Homebrew

High-Tech Gründerfonds, commonly abbreviated HTGF, is a Bonn-based seed venture capital fund focused on technology startups in Germany, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs alongside major German corporations including BASF, Bosch, Bayer, Deutsche Telekom, Siemens, and others, providing pre-seed and seed capital to early-stage German technology companies at a stage when private capital is typically unavailable. The fund was established in 2005 as one of the largest seed venture funds in Europe by committed capital, with successive fund vehicles totalling several billion euros, and has become one of the most active and impactful investors in the German technology ecosystem by backing more than 700 startups across its fund history. HTGF invests with initial checks from €500,000 to €1.5 million at pre-seed and seed stages across all technology sectors including deep tech, software, life sciences, chemicals, energy, and materials, with a particular strength in funding companies emerging from German university research and corporate R&D programmes. The fund is managed by High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH in Bonn. Portfolio companies include Rigontec, the RNA-based oncology company acquired by Roche; GetYourGuide, the Berlin-based travel experiences marketplace that became a unicorn; and Mister Spex, the German online eyewear retailer that completed an IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Beyond its original investments in Rigontec, GetYourGuide, and Mister Spex, the broader portfolio includes hundreds of deep tech, software, life science, and manufacturing technology companies.