Our added value

We understand your needs

For founders, starting a business is the beginning of an unknown journey. If you launch your business with us, you have an experienced partner at your side – and you have already eliminated many uncertainties. We know how financing works. But we also know the special challenges that await founders and understand their needs.

We see ourselves as a platform that offers young start-ups important added value in addition to funding, tailored to their very individual needs. That’s what the #HTGFFamily is all about.

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

What the #HTGFFamily offers its start-ups

Help to get started – Take off successfully with us

  • Fast, flexible and straightforward initial financing
  • Identification of suitable co-investors from our network
  • Establishing contact of co-founders and hiring of experts
  • Our investment managers share their experience and expertise and get you ready for the A-round

Financing – Laying the foundation for further growth

  • Preparing for financing rounds – we leverage the experience we have built up from more than 1,900 follow-up rounds
  • Addressing the right investors and gaining access to our international network of investors –spanning all phases and technologies
  • Support with alternative forms of financing (venture debt, revenue-based finance, development programs or bank financing)

Growth – We help you scale your business

  • Opening doors to customers (especially to our fund investors)
  • Exchange and cooperation with founders and our industry partners
  • Strengthening sales with the aid of sales professionals, compensation model benchmarks or sales training
  • Supporting the product-market fit
  • Transfer of industry-specific know-how on topics such as internationalization and value chain optimization (operational excellence)
  • Passing on knowledge about leadership (e.g. OKRs) or outsourcing
  • Additions to the management and expert team

Exit – Finding the right approach and moment with us

  • Access to potential buyers
  • Preparing for negotiations and due diligence
  • Company valuation
  • Support in finding the most suitable M&A advisors
  • IPO or trade sale?

Networking – inspiration and knowledge transfer across all phases

  • Regular events aimed at the strategic development of valuable contacts
  • Individual access to relevant players from the worlds of science and business as well as other start-up founders
  • Bridging knowledge gaps across all start-up phases, e.g. in our HTGF Academy

Support during crises – when things just don’t work out…

  • Through our dedicated support, we have successfully helped many founders navigate their way out of crisis situations.
  • Evaluating alternative forms of financing
  • Providing expertise on topics such as liquidation or fire sales
  • Consulting a network of experts for operational support
  • Providing hands-on support and sparring during the restructuring process
Blog
Added Value
30. April 2021

What HTGF has to offer for start-ups (besides financing)

With over 600 seed investments in almost 16 years, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is Germany’s most active seed investor. Its investment teams have strong ties with business and science. HTGF has long seen itself as a platform that offers start-ups outstanding benefits alongside financing. In this interview, HTGF Partner Claudia Raber sheds further light on the subject. Claudia, as a HTGF Partner, you’re responsible for relationship management at the company. If you had to
 
Blog
26. February 2021

Why pivoting is a radically good move and fundamentally important

After more than 600 seed investments, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) has conducted a study to see how founders can perform a successful pivot. Managing Director Alex von Frankenberg presents the results together with his colleague and Senior Investment Manager Gregor Haidl. In addition, the two experts explain why pivoting is also important for experienced companies – and why they believe “we all make mistakes”. Alex, your credo is: “We all make mistakes.” What do you mean b
 
3. May 2021

How passion and expertise led to a billion-euro exit

As a High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) partner, Dr. Bernd Goergen has signed the most successful exit in HTGF history to date. US pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences acquired German biotech start-up MYR for roughly EUR 1.15 billion at the end of 2020. In this interview, he speaks about the fight against Hepatitis D, drug development and his own personal successes. In 2011, HTGF took up a stake in MYR. And in 2020 the billion-euro deal took place. And yet you’ve said that there wa
 
Blog
25. March 2021

Start-up meets corporate – an interview discussing the successful collaboration between Userlane and B. Braun

You could say that Alexander Katzung and Hartmut Hahn met by chance – and you’d be right, but it was in an organised setting. And it’s this idea that underpins the networking activities of High-Tech Gründerfonds when it brings together fund investors and portfolio companies. The portfolio company in this instance is Userlane, which offers software that explains other software to users as part of a step-by-step process that is easy to understand. HTGF invested in the company in 2016, a
 
Blog
27. May 2021

Full speed ahead in the same boat – A talk about Simplaex and Numaferm’s cooperation

Let’s be honest, for a seed investor like HTGF, it’s great when portfolio companies connect and then go on to work together. And that’s exactly what happened with digital agency Ogno, a product of Simplaex, and life sciences company Numaferm. We sat down for a chat with Simplaex co-founder and head Jeff van Ede, his marketing colleague Jesse Bondar, and Christian Schwarz, CEO and co-founder of Numaferm. It resulted in an honest talk about trust, collaboration and how an investor c
 

Contact

How can we support you? Our relationship management team will answer any questions.

Stefanie Grüter – Partner Communications & Relations