U2V launches €60 million fund for deep-tech spin-offs from European universities

The new early-stage investor U2V - University2Ventures has announced the first closing of its EUR 60 million Fund I. The fund targets science-based start-ups from technical universities in Europe and aims to accelerate the transfer of research into marketable products. The focus is on deeply technology-oriented start-ups in the fields of artificial intelligence, novel computing, industrial tech including dual use and clean tech.

Focus on technology-driven spin-offs from universities

U2V invests in pre-seed and seed-stage start-ups across Europe that are based on research results from leading technical faculties. The fund plans to support a total of up to 25 companies in the early start-up phase. The aim is to bring scientific breakthroughs into the economy more quickly and to enable the establishment of long-term competitive technology companies in Europe.

The concept of U2V draws on the experience of the founding team, which had previously built up one of the first European funds specializing exclusively in deep-tech spin-offs at Earlybird-X.

Knowledge transfer and industry proximity at the heart of the model

The core of the U2V approach is the close integration of research, capital and industrial application partners. To this end, the fund relies on direct access to top European universities such as TU Munich, ETH Zurich, RWTH Aachen, École Polytechnique, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, DTU Copenhagen and Politecnico di Milano.

Our network enables start-ups to receive real feedback from the industrial environment at a very early stage

Dr. Johannes Triebs, co-founder of U2V

At the same time, U2V cooperates with a network of more than 500 industrial companies. This is intended to give the start-ups early access to pilot projects, partners and potential customers. This focuses on a bottleneck that otherwise slows down many deep-tech start-ups in the early stages. According to U2V, this is crucial in order to quickly transform technologies into marketable products.

Experienced team and established investment approach

The founding team, consisting of Philipp Semmer, Michael Schmitt and Johannes Triebs, has more than 30 years of combined experience in venture capital. In previous funds, they were involved in over 50 investments, including companies in areas such as quantum sensor technology, photonics chips, carbon capture technologies, battery analytics and satellite-based risk analysis. The team has more than ten successful exits to its credit.

Their professional backgrounds include work at leading scientific institutions such as TU Munich, ETH Zurich or UC Berkeley as well as experience from industry and global technology groups.

Strengthening European technological sovereignty

With the first closing and investors such as Jungheinrich, Uplift Ventures, several family offices as well as experienced founders and industry representatives, U2V aims to play a central role in the European deep tech ecosystem. The fund sees itself as a platform that brings together university innovation with industrial needs.

Europe is scientifically strong, but too few internationally relevant companies emerge from it

Philipp Semmer, Co-Founder U2V

U2V aims to close this gap and help researchers to build successful companies.

U2V is a European early-stage investor founded in 2025 with offices in Berlin, Aachen and London. The fund invests in technology-oriented spin-offs in the fields of AI, novel computing, industrial tech and clean tech. In addition to capital, U2V provides scientific teams with strategic support, market access and industrial partnerships.