MetisMotion: BORN2GROW, High-Tech Gründerfonds and Siemens Technology Accelerator invest 1.5 million Euro in second financing round

May 11, 2021

Munich-based tech start-up MetisMotion has closed its second round of financing and received a further €1.5 million in fresh capital. As with the first financing round in December 2018, the High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), BORN2GROW – a subsidiary of the ZFHN Zukunftsfonds Heilbronn – and the SIEMENS Technology Accelerator (STA) invested. The fresh capital will be used to prepare the market launch of the patent-protected naXture actuator platform.

MetisMotion’s core technology consists of highly dynamic and lightweight, powerful actuators for automation applications. MetisMotion has developed an actuator platform (comparable to servomotors) that offers unprecedented, technical possibilities.

Imagine being able to replace pneumatic or hydraulic solutions with great power potential in existing installation spaces with highly efficient electrically operated drives! This is usually not feasible with conventional electric motors.

Patrick Fröse, Managing Director at MetisMotion

Based on the outstanding power density and efficiency of MetisMotion actuators, a network of renowned national and international pilot customers has grown since the company was founded in 2018, driving the sustainable electrification of drive tasks with solutions from MetisMotion.

With the capital raised in the current financing round, the technology will now be made accessible to a broad customer group. The launch of the naXture platform is planned for late summer.

naXture enables users to quickly and easily configure and obtain individual actuators for the smallest installation spaces. The actuator geometry, available forces, speeds and travels, as well as the safety behaviour, are always based on the specific requirements of the application.

MetisMotion was already very close to the market and active in many application areas at the time of the spin-off. Especially in the Heilbronn region, the region of the world market leaders, MetisMotion has already been able to win promising customers in the pilot customer phase. The openness for innovation is naturally obvious here and we are therefore looking forward to the further roll out. We see great market opportunities – not only nationally.

Thomas Villinger, Managing Director at Zukunftsfonds Heilbronn

The electrification of pneumatic and hydraulic actuators, which are still inefficient today, especially in industrial automation, is an exciting growth opportunity. MetisMotion can define a new segment here through their technology! Exciting for investors who are looking for disruptive technologies and want to participate in their success.

Jens Baumgärtner, Senior Investment Manager at High-Tech Gründerfonds

MetisMotion has proven with its launch customers that it can develop and manufacture high-performance actuators for the most demanding environmental conditions. We are therefore convinced of the company’s potential and look forward to continuing to contribute to its success as an investor and through our network within Siemens and beyond.

Dr. Rudolf Freytag, CEO at Siemens Technology Accelerator GmbH

About MetisMotion
Actuating Innovations – Following the Genius of Nature. MetisMotion GmbH has been developing bio-inspired actuator systems according to this guiding principle since 2018. The company is a spin-off from the Siemens Group and sets new standards for the sustainable electrification of drives with maximum energy efficiency. Based on highly integrated micro-hydraulic circuits, MetisMotion is able to combine a particularly high force density with ultra-dynamic movements in the smallest installation spaces for the first time. At the same time, they generally only require a quarter of the energy compared to, for example, pneumatic solutions. Customers include national and international manufacturers from the fields of factory and process automation, robotics and mobility.
The Munich site is currently home to in-house development, production, marketing and sales.

Contact:
MetisMotion GmbH
Patrick Froese
T: +49 176 73 24 13 43
info@metismotion.com
www.metismotion.com

About ZFHN – Zukunftsfonds Heilbronn
Since its foundation in 2005, the ZFHN Zukunftsfonds Heilbronn has been one of the major venture capitalists in Germany. It primarily supports young, innovative technology companies that are located in the Heilbronn area or are willing to settle there in the short to medium term. The Future Fund is privately financed and equipped with equity capital in the three-digit million range. It supports companies with capital, know-how and contacts in the Heilbronn economic region. The goal is to further develop Heilbronn into a very successful technology location. This also includes the establishment and expansion of clusters (MedTech, BioTech, Cleantech) locally.
Since its foundation in 2013, BORN2GROW GmbH & Co. KG, based in Heilbronn, has been supporting innovative technology companies in the seed and start-up phase. The seed fund supports young companies by accompanying them from the proof-of-concept stage to market launch. This early-stage financing enables fast-growing technology-oriented start-up companies to develop their ideas and concepts. BORN2GROW, a subsidiary of ZFHN Zukunftsfonds Heilbronn, works together with other venture capital funds and business angels to make fast and transparent financing decisions.

Contact:
Zukunftsfonds Heilbronn GmbH & Co. KG
Andrea Muth
T: +49 7131 87 31 83 23
am@zf-hn.de
www.zf-hn.de

About Siemens Technology Accelerator
Siemens Technology Accelerator GmbH is a subsidiary of Siemens AG and has been successfully commercialising innovative Siemens technologies in applications outside the strategic focus of Siemens business units for over 20 years. This is done either by founding venture capital financed start-ups or by selling or licensing to established companies.

Contact:
Siemens Technology Accelerator GmbH
Dr. Rudolf Freytag
T:  +49 152 55 46 20 19
rudolf.freytag@siemens.com
www.siemens.com/sta

About High-Tech Gründerfonds
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is a seed investor that finances high-potential, tech-driven start-ups. With around EUR 900 million in total investment volume across three funds and an international network of partners, HTGF has already helped forge more than 600 start-ups since 2005. Driven by their expertise, entrepreneurial spirit and passion, its team of experienced investment managers and startup experts help guide the development of young companies. HTGF’s focus is on high-tech start-ups in the fields of digital tech, industrial technology, life sciences, chemistry and related business areas. To date, external investors have injected more than EUR 3 billion into the HTGF portfolio via more than 1,700 follow-on financing rounds. HTGF has also successfully sold interests in more than 120 companies.
Investors in this public-private partnership include the Federal Ministry For Economic Affairs and Energy, KfW Capital, and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft e.V., as well as the companies ALTANA, BASF, BAYER, B.Braun, Boehringer Ingelheim, Robert Bosch, BÜFA, CEWE, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Post DHL, Dräger, Drillisch AG, EVONIK, EWE AG, FOND OF, Haniel, Hettich, Knauf, Körber, LANXESS, media + more venture Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, PHOENIX CONTACT, QIAGEN, RWE Generation SE, SAP, Schufa, Schwarz Gruppe, STIHL, Thüga, Vector Informatik, WACKER and Wilh. Werhahn KG.
www.htgf.de/en

Media contact:
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Stefanie Grüter, Head of Marketing
T.: +49 228 82 300 – 188
s.grueter@htgf.de

Contact:
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Jens Baumgärtner, Senior Investment Manager
T: +49 228 82 30 01 38
j.baumgaertner@htgf.de
www.htgf.de