Seed VC, Bonn

High-Tech Gründerfonds

Venture capital firm · Bonn · Founded 2005

Quick read

High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), a public-private seed VC, was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany, with additional offices in Berlin and Munich. It's Germany's most active seed investor — over 700 investments since inception and roughly €2 billion under management across four funds, including the HTGF Opportunity Fund launched in 2024. HTGF backs high-tech startups across industrial tech, deep tech, climate tech, digital tech, life sciences, and chemistry, typically writing ~€1 million seed cheques.

Key facts

Founded
2005
Employees
141
Sectors
generalist, ai, healthcare, climate, hardware
Website
www.htgf.de

Investment thesis

HTGF provides seed capital — typically ~€1 million — to high-tech startups in Germany and Europe at the earliest stage, covering industrial tech, deep tech, climate tech, digital tech, life sciences, and chemistry. As a public-private partnership, it targets companies up to three years old with high growth potential, then supports them with its network of industrial co-investors and follow-on funds.

Recent activity

  • May 2026press
    HTGF hosted Family Day 2026 at STATION Berlin on May 11–12 under the theme 'New Wirtschaftswunder', drawing 1,300 attendees, 40+ speakers, and over 4,000 scheduled meetings. The agenda covered energy infrastructure, quantum computing, space technology, AI industrial productivity, and biotechnology. techfundingnews.com
  • May 2026press
    Managing directors Romy Schnelle, Sebastian Borek, and Dr. Achim Plum gave a joint interview to VC Magazin arguing Germany needs more technology transfer, capital, and clearer location priorities to compete globally. vc-magazin.de
  • Apr 2026investment
    HTGF co-invested €2.2 million alongside Technology Transfer Fund TT49 and Aepikur GmbH in Qurie, a Freiburg-based startup developing electrocaloric cooling systems. leadiq.com
  • Apr 2026investment
    Tacalyx secured €11 million to advance its lead TACA-targeting ADC programme toward the clinic, with HTGF among backers. distillintelligence.com
  • Q2 2026investment
    HTGF participated in Eyeo's €40 million Series A alongside Innovation Industries, imec.xpand, Invest-NL, QBIC Fund, and Brabant Development Agency. Eyeo develops nanophotonic color-splitting technology for image sensors. semiengineering.com
  • Feb 2026product
    HTGF's management team took over responsibility for the Deep Tech and Climate Fonds (DTCF), a government-backed growth vehicle, creating an integrated public-private VC platform spanning pre-seed to scale-up. techfundingnews.com
  • Jan 2026leadership
    Gregor Haidl and Dr. Nik Raupp were both promoted to Partner. Haidl leads Industrial, Climate and Deep Tech investing; Raupp leads chemistry and industrial biotechnology. dww.show
  • Jan 2026press
    Tech.eu published a profile of HTGF examining how it balances its public mandate with venture discipline, noting the fund was originally created in 2005 to fill a structural seed-financing gap in Germany. tech.eu
  • Jul 2026leadership
    HTGF promoted two investment managers to partner: Axel Nitsch takes the Digital Tech & AI portfolio, drawing on 16 years in VC and 10 years at HTGF with investments including Make.tv and Graylog. Johannes Weber, a founder himself, leads Industrial, Climate & Deep Tech, with investments including Traceless Materials, Instagrid, and Proxima Fusion. linkedin.com
  • Apr 2026investment
    HTGF co-invested €2.2 million in Qurie, a Freiburg-based startup building electrocaloric cooling systems, alongside Technology Transfer Fund TT49 and Aepikur GmbH. leadiq.com
  • 2026investment
    HTGF led a €2 million seed round for brainjo, a Regensburg-based digital health startup, with business angels including Andreas Weinhut and better ventures also participating. leadiq.com
  • 2026investment
    HTGF co-led a €1.4 million pre-seed round for FION Energy, a Berlin-based cleantech startup, alongside Norrsken Evolve and business angels. leadiq.com

Notable investments

Key people

Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.

  • Alex von Frankenberg · Managing Director
  • Romy Schnelle · Partner
  • Caroline Mücke · Investment Director

Sources

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Frequently asked

What is High-Tech Gründerfonds?+

High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), a public-private seed VC, was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany, with additional offices in Berlin and Munich. It's Germany's most active seed investor — over 700 investments since inception and roughly €2 billion under management across four funds, including the HTGF Opportunity Fund launched in 2024.

Where is High-Tech Gründerfonds headquartered?+

High-Tech Gründerfonds is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.

When was High-Tech Gründerfonds founded?+

High-Tech Gründerfonds was founded in 2005.

What sectors does High-Tech Gründerfonds invest in?+

High-Tech Gründerfonds focuses on generalist, ai, healthcare, climate, hardware. They primarily invest in these sectors.

How do I prepare for a meeting with High-Tech Gründerfonds?+

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Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources. Last updated August 7, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.

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