SMELA secures over 2.5 million euros

Magdeburg-based company SMELA receives EUR 2.5 million from Companisto and bmp Ventures to bring its energy-efficient actuators to the market.

Magdeburg, April 2025 - Magdeburg-based SMELA GmbH has raised over 2.5 million euros in a financing round. The round was supported by the Companisto network and the IBG venture capital fund managed by bmp Ventures. The company plans to use the fresh capital to expand its sales and marketing activities and to optimize its production processes.

With SMELA, we were impressed by the combination of energy savings, high performance and compact design. This makes the drive technology the ideal choice for industrial and high-tech applications.

Nicky Hughes, Senior Investment Manager at Companisto

Energy efficiency for sustainable production

SMELA develops compact electric linear actuators for short-stroke movements that consume up to 90% less energy than conventional pneumatic solutions. With their space-saving design and high performance, they offer companies an economically attractive alternative to existing systems. This not only helps to reduce operating costs, but also cuts CO₂ emissions in production. The actuators are used in production lines, machine tools, the packaging industry and logistics.

Capital for growth and market penetration

The capital raised will be used specifically to expand sales and marketing activities in order to further increase market acceptance. SMELA is also investing in optimizing its production structure in order to exploit economies of scale and further reduce costs. The involvement of strategic partners is intended to accelerate international market entry and ensure stable growth structures in the long term.

The investors

Benjamin Horn, Managing Director of SMELA GmbH: "The financing round with Companisto was characterized by a high level of professionalism. The great interest and expert questions from the Companisto investors proved that a competent network can be reached here. The very successful closing was a more than positive surprise for all of us, which we are taking with us as momentum. We are looking forward to scaling with and through our (new) shareholders."

In addition to the Companisto business angels who participated in the financing round, bmp Ventures also supported SMELA's growth strategy as a co-investor. A strong signal for the potential of the technology.

Ywes Israel, Principal at bmp Ventures: "We are very pleased to welcome the Companisto Business Angels to the circle of shareholders. With the joint investment, we are driving forward the successful expansion."