High-Tech Gründerfonds enters the fourth round

The HTGF IV fund is to invest in the digital tech, industrial tech, chemicals and life sciences sectors.

High-Tech Gründerfonds has started fundraising for its fourth fund. HTGF IV is designed to provide early-stage financing to start-ups in the digital tech, industrial tech, chemicals and life sciences sectors. HTGF relies on public-private partnerships and aims to bring companies together with young start-ups in addition to pure financing. "With HTGF IV, we are investing in a new generation of founders whose ideas and companies make a decisive contribution to Germany's innovative strength and the competitiveness of German companies," says Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU).

With its first three funds, HTGF has already invested in 600 start-ups and successfully sold more than 130 investments. HTGF has already invested a total of 900 million euros. Currently, 33 industrial groups and medium-sized companies are participating in the third fund and have contributed more than one third of the fund volume. These include BASF, Bayer, Bosch and Deutsche Bank. "In doing so, we have shown that there is considerable added value for the participating business investors from working with the portfolio companies," says HTGF Managing Director Alex von Frankenberg. "In addition, our fund investors are very close to the pulse of innovation, identify new technology trends, innovative business models, get access to co-investment opportunities and a pool of a great deal of know-how."