News week 27 - 2024

Vonovia and Founders Factory found PropTech start-ups. FIO Systems AG appoints new Chief Market Officer. Balderton Capital supports founding parents. Libattion secures 14 million euros. Altor acquires majority stake in F24. Seaya closes €300 million climate tech fund. Main Capital Partners acquires majority stake in RiskConcile. Bridgio and Infineon cooperate. Yann Fiebig becomes a partner at HTGF. Greyn and INEN Robotics win the 13th Gerondeau-Safran Prize. Heliad AG acquires Collective Ventures.

Personnel

FIO Systems AG appoints new Chief Market Officer

FIO Systems AG, an IT service provider for the real estate and finance industry, has appointed Niclas Kurtz (47) as its new Chief Market Officer. Kurtz has been Chief Sales Officer at the company since January 2024 and brings 27 years of experience from the Hypoport Group and the banking environment. His appointment is intended to further strengthen the company's sales strategy, particularly in the area of bank-affiliated real estate brokers. Ronald Slabke, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of FIO, and fellow board member Nicolas Schulmann praise Kurtz's commitment to date and welcome the decision. Kurtz himself is looking forward to the new challenge and wants to continue FIO's success story.

Yann Fiebig becomes a partner at High-Tech Gründerfonds

High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) has appointed Yann Fiebig as a Partner as of July 1, 2024. The engineering graduate, who has been with HTGF since 2016, specializes in investments in deep tech and climate tech start-ups. Fiebig has made significant investments in areas such as new space and quantum technologies and has been involved in five successful exits. His appointment is highlighted by HTGF Managing Director Romy Schnelle as a significant added value for the start-ups and the fund. Fiebig sees his role as promoting European global market leaders in deep tech and climate tech.

Financing rounds, funds and VC

Libattion secures 14 million euros for sustainable battery upcycling technology

Libattion has successfully closed a €14 million financing round, led by the A&G Energy Transition Tech Fund. Other investors include the Spanish automotive supplier Teknia, the Portuguese fund HCapital New Ideas II from HCapital Partners and the Swiss energy supplier EBL (Genossenschaft Elektra Baselland). The company specializes in sustainable battery upcycling and produces energy storage systems, called "e-Racks", with capacities ranging from 97 kWh to 60 MWh. These systems support flexibility in energy supply, the integration of renewable energies and fast charging of electric vehicles, and contribute to the decarbonization of industries.

Seaya closes €300 million climate tech fund

Seaya has closed the Seaya Andromeda Fund, the first Article 9 climate tech fund in Southern Europe, with €300 million. Investors in the fund include Iberdrola, Nortia, Santander and BNP Paribas Group. The fund focuses on growth-oriented companies active in the areas of energy transition, decarbonization, sustainable food value chains and circular economy. Initial investments include innovative companies such as Recycleye, an AI-driven robotic waste sorting company, and 011h, an eco-friendly construction company. Seaya, founded by Beatriz González, has over 12 years of experience in the sector and plans to make a total of 25 investments by the end of 2027.

Epignostix secures 4.3 million euros

Deeptech start-up Heidelberg Epignostix GmbH has raised EUR 4.3 million in a seed financing round to drive the market development of its main product for the classification of brain tumors. The round was led by CARMA FUND I Capital GmbH & Co KG, with participation from High-Tech Gründerfonds, LBBW Venture Capital GmbH and Start-up BW Seed Fonds. Epignostix's technology is based on over ten years of research and combines epigenetics with AI-supported bioinformatics to enable precise cancer diagnoses. The goal is to improve brain tumor classification, which is recommended by WHO guidelines. The company plans to launch the Heidelberg Brain Tumor Classifier as a diagnostic test by 2025.

Acquisitions and partnerships

Heliad AG acquires Collective Ventures

The listed investment company Heliad AG has acquired Collective Ventures to provide private investors with exclusive access to venture capital. This merger expands Heliad's product portfolio and now offers investors the opportunity to invest in early-stage start-ups and growth companies. Collective Ventures, founded in 2021 as a deal-by-deal venture capital network, has already established itself with 17 investments and a strong portfolio. The co-investment structure of Collective Ventures allows founders to gain mentors and partners in addition to capital. Falk Schäfer, Co-CEO of Heliad AG, emphasizes that investors can now invest directly in individual startups, while Cecil Croy, co-founder of Collective Ventures, highlights the strength of the network and the strategic partnership with Heliad.

Altor acquires majority stake in F24

Altor has signed a binding agreement to acquire a majority stake in F24 from Hg. The management of F24 will reinvest, while Hg will retain a minority stake in the company. F24, founded in Munich in 2000, is Europe's leading SaaS provider of crisis management and business resilience software with over 5,200 customers worldwide. This partnership aims to accelerate F24's growth and regional expansion. Altor and F24 look forward to working together to develop new solutions and increase customer value. Hg recognized F24's successful collaboration and continued growth over the past years.

Main Capital Partners acquires majority stake in RiskConcile

Main Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in the Belgian software provider RiskConcile, which offers regulatory and risk management solutions for the financial industry. This is Main's first Belgian platform investment and its fourth acquisition since opening its Antwerp office in 2022. RiskConcile, founded in 2015 by Jan De Spiegeleer and Karl Ottevaere, serves over 100 international clients, including asset managers and banks. The company provides cloud-based software solutions for risk and regulatory processes. The RiskConcile management team will remain involved and is planning further product innovations and international expansion with Main. Main sees great growth potential in the RegTech market and is focusing on a buy-and-build strategy.

Vonovia and Founders Factory found PropTech start-ups for urban living of the future

Europe's largest landlord Vonovia is cooperating with the global startup studio Founders Factory to develop PropTech startups. This partnership aims to create technological solutions for environmental, financial and social challenges in urban housing. The focus is on technologies such as generative AI, digital twins and smart infrastructure. Vonovia contributes extensive industry knowledge and data and in return receives minority stakes in the new start-ups. The aim of the collaboration is to promote digital business models that enable affordable and climate-neutral living space and improve quality of life.

Bridgio and Infineon launch program to promote tech start-ups

The technology accelerator Bridgio is cooperating with Infineon Technologies, Germany's largest semiconductor manufacturer, to support European start-ups in the fields of mobility, energy, industrial automation and health tech. As part of a three-month pre-acceleration program, participants will gain access to Infineon's cutting-edge technology and expert knowledge. The program aims to develop innovative and marketable products and offers teams the opportunity to present their results to investors and decision makers at a Demo Day in Austria. Applications are open until July 12.

NX Technologies expands cooperation with European VW and Audi dealer association

NX Technologies is strengthening its position in the VW environment through a cooperation with the European Dealer Council Volkswagen Group (EDC), which will accelerate the expansion of the Cologne-based payment platform bezahl.de into other markets. NX Technologies has been working with the EDC since January 2024 and has presented its products at important industry events. This partnership opens up new opportunities for international cooperation, and CEO Lasse Diener emphasizes the benefits of the expanded networks. Martin Kuhn, Managing Director of EDC Volkswagen Group e.V., sees the collaboration as a step towards a new digital industry standard in the automotive sector.

Awards and programs

Science4Life honors innovative start-ups: focus on winning teams

The Science4Life business plan competition recognized outstanding business models, including sustainable cooling technologies and innovations in wound healing and hydrogen storage. ResCure won the Science4Life Venture Cup, while ILLUTHERM GmbH won the Science4Life Energy Cup. Other winners of the Venture Cup are fiberior, CeraSleeve, TENTA VISION and QUASAR Therapeutics. Hydrogenea and AdaptX Systems were honored in the Energy Cup. The initiative supports start-ups in the life sciences, chemicals and energy sectors in order to promote economic progress.

Balderton Capital supports founding parents with new program

Balderton Capital, a European venture capital investor, is expanding its offering to support the wellbeing and performance of founders. The company is partnering with Cooper Parenting to provide tailored advice, resources and networks to founding parents. This initiative is part of the "Founder Wellbeing" program launched last year, which has already supported over 100 founders. The support includes expert courses, virtual coaching consultations, a 24/7 community chat, workshops and private advice sessions. Balderton recognizes the unique challenges of founding parents and is committed to improving the balance between family and entrepreneurship. Rana Yared, General Partner at Balderton Capital, emphasizes the importance of targeted support to help female entrepreneurs overcome their hurdles.

Greyn and INEN Robotics win the 13th Gerondeau Safran Prize

At the Drahi-X Novation Center, the École Polytechnique's center for entrepreneurship and innovation, Greyn and INEN Robotics were announced as the winners of the 13th Jean-Louis Gerondeau - Safran Prize. Each of the start-ups will receive 15,000 euros for their solutions in the fields of construction and healthcare. The prize, which honors Jean-Louis Gerondeau, supports innovation and entrepreneurship within the École Polytechnique and Institut Polytechnique de Paris communities. Greyn was recognized for its AI-based technology to optimize concrete production and reduce environmental impact, while INEN Robotics was honored for its endoscopic robot to improve minimally invasive treatments for gastrointestinal cancer. Eric Dalbiès, EVP of Safran, emphasized the importance of startups in fostering innovation and supporting technological advances in various sectors.