Wolfgang Seibold

The acquisition of Quarero Robotics by an investment vehicle advised TACTICAL MANAGEMENT is a significant step towards to robotics and innovation. Thanks to all parties involved. Quarero Robotics TACTICAL MANAGEMENT #Innovation #PrivateEquity #Management

56

1 Kommentar

🔬 Excited to launch 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 interviews on Substack! This series will showcase scientists who transition into founders, spotlighting their journey from academic research to launching startups. 🥼The inaugural interview features Stefan Müller, co-founder and CTO of Ferroelectric Memory Company (FMC). This interview is special as Stefan represents my first VC investment. His journey from lab research to securing support from top investors like M Ventures ,imec.xpand, Bosch Ventures, Air Liquide, TEL Venture Capital, and SK hynix is truly inspiring. 𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔: Persistence Pays Off: Unwavering commitment to research. Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations with industry giants. Industry Impact: Revolutionizing semiconductor memory solutions. Read the full interview and subscribe for more inspiring stories. Let's continue transforming scientific research from university labs into startups. 🚀 💡 Calling All Scientist-Founders: Have you made the leap to entrepreneurship? I’d love to connect and explore your journey! #Scientist #Founder #VentureCapital #PhD #Spinoff #Lab #Startup #Research #Univeristy

59

2 Kommentare

🌿🔋 We're thrilled to welcome everyone energy to the HTGF Family! The greentech start-up has just closed a seven-figure seed financing round for its automated renewable energy planning, led by HTGF | High-Tech Gründerfonds and Cologne-based early-stage VC neoteq ventures. 💡 Founded by Céline Göhlich, Fabian Reetz and Florian Gmeiner, everyone energy has quickly established itself as a leading provider of white-label software for customized advisory services on renewable energy solutions. The innovative software enables energy service providers to leverage digital customer services to scale their business with automation. 💬 Co-founder Fabian Reetz says: "This investment allows us to advance our vision of accelerating the energy transition through innovative technologies and advisory services." 🗨️ Our Investment Manager Dr. Koen Geurts emphasizes: "The challenges of the energy transition in Germany and Europe are enormous, and clients are facing increasingly complex challenges in implementing renewable energy projects. There is still a significant need for digitalization and automation.” 📰 Check out the press release for more details: https://lnkd.in/gz-FreU4

96

11 Kommentare

Germany’s Investor Drop – Why Climate Tech is Bucking the Trend A recent article by Nadine Schimroszik in Handelsblatt today mentioned that the number of active investors in Germany has dropped by 40% this year. Based on PitchBook data, the conclusion is that venture capital in Germany has become significantly more challenging, particularly in early-stage and growth-stage investments. However, for Climate Tech, the story is different. Despite the overall decline in venture capital, the sector continues to attract attention, with a 16.2% increase in pre-seed and seed investments. Indeed, we have seen some positive developments recently: 1. Growing Commitment to Addressing the Climate Crisis 🌱 2. Long-term Investment Horizon ⏳ 3. Robust Capital Availability for Scalable Solutions 💰 Big thanks to Nadine Schimroszik for raising awareness on this important issue. As investors, how can we ensure we're not just reacting to trends, but actively driving the transformation needed for a sustainable future? 🌍🔋 #ClimateTech #SustainableInvestment #VentureCapital  

17

1 Kommentar

Munich, Germany based VC Vsquared Ventures recently closed its latest early-stage #deeptech fund. 💸 €214 million for Vsquared II, with backing from Novo Holdings, Lombard Odier Investment Managers, NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), European Investment Fund (EIF), KfW Capital, Lingotto, among others. 💡 The fund targets six generational growth themes: #artificialintelligence & next-gen software, #energytransition, new computing and sensing, new space, #robotics and manufacturing and tech-bio. 🌍#Europe 📈 Vsquared manages around €450M in assets. The VC has invested in 30+ start-ups incl. NEURA Robotics, cylib, Quantune Technologies GmbH, Atrandi Biosciences, Dynelectro, Lace Lithography, constellr, among others. 💭 “... we remain dedicated to leveraging not only capital, but also our expertise, extensive partner and network for our founders, with the goal in mind to prove that the next global deep tech leaders can and will be European.” - Vsquared’s GPs 💭 “We believe Vsquared is one of the funds in Europe with the best understanding of deep tech startups, proven by the track record in investing early in some of the current frontrunners in the ecosystem.” - Sören Thinggard Jensen, Senior Partner and Head of Private Equity at Novo Holdings, 🗞️ EU-Startups https://lnkd.in/eUPjJ7e5 👏 For the #AudaciousInvestors unleashing innovation and empowering tomorrow🚀 Lise I Thomas I Herbert I Benedikt I Michael I Patrick I Gina I Jakob I Patrick I Maria I Team Vsquared Ventures … #venturecapital #vc #funds #startups #entrepreneurs #funding #tech #ai #entrepreneurship #technology #innovation #Munich #Germany #venture

13

Once more an excellent longread by Andreessen Horowitz .... ⚡ 🔌 Decentralizing the Electric grid ... Recommended reading to grasp the dynamics of decentralisation , applied to the energy market in the US (but relevant for EU). 💬 "Critically, to build this decentralized grid demands our most talented entrepreneurs and engineers: We need a “smart grid” with serious innovation across ahead-of-the-meter, behind-the-meter, and grid software technology. Policy and economic tailwinds will accelerate this electricity evolution, but it will fall to the private sector to ensure this decentralized grid works better than the old one."

9

It's official! I am both excited and proud to share that HV Capital has published a guide to demystify ESG for startups. Why write it? Because #ESG is not just a feel-good gesture – it’s about driving value and setting #founders up for long-term success. Yet, there’s a lot of confusion about what it is and how to get started. The problem: ESG as we know it from public markets is not fit-for-purpose for startups. We hope that with this guide, our pragmatic and proportionate approach to ESG will help you get started. Interested in knowing more? Download it for free from the link in the comment section. You will find lists of free tools, useful tips and much more to help you turn ESG into a value driver. Thank you to our partners VentureESG and lfca.earth - Community | Leaders for Climate Action who push us to do better! PS: You've got ideas on how to improve the guide? Great! Leave your thoughts below, we all have got a lot to learn from one another!

187

37 Kommentare

Apply until tonight to become part of our program for outstanding high-impact #climatetech startups from whole Europe! On the mission to become Europe's leading catalyst for pre-seed climatetech ventures we designed our 6-months remote acceleration journey is for start-ups which are looking for their first significant funding and are on the way to find their product-market fit. We will select just the very best and most ambitious teams to support them individually to make them as successful as possible. We have no strict curriculum, no cohort activities, almost no obligatory events. We will tailor a journey on your specific needs. ​​ 🎯 we provide a structured approach to reach product-market fit 👵 mentoring from experienced founders and experts speeds you up 📚 our knowledge-base helps to work like a serial entrepreneur 🤝 we connect you with many relevant contacts 💶 with our investment we are going to lead your pre-seed round, sized 200k - 1.5mn Euro 👼 we help you to find awesome co-investors for the pre-seed round and support you later with your seed round 👩‍🔬 we help you to find highly motivated and skilled first employees from our network 💻 fully digital program, but strong network in most European startup hubs https://lnkd.in/diWDSpnw

34

ecoLocked, a Berlin-based ClimateTech startup founded by Micheil Gordon, Stefanie Gerhart, Dr. Mario Schmitt, has successfully raised €4 million in seed funding. The funding round was led by Matterwave Ventures and Climentum Capital, with additional investments from Counteract, SFO, Sabancı Building Solutions, and Voyagers. ecoLocked specializes in developing carbon-negative building materials aimed at reducing the net carbon footprint of construction projects. Their innovative approach involves converting sequestered carbon into high-performance building materials, offering a scalable solution for the construction industry. This aligns with their mission to transform buildings and infrastructure into substantial carbon sinks. The newly secured funds will be utilized to expand ecoLocked's production facilities, introduce new product lines, and enhance product adoption. Investments will also bolster their R&D team to further develop their AI-driven platform, which ensures consistent, high-quality products despite raw material variability. These efforts are geared towards providing scalable, carbon-removing solutions for the construction industry, thereby contributing significantly to global decarbonization efforts.

51

1 Kommentar

Europe unfortunately is a combination of many individual capital markets, some bigger and some smaller, which is keeping the industry's growth modest and never really challenging the US. #vc #funding #startups #privatefunding #privatecapital #investmentstrategies #growth #deeptech #seed #startupcapital

5

#DeepTech: Europe’s next big leap? At the Falling Walls Science Summit last week, I joined Michael Brigl, Bernd Scheifele and Peter Soelkner for a CEO Table focusing on ‘From Science Breakthroughs to Market Success‘. The discussion was centered on bridging the gap between groundbreaking scientific discoveries and their translation into marketable applications—a key challenge for Germany as an innovation hub. Our conversation touched on many key insights from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Consulting Group’s report "From Lab to Leader: Unlocking Europe’s €8 trillion Deep Tech Opportunity," highlighting Europe’s potential to become a global leader in this space. For me, some key takeaways were: 1. A cultural shift is necessary (amongst others, we really need the next generations to see founding a business as a "normal" career option), 2. "Spin-offs" should be included as a true third pillar for universities and institutes next to Research and Teaching, and 3. We need far more ecosystem linkages and cooperation between all relevant stakeholders. Find out more about the future of Deep Tech in BCG’s latest report: https://lnkd.in/d3MvVpwD #FallingWalls #ScienceSummit24 #Innovation 

83

5 Kommentare

Fantastic event (and ecosystem) that Patrick Meier, PhD and his team at the Climate Robotics Network are creating. Highly recommend you check out the Climate Robotics Summit, done in partnership with EPFL, SOSV, Cybernetix Ventures, ETH Zürich, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. I just had the pleasure of moderating a panel just now on investing in climate robotics, alongside Urvi Nagrani, Malini Samtani, Sashi Jayatileke and Fady Saad. Here are some of the key insights: 1) Applications for robotics to climate challenges (adaptation AND mitigation) are enormous: support to farmers as conditions for humans become too hot to farm for long hours, drones that help capture data on forests and wildlife, supporting with installation of maintenance in large solar fields, wind turbines, circular economy applications - e.g. de-manufacturing - to just name a few. 2) Investing in robotics is simply different - it doesn't fit the standard SAAS VC strategies, often having a lot of engineering input and require non-dilutive funding upfront - e.g. similar barriers to investing in hardware writ large. Thus, it sits in a bit of its own asset class, so investors and entrepreneurs alike need to understand how these solutions behave, esp. in the early-stages of building/testing. That said, there is a growing pool of funds that have been specializing in this area. 3) So how do we move robotics solutions up the TRL ladder faster? It can take a LONG time for any robotics solution to be truly market ready. Even when there is theoretical product-market fit doesn't mean that it's ready in investors' eyes. Lots of testing as well as setting proper expectations with customers is critical, and part of this long process. Non-dilutive funding is rare to find in most countries, but in the US in particular there is a growing pool of grant funding that can help. 4) Development finance institutions and donors have a critical role here, especially in vulnerable countries/communities: Robotics could have bit impact in supporting climate solutions in vulnerable communities, but we need to ensure that there is an enabling environment for these solutions, which means that the policy, academic, and traditional finance space (e.g. local commercial banks)

15

2 Kommentare

#fundingalert 💼Company: everyone energy 💰Funding: Seven-Figure ⚡Round: Seed 👥Investors: neoteq ventures, HTGF | High-Tech Gründerfonds Everyone Energy , a spain startup uses energy transition consultancy software to expedite the adoption of renewable solutions in buildings. Through a digital user experience, #realestate and energy companies may scale their initial recommendations for solar systems, wall boxes, or heat pumps, allowing their end clients to manage their own energy transition. Energy service companies also have to contend with a severe workforce shortage and a very competitive market. The intricate first consultation with end users takes a lot of time and pricey, specialised professionals are needed. Fabian Reetz, Céline Göhlich, Florian Gmeiner, Kakai W., Florian Eyert, Julian Jacob Read more - https://lnkd.in/ex9-g5vH To share your startup story write us on - [email protected] #EveryoneEnergy #spainstartup #renewablesolutions #energytransition #funding #fundingnews #news #startup #startupnews #startuprise

13

🌍🚗 Driving the Future of EV Charging: Revaia Leads AMPECO’s $26M Series B! We’re thrilled to announce that Revaia is leading AMPECO’s $26M Series B funding round, joining forces with existing investors BMW i Ventures, LaunchHub, and Cavalry Ventures. Together, we’re empowering AMPECO to scale its platform and drive the transition to sustainable, electrified mobility. In August, together with my colleague Morgan Kessous, we flew to Sofia to meet AMPECO’s visionary founders - Orlin, Stefan, and Alexander - and see firsthand what they’ve built. We were blown away by their ambition and the mission-critical platform they’ve created, which now powers over 120,000 Charge Points globally. Our visit also gave us a chance to experience Bulgaria’s - and especially Sofia’s - dynamic tech ecosystem. It’s inspiring to see the region producing world-class talent and innovative companies like AMPECO, making a global impact on industries like EV charging. As the EV industry grows, AMPECO’s white-label Charge Point Management System (CPMS) is solving critical challenges for Charge Point Operators (CPOs) by delivering greater trust, reliability, and operational efficiency. This isn’t just an investment - it’s a commitment to the systems needed for a sustainable future. We’re proud to support AMPECO as they continue to enable the global shift to electric mobility. Together, we’re building a cleaner, greener tomorrow. 🌱⚡ CC Morgan Kessous, Petar Karageorgiev, Salomé Caillat, Agathe Thiery #Sustainability #EVCharging #Revaia #AMPECO #Bulgaria #SofiaTech

149

8 Kommentare

Over the past few weeks, YPOG has advised on several transactions within the dynamic start-up ecosystem. Among others, we were able to work with the following investors and companies:   🔷 Green Generation Fund 🔷 forward.earth 🔷 FORWARD.one 🔷 Partech 🔷 EquityPitcher Ventures 🔷 adesso ventures 🔷 Headline 🔷 42CAP 🔷 Comet Rocks   Congratulations to all our clients and other parties involved!   ➡For the latest transactions check out our regular Deal Update linked below and stay tuned for further interesting news. #PartnersOfGamechangers #DealUpdate #Growth

53

1 Kommentar

Today, a staggering 94% of products sold are new, contributing to 80% of the carbon emissions in the digital hardware industry. This is huge! By 2040, the digital industry is projected to account for 14% of total global emissions—surpassing even the entire aviation industry. In 2014, Back Market was founded to spark a revolution in refurbished products, break the chain of #overconsumption, and empower people to do more with what we already have. At that time, refurbished products were not an obvious choice, but that didn’t deter the three incredible co-founders of Back Market—Thibaud Hug de Larauze, Vianney Vaute, and Quentin Le Brouster—from steadfastly believing in this revolution. For the second track of our EP, Thibaud has taken the lead to loudly (and musically) declare the urgent need for the industry to shift from a linear to a circular economy, where buying refurbished tech is just as thrilling as buying new products. The track is called “Saboter, saboter, saboter,” one of Back Market mottos since DAY 1! You can check out the video below and listen on all platforms here:https://lnkd.in/eArw9gJq. Join us throughout the summer for our musical saga, featuring tracks that will take you on a journey through the future of tourism, reuse, artificial intelligence, and French ingenuity. Each song opens doors to new horizons and possibilities 😎. 👏 Aurelie van Peteghem Sophie de Champs

28

1 Kommentar

#ProjectForABillion Today, in our regular column, I want to talk about the Cariloop project, which raised $20 million in a Series C round this spring. The lead investor was ABS Capital, which is also known for its investments in PowerReviews (recently exited) and LabConnect. But let's get back to the project in the Mental Health category. By the way, if psychologists ever asked me how to get rich and build a capitalized business, I would recommend working in their specialty and creating projects for corporations in the psychological and mental health category. In 2023, $435.2 billion was directed to this industry (this includes all project investments, not just venture capital). While there are still some managers in Russia (and elsewhere) who don't believe that a depressed employee who sleeps poorly, is torn between caring for children, and walks on the parapet at night is unlikely to create high results and a sustainable team, managers of almost all large corporations around the world are paying just as much attention to mental health as to physical health. Maybe these naive people are indeed investing half a trillion dollars so that employees can more efficiently scold their parents and school teachers? I've heard that silly version too. Cariloop is a platform where each employee is assigned a Care Coach with whom they can share or, in light cases, delegate the search for solutions to problems (although the platform indicates various types of problems, medical issues are most often mentioned in examples) not only for the user but also for their family members: children or even parents. A Care Coach can help navigate the healthcare system, provide educational support (about diseases, care methods), emotional support, and, if needed, legal or financial assistance. Special emphasis is placed on the fact that health coaches interact with each other and exchange information (how they do this without violating confidentiality, I will clarify later). I will not dwell in detail on the business efficiency claimed by the startup. It is clear that there are very beautiful infographics and analytics on the website about how much employee efficiency and, consequently, business efficiency improve when interacting with such a service solution. Check it if you want. I am skeptical about trying to measure the impact of employees' psychological health on business in numbers. However, evaluating the results of a business managed by psychologically unhealthy employees in numbers is much easier. We can start from there. *This is not an investment recommendation. **This is not a project the author has invested in (yep, it's required now). ***This is not a project I've been studying in detail for 10 years; it's just my subjective assessment of one of the most interesting projects that raised a round in the reporting period.

9

1 Kommentar

"Compared to the average of less than €40 per MWh hour from 2017 to 2019, the price of electricity has tripled. In November, the average electricity price in Germany was €114/MWh. In France and Spain, however, it costs around €100, in Scandinavia between €8 and 73. We run on gas and lignite in Germany. And we import nuclear power from France. That's why the prices are so high - over €80/MWh at the peak last month. Anyone who claims that we are back to pre-crisis levels is ignoring reality. (...) And we can only get a grip on daily volatility with algorithms and AI. But now a new volatility parameter is being induced: according to the Federal Network Agency, industrial companies should behave in a grid-friendly manner in future. This means that we should only produce when there is enough energy in the grid. If there is a bottleneck, we should take ourselves out. Combining this requirement on an hourly basis with the price logic is even more complex. In addition, our flexibility is restricted by labour laws and society. And it gets even worse: as consumers, we are now expected to provide flexibility at short notice in order to close bottlenecks in electricity generation. If we receive a forecast 48 hours in advance that there will be a lot of wind at the weekend, we would have to bring our employees into the plant at short notice. (...) I used to spend 80% of my time improving the casting process. Today, 80% of my work consists of finding cheap energy, setting up algorithms to control flexibility and, on top of that, the new energy bureaucracy. At the weekend, we are currently poring over 16 different German and EU regulations on the subject."*  Michael Jackson - the last sentence 😬 On the upside this spurs progress in AI 🙃 *Translated with DeepL.com

4

20 years in VC. Going from CVC to VC. Here's the story of Rainer Märkle, General Partner at HV Capital. 1/ Engineering roots: His journey began in electrical engineering. Working on exciting projects like mobile and fiber communications. 2/ A twist of fate. By chance, he landed a role at a corporate VC arm of Siemens. Investing in the very tech I helped build. 3/ VC journey: That's where the VC journey began! He discovered a passion for nurturing innovation. So, he knew his mission was to help promising startups. What inspired your VC journey? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. #venturecapital #angelinvesting #startupfunding #europe

24

3 Kommentare