Allianz X
Allianz X is the strategic growth investments arm of Allianz Group, a leading global insurer and asset manager. Their primary goal is to keep Allianz Group at the forefront of the industry by making high-conviction investments in companies with exceptional growth potential. They actively manage these investments and forge unique partnerships between them and Allianz, fostering transformative collaborations, building platforms, and unlocking value for the Group. Their strategy focuses on insurtech and fintech scale-ups that demonstrate significant growth potential and possess complementary business models to Allianz companies. They act as a bridge, connecting their portfolio companies with the resources and expertise of the larger Allianz ecosystem. Allianz X's approach goes beyond simply providing capital. They actively connect, facilitate, collaborate, and leverage synergies between their portfolio companies and Allianz. This involves joining the dots to create win-win scenarios for all parties involved, building platforms, and making the most of technology. They aim to create network effects that benefit both Allianz and their portfolio companies, driving innovation and creating new business opportunities. They act as a connector and facilitator, leveraging the strength of Allianz's existing business. Their investment strategy has evolved over time, transitioning from early-stage start-up acceleration to late-stage investments in proven digital growth companies. They seek opportunities to create strategic value by helping companies scale their operations, expand into new markets, and integrate their technologies and services with Allianz's existing offerings. They have an active management style when it comes to their investments. Allianz X emphasizes the importance of its team, highlighting a diverse group of talented and passionate individuals with deep industry knowledge. They believe that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and actively foster a collaborative environment where they can leverage network effects across the team, portfolio companies, and the larger Allianz organization. This collaborative environment extends to its view of business.
Capital 49
Capital 49 is a venture capital firm that focuses on backing exceptional founders who are building innovative products that challenge the status quo and change the way the world works. The firm is backed by the founders of Airwallex and aims to provide founders with capital and access to a global network. Their investment strategy is rooted in their own experience building Airwallex from the ground up, giving them unique insights into the challenges of hypergrowth. Capital 49 strives to be an unfair advantage for its portfolio companies by providing access to the Airwallex network of potential customers, providers, and advisors, as well as the team's experience in building successful startups. The firm's investment philosophy seems to favor companies that are creating the "economy of the future," with a particular interest in fintech, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and B2B software. Capital 49 aims to support entrepreneurs in navigating the complexities of scaling their businesses by sharing knowledge acquired from growing Airwallex, which now processes $100 billion of payments across 130 countries annually. Capital 49's team brings a wealth of experience from building and scaling startups as well as working in investment banking, private equity, and venture capital. This diverse background provides them with a broad understanding of the challenges and opportunities that founders face. The team's experience at companies like Airwallex, Boston Consulting Group, Bertelsmann Asia Investments, Softbank's Vision Fund, Obvious Ventures, and Monzo provides portfolio companies with access to a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Companisto
Companisto is an investment network focused on connecting startups and growth companies with business angels and investors. They facilitate venture capital investments in innovative companies and ideas, operating as a fintech company emphasizing lean processes, specialized knowledge, and efficient solutions in online corporate finance. They aim to promote a founding culture in Germany and Europe by partnering with pioneers who demonstrate the urge and determination to explore new paths to success, recognizing that these pioneers often take risks to create great things. Companisto provides a platform where everyday individuals can participate in funding rounds with smaller investment amounts, alongside more significant angel investments.
Dieter von Holtzbrinck Ventures
Dieter von Holtzbrinck Ventures (DvH Ventures) is an early-stage investor in Europe, focusing on partnering with passionate founders who are disrupting industries. Since 2014, they have positioned themselves as active investors, managing multiple venture capital funds from their Cologne office. Initially, DvH Ventures focused on publishing-related digital business models, leveraging the media reach of Handelsblatt, Tagesspiegel, and DIE ZEIT publishing groups to support their portfolio companies. They then expanded into fintech and insurtech investments, building a successful portfolio in those sectors. Today, DvH Ventures operates two independent early-stage investment funds. Their Digital Tech Fund (DvH Ventures Fund III) invests primarily in deep tech and education startups. In 2020, they launched a Digital Health Fund (DvH Ventures Fund IV) with a first closing of €70 million, targeting technologies that solve future healthcare challenges across Europe. DvH Ventures acts as a partner with strong entrepreneurial passion, providing expertise and networks to their portfolio companies and founders. They emphasize close and trusting interactions. Their investment approach involves taking lead positions in early-stage rounds, providing not only financial resources but also management expertise and an international investor network. Additionally, DvH Ventures offers a media-for-equity program, granting access to brands like Handelsblatt, WirtschaftsWoche, DIE ZEIT, and Apotheken Umschau to provide portfolio companies with significant reach into target markets. They are always seeking innovative ideas, even outside their defined focus areas, from compelling entrepreneurs. DvH Ventures focuses on building successful investment clusters, including digital health, education, and financial services, while remaining open to digital innovation in areas like artificial intelligence, enterprise software, the Internet of Things, big data, mobility, energy, and the future of work. The firm culture emphasizes working at eye level with founders, celebrating successes, overcoming challenges together, and operating in a fast, unbureaucratic, and highly professional manner. They commit to providing hands-on support for the growth of their portfolio companies with full entrepreneurial commitment.
Companisto Investor Network
Companisto is an investment network for startups and growth companies, enabling business angels and investors to participate in groundbreaking innovations and promising ventures. As a fintech company, they focus on lean processes, specialized knowledge, and efficient solutions, positioning themselves as an innovation driver in professional online corporate finance. Companisto emphasizes the importance of 'Pioniergeist' - the drive to achieve success through new paths, embracing risk and fostering creativity, determination, and initiative within exceptional teams. They aim to partner with pioneers, supporting the realization of product or process innovations that open up new markets, laying the foundation for successful future enterprises. Companisto facilitates equity investments in startups, with a minimum investment amount of €250. Their platform allows investors to easily and digitally participate in funding rounds. They aim to drive the growth of companies by enabling community investments. The firm's investment strategy involves curating a selection of startups across diverse sectors, with a focus on innovation and high growth potential. They provide a platform for these startups to raise capital from a broad network of investors, leveraging the collective investment power of their community. This model allows startups to access funding beyond traditional venture capital sources, while also giving individual investors the opportunity to invest in promising early-stage companies.
Philipp Angermann
PA Ventures GmbH, led by Philipp Angermann, focuses on early-stage fintech and B2B SaaS startups. As an angel investor and startup advisor, Philipp leverages his experience in product management, B2B marketing, B2B sales, and operations to support portfolio companies. His investment strategy centers around providing not only capital but also hands-on guidance to help startups navigate the challenges of early growth. He aims to connect them with a strong network of fellow angel investors, VCs, and family offices for subsequent fundraising rounds. Philipp also runs the PA Foundation to support non-profits and is committed to sustainability by offsetting his carbon footprint through Leaders for Climate Action.
Coparion
Coparion invests in German technology startups with scalable, innovative solutions and measurable growth traction (e.g., revenue, key customers, product adoption). They prioritize hands-on support, long-term value creation, and co-investment with private investors. Focused on operational excellence, independence, and sector-agnostic (excluding EIB-excluded activities) investments up to €15M per company across multiple rounds.