High-Tech Gründerfonds

What they fund

• Stage Focus — HTGF operates as a multi-stage VC platform, backing tech founders from Pre-Seed through to Growth stages, with a specific conviction to invest where it is early, complex, or long-term.
• Sector Focus — The firm invests across three primary pillars: Industrial, Climate & Deep Tech; Life Sciences & Chemistry; and Digital Tech.
• Geographic Focus — The platform is positioned as Europe’s multi-stage VC for tech founders, with a mission to turn German and European innovations into global tech champions.
• Portfolio Count — The profile lists 1 active fund status and a portfolio count of 1, though the website highlights a broader history of investments including EGYM, SimScale, VMRay, Instagrid, Tubulis, Argá Medtech, EEDEN, doinstruct, and Proxima Fusion.

Investment thesis

HTGF is a German public-private venture capital firm founded in 2005 to address early-stage funding gaps for high-tech startups and foster their growth into global champions [1]. It operates as a multi-stage VC platform, backing founders from pre-seed through growth rounds with capital, network access, and conviction for complex, long-term technologies [2]. The strategic agenda targets Deep Tech, Life Sciences, Digital Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, and Chemistry, aiming to ignite a "New Wirtschaftswunder" by building the technological foundation for Europe's future [2]. HTGF acts as a lead investor, leveraging its network to secure co-investors and follow-on capital for its portfolio companies [2]. Credibility: HTGF manages over €2 billion across four generations of seed funds, including the 2024 HTGF Opportunity Fund, and maintains a portfolio of approximately 790 companies [1].

Value add

• Network Access: HTGF connects founders with a vast network of co-investors, including industrial giants like BASF, Bosch, SAP, and KfW [1].
• Strategic Guidance: The team provides deep tech expertise and founding experience to help navigate complex technology development [2].
• Follow-on Capital: HTGF actively helps secure subsequent funding rounds from national and international partners [2].
• Credibility: Association with HTGF signals validation to the broader European VC community [1].
• Fit verdict: Ideal for German-based, ≤3-year-old high-tech startups seeking €800k+ seed equity and a lead investor with industrial ties.
• Founder diligence script:

1. Is my startup ≤3 years old and headquartered in Germany? 2. Does my technology align with Deep Tech, Life Sciences, Digital, Industrial, Climate, or Chemistry? 3. Am I seeking a lead investor who can co-ordinate co-investors? 4. Is my funding need ≥€800,000 for seed or up to €30M for growth? 5. Have I submitted my pitch via the "Mein Pitch" portal?

Portfolio focus

• Deep Tech & Energy: Proxima Fusion (nuclear fusion, €411M raised) and ATMOS Space Cargo (space cargo return, €25.7M Series A) [2].
• Life Sciences & Biotech: Tubulis (antibody-drug conjugates, acquired by Gilead for up to $5B) and Argá Medtech (cardiac catheter systems) [2][1].
• Digital Tech & AI: Avelios (AI-native digital health ecosystem with Fresenius) and doinstruct (mobile learning for industrial workers) [2][1].
• Industrial & Climate Tech: EEDEN (chemical upcycling of textile waste), instagrid (mobile battery systems), and SimScale (cloud-based engineering simulations) [1].
• Legacy Successes: EGYM (digital fitness, acquired), VMRay (cybersecurity), and Plancraft (craft business software) [1].

Notable investments & exits

• Proxima Fusion — A 2023 investment in Europe’s fusion champion, which raised €411 million for its Alpha net-energy demonstrator, marking a significant milestone for the portfolio [1].
• Tubulis — An exit event where Gilead Sciences acquired the HTGF-backed biotech company for up to $5 billion, representing a major liquidity event for the firm [1].
• ATMOS Space Cargo — A portfolio company that closed a €25.7 million Series A round in April 2026 to build Europe’s infrastructure for orbital return [1].
• Avelios — A portfolio company that secured a partnership with Fresenius in May 2026 to develop a digital health ecosystem [1].
• Historical Portfolio — The firm’s track record includes early investments in EGYM (2011), SimScale (2012), VMRay (2014), Instagrid (2018), Argá Medtech (2021), EEDEN (2022), and doinstruct (2022).
• Humangrid — An early investor in humangrid GmbH, which received a further €3 million in fresh capital in 2010 from HTGF alongside SeedCapital Dortmund and KfW [2].