Well-known founders join tech funds

According to Handelsblatt, the founders of Flaschenpost, Sonnen and Zooplus become backers and investment partners at Ecapital.

The founders of Flaschenpost, Sonnen and Zooplus join Ecapital's new fund as backers and investment partners. Founded by Paul-Josef Patt, the firm is one of the oldest venture capitalists in the tech sector. The new "Fund V" has already Handelsblatt According to the fund, the new "Fund V" has already raised 100 million euros and wants to double the amount. According to the report, the aim is to invest in companies that focus on high-tech innovations.

The three founders named venture partners have made big exits, according to Handelsblatt. Christoph Ostermann sold battery storage specialist Sonnen to Shell in 2019 for a mid-triple-digit million amount. Stephan Weich's company Flaschenpost was acquired by Oetker in 2020 for around one billion euros, according to industry sources. And online retailer Zooplus, which Cornelius Patt co-founded, was acquired by Hellman & Friedman and EQT for several billion euros.

"We are not primarily concerned with making money," Christoph Ostermann told Handelsblatt. "We want to discover tomorrow's gems together, support them and make them big."

The first investments have already been made from the pot, including in Hamburg-based start-up 1Komma5 Grad. The start-up takes stakes in smaller electrical businesses and connects them to its network or platform. The businesses then install solar systems, electricity storage, heat pumps and charging infrastructure at the start-up's customers.