Industrial Tech

Together we are changing the world of industrial tech

As a seed investor, we support industrial tech founders with our technological expertise, financing know-how and exclusive access to a unique network in both industry and academia. The success of your start-up is our mission. Industrial Tech is our passion. 

We combine academic experience with an entrepreneurial spirit and draw from our learnings as founders. Our focus lies on technology fields such as energy, mechanical engineering, robotics, automation, quantum computing, optical technologies, industrial software and related areas. 

We invest in people

We know how financing works. But we also understand your individual needs and know the special challenges that await founders of Industrial Tech 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 

Learn more about our investment criteria

Growth – We help you to scale your business

  • Opening doors to customers & supporting the product-market fit 
  • Exchange and cooperation with founders and our partners from academia and industry 
  • Support in raising growth financing 

Learn more about our Added Value

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

  • Evaluating alternative forms of financing 
  • Consulting a network of experts for operational support 
  • Providing hands-on support and sparring during the restructuring process

Learn more about our Added Value

Who we are  

What you can expect from us

  • We think like you do and understand your needs 
  • We have an entrepreneurial mindset and have founded our own companies 
  • We not only offer technological excellence, but also business know-how and a sales perspective  
  • We know how to finance 
  • We think outside the box and find new ways to provide you the best-possible support 
  • We have experience in launching products and support the product-market fit  
Prior(!) to the product-market fit, work needs to be performed in an agile and capital-efficient way.
Illustration based on Steve Blank’s “The Four Steps to the Epiphany”, 2020 fifth edition, page 25.

In Industrial Tech, we invest in these areas, among others:

  Hardware

  Automation

  Optical Technologies

  Robotics

  Energy

  Industrial Software

  Quantum computing

and related technology fields

Our Industrial Tech Portfolio 

Together with you, we will change the world of industrial tech.  

Germany has a unique opportunity to redefine industry. Building on a long tradition of industrial achievements and innovations, now is the time to bring these assets into the digital age. To remain competitive among the top international players, we now must rethink and take charge of the future. 

We already have a solid foundation in place, with a diverse range of universities and world-leading institutes such as Fraunhofer providing a cornerstone for a better future.  

Your innovative hardware and software solutions can help to shape the future and the German entrepreneurial landscape.  

Let’s create a digital and sustainable future for our planet!  

You want to start a business? You can contact our team here.

Is your pitch deck already finished? You can upload it here!

Topics that might interest you

Press
2. July 2024

Towards a Greener Space Economy: ISPTech Secures €2M in Pre-Seed Funding for Innovative Spacecraft Propulsion Technology

ISPTech is building propulsion systems for spacecraft of all sizes, from small CubeSats to large satellites, that offer the highest performance and reliability at the lowest price in the market. The rapidly growing space market has a high demand for affordable, quickly available and reliable propulsion solutions. ISPTech’s technology is based on a key patent and more than 10 years of R&D by the two founders at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) The unique propulsion technologi
 
Press
3. June 2024

Neural Concept Raises $27 million Series B to further accelerate global growth

Lausanne, Switzerland, June 3, 2024- Neural Concept, the leading Engineering Intelligence platform that transforms product design with 3D Deep Learning, today announced that it has raised $27 million in a Series B funding round. The round was led by Forestay Capital, with the D. E. Shaw group and existing investors Alven, CNB Capital, HTGF, and Aster Group also participating. This round follows the company’s $9 million Series A round in March 20
 
Press
3. December 2020

High-Tech Gründerfonds invests in Synthara, targeting breakthrough edge-AI chips with participation from a global coalition of investors and R&D partners

Synthara AG, a spin-off from the UZH-ETH Institute of Neuroinformatics (INI) in Zurich, has secured seed funding and research partnerships to develop the next generation of adaptive AI processors for edge applications. The seed financing round was led by High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF). Edge AI chips are a specialized and rapidly growing multi-billion dollar market. Our algorithm-aware chips are designed to deliver up to 500 times better performance for the next generation of smart sen
 
Press
30. May 2024

Unlocking Soil Carbon: Berlin-based Climate Tech startup Seqana raises €2.1M Seed round to unlock scalable carbon farming on 6 continents from space

Seqana, a SaaS platform that measures the climate impact of carbon farming projects, has announced its €2.1M first-closing seed round led by HTGF and Counteract with further commitment from existing investor ReGen Ventures. Seqana’s earth observation / satellite imagery powered ML models slash the costs of soil carbon measurement by up to 50%, further improving month over month and empowering the agrifood sector and the voluntary carbon markets to scale one of the most cost-effective
 
Blog
10. January 2022

“Industrial tech harbours a wealth of innovation potential”

Markus Kückelhaus has spent over 25 years driving innovation, strategy and financial topics for corporations – and has worked with many start-ups in the process. The 53-year-old has now joined High-Tech Gründerfonds as a partner. In this interview, he outlines the opportunities that arise when corporations and start-ups cooperate, takes a look at industrial tech trends, and reveals what he expects from start-ups in Germany. Welcome to HTGF, Markus. We’re delighted to have you
 
Blog
4. March 2020

How scientists become successful entrepreneurs 

Interview with Klaus Lehmann, Partner Successful industrial technology start-ups – Klaus Lehmann has helped scientists and researchers to found successful start-ups on behalf of the High-Tech-Gründerfonds since 2014. Now the industrial technology expert has been appointed partner of the HTGF. In an interview he explains what start-ups from the world of science and academia need to bear in mind and why the HTGF is great partner for them in particular. Robotics, lasers, sensory,