commercially viable, and creates the opportunity for Europe to be first to the target.” 

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About Proxima Fusion 
Proxima Fusion spun out of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in 2023 to build the first generation of fusion power plants using QI-HTS stellarators. Proxima has since assembled a world-class team of engineers, scientists and operators from leading companies and institutions, such as the IPP, MIT, Harvard, SpaceX, Tesla, and McLaren. By taking a simulation-driven approach to engineering that leverages advanced computing and high-temperature superconductors to build on the groundbreaking results of the IPP’s W7-X stellarator, Proxima is leading Europe into a new era of clean energy, for good. 

Media Contact: 
Maria Dantz 
Head of Communications 
Proxima Fusion 
Email: maria.dantz@gmail.com 
Tel: +31 614715715 

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds 
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing start-ups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports start-ups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 start-ups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.  
Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.  
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.   

Media Contact 
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH 
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager  
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121
t.jacob@htgf.de   

MDA – Medical Decision Alliance secures €3.3 million in seed funding to develop comprehensive surgical support systems 

• Successful seed financing round led by High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) with additional private investors and entrepreneurs  
• Qualified MDA team systematically captures the experience and knowledge of the world’s leading surgeons and uses it to develop comprehensive and globally available assistance systems for the operating theatre.  
• Already three partnerships with leading global medical technology companies to make surgical robots smarter. 

Healthcare start-up MDA – Medical Decision Alliance has raised EUR 3.3 million in seed financing. The founding team, led by experienced life science entrepreneurs Dr Gunter Trojandt, Annett Christ and Daniel Bauer, has developed special software solutions that can be used to record the surgical techniques and decision-making routines of leading surgeons in detail and transfer them to AI-based assistance systems. 

Making surgical robots smarter, pooling distributed knowledge. 

Surgical robots and other specialised systems are increasingly being used in today’s surgery to improve the precision of procedures. However, individual decisions during surgery remain at the surgeon’s discretion and may be incorrect in some cases. Based on the decades of experience of renowned surgeons and in collaboration with leading manufacturers of robotic surgical systems, MDA is developing decision-making algorithms that suggest the most appropriate workflow for a wide range of patient situations.  

In the future, surgical teams will be supported by intelligent algorithms as if the most experienced surgeon in the field were sitting right next to them. This will not only benefit the learning teams, but also the patients. 

Making surgical knowledge available worldwide 

A key priority is the education and training of the next generation of surgeons. MDA is committed to sharing expert knowledge through programmatic training solutions that are always up to date and available 24/7 – the digitalisation of surgical education. 

“Together with MDA, we have digitised all key aspects of our surgical skills and developed an AI-based workflow engine called Virtual Proctor. Other clinics and doctors can now access it and benefit from our 20 years of experience – as far as I know there is no other system like it,” says Professor Markus Graefen, Medical Director of the Martini-Klinik at UKE GmbH, the Prostate Cancer Centre at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf. 

MDA as a partner for innovative medical technology companies 

In addition to robotics, which is the current focus of the MDA, the Virtual Proctor will also serve as a digital platform for interested MedTech partners to present their innovative products along specific indications. The focus will also be on the knowledge of experts who already use these products on a daily basis. This makes it easier for new customers to acquire additional expertise, as the Virtual Proctor provides conceptual knowledge, visual and clinically relevant content based on established standards and experience – real added value for clinics. 

Dr Lena-Sophie Schütter, Investment Manager at HTGF, comments: “MDA’s well-coordinated team combines experience, expertise and a strong network – qualities that already characterised the success of their previous start-up. Through the structured development of a unique reference database, they are laying the foundation for AI-based training and decision-making algorithms. In this way, they are creating the conditions for greater safety, comparability and cross-clinic standards in robotic surgery – with the aim of providing better care for patients. ” 

About MDA – Medical Decision Alliance 
MDA was founded in 2023 by Dr Gunter Trojandt, Annett Christ and two business angels, Jozsef Bugovics and Nils Kröber. MDA has a total of 10 employees and is based in Leipzig, Germany. The founding team has been working together for more than 10 years and successfully sold their last joint company, SPI – Surgical Process Institute, to Johnson & Johnson – a leading global manufacturer of medical devices and surgical robots – in 2017. 

The focus of SPI and MDA is on the operating room and improving the quality of patient outcomes. All developments are carried out in close collaboration with leading physicians, clinics and medical device companies.  

With the capital from the current round of financing, MDA will double the size of its team, recruit additional clinics (knowledge providers) and medical device companies (collaborators), and develop AI-based surgical training and assistance solutions. 

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds  
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing startups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports startups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 startups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.   

Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.   For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.    
 
Media contact  
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH  
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager   
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121  
t.jacob@htgf.de    

JUPUS Completes Successful Seed Round of €6.5 Million – Acton Capital as Lead Investor

The Cologne-based Legal Tech startup JUPUS has raised €6.5 million in funding. The seed round was led by Acton Capital and existing investors such as HTGF (High-Tech Gründerfonds) and business angels.

With this fresh capital, JUPUS plans to further develop its product, expand its market share, and shape the future of legal work. Already, hundreds of law firms are using JUPUS’s AI software to automate tasks through Artificial Intelligence.

AI Takes Over the Lawyer’s Daily Routine
JUPUS offers the first fully automated AI solution for law firms that not only automates administrative tasks but also communicates directly with clients. JUPUS’s AI secretary is unique in the market: It enables law firms to manage their processes from the first call to the final legal document entirely through AI. Standard processes are not only digitized but fully automated. Hundreds of law firms in Germany are already successfully using the solution in their daily work. JUPUS addresses the industry’s most pressing challenge: the growing shortage of skilled workers.

The Answer to the Industry’s Biggest Problem The increasing shortage of legal assistants is pushing law firms to their limits. Delayed response times, dissatisfied clients, and overwhelmed teams are the consequences. JUPUS addresses this issue by having AI take over time-consuming tasks, ignificantly relieving the law firm staff.

Currently, law firms using JUPUS save an average of 40 work hours per month, and by 2026, this number is expected to increase to over 100 hours per month thanks to new AI functionalities. This allows law firms to better utilize their limited resources, increase client satisfaction, and remain operational despite the shortage of skilled workers. Tasks that once took hours are now completed in seconds with JUPUS, making efficiency the new standard in law firm operations.

“We are at the beginning of a new era for the legal market,” says René Fergen, founder and CEO of JUPUS. “Artificial Intelligence will fundamentally change how legal work is organized and executed – with entirely new opportunities for law firms. With JUPUS, we are leading this transformation and enabling law firms to radically simplify and accelerate their workflows. Our goal is to mitigate the growing shortage of skilled workers and give law teams the freedom to focus again on what really matters: advising their clients.”

JUPUS Automates What Law Firms Used to Need Entire Teams For
Unlike previous solutions, JUPUS covers the entire process of law firm work – from the first client contact to the final legal document. The AI software communicates directly with clients, handles administrative tasks, coordinates appointments, and creates required documents. JUPUS is the first legal AI solution to fully integrate client communication, mandate preparation, and document drafting in one platform, fundamentally redefining law firm operations.

New Funding to Expand the AI Solution in Law Firms Since its founding in 2022, the team, led by founders René Fergen and Jannis Gebauer, has already supported hundreds of law firms in Germany, helping them process their client requests with JUPUS. With this new funding, the company will continue developing its AI software and expand its market share.

Acton Capital, one of Europe’s leading investors in digital business models, is confident in the vision and potential of JUPUS: “The legal market is undergoing a transformation, and JUPUS is ideally positioned to lead this change. The team has impressively shown how legal processes can be automated using AI – resulting in massive efficiency gains for law firms. We see JUPUS as having the potential to set a new standard in the legal world. We look forward to supporting the team on this journey,” explains Fritz Oidtmann, Managing Partner at Acton Capital.

In addition to JUPUS, Acton Capital has supported well-known companies such as the leading e-commerce platform Etsy and the Canadian legal tech company Clio. JUPUS had previously raised €1.3 million in a pre-seed round from the High-Tech Gründerfonds and business angels such as Micha Grüber (Co-Founder 1KOMMA5) and Kilian Kaminski (Co-Founder Refurbed). With the current round of €6.5 million, this amount has now been quintupled, marking a significant step in the company’s expansion.

About JUPUS
JUPUS develops the first AI secretary specifically for law firms, enabling law teams to comprehensively automate their workflows. From the first call to the final legal document, JUPUS supports all central process steps fully through AI. Already, hundreds of law firms rely on JUPUS’s AI secretary.

About Acton Capital
Acton Capital is an international venture capital firm with offices in Munich and Vancouver. Since 1999, the team has been investing in technology-based business models from Europe and North America. With over two decades of experience and a deep understanding of digital transformation, Acton Capital has supported more than 100 startups, including global leaders such as Alphasights, Clio, HomeToGo, and Mambu. For more information, visit www.actoncapital.com.

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds 
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing start-ups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports start-ups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 start-ups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.  
Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.  
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.   

Media contact 
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH 
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager  
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121
t.jacob@htgf.de   

HTGF backs Emerge Tech: AI Agents empower SMEs facing skilled worker shortage

• HTGF invests in Emerge Tech, which uses AI agents to make employers more visible, improve the quality of applicants and reduce recruitment costs significantly.
• Proof of impact: 40% better applicant matching, 87% cheaper than agencies and 54% less HR effort.
• Seed round in preparation: Emerge is developing the leading AI platform for employer branding and people experience in medium-sized businesses.
• Signal-sending founding team: combining tech innovation, HR vision and growth expertise, a Babbel co-founder, the founder of DEBA and an international scale-up architect are set to achieve new heights.

High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and the Heimatboost investment community are investing in Emerge Tech GmbH, a Berlin-based HR tech start-up that uses AI-powered employer branding to put SMEs on an equal footing with large corporations by making the process more accessible, automated and effective. The investment will fund the development of the platform and prepare the seed round.

“To solve the skills shortage, we must start with employers. Our AI agents will create game-changing opportunities, finally enabling smaller teams to stand out as employers and reshape HR.”

Daniel Braun, Co-Founder & CEO, Emerge

AI against the skills shortage: highly efficient and genuinely authentic.

Although the shortage is not expected to peak until 2035, companies are already struggling to establish a presence in the labour market. Rather than relying on agencies, Emerge uses AI: Creative Carla defines your identity and message, while Channel Charly delivers them to the right channels based on data — precisely, measurably and scalably. What was once only available to large corporations with big budgets is now accessible to medium-sized companies too, with measurable success: a 40% better fit between people and organisation, 87% lower costs compared to agencies and 54% less effort in everyday recruitment. Thanks to AI, employer branding is no longer a one-off campaign, but an ongoing dialogue between companies and potential employees.

“Employer branding has long been a privilege reserved for big brands. However, talent doesn’t make decisions based on budget; authenticity wins. That’s exactly where our AI comes in.”

Reiner Kriegler, Co-Founder & CPO, Emerge

Strategy & Outlook

Until the end of 2025, Emerge’s focus will be on improving product quality and increasing user numbers with Carla and Charly, with the aim of creating a scalable, robust AI agent model. A seed round is planned for late 2025, after which the focus will shift towards internationalisation. At the same time, a new line of agents is being developed to support the entire people experience, from onboarding to performance management.

“The complementary and experienced founding team at Emerge immediately impressed us. Their blend of HR expertise and technological know-how is precisely what is required to facilitate the long-term digital transformation of medium-sized businesses. We are delighted to support Emerge on this journey as an investor.”

Christian Arndt, Principal at HTGF

Founding team

• Daniel Braun scaled the HR tech start-up WorkGenius to £150 million in revenue in the US and is now CEO of Emerge.
• Wolf Reiner Kriegler: Employer branding pioneer and founder of the German Employer Branding Academy. Now CPO of Emerge.
• Thomas Holl is the co-founder of the language learning app Babbel and is now the CTO of Emerge.

With Emerge Tech, they are bringing technology to employers in need of real change.

About Emerge Tech
Founded in Berlin in 2024, Emerge Tech GmbH develops specialised AI agents that digitise and enhance the employer attractiveness of small and medium-sized businesses faster, more efficiently and more affordably than any agency service. In 2025, the focus will be on user growth and product maturity, followed by international expansion in 2026 with new agents covering the entire people experience. Find out more about AI agents at emerge-tech.io.

Media contact
Emerge Tech GmbH
Reiner Kriegler
Co-Founder & CPO
E-Mail: reiner@emerge-tech.io

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing startups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports startups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 startups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.  
Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.  
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.   

Media contact
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121
t.jacob@htgf.de  

desk.ly secures seven-figure funding for the future of hybrid workplaces

Osnabrück-based start-up desk.ly, provider of an AI-powered platform for modern workplace management, announces the successful closing of a seven-figure financing round from HTGF for its next growth phase. With the new capital, desk.ly will expand its AI capabilities, improve data analysis and strengthen its market position through strategic partnerships in the furniture, construction and workplace consulting sectors.

Strong demand for intelligent workplace solutions

desk.ly addresses the growing challenges of hybrid working models with features such as desk sharing, smart booking suggestions and data-driven office management. Based on past bookings, teammates’ workspace choices and individual needs and preferences, desk.ly suggests the optimal workspace.

Hybrid working models offer companies new opportunities for efficient office use

With desk.ly’s desk sharing software, you can reduce vacancies, optimise resources and make office space more flexible – whether through more compact space planning or subletting. More efficiency, less unused space.

Since its founding in 2021, desk.ly has been helping companies transition to hybrid working models. With over 1,000 customers, including Eurowings, Funke Medien Gruppe, OMR, Volksbank and Fraunhofer, and more than 100,000 active users, desk.ly is one of the leading platforms for intelligent workplace management in Europe. The team now consists of around 40 employees.

Felix Mohr, CEO and founder of desk.ly, says: “In the new world of work, efficiency, flexibility and data intelligence are the keys to success. That’s why we’re building desk.ly – together with our customers and based on our belief that every workplace should be smart, sustainable and people-centric.”

More efficiency, less cost

Desk sharing software helps companies reduce their energy costs, optimise their building structure and tailor services to their needs. Flexible space planning and optimised space utilisation create a more efficient office infrastructure that not only improves resource utilisation, but also reduces operating costs in the long term – a clear gain in efficiency and a quick return on investment (ROI).

Optimise space and reduce costs

Hybrid working models and shared desks mean that offices are on average 40% less occupied. This unused space offers huge savings potential – from reduced rental and energy costs to lower cleaning and catering expenses. desk.ly helps companies turn this potential into concrete financial benefits and sustainably reduce their operating costs.

In addition to reducing rental costs, desk.ly can also optimise ancillary costs such as energy, cleaning and food – benefiting the company’s bottom line and contributing to sustainability.

Next steps: AI features and scaling

desk.ly will use the funding to further develop its AI-based features, such as personalised booking recommendations and intelligent agents. desk.ly will also focus on strategic partnerships with leading brands in the furniture, construction and workplace consultancy industries to create a holistic solution for its customers.

desk.ly has achieved strong growth with impressive capital efficiency and has successfully positioned itself in a dynamic market. We are excited to accompany the strong team on its journey and believe that desk.ly will play a key role in shaping the future of work environments,’ said Maurice Kügler, Senior Investment Manager at HTGF. 

About desk.ly
desk.ly is the AI-powered workplace management platform that organises hybrid work environments in an efficient, sustainable and user-centric way – from desk sharing and smart booking recommendations to data-driven office management. For over two years, desk.ly has been the category leader in workplace management and desk booking on platforms such as OMR Reviews. Further information: www.desk.ly

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds 
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing startups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports startups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 startups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.
Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.  
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.   

Media contact 
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager  
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121 
t.jacob@htgf.de

7Learnings Secures €10M+ Series B to Accelerate Global Expansion of Its Retail AI Platform

• 7Learnings secured €10 million in Series B funding to advance its predictive pricing and retail optimization technology, and to scale in North America and beyond.
• The round was led by Acton Capital, renowned for its investments in companies such as Etsy, mytheresa, Clio, and SoSafe, with the continued backing from High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF).
• The funding comes amidst renewed supply chain uncertainties due to the impact of US tariffs, highlighting the value of 7Learnings’ predictive pricing and retail optimization solutions in driving measurable business outcomes.

7Learnings, the leading provider of AI-powered retail optimization technology, today announced the successful close of its Series B funding round, securing over €10 million in new investment. The funding round was led by Acton Capital, one of Europe’s leading venture capital funds with a focus on technology start-ups. The existing investor High-Tech Gründerfonds also participated in the round, renewing their commitment. The funding will accelerate 7Learnings’ international expansion, with a strategic focus on entering the North American market.

Unlike many high-growth tech startups, 7Learnings has reached profitability ahead of its Series B round, underscoring the strength and scalability of its business model. This new investment is earmarked entirely for growth, allowing the company to capitalize on its momentum and rapidly extend its global footprint.

“We’ve built a profitable business by delivering measurable results for our customers,” said Felix Hoffmann, CEO and Co-Founder of 7Learnings. “Amidst trade uncertainties, persistent inflation, and global supply chain challenges, better decision intelligence has become business-critical for brands and e-commerce merchants. This investment allows us to bring our technology to even more retailers worldwide, with North America as our next major focus.”

7Learnings has emerged as a clear market leader in AI-driven pricing, trusted by leading global retailers and validated through hundreds of A/B tests. The company’s Retail AI platform goes beyond dynamic pricing, offering predictive capabilities that align marketing campaigns with pricing strategies and optimize product orders, unlocking full-margin potential across the value chain.

“With the continued pressure from inflation and shifting consumer behavior, as well as the renewed impact of U.S. tariffs on our sourcing and pricing strategy, 7Learnings has been instrumental in helping us navigate these challenges. Its AI-powered pricing and retail optimization tools allow us to adapt quickly, make smarter pricing decisions, and protect our margins without compromising on brand integrity or customer experience,” says Timo Bethlehem, Managing Director at meinemarkenmode.de. The fashion retailer has been working with 7Learnings for 5 years, achieving a 13% revenue increase by leveraging predictive pricing.

With its unique ability to synchronize pricing, marketing, and ordering decisions through machine learning, 7Learnings empowers retailers to make smarter, faster, and more profitable decisions at scale.

“Pricing is one of the most powerful levers for driving profitability in e-commerce. What impressed us about 7Learnings is their state-of-the-art proprietary AI technology, which consistently outperforms the competition. They’ve already established themselves as the market leader in Germany, and we’re excited to support their international expansion,” says Sebastian Wossagk, managing partner at Acton Capital.

“At a time when AI has seemingly infused any technology-driven business, it is more important than ever to look at its ROI. The AI applications provided by 7Learnings deliver a clear and tangible effect on their customers’ bottom line. We have been impressed with the leadership’s vision and drive, and are happy to double down on our investment,” adds Martin Möllmann, Principal at HTGF.

About 7Learnings
7Learnings provides an AI-powered retail optimization platform for B2C companies, pioneering the overarching optimization of pricing, performance marketing, and product ordering. With 7Learnings’ machine learning algorithm, retailers and brands can predict the impact of pricing decisions, determine the optimal price for all products, and reduce manual labor by up to 80 percent. The solution has been rigorously tested in numerous A/B experiments and consistently delivers measurable performance improvements and profit increases of more than ten percent.

7Learnings was founded in Berlin in 2019 by Felix Hoffmann, Eiko van Hettinga, and Martin Nowak. Its clients include international companies such as Westwing, Bonprix, Tom Tailor, Tamaris, and DK Company

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds  
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing startups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports startups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 startups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.   

Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.   For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.    
 
Media contact  
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH  
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager   
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121  
t.jacob@htgf.de    

Eyeo raises €15 million seed round to give cameras perfect eyesight

Breakthrough color-splitting photonics innovation triples light sensitivity and breaks sensor resolution limits for a new era in ultra-compact, high-performance imaging

• Light carries everything in an image – and yet, all 10 billion image sensors sold yearly are 70% blind because of decades-old color filtering technology.
• Eyeo replaces traditional filters with advanced color-splitting technology originating from imec, world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. For the first time, photons are not filtered but guided to single pixels, delivering maximum light sensitivity and unprecedented native color fidelity, even in challenging lighting conditions.
• Compatible with any sensor, eyeo’s single photon guiding technology breaks resolution limits – enabling truly effective sub-0.5-micron pixels for ultra-compact, high-resolution imaging in XR, industrial, security, and mobile applications – where image quality is the top purchasing driver.

eyeo today announced it has raised €15 million in seed funding, co-led by imec.xpand, Invest-NL, joined by QBIC fund, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and Brabant Development Agency (BOM). Eyeo revolutionizes the imaging market for consumer, industrial, XR and security applications by drastically increasing the light sensitivity of image sensors. This breakthrough unlocks picture quality, color accuracy, resolution, and cost efficiency, which was never before possible in smartphones and beyond.

The €15 million raised will drive evaluation kit development, prepare for scale manufacturing of a first sensor product, and expand commercial partnerships to bring this breakthrough imaging technology to market.

The Problem: Decades-old color filter technology throws away 70% of light, crippling sensor performance

For decades, image sensors have relied on the application of red, green, and blue color filters on pixels to make your everyday color picture or video.  Color filters, however, block a large portion of the incoming light, and thereby limit the sensitivity of the camera. Furthermore, they limit the scaling of the pixel size below ~0.5 micron. These longstanding issues have stalled advancements in camera technology, constraining both image quality and sensor efficiency. In smartphone cameras, manufacturers have compensated for this limitation by increasing the sensor -and thus camera- size, to capture more light. While this improves low-light performance, it also leads to larger, bulkier cameras. Compact, high-sensitivity image sensors are essential for slimmer smartphones and emerging applications such as robotics and AR/VR devices, where size, power efficiency, and image quality are crucial.

The Breakthrough: Color-splitting via vertical waveguides

Eyeo introduces a novel image sensor architecture that eliminates the need for traditional color filters, making it possible to maximize sensitivity without increasing sensor size. Leveraging breakthrough vertical waveguide-based technology that splits light into colors, eyeo develops sensors that efficiently capture and utilize all incoming light, tripling sensitivity compared to existing technologies. This is particularly valuable in low-light environments, where current sensors struggle to gather enough light for clear, reliable imaging. Additionally, unlike traditional filters that block certain colors (information that is then interpolated through software processing), eyeo’s waveguide technology allows pixels to receive complete color data. This approach instantly doubles resolution, delivering sharper, more detailed images for applications that demand precision, such as computational photography, machine vision, and spatial computing.

Jeroen Hoet, CEO of eyeo: “Eyeo is fundamentally redefining image sensing by eliminating decades-old limitations. Capturing all incoming light and drastically improving resolution is just the start—this technology paves the way for entirely new applications in imaging, from ultra-compact sensors to enhanced low-light performance, ultra-high resolution, and maximum image quality. We’re not just improving existing systems; we’re creating a new standard for the future of imaging.”

Market Readiness and Roadmap

Eyeo has already established partnerships with leading image sensor manufacturers and foundries to ensure the successful commercialization of its technology. The €15M seed funding will be used to improve its current camera sensor designs further, optimizing the waveguide technology for production scalability and accelerating the development of prototypes for evaluation. By working closely with industry leaders, eyeo aims to bring its advanced camera sensors to a wide range of applications, from smartphones and VR glasses to any compact device that uses color cameras. The first evaluation kits are expected to be available for selected customers within the next two years. Eyeo is headquartered in Eindhoven (NL), with an R&D office in Leuven (BE).

Anne Umbach, Investment Manager at HTGF, says: “Eyeo’s cutting-edge technology, which allows for more precise color detection and outstanding image quality even in low-light conditions, positions the company as a potential European tech champion. With a highly innovative technology and a strong, complementary and experienced team, Eyeo is well-equipped to establish a global presence in the expanding surveillance and security market, as well as in the smartphone industry.”

About eyeo
Eyeo is redefining imaging with the world’s most advanced nanophotonic color-splitting technology. For the first time, image sensors can capture all of incoming light, overcoming the current 30% limit imposed by decades-old color filter technology. Instead of filtering photons, Eyeo’s breakthrough technology guides them directly to individual pixels, unlocking full light sensitivity and native color fidelity, even in the most challenging conditions. Compatible with any CMOS sensor platform, Eyeo’s single-photon guiding capability also breaks resolution barriers, enabling sub-0.5-micron pixels for ultra-compact, high-performance imaging in XR, industrial, security, and mobile applications where image quality is critical.

Learn more at www.eyeo-imaging.com

This operation benefits from the support from the European Union under the InvestEU Fund

Press Contact

PR-Agentur: Mike Sottak // +1 650 248-9597 // mike@wiredislandpr.com 

Eyeo: press@eyeo-imaging.com

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds 
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing start-ups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports start-ups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 start-ups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.  
Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.  
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.   

Media contact 
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH 
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager  
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121
t.jacob@htgf.de   

eeden Closes €18M Series A Financing to Scale its Breakthrough Textile Recycling Technology

German tech startup eeden, which has developed a groundbreaking textile recycling technology, announces the completion of its €18 million Series A funding round.

The round was led by Forbion, a leading venture capital firm based in The Netherlands, through its BioEconomy Fund. Also joining as new investors are Henkel Ventures, the strategic venture capital fund of Henkel, with deep expertise in surface and coating technologies through its consumer and industrial business, and NRW.Venture, the Venture Fund of NRW.BANK, North Rhine-Westphalia´s development bank. All existing investors reinvested in the round, including the venture capital investors TechVision Fund (TVF), High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and D11Z. Ventures – the early-stage nvestment arm of the family office of Dieter Schwarz. The funding will enable eeden to build its demonstration plant in Münster, optimize large-scale processing, and establish commercial projects with key players in the textile industry.

A major step toward circularity

Ongoing challenges including rising costs, scarcity of resources, material volatility, and growing regulatory hurdles continue to strain the textile industry. To remain competitive, brands and manufacturers are increasingly looking for textile materials that combine high performance, scalability, and circularity at price parity. eeden addresses this need with its breakthrough in chemical recycling technology that recovers pure cellulose and PET building blocks (monomers) from cotton-polyester blends. Their products can be used to produce virgin-quality lyocell, viscose, and polyester fibers thereby offering a resource-efficient alternative to conventional fibers and unlocking new circular value chains.

Steffen Gerlach, CEO & Co-Founder of eeden: “Over the past few years, we have developed a proven solution that has the potential to meet the industry’s long-term need for cost-efficient and high-performing circular materials. We are proud that our new and existing investors believe in our approach and share our vision. With their support, we are ready to scale our technology and turn textile waste into materials the industry truly needs.”

With increasing textile waste comes increased regulation. As of January 2025, EU member states are required to implement separate collection systems for used textiles. eeden’s technology provides a pragmatic solution that is capable of processing complex blended materials.

Alex Hoffmann, General Partner at Forbion noted, “eeden has developed a pioneering solution that can make large-scale textile recycling not only technologically feasible, but also commercially viable in the near future. We see tremendous potential in their approach and are excited to support the team as they bring this breakthrough technology to industrial scale.”

Björn Lang, Partner TVF, “As an early investor, it’s great to see how the team has turned a vision into a validated process and strong strategic partnerships. The progress they’ve made shows what’s possible when the right people and strong science meet real customer needs. We’re excited to keep backing the team as they scale their impact.”

Nik Raupp, Principal at HTGF: “The founders of Eeden have consistently achieved impressive results over the past three years. They have exceeded their ambitious targets and gained new strategic partners. My expectations have been more than fulfilled, and I am therefore looking forward with great anticipation to our future collaboration and the promising developments of the years to come.”

The new eeden demonstration facility in Münster, Germany follows the successful technology validation of its pilot plant with industrial partners. This €18 million Series A financing will enable the company to optimize large-scale processing and establish commercial projects with key players in the textile industry.

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About eeden
eeden is a tech company based in Münster, Germany, pioneering the chemical recycling of cotton-polyester textiles. Founded in 2019, eeden has developed a breakthrough technology that efficiently separates and recovers cellulose and PET monomers, which fiber producers transform into virgin-quality lyocell, viscose, and polyester fibers – enabling the transition toward a fully circular textile industry. Find out more at eeden.world

About Forbion
Forbion is a leading global venture capital firm with deep expertise in Europe and offices in Naarden, The Netherlands, Munich, Germany and Boston, USA. Forbion invests in innovative biotech companies, managing approximately €5 billion across multiple fund strategies that cover all stages of (bio-) pharmaceutical drug development. In addition, Forbion leverages its biotech expertise beyond human health to address ‘planetary health’ challenges through its BioEconomy fund strategy, which invests in companies developing sustainable solutions in food, agriculture, materials, and environmental technologies. Forbion’s team consists of over 30 investment professionals that have built an impressive performance track record since the late nineties with 128 investments across 11 funds. Forbion’s record of sourcing, building and guiding life sciences companies has resulted in many approved breakthrough therapies and valuable exits. Forbion typically selects impactful investments that will positively affect the health and well-being of people and the planet, as well as meet its financial return objectives. The firm is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment. Forbion operates a joint venture with BGV, the manager of seed and early-stage funds, especially focused on Benelux and Germany.

About Henkel Ventures
Henkel Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of Henkel, following a balanced approach with strategic fit and solid financial return. The venture unit partners with start-ups for co-innovation and invests in early-stage, late seed until B rounds in the areas of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Adhesive Technologies, Sustainability and Digital Commerce. Find out more at Henkel Ventures

About NRW.Venture
NRW.Venture is the venture capital fund of NRW.BANK. In this way, the promotional bank for North RhineWestphalia responds to the scarce supply of financing for young, innovative and often technology-oriented companies, which often do not have sufficient access to loans. Their main asset is a new market idea – which is why their chances of success are often difficult to assess. Together with private-sector investors, NRW.Venture invests up to 15 million euros of equity in such start-ups over several financing rounds – typically from the second round onwards – with NRW.BANK taking a minority stake with a term of three to seven years. But the Bank not only provides capital – an experienced team is the key to joint success. NRW.Venture’s investment professionals have many years of venture capital experience, often complemented by technology and start-up experience, and use their expertise and network to ensure that start-ups have the best chances of success.

About TVF
TechVision Fund (TVF) is a leading early-stage VC fund from Aachen, Germany – with a focus on technology start-ups in the pre-seed to Series A phases. TVF focuses on outstanding teams from the Rhineland region, including the neighbouring Netherlands and Belgium. The TVF management has experience from four fund generations and currently has over € 100 million in assets under management. The funds are backed by strong investors such as NRW.BANK, eight savings banks (Sparkassen) from western NRW and more than 15 successful entrepreneurs.
The TVF supports start-up teams with proximity, network and expertise and paves the way for them to become the next international industry leader. Through the S-UBG Group network, the TVF offers unique access to over 150 successful companies in various industries and establishes contacts between start-ups and their first customers, partners and consultants.
TVF – Brain | Cash | Proximity
Find out more at www.tvf.vc

About D11Z. Ventures
D11Z. Ventures is a dynamic early-stage investor specializing in digital and AI startups across Germany and Europe. As a single-family-office VC, D11Z. Ventures pursues the vision of shaping the digital future as a leading European investor in AI, IoT, and SaaS. With deep experience, expertise, and agility, D11Z. Ventures drives digital transformation and maintains strong ties to tech-focused SMEs and global market leaders. At its core, the D11Z. Ventures seeks out founders with visionary ideas to sustainably shape the digital future. True to its motto “Shaping Tomorrow, Today,” D11Z. Ventures brings visionary ideas to life today.
Learn more at https://d11z.com/

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds  
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing start-ups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports start-ups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 start-ups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.   
Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.   
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.    

Media contact  
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH  
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager   
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121 
t.jacob@htgf.de    

DXI takes customer interaction to a new level: Pre-seed financing secures AI leadership in the field of “digital customer twins” 

• DXI GmbH secures significant pre-seed financing from HTGF and business angels to scale its PersonaX® AI platform.  
• The platform enables realistic, interactive “digital customer twins” based on LIA technology and >70% cost savings in market research. 
• With PersonaX®, companies can act proactively, realistically, and in real time from the customer’s perspective – a milestone for customer experience and insights.  
• “Our vision is a realistic dialogue with every digital B2B or B2C customer twin,” say founders Frank Rauchfuß and Stefan Trebbin.  

The Munich-based deep tech startup DXI GmbH has received strong funding in a pre-seed financing round. Investors include the High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) as well as several renowned business angels from the AI and SaaS sectors. The VentureCon networking event organized by BayStartUP brought the founding team and investors together. With the fresh capital, DXI plans to further develop its AI platform PersonaX®, which enables companies for the first time to engage in dialogue with dynamic, adaptive “Digital Customer Twins” at any time. These Customer Twins can support in conducting A/B tests,  develop marketing campaigns, or optimize sales and support processes – in real time and based on deep customer insights. In doing so, it anticipates customer reactions, reflects authentic user behavior, and helps companies make decisions consistently from the customer’s perspective. The DXI team is pursuing a radical change in perspective: true customer centricity means consistently thinking and acting from the customer’s point of view. What if the customer could develop go-to-market measures, product ideas, or user-specific operating instructions themselves? It’s possible with digital technology, and that’s where DXI comes in with PersonaX®. 

“We wanted to keep customer knowledge available at all times and make it accessible for dialogue so that it can be used realistically in digital applications and scaled easily,” says Stefan Trebbin, co-founder and CAIO (Chief AI Officer) of DXI GmbH.  

The solution: a digital customer twin that not only observes but also actively shapes the process. PersonaX® takes on real use cases, generates deep customer insights in real time, and can take on assigned tasks—for example, as an “AI advisor” in product development, marketing, or customer success. Based on the proprietary AI Latent Insights Amplifier (LIA) platform, leading AI technologies are combined with an excellent user experience, enabling companies to make decisions from the customer’s perspective – at any time, based on data, and with empathy. “Thanks to its proprietary LIA technology, PersonaX® delivers models that are up to 20 times more efficient with over 90% accuracy – a technological quantum leap compared to conventional simulation tools,” explains Stefan Trebbin.  

In addition to digital customer twins, PersonaX® also maps expert twins and enables the automation of entire processes in B2B and B2C application areas – from innovation management to CRM and customer support.  

“Our vision is to use PersonaX® to create lifelike, adaptive B2B and B2C customer twins that enable companies not only to better understand customer expectations, but also to optimize their offerings and anticipate behavior,” says Frank Rauchfuß, co-founder and CEO of DXI GmbH. “By using digital customer twins, we are able to reduce costs by more than 70% and reduce time-to-insight by 90%.”  

Johannes Dierkes, Investment Manager at HTGF, comments: “At DXI, a very well-connected, experienced, and technically knowledgeable founding team has found an attractive market. The possible applications of this solution are enormously diverse. We see great potential for DXI’s digital twins to become a must-have tool in a wide range of business areas.”  

According to Gartner Inc., the market for digital customer twins is on the verge of a major transformation: within the next five to ten years, almost all companies are expected to use digital twins of their customers. As the recent winner of Startup of the Week 2025, the iF Design Award 2024 and the AI Paper Award from TU Dresden, DXI confirms its role as a technological innovation leader – also in a European comparison.  

With this pre-seed financing, DXI plans to take the next step toward fully autonomous customer twins, setting new standards for digital customer dialogue with a unique comination of real-time capability, dialogue depth and technological maturity.  

Dr. Carsten Rudolph, Managing Director at BayStartUP, comments: “The DXI team combines entrepreneurial experience with a clear eye for digital efficiency levers. Their solution has the potential to become the standard for data-driven optimization in companies – a real toolkit for the future of digital transformation. We are delighted to have HTGF on board as an experienced investor who will now play a key role in driving the growth of this promising start-up.”  

About DXI GmbH 
DXI GmbH was founded on October 1, 2024, in Munich and specializes in AI-driven customer twins. With its PersonaX® platform, the startup offers companies a revolutionary way to interact with digital representations of their customers on eye level – dynamically, realistically, and in real time. The company’s proprietary Latent Insight Amplifier (LIA) technology combines deep data analysis with intuitive UX and leading AI. In addition to customer twins, the platform also trains expert twins and automates complex business processes. DXI has been honored with the iF Design Award 2024, among other awards, and is one of the innovation leaders in the field of “digital customer twins.” Frank Rauchfuß and Stefan Trebbin are AI pioneers with experience from over 800 projects in the B2B/B2C sector. 

Media contact 
DXI GmbH 
Frank Rauchfuß, CEO  
Email: founder@dx-i.com 
Website: www.dx-i.com 
Taufkirchen near Munich, Germany 

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds  
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing start-ups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports start-ups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 start-ups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.   
Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.   
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.    

Media contact  
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH  
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager   
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121 
t.jacob@htgf.de    

ATMOS Space Cargo Conducts First Re-Entry Mission from Space early on its way to building a leading return logistics platform with its Innovative Return Capsule

• ATMOS Space Cargo meets critical mission objectives during first flight of its PHOENIX 1 prototype, launched as part of SpaceX’s Bandwagon-3 mission.
• ATMOS tested its innovative Inflatable Heat Shield technology early under realistic flight conditions, as part if its rapid prototyping approach.
• This mission marks a significant step forward to efficient and sovereign European return capacities.
• PHOENIX 2 development is underway, with a test flight planned for 2026.

A European Milestone in Re-Entry Technology

This flight establishes ATMOS as the fastest-moving private space logistics company in Europe to conduct an orbital return mission. It also demonstrates that sovereign return capabilities are within reach – and that private industry is ready to lead in building Europe’s independent space infrastructure.

“PHOENIX 1 delivered on its objectives and our roadmap. Dedicated people show up, go to work and get results – we are not here to guess. Completing this mission with a flight-ready capsule in such a short time frame is a major validation of our design and approach under real conditions,” said Sebastian Klaus, CEO and Co-Founder of ATMOS.

“As a side effect it gave proof that we are able to conduct a multinational operation to create a valuable and inspiring outcome across the entire team and beyond.  We’re on track to build PHOENIX 2 – a next gen capsule capable of setting its own return trajectory, unlocking the most flexible, cost-efficient and reliable end-to-end space logistics platform in the space industry.”

Mission Summary

Launch & De-Orbit Maneuver

PHOENIX 1 launched into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida at 20:48 local time, as part of the Bandwagon-3 rideshare mission.

Following injection into a 45° inclination orbit, the capsule completed one full orbit.

A planned de-orbit burn by the Falcon 9 upper stage over Los Angeles, California, then placed PHOENIX 1 on its return trajectory.

Re-entry & Data Recovery

Following upper stage separation, PHOENIX 1 began its return trajectory, transmitting critical system and payload data to ground stations the ATMOS ground segment team set up across South America.

As planned, the capsule performed initial inflation of its heat shield before entering Earth’s atmosphere at the Entry Interface Point (EIP) approximately two hours post-launch south-east of the Brazilian coast.

Due to a recent trajectory update and extended splashdown distance (~2,000 km off the coast), recovery was not planned – effected by the increased distance from  available marine infrastructure.

ATMOS’ current roadmap for PHOENIX 2 confirms to feature its own propulsion system, enabling the capsule to choose its re-entry trajectory and splashdown zone, enabling swift recovery.

“We designed PHOENIX 1 to move fast without compromising core reliability, fundamental for any spacecraft. Thanks to the experience and fast problem solving skill set our team brings to the workshop, we achieved flight qualification in record time. Building and launching a space-ready capsule in under a year required tight iteration and testing, good communication, and a team spirit beyond expectations. This flight – and the engineering process that led us here – taught us valuable lessons on the design of the next iteration, PHOENIX 2” says Christian Grimm, Lead Systems Engineer and Co-Founder at ATMOS Space Cargo.

Christian Ziach, Principal at HTGF and board member at ATMOS, commented: “Watching the launch of the first demonstration flight of Atmos Space Cargo live in Cape Canaveral, seeing how the spacecraft is separated and then looking at the first telemetry data was pure goosebumps. Congratulations to the entire team of Atmos Space Cargo. You have done a great job!”

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About ATMOS Space Cargo
ATMOS Space Cargo GmbH develops cutting-edge technology to enable the return of cargo from space. Its services encompass microgravity experiments, commercial payloads and support for spacecraft reusability. ATMOS bridges the gap between Earth and low Earth orbit, driving industrial innovation with sustainable solutions.

The PHOENIX capsule represents a groundbreaking platform for Earth-to-Space-to-Earth logistics, designed for a wide variety of applications.

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds 
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing start-ups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports start-ups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 start-ups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.  
Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.  
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.   

Media contact 
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH 
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager  
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121
t.jacob@htgf.de   

node.energy raises €15 million in Series B financing

The Frankfurt-based software company node.energy has raised €15 million in an oversubscribed Series B financing round. The company enables medium-sized companies to cover their electricity needs with direct supply contracts or so-called direct PPAs from wind farms and solar power plants.

With this fresh capital, node.energy plans to become the leading platform for green electricity in the business customer segment in Germany. This mission has convinced renowned investors. The billion-euro DeepTech & Climate Fund (DTCF) and eCAPITAL ENTREPRENEURIAL PARTNERS led the round. eCAPITAL has been financing technology companies in the early to growth phase since 1999 and has also supported energy unicorn 1KOMMA5° at an early stage. Existing investors such as High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Bitstone Capital and BonVenture also confirmed their confidence in the company and participated in the financing.

Investment Director Torsten Löffler is delighted that the DeepTech & Climate Fund is further expanding its ClimateTech portfolio with this attractive growth company: “node.energy impressively demonstrates that the energy transition is opening up new business models and growth prospects for start-ups and investors. Node.energy’s medium-sized customers benefit from very attractive electricity prices thanks to direct procurement from PV plants and wind farms, enabling them to increase their competitiveness.”

Strengthening Germany’s reputation as a business location

The company has now expanded its offering for the next phase of the energy transition. The cost of wind and PV power has been falling for years and is now the cheapest source of electricity, according to a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE). More and more companies are looking to capitalise on this cost advantage and are switching their energy procurement to direct supply contracts with wind and PV plants, known as Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). Due to the complex processes involved in the energy industry, this type of electricity procurement was previously only available to very large consumers such as BASF or Amazon. node.energy is now offering PPAs, which are concluded directly with the power plant operators, to medium-sized companies for the first time. The customised combination of green energy producers and consumers is only the first step. The software platform will also be used to manage supply processes, invoicing and the transparent provision of energy data for reporting and controlling purposes. The average savings compared to conventional electricity contracts are between 10 and 25 percent of the actual energy costs. node.energy thus helps their customers to remain competitive and contributes to securing Germany as a relevant business location.

“We are removing bureaucracy and complicated business processes in the supply chain for domestic green electricity. This makes cheap wind and PV power a locational advantage for the German economy,” says Matthias Karger, founder and CEO of node.energy.

Hannes Schill, Managing Partner of eCapital, confirms: “node.energy creates a new basis for SMEs to use cost-effective and sustainable electricity. With direct PPAs, SMEs can counteract the increasing price volatility on the energy markets and reliably plan their energy costs. Thanks to its established software business for wind and solar park operators, node.energy is well positioned to meet the needs of SME customers in the PPA-as-a-Service segment and to secure a significant market share in this future field”.

For black figures with green electricity

With the Series B funding, node.energy will continue to invest in the development of its platform and the integration of storage solutions within the near future. This expansion will not only create new revenue streams for wind and solar project operators but will also help make the energy transition more cost-effective and sustainable overall.

“Digitalisation and the integration of storage solutions are crucial for a sustainable energy supply,” says Karger. “Storage technologies make it possible to use wind and solar power more efficiently, ensuring stable prices and a reliable supply even in times of fluctuating generation.”

Since its founding in 2016, node.energy has become the leading software provider for professional operators of wind farms and solar power plants. Independent power producers such as wpd windmanager GmbH and PNE AG use the opti.node Cockpit software platform to manage and optimise wind and solar projects. The software is currently used by more than 14,000 wind and PV plants, which generate around one-third of Germany’s green electricity.

Contact
Kira Lichte
Marketing, press and PR
Mobile: +49 160 407 17 31
Mail: kira.lichte@node.energy
www.node.energy

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds 
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing start-ups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports start-ups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 start-ups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.  
Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.  
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.   

Media contact 
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH 
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager  
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121
t.jacob@htgf.de   

Successful exit for HTGF: German Medical Engineering joins the Thomas Group 

The Erlangen-based MedTech company German Medical Engineering (GME) is as of now a subsidiary of the Herdorf-based Thomas Group, a leading manufacturer of innovative actuator and hydraulic solutions.

Together, the companies aim to strategically develop GME’s business with its innovative therapeutic laser and light systems. HTGF was one of the first institutional investors and has closely supported GME since the seed financing in 2011. As part of the dealtransaction, HTGF is selling its shares. 

With the acquisition of the HTGF portfolio company GME, Thomas is entering a new business segment. From being a provider of mechatronic solutions for the mobility and off-highway markets, the portfolio is now expanding to include innovative solutions for laser and light therapy under the still independent GME brand.  

GME, founded in 2011, also expects great benefits from the acquisition by Thomas. With its market-relevant products, GME is firmly established in the healthcare sector. The company’s therapeutic light systems are used worldwide for the professional treatment of acute skin conditions such as rosacea, acne or alopecia areata, as well as for scar correction and other dermatological treatments. GME’s products are also used to treat autoimmune skin diseases such as psoriasis, neurodermatitis or vitiligo, as well as actinic keratoses – precursors of non-melanoma skin cancer. The collaboration will create synergies that will enable GME to grow sustainably and organically, while maintaining the pace of innovation and expanding its core competences. 

“As part of the Thomas Group, we benefit from the global presence of a renowned high-tech supplier, be able to tap into new markets and invest more time and energy in the further development of our product portfolio,” said Stefan Schulze, Managing Director of GME. ”Furthermore, we are a very good fit as companies. Like us, the Thomas Group develops technologies designed to improve people’s lives, with a focus on defined values. We are pleased that in the future, Thomas’ therapeutic solutions will provide relief or even healing to even more people.” 

Stefan Schulze remains in his role as managing director of German Medial Engineering GmbH, while co-founder Dr. Dietmar Fischer will continue to contribute his many years of experience in the field of laser and light systems as technical director of the development department. The renowned Harvard professor Dr. Dieter Manstein will also continue to support GME with his expertise as a clinical consultant. 

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to HTGF for the constructive and trusting collaboration. HTGF has been a reliable partner for us over many years, providing us with advice and support as a company,” says Stefan Schulze. ”In this context, my special thanks go to Martin Pfister, who unfortunately passed away much too soon. Over the years, he became not only a valued contact but also a friend.” 

Jan Engels, Investment Manager at HTGF, says: “We are very pleased to have been able to support GME on its journey from its beginnings to a successful exit. We are convinced that GME will continue its growth strategy as part of the Thomas Group, a strong partner from the German Mittelstand.” 

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About GME – German Medical Engineering GmbH 
German Medical Engineering was founded in 2011 by respected experts with many years of experience in the laser industry. Since then, GME has established itself as a leading expert in the market for medical laser and light systems. The research and development department has developed numerous dermatological laser devices. The MultiLite® PDT lamp and the FlexSys® modular laser platform are among the best-known GME products. GME products are available in over 50 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit:

www.gmeonline.de 

About the Thomas Group 
Our vision is: Fluid Control Solutions for a better Life: Healthy, safe and comfortable – we want our solutions to contribute to making people’s lives healthier, safer and more comfortable. 

With around 900 employees, our family-owned company develops and manufactures electromagnetic and fluid actuator systems for the off-highway and mobility markets. Our aspiration to support our customers with the products we develop has allowed us to grow into a leading supplier with four international offices. 

We follow a zero-error quality philosophy in the development and production of our products. Our customers include premium manufacturers in the automotive industry, leading international manufacturers of vehicles and mobile machines, as well as system suppliers. For decades, they have benefited from the advantages of our innovative products and trusted in their quality and performance. 

The main key to our success is our highly qualified and motivated employees, who are treated with respect and responsibility by Thomas. The family business code of conduct stipulates that the well-being of the company and thus also of its employees comes first. 

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds  
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing startups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports startups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 startups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.   

Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.   
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.    

Press contact
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH  
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager  
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121  
t.jacob@htgf.de 

mo:re launches lab platform to set a new standard in animal-free drug development

• mo:re introduces a laboratory platform to automate the planning, culture, and analysis of complex 3D cell culture models. The user-friendly platform enables verifiable, standardized results without requiring expertise in specific organ systems.
• The Hamburg-based life science start-up mo:re announced the launch of their first product at the SLAS 2025 in San Diego, the world’s leading trade show in laboratory automation
• The commercialization is backed by a seed financing round of €2.3 million from international investors, led by HTGF.

mo:re, a German Life Science startup, has raised €2.3 million in seed funding to accelerate the commercialization of its lab platform for complex cell culture workflows. High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) led the round, with participation from Innovationsstarter Fonds Hamburg (IFH), Gilson Inc., NEDGEX, Nidobirds Ventures, and Private Investors R&R Medical and Martin Blüggel.

There is much agreement in the scientific community that organoids represent a significant step in the evolution to more representative disease modelling. The path to faster approval of more relevant drugs includes modern organoid models. This has been recognized by the FDA as well with their new guidelines clearing the path to replacing animal experiments with relevant organoid models. The field is missing the means for broad application of organoids in higher throughput that achieves reproducible results in a standardized environment.

mo:re has developed a groundbreaking lab platform, combining automation and software for planning, executing, and analysis of cell culture studies. The user-friendly platform aims to simplify cell culture, making organoids accessible as a standard lab technique and providing verifiable results. The lab automation device covers all relevant process steps, setting a new benchmark for scalability, reproducibility, and standardization of 3D cell culture models.

“With this funding, we want to establish our presence in the market and continue building our team. Now it is time to focus our resources on developing further scientific applications to unlock the potential our platform has to offer together with our customers as well as our internal R&D lab.”

Lukas Gaats , CEO at mo:re

“The Team of mo:re is poised to execute on its vision to provide easy access to a standardized way of performing 3D cell culture and obtain reproducible results for researchers worldwide.”

Dr. Christian Kannemeier, Senior Investment Manager at HTGF

“Our investment in mo:re reflects our confidence in their visionary product to tackle cell culture challenges. Their platform can redefine the landscape of non-animal methods in the Life Science Industry.”

Stefanie Höhn , Senior Investment Manager at IFH

“Verifiable data in drug discovery and development are crucial for accelerating creation of new and effective pharmaceuticals. mo:re’s innovative technological approach provides an important step toward standardizing organoid growth, significantly enhancing their quality. This will not only improve the speed and reliability of drug discovery but also deliver more consistent results for research, ultimately reducing the reliance on animal testing.”

Dirk Freystadt, SVP Corporate Development at Gilson Inc

Contact mo:re
Lukas Gaats, CEO
Mo:re GmbH
contact@more.science
www.more.science
+49 40 23834412

About IFH – Innovationsstarter Fonds Hamburg
The Innovationsstarter Fonds Hamburg GmbH invests venture capital in young, innovative companies to strengthen the startup scene in Hamburg and contribute to the development of promising businesses. The fund provides open participations of up to a maximum of EUR 1.5 million per company. Investors in the fund include the city of Hamburg and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The fund is managed by IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Hamburg Investment and Development Bank. For more information, visit www.innovationsstarter.com.

About Gilson
Gilson is a family-owned global manufacturer specializing in sample management, purification, and extraction solutions for the life sciences industry. We support researchers in accelerating the pace of discovery by providing easy-to-use lab devices that enhance reproducibility and traceability. By collaborating closely with the scientific community, we have created a trusted portfolio of essential laboratory tools, automated pipetting systems, and automated sample separation instruments. Supported by worldwide research and development, service, and support, Gilson is dedicated to enabling verifiable science and making laboratory work easier for our customers.

About Nedgex
NEDGEX is the investment arm of the NETZSCH Group, aiming to build a portfolio of innovative early stage B2B deep tech startups. The NETZSCH Group is a globally operating, family-owned manufacturing company headquartered in Germany. Their three business units – Analyzing & Testing, Grinding & Dispersing, Pumps & Systems – stand for custom solutions at the highest level. More than 4,600 employees in 36 countries, over 1,800 registered patents and a global sales and service network guarantee customer proximity and competent service since 1873. The company operates across various sectors, including Chemicals & Minerals, Food & Pharma, Environment & Energy Solutions, and Material Analytics.
As a strategic partner, besides financial investment, NEDGEX offers unique operational support to enable startups to scale effectively. Together with NETZSCH, we provide industry insights, access to costumers, and critical resources such as software development capabilities, cutting-edge equipment, and technical expertise to grow, innovate, and achieve enduring success.
For further information about our investment opportunities, visit nedgex.com or contact Felix Schachi, Head of Corporate Venturing & Investments.

About Nidobirds
Nidobirds Ventures invests in seed-stage startups, building long-term partnerships with companies led by strong founding teams and offering differentiated technology-driven products. As value investor, Nidobirds Ventures focuses on the DACH region and the United Kingdom.

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing startups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports startups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 startups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.  
Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.  
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.   

Medienkontakt
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Tobias Jacob, Senior Manager Marketing & Communications
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121
t.jacob@htgf.de