Press

Earlybird UNI-X, High-Tech Gründerfonds, and a leading group of Business Angels invest in the Vision and Team behind Regulatory Tech Software Company, Certivity

June 7, 2022

  • Certivity, a Munich based Regulatory Tech (Reg Tech) Company, receives early-stage funding of EUR 1.4 million led by Earlybird UNI-X and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF). 
  • The startup will use the new capital to ramp up the team and drive its software and deep tech development to simplify regulatory product compliance through the lifecycle of a product.  
  • Certivity will change the way companies work with product regulations by connecting the legal and regulatory world to the engineering processes. 

Munich, June 7, 2022 – Certivity, a Munich based Regulatory Tech Company has received early-stage funding of 1.4 million EUR. The investment round was led by Earlybird UNI-X and High-Tech Gründerfonds alongside other prominent and industry-relevant business angels. The new capital enables the startup to expand the team, further develop their software-as-a-services (SaaS) solution, and invest in deep tech development to simplify regulatory product compliance through the entire life cycle of a product. 

Certivity offers the first Regulatory Tech solution that can be deeply integrated in the development process to seamlessly connect the legal and regulatory world to the engineering domain; this will mean a smarter, safer, more transparent, more efficient, and cheaper management of regulatory requirements.

After identifying the huge pain point Certivity is addressing, it was clear to me that a solution like this would massively improve the engineering processes of several industries and that the integration of such a software will definitely become a must-have in the upcoming years.

Natalia Ahmadian from the Earlybird UNI-X Investment Team

Certivity will start with the automotive industry and soon strive for other verticals. The timing fits: massive regulatory challenges triggered by new technologies such as automated and autonomous driving, software defined and electric vehicles – combined with huge investments in product compliance organizations drives the need of such software in the industry.

Certivity has developed an incredibly strong software which has already convinced different players in the automotive industry. We are very much convinced that the founding team is the right one to tackle this regulatory problem, that has become one of the biggest challenges for OEMs and their suppliers.

Kilian von Berlichingen, Investment Manager at HTGF

Founded in 2021, Certivity brings together a young, creative, and dynamic team of highly skilled domain experts working on their innovative Software:  

  • Nico Wägerle, a Legal Counsel in the areas of Regulatory Compliance & Data Protection with multiple positions in top tier automotive companies,  
  • Bogdan Bereczki, an Engineer, and Regulatory Affairs & Certification Specialist who contributed to the development of international vehicle regulations for the automotive industry,  
  • Jörg Ulmer, a Full Stack Developer and Entrepreneur with multiple years of experience in developing enterprise grade software and  
  • Sami Vaaraniemi, a software expert with outstanding track record in top-tier software companies most notably at Microsoft. 

In addition to top tier investors Earlybird and HTGF, Certivity also onboarded business angel and industry veteran Dr. Peter Mertens who served as Member of the Board of Management at Audi AG and with management positions at Daimler, Opel, GM and Volvo. He knows the automotive industry like no other combined with the second Business Angel Bernhard Kirschbaum, owner and Managing Director of Kirschbaum Media, a specialist publisher for laws, transport, and technology. 

As a team we are super proud that such a high class of well-known investors and business angels believe in us and the vision of Certivity. With this investment and the new setup, Certivity is taking the next step to change how companies work with regulations.

Nico Wägerle, Co-Founder and CEO of Certivity

Certivity Team
Team of Certivity (Picture: Certivity)

About Certivity: 
Certivity is a Regulatory Tech company developing a software platform to seamlessly connect the legal and regulatory world to the engineering processes resulting in smarter, safer, more transparent, more efficient, and cheaper management of regulatory requirements. The intelligent software will serve as one stop shop, to advance the reading and understanding of regulatory documents and the collaboration and Interpretation on regulatory requirements. The integration of regulatory requirements and their frequent updates into engineering processes will thus enable the traceability required in modern system engineering. Founded in 2021 by Nico Wägerle, Bogdan Bereczki, Jörg Ulmer, and Sami Vaaraniemi, Certivity brings together a young, creative, and dynamic team of highly skilled domain experts working on innovative Regulatory Tech software. Certivity has its headquarters in Munich and an additional site in Stuttgart.  

More information on https://www.certivity.io/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/certivity 

Media Contact – Certivity 
Certivity GmbH  
Nico Wägerle – CEO 
M.: +49 152 59974721 
nwaegerle@certivity.io 

About Earlybird Venture Capital: 
Earlybird is a venture capital investor focused on European technology companies. Founded in 1997, Earlybird invests in all growth and development phases of a company and supports its portfolio companies with financial resources, strategic support, as well as access to an international network and capital markets. Earlybird invests out of a family of focused and independently-managed funds: Digital West (Western Europe), Digital East (Emerging Europe), Healthcare, UNI-X, and Growth Opportunity. With EUR 2 billion under management, 8 IPOs, and 30 trade sales, Earlybird is one of Europe’s most established and active venture capital firms. 

For further information: http://www.earlybird.com 

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EarlybirdVC 

LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/company/earlybird-venture-capital

Facebook: www.facebook.com/EarlybirdVC 

Media Contact – Earlybird 
Earlybird Venture Capital 
Elisheva Marcus, VP Communications 
M.: +49 175 5120884 
elisheva@earlybird.com 

Investor Contact – Earlybird 
Earlybird Venture Capital  
Natalia Ahmadian, Investment Team UNI-X  
M: +49 171 8371888  
natalia@earlybird.com  

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 650 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 4 billion into the HTGF portfolio via more than 1,900 follow-on financing rounds. HTGF has also successfully sold interests in more than 150 companies.  

Investors in this public-private partnership include the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, 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, 1+1 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 

Medienkontakt
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Stefanie Grüter, Head of Marketing & Communications
T.: +49 228 82300188
s.grueter@htgf.de
Kontakt Investor
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Kilian von Berlichingen, Senior Investment Manager
T.: +49 175 1193330 
k.berlichingen@htgf.de 

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