Stories

Closing Fund V at EUR 150m hard cap to support the next generation of European tech leaders

We have closed Fund V at EUR 150m hard cap, our largest fund to date, continuing our long-term commitment to founders building scalable, defensible technologies across Europe.

Uber to acquire Blacklane, b2venture portfolio company and global chauffeur service leader

Uber to acquire Blacklane, a b2venture portfolio company, marking a major milestone as Uber Technologies, Inc. expands into premium and executive travel globally.

b2venture welcomes Dr. Friederike Hoffmann as Partner in the Direct Investments Team

b2venture welcomes Dr. Friederike Hoffmann as Partner in the Direct Investments Team as of January.

b2venture welcomes Mathias Ockenfels as Partner

Mathias further strengthens the firm’s fund investment team and deepens its marketplace expertise

b2venture welcomes Dominik Perisa as Partner and Chief Operating Officer to expand operations

The addition of Dominik is part of the b2venture’s expansion plans to capitalize on the company’s growing portfolio of unicorns and its growing network of top business angels

1KOMMA5° announces Series B for further market expansion and European R&D

We are happy to announce our portfolio company 1KOMMA5° has closed a stellar Series B funding round.

Nelly Announces € 15 Mio Series A to Become the Financial Operating System for Healthcare

Nelly develops software solutions for medical practices that make documentation and payment processes patient-friendly and employee-friendly.

Finway raises €9.2 million Series A to reimagine spend management for European SMBs

With finway, enterprises can seamlessly plan & control all expenses and budgets in one tool and get real insights to run their business.

DeepL elevates AI Research with new investors and financing

German AI company using neural networks and artificial intelligence to overcome language barriers.

Edurino's digital education platform raises €10.5 million series A

Edurino is a digital learning platform with an app for children that uses an ergonomic stylus and real figures to create a hybrid approach to reading and writing, utilizing any mobile device.

The Data Moats Hiding in Nature: Building a Competitive Edge with Proprietary Data

Nature data is hard to collect and replicate. As AI models become widely available, companies that gather unique physical-world data can build a lasting competitive edge.

Unlocking Liquidity for B2B Marketplaces: How Debt Financing Can Build Competitive Advantages

Merchant of Record marketplaces build trust by taking on transaction risk and funding needs. Venture debt can help finance this model while limiting equity dilution.

When Robots Become Replacable: From Heterogeneous Fleets to Operational Knowledge Layers

As robotics enters real-world operations, coordinating diverse machines and people becomes the challenge. Orchestration layers can turn operational knowledge into a lasting edge—even as robots change.

Unpacking Venture Debt for Startups: How to Plan, Access, and Manage Non-Dilutive Financial Instruments

Venture debt can extend runway and fund growth without immediate dilution. Learn how it works, who qualifies, and the risks founders should weigh before borrowing.

When Scale Meets Its Limits: Why Trusted Judgment Is Becoming Critical Infrastructure for AI

As scaling laws hit their limits, AI's next bottleneck is trusted human judgment. Andreas Goeldi explores why networks of domain experts are becoming AI's most critical infrastructure.

European Energy Sovereignty: From Ambition to Execution

Europe has made significant progress on energy sovereignty. The challenge now is execution: building the infrastructure, resilience, and flexibility needed for the next decade.

Cheaper, Cleaner, Closer: The New Logic of European Chemistry

Sustainable chemistry does not have to cost more. A new generation of startups is redesigning production to make it cheaper, cleaner, and local, reshaping Europe’s chemical industry.

Part III – Marketplaces x AI: The HAHO Framework

The biggest AI opportunity is not owning assets. It is optimizing them. Why the next generation of AI marketplaces will emerge in asset-heavy industries: from HALO to HAHO.

Part II – Marketplaces x AI: The Great Discontinuity

AI disrupts incumbents but unlocks new marketplaces. Agent-native founders can build faster, tap hidden supply, and create trust layers that coordinate complex markets and real-world execution.

Part I – Marketplaces x AI: The End of Marketplaces As We Know Them

AI will not replace marketplaces, it strengthens those with real supply, trust, and network effects. The real moat shifts from matching to coordination, accountability, and institutionalized trust.

Part III: From Bubble Fears to AI-First Organizations: The Macro View of AI Adoption

Bubbles don’t end revolutions; they accelerate them. The AI surge may look overheated, but it’s clearing the path for enduring builders reshaping how companies, teams, and economies operate.

Innovative VC: Rethinking How Firms Operate

VC is built on innovation. By embracing smarter tools and workflows, we can give investors more time with founders and LPs, the work that truly drives impact.

Part II: Beyond Productivity: How AI Is Becoming the New Coordination Layer

AI’s biggest impact won’t be output, it’s coordination. By reducing friction, misaligned incentives, and politics, AI agents can align organizations toward shared goals and true productivity.

Part I: Enterprise AI – From Coffee Break Demos to Real Productivity

Enterprise AI is moving past coffee-break demos. The winners will be those who integrate deeply, embrace change, and turn experiments into real productivity.

Mega Funds, Mega Premiums – and the Looming Early-Stage Squeeze in Europe

Mega funds reshape Europe’s VC with soaring premiums. Early investors must avoid inflated valuations and focus on discipline, alignment, and value beyond capital

Europe's Industrial Moment: Why AI Automation is the Key to Revitalizing Manufacturing Competitiveness

Can Europe reclaim its industrial edge? Discover how AI-powered automation is sparking a new era of competitiveness and revitalizing manufacturing across the region.

GovTech: if not now, when?

GovTech's pivotal moment is now: as public sector challenges and digital demands intensify, technology and policy reforms converge. If not now, when transform government and society?

Powering the Future: Unlocking Opportunities in GridTech

The energy transition needs more than renewables—it needs a smarter grid. In this deep dive, we explore how GridTech startups are modernizing Europe's electricity infrastructure and key opportunities.

Robotics: From Hype to Hard ROI

From sci-fi fantasy to hard ROI. We explore vertical use cases, the unbundling autonomy stack, and how to build a defensible robotics company in 2025.

Unlocking Value Through Industrial AI Agents

Industrial AI agents are redefining how complex systems are managed—autonomous, adaptive, and built for real-world impact.

Part 2: European Strategic Response and Economic Opportunity

Part 2: Understanding the Tariff War and Navigating Growth in a New World

Part 1: Understanding the Tariff War from a Capital Markets Perspective

Part 1: Understanding the Tariff War and Navigating Growth in a New World

The Market Map of AI Voice & Call Center Agents

Voice AI has evolved from novelty to necessity. As synthetic agents increasingly handle complex tasks with human-like qualities, where is voice the right medium and how can companies differentiate?

Materials Matter: Why We’re Bullish on Sustainable Materials

A transformative shift is reshaping the materials economy - from fossil-based to circular, sustainable solutions - and we're backing the bold founders leading the way...

TechBio Market Map: AI in Drug Discovery and Development

We take a deep dive into TechBio, the AI- and ML-driven companies, and the foundational tech layers that are reshaping drug discovery and development.

The Fourth Wave: How AI is Reshaping Software

Are we at the beginning of a new era in software with AI?

Back to School | Opportunities for EdTech Startups in Generative AI and K-12 Education

The speed at which Generative AI is being adopted presents outsized opportunities for startups to build solutions that can provide immediate and superior improvements to mainstream LLMs.

Powering the Future: Exploring Innovations in EnergyTech

We take a closer look at the emergence of EnergyTech from a VC perspective as company creation has exploded with the need to reduce carbon emissions growing.

Making smarter use of the power grid with flexibility - why we invested in Orus Energy

Orus Energy is transforming the relationship between buildings and the power grid by leveraging flexibility in electricity consumption.

The Unseen Potential of the Alpine Ecosystems of Europe

We have long believed that the Alpine regions not only offer enormous potential but have been a bigger part of the European tech story than many realize.

The Evolution of the LLM Toolstack - Thoughts on Capturing Value in the GenAI Tech Stack as a Startup

How will the potential of LLMs impact both end-users and the broader world of enterprise? We explore the state of the LLM toolstack, its evolution, and the multitude of challenges and opportunities.

Exploring TechBio and the Potential to Transform Pharma with Generative AI

We explore the TechBio space and the promise and challenges that Generative AI represent in improving the life sciences value chain.

When Hype Cycles Meet S-Curves: The Roll-Out Conundrum of Generative AI

Despite the excitement for generative AI, commercial adoption by enterprises has been surprisingly slow. b2venture's Andreas Goeldi explores what will happen after the AI hype cycle cools down.

Advancing Medical Science Toward a Disease-Free World - Why we invested in Yendou

We are excited to be leading Yendou’s’ $1.3 million pre-seed round. The HealthTech startup is building a specialized data and business automation platform tailored for Clinical Operation teams.

Scale your startup sustainably | Introducing the Scale-Up Navigator

Ready to scale your venture? The Scale-Up Navigator supports founders, employees, investors, mentors and other stakeholders of scaling start-ups in their sustainable scaling.

Data driven chemistry for a more sustainable and competitive future - why we invested in DUDE CHEM

Why we invested in DUDE CHEM - data driven chemistry

Live better, today and tomorrow - why the time is ripe for preventative healthcare and Everlab

Why we invested in Everlab and their preventative healthcare operating system

How to ESG - A Venture Capital Perspective

ESG is no longer "nice to have" but crucial in venture capital. We take a closer look at how we “do ESG” at b2venture.

Reinventing Car Insurance: Why we invested in Flitter

We are excited to be backing Flitter, a French startup offering a wholly digital insurance product that aligns with the changing consumer habits and mobility needs. 

How to think about generative AI and the current generation of LLMs

What can LLMs do that’s truly new? b2venture parter Andreas Goeldi discusses how to think realistically about the promises of generative AI

Generative AI: An Investor's Perspective

Generative AI is by no means a new, but broad public excitement is. We wanted to bring our perspective as experienced AI investors on how we think the industry around generative AI could develop.

Can AI replace VCs? Three experiments

We’re currently hearing a lot about how generative AI could replace white-collar knowledge workers. And venture capitalists are knowledge workers. So which parts of a VC’s job could AI take over?

How the get startup fundraising right - the fundamentals

Fundraising is one of the most critical steps for a startup to take, yet too many founders don't approach the process in the right way. We provide a short guide on how to fundraise properly.

What do entrepreneurship and ski touring have in common? Turns out a lot.

Building a new business has a lot in common with a hiking tour in the high mountains: planning, timing, and rhythm - they all determine the success of a company’s journey.

Atlas Metrics: Measuring non-financial indicators

Atlas Metrics: Demand from regulators, investors, customers, and employees for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data is a megatrend that affects an increasing number of companies.

Closing Europe’s pension gap — why we invested in Degura

With its unique cloud-based software solution tailored to both B2B and B2C sides of pension plan provision, Degura makes discovering, offering and managing company pension plans really easy

5 ways to think about investing in Generative AI in 2023 and beyond

5 ways to think about investing in Generative AI in 2023 and beyond

Calvin Risk — Unlocking the Full Potential of Artificial Intelligence

Following our investment in Calvin Risk we would love to share our rationale

Let’s put unicorns back in the playroom

Until recently unicorns were the stuff of fables and children’s stories. The label has become a popular way to celebrate a startup that has reached a valuation of 1 billion dollars.

Let your product shine anywhere and at any time — why we invested in Demoboost

Demoboost offers a holistic end-to-end platform to easily create, share and track product demos — not only for sales departments but also marketing, customer service and business development.

Making ESG and real estate work together for a better future— why we invested in Predium

Making ESG and real estate work together for a better future - why we invested in Predium

Making ESG and real estate work together for a better future - why we invested in Predium

Creating a workflow and payment layer for medical practices - why we invested in Nelly

Creating a workflow and payment layer for medical practices - why we invested in Nelly

Personalizing early childhood education through the power of games - Why we invested in Edurino

Edurino is building a digital learning experience that aims to introduce pre-school children to new, blended forms of learning by merging haptic and digital worlds of play

The essence of timing … and why Vincent van Gogh would have been a terrible entrepreneur

So entrepreneurs and VCs need to go through the world with their eyes wide open. We need to read, try, compare and always question old truths and imagine what could emerge in a whole new way

From the archives: When you get money for borrowing money

Everlab raises AUD 65m as preventative healthcare gains momentum

Everlab has raised AUD 65m to accelerate its vision for preventative healthcare, combining diagnostics, clinician-led care, wearable data, and AI to help people detect health risks earlier and improve

Building the Logistics Backbone of the Space Economy – Why We Invested in PAVE Space

PAVE Space builds orbital transfer vehicles that move satellites between orbits in under 24 hours, unlocking faster deployment and enabling the next phase of the space economy.

Fixing Infrastructure’s Hardest Bottleneck – Why We Invested in Sitegeist

Sitegeist builds autonomous construction robots that automate concrete renovation, increasing productivity, improving safety, and helping contractors scale capacity.

Bringing Molecular Precision to Rapid Testing: Why We Invested in Amplifold

Amplifold raises seed funding to bring lab-level sensitivity to rapid tests with its DNA Origami based platform, enabling earlier detection in cardiac, respiratory, and other critical conditions.

OpenAI to acquire Neptune, b2venture portfolio company and AI research tooling platform

OpenAI to acquire Neptune, the AI research tooling platform powering advanced model development. A major milestone for the team and a strong signal from Europe’s AI ecosystem.

DeepL Agent: A New Era of Autonomous Business Collaboration

DeepL launches DeepL Agent, redefining enterprise AI with true autonomy, trust, and precision, marking Europe’s leadership in the new era of intelligent business collaboration.

Putting People at the Center of Industrial Digitalization – Why We Invested in Augmented Industries

Augmented Industries raised EUR 4.5m for Flow Tool, an AI platform that helps shop floor technicians share know-how, adapt quickly, and reduce downtime.

Building the Future of Collaborative Robotics - Why We Invested in Hive Robotics

Hive Robotics raised EUR 2m to build the swarm control layer for autonomous systems, providing a secure, certifiable real-time infrastructure that enables collaboration and robotic teaming.

Autonomous robots beneath the waves – why we invested in Nautica Technologies

Nautica Technologies raises $4M to tackle biofouling with autonomous underwater robots. Their solution offers continuous hull cleaning and inspection-cutting fuel costs, emissions and regulatory risks

Empowering SMEs in the Energy Transition - Why we invested in Evoltio

Proud to back Evoltio, empowering Spanish SMEs to cut energy costs & transition to net-zero via a smart platform. We're proud to support this strong team driving change in the Spanish energy market.

Virtual Scientists and the Future of Drug Discovery - Why we invested in Kiin

We’re excited to back Kiin, a pre-seed startup using generative AI to build “virtual scientists” that augment drug discovery—a new paradigm for biotech and pharma R&D.

European Innovation from the heart of Germany - a review of 24 hours in Paderborn and why our portfolio company assemblean is a prime example of the strength of regional startup ecosystems

assemblean raised EUR 1.8M to transform contract manufacturing with its Production-as-a-Service platform, enabling scalable, on-demand, and cost-efficient production of complex, high-quality products.

Digitizing supply chain processes in the construction industry - Why we invested in VESTIGAS

VESTIGAS raises EUR 8M to digitize construction supply chains with its Supply Chain OS, replacing paper-based workflows and enabling transparency, automation, and compliance at scale.

Revolutionizing manufacturing - why we invested in assemblean

assemblean raised EUR 1.8M to transform contract manufacturing with its Production-as-a-Service platform, enabling scalable, on-demand, and cost-efficient production of complex, high-quality products.

Calvin Risk secures $4M as its mission to make enterprise AI trustworthy takes off

Calvin Risk has raised $4 million in seed funding to help companies deploy AI safely and manage these risks through automated testing and quantitative risk assessment.

Marvel Fusion Raises more than €60 Million Series B to Reach Full Proof of Technology

Marvel Fusion, the fusion pioneer, announced that they have raised more than EUR 62 million in the closing of a Series B round.

Orus Energy secures EUR 2.2m in pre-seed funding to transform the way buildings interact with electricity markets

The energy flexibility platform, Orus Energy, has raised a EUR 2.2 million pre-seed round to make smarter use of the power grid.

The European Space Agency is on a mission to create its own version of SpaceX with The Exploration Company

The Exploration Company has emerged as the frontrunners in the race to become the first European space company to launch a commercially viable service to low Earth orbit.

DeepL Announces a $300 Million Investment Fueled by Global Demand for AI Language Solutions

Our portfolio company, DeepL, announces a $300 million of investment at a $2 billion valuation.

German Savings Platform Raisin Announces Record Growth and Profitability

Raisin is the world's leading platform for savings and investment products. Founded in 2012, Raisin connects consumers with EU, UK, and US banks.

Yendou secures $1.3 Million to build the First Clinical Operations Automation Platform for the Pharmaceuticals Industry

The clinical operations automation platform, Yendou, has raised a $1.3 million pre-seed round to accelerate the operational efficiency of clinical trials.

DUDE CHEM secures €6.5 million to make pharma-chemical production more competitive and sustainable

Green chemistry startup DUDE CHEM raises €6.5 million to bring back pharma-chemical production to Europe.

Edurino - How to build a hybrid company

Meet the founders of our portfolio company Edurino.

Everlab nabs $3 million Pre-Seed Funding for Health and Longevity

Everlab is a HealthTech startup building the operating system for personalized health and longevity.

Predium Raises €4.5 million seed round to expand ESG management solution for the decarbonization of real estate

The platform for sustainable and profitable real estate management

Blacklane closes series F round and enters partnership with Sixt

Blacklane is a leading global provider of premium pre-booked and On-Demand chauffeur services.

Atlas Metrics raises €5.2 million to help companies seamlessly collect ESG data and create more compliant and sustainable businesses

Atlas Metrics is building a global data infrastructure platform that is universal in its conception, enabling companies to easily collect, report and exchange any ESG data.

Calvin Risk closes a $1.5M Pre-Seed round to help companies deploy and manage trustworthy AI

The company was founded with a mission to unlock the full potential of AI for business by managing a multitude of risks.

LatticeFlow Secures $12 Million to Eliminate AI Data and Model Blind Spots in Computer Vision

LatticeFlow's mission is to change the way the next generation of AI systems are built to ensure they are trusted by all stakeholders in society.

Ledgy raises $22 million Series B to fund European expansion

Ledgy helps startups handle their employee shareholdings, cap table and investor relations professionally and accurately from the start.

SumUp raises €590 million and celebrates 10 years of supporting small merchants

SumUp is the financial partner for over 4 million small merchants in over 35 markets worldwide, helping them start, run and grow their business through a fair, easy, and reliable payment solution.

Turbocharging Written Communication with Artificial Intelligence

At b2venture, we believe that AI technology can be used to solve a wide range of problems for users globally, including the next generation of written content, where TextCortex comes into play.

Giving Back Is Not Optional: A Conversation with Nicole Herzog

Nicole Herzog, co-founder of b2venture, was named SECA's Business Angel of the Year 2026. She sat down with our partner Friederike Hoffmann to talk about why giving back is not optional.

Say Hello to Joachim Drees - b2venture angel investor

Say Hello to Joachim Drees, b2venture angel investor and corporate manager with deep experience linking innovation to industry.

Say Hello to Nicole Herzog - b2venture angel investor & entrepreneur

b2venture angel investor Nicole Herzog discusses her journey from founding companies to becoming an angel investor and what being a good angel investor means in practice.

Leading by example - How angel investors can maximize their impact with Joachim Schoss

b2venture angel investor & entrepreneur discusses his approach to startup investing and governance.

Say Hello to Michael Hinderer - b2venture angel investor

Say Hello to Michael Hinderer, Chairman of our portfolio company 1KOMMA5° and one of b2venture’s most trusted angel investors in our community.

Delivering real value as an angel investor

We sat down with Matthias Hilpert to talk about his journey from corporates to angel investing. 

How to leverage angel investors for your startup

Gwendolyn Schröter, long-time angel investor and member of b2venture’s angel community, kindly sat down for a candid conversation about angel investing.

Rethinking the future of education with Verena Pausder

We had the chance to virtually ‘sit down’ with Verena and talk about the impact of Covid-19 with respect to homeschooling, Edtech, and the digital divide.

Luis Cabiedes on markets and risks

Luis Martín is one of the most active angel investors in Europe and an integral part of the b2venture community.