Top 50 Marketplace Startup Investors in Germany in January 2026

We support exceptional founders in building market leading digital companies.

They are a group of friends and internet/tech entrepreneurs who first met ten years ago in Saarbruecker Strasse 21 in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg. All of them started successful businesses, they are founders and share a passion for building great companies. As active business angels, they also invest in young startups, either individually orcollectively as a group. They provide seed funding for killer-founders and great ideas. But way more important: they help to avoid mistakes that they have already made . They introduce to the right people. They provide with all the experience that they have. Not just talking about it but helping hands-on.

High-Tech Grunderfonds finances startups with growth potential. Its team of investment managers supports young companies with expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and passion. The company focuses in the fields of digital tech, industrial tech, life sciences, chemistry, and related business areas. It also focuses on financial services in varioussectors.

Cherry Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm led by a team of entrepreneurs with experience building fast-scaling companies such as Zalando and Spotify. The firm backs Europe's boldest founders, usually as their first institutional investor, and supports them in everything from their go-to-market strategy and the scaling of theirbusinesses. Cherry Ventures has previously invested in the seed stage of over 50 companies across Europe, including FlixBus, Auto1 Group, Infarm, Rows, Forto, and TourRadar. Cherry Ventures is based in Berlin and invests across Europe with operations in London, Paris, and Stockholm.

IBB Ventures is for all those who make a difference and create a sustainable future. We invest public funds as venture capital and, together with Berlin startups, help to promote our capital as a business location.

Project A is an early-stage venture capital firm, combining financial and operational support for technology companies. In addition to $1bn in assets under management, Project A provides its portfolio companies with a wide range of operational support services. This includes more than 100 experts from key areas such as software engineering,business intelligence, marketing, and recruiting. The portfolio includes companies such as Trade Republic, sennder, KRY, Catawiki, WorldRemit, Spryker, and Voi.

Over the past two decades, GFC have backed over five hundred entrepreneurs worldwide, e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, Slack, and Away Travel.

DN Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests primarily in Europe and North America. The firm focuses on companies that plan to establish operations on both sides of the Atlantic, and strives to help its companies build international businesses. Founded in 2000, the company has operations in London and Silicon Valley. DN Capital’sprevious funds are top performers and the firm is one of the lead investors in companies such as Endeca (sold to Oracle), Shazam (one of the world’s leading mobile app), Auto1 (world's largest used car marketplace), Purplebricks (IPO London) and Quandoo (sold to Recruit).

Speedinvest is one of Europe’s most active early-stage venture capital funds, with more than €1.2bn in AuM and offices in Berlin, London, Munich, Paris, and Vienna. Our dedicated sector-focused teams (Climate Tech & Industrial Tech, Deep Tech, Fintech, Health & Bio, Marketplaces & Consumer Tech, SaaS & Infra) are the first to fundEMEA's most innovative pre-Seed and Seed tech startups. Our in-house operational experts and global network of industry leaders support our portfolio companies with growth, people (HR), market expansion, and more throughout every stage of their journeys. Bitpanda, GoStudent, Wayflyer, Open, CoachHub, Schüttflix, TourRadar, Adverity, and TWAICE are among our portfolio of 400+ companies.

Backing early-stage startups that drive positive impact for people and planet

redalpine is a thesis-driven vc with deep expertise in software and science. since 2006. we believe in the power of big ideas and in empowering game changers. we don't just invest, we co-create a better tomorrow. together with you.

Picus Capital is an early-stage technology investment firm with a long-term investment philosophy. We work together with daring technology companies to build successful, global companies challenging the status quo and shaping tomorrow.

Rocket Internet incubates, builds, develops operationally and strategically invests in internet and technology companies globally. It provides operational support to its companies and helps them scale internationally. Rocket Internet's selected companies are active in a large number of countries around the world.

Rheingau Founders is a Berlin&Munich based Venture Capital firm active since 2011. Focusing on pre-seed to Series A investments in Europe, predominantly B2B in the fields of Marketplaces, Software as a Service, InsurTech, and eHealth. Rheingau targets start-ups that have the potential to sustainably disrupt existing processes and value chains.Besides the financial investment, we offer strategic support through the mentorship of our partners.

TA Ventures is a global, network-driven VC firm investing in early-stage tech startups that redefine the industries of tomorrow. We typically write initial checks of $100-250K for Pre-Seed and Seed companies and actively provide follow-on investments. We pride ourselves on swift execution, hands-on support, and leveraging our extensiveinternational network. By connecting our portfolio companies with growth-oriented co-investors, we help them scale effectively through subsequent funding rounds. Additionally, we draw on our deep industry expertise to offer portfolio companies and partner VCs access to top-tier, cost-efficient R&D talent.

Cusp Capital is a venture capital firm focused on European software and technology. The fund invests in early-stage companies on the cusp of redefining their industries by channeling new socioeconomic and technological paradigms.

Ralf Dummel, born on 02.12.1966 in Bad Segeberg in Germany, started his career on 01.04.1988 at DS Produkte as a sales assistant to the then founder. Over the years he learned the business from the ground and took full responsibility for purchases and sales after only a year. He vastly participated in the establishment of the company and has been apartner since 1996. Today, the group has an annual turnover of ca. € 250 000 000, 400 employees, and more than 4 000 products in its portfolio. He often travels the world to visit suppliers and customers, and to find inspiration in new innovative products. Dümmel knows Asia inside out, but Northern Germany is the place he calls home. Since 2016 he takes part in the TV program “Die Höhle der Löwen” (literally: The Lions’ Cave, German version of Dragons’ Den on German TV channel VOX ) where he plays one of the “lions”, looking for young entrepreneurs with brilliant products.Ralf Dummel is very convincing with his genuine and appreciative style. From day one, Ralf Dümmel brightened up the surroundings, thanks to his enthusiasm for business and for new products. He has a unique sense for trends and products; he can market them with more success than hardly anyone else. He proudly claims that there hardly is any household without a “DS product” in Germany. Dümmel is often on the road for professional reasons, and when he sees that a customer adds a DS product in their shopping cart, he feels the same tingle of joy after 28 years that he felt in the early days. The 400 employees are Dümmels’s most important asset. They actively take part in the company, invest themselves in it, and help it develop further. Dummel is very proud that the DS products are the result of such a varied cast of people and skill sets. These are people with different personalities and talents that complement each other in a cooperation shaping always innovative business and product ideas.

Coparion provides venture capital to accelerate momentum and growth. With a currently active fund of EUR 275 million, Coparion has the means to do so.Coparion supports entrepreneurial vision with know-how, but without intervening in daily business operations. Thanks to in-depth experience in venture capital and in building companies, the Coparionteam discerns potential and opens up new perspectives. Coparion has the substance, tenacity, and creativity required to mutually manage difficult situations successfully.Coparion only invests with co-investors. The fund invests up to EUR 15M per company, usually in several financing rounds of EUR 0.5-8M each. The investment focus is on German companies in the start-up and early growth phases. Coparion is based in Cologne and Berlin.

APX is Europe’s leading very-early-stage VC. Based in Berlin and backed by Axel Springer and Porsche, we support and partner with the most ambitious founding teams from Europe and beyond - often as their first investor.We invest up to EUR 500K in startups until a series A starting with a quick EUR 50K investment, and within a few months,depending on traction and speed, we can invest further. Each month we invest in new teams who become part of the APX community, counting hundreds of other founders. Since 2018, we have invested in 100+ startups across 20+ industries with founders from 20+ countries together with 100+ co-investors.

Point Nine Capital is a Berlin-based venture capital firm focused exclusively on early-stage Internet investments in areas like Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), online marketplaces, and mobile.The fund and its managers, Pawel Chudzinski and Christoph Janz have backed a number of highly successful Internet companies such as Delivery Hero, Clio,Shiftplanning, Vend, Typeform, and Zendesk from their earliest stages.

Oskar Hartmann currently works as an Angel Investor for YAP. He previously worked at Flaschenpost SE as an Investor. Oskar Hartmann attended WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management.

The Redstone team is an international and diverse group of serial entrepreneurs, investors, investment professionals, tech analysts and data scientists.

Partech is a global venture capital firm with offices in San Francisco, Paris, Berlin and Dakar. Partech invests in Internet and information technology startups at seed, venture and growth stages.

Capnamic is a Venture Capital firm supporting ambitious founders in the German-speaking regions. Our focus is on the early stages, from (Pre-)Seed to Series A.

Monkfish Equity is the investment vehicle of the trivago founders. As Co-investors, with a focus on later stage phases, they invest in companies which can benefit from their entrepreneurial experience. Running the world´s biggest travel meta portal with over 500 M$ revenue (2015), the people behind Monkfish Equity understand entrepreneurs needs andfocus on value adding activities. As “low maintenance” investors, they offer the leeway that entrepreneurs need to build their businesses.

We invest in B2B tech entrepreneurs who are obsessed with solving complex problems in huge markets at pre-seed and seed stage

Avala Capital invests in high-growth companies with ambitious goals and the talents to achieve them. The company partners with exceptional entrepreneurs capable of disrupting a market by creating major change in a way which can be sustained and scaled. Its focus is on Internet business models, such as cloud, mobile, and online marketplaces as wellas on businesses heavily benefiting from offline to online conversion.

468 Capital is an investment firm that focuses on identifying and managing opportunities in various markets. The firm employs a systematic approach to investment analysis and portfolio management. It collaborates with a range of partners to support its investment strategies. The company serves industries including technology, healthcare, andrenewable energy.

Grazia Equity is a venture Capital firm investing in innovative, technology driven startups with high potential.Based in Stuttgart (Germany), Grazia has been supporting a large number of mostly young companies, often from their foundation to the Initial Public Offering or eventual sale. In contrast to other venture capital firms, theypredominantly work with their own capital that they invest as entrepreneurs.

Roman Kirsch is the Entrepreneur and Investor of Rapid Pioneers Group.

Piton Capital is a venture capital and growth equity firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Piton focuses exclusively on network effects businesses (marketplaces, exchanges and platforms) as this provide one of the few moats or forms of defensibility to achieve dominance. There are several forms of great network effects businesses thataren’t marketplaces that include data network effects (including machine learning and AI), businesses that rely on user generated content, as well as SaaS businesses with the potential to layer network effects around it. The firm is a stage and style-agnostic and seeks to invest from seed to late stage (€200k to €15m).

Christophe F. Maire is the Founding Partner and CEO of Atlantic Labs, a Berlin-based seed investor dedicated to identifying and investing in innovative digital startup companies. In the last 20+ years, Christophe has built an international track record both as a founder; including gate5 (sold first to Nokia and later developed into HERE and sold tothe German automotive industry) and Plazes.com (also sold to Nokia); and as a farsighted investor named best “European Seed Investor” by Techcrunch two years running. Exited investments include Brands4Friends (eBay), Readmill (Dropbox); StudiVZ, Fyber and Plista. Recent investments led by Atlantic Labs include Medigo, Clue, Jodel, and Campanda, amongst others. Christophe remains actively involved in all his investments, including as a board member of Soundcloud, EyeEm, and Monoqi, and an active promoter of the Berlin startup ecosystem.

NRW.BANK is the development bank for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It supports its owner – the state of North Rhine-Westphalia – in fulfilling its tasks, notably in the fields of structural, economic, social and housing policy. NRW.BANK pools the promotion and development programmes of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the FederalRepublic of Germany and the European Union and combines them with its own equity and debt products and advisory services. It offers the full range of financial products in three areas “Economy”, “Housing”, and “Infrastructure/Municipalities”. NRW.BANK operates in a competitively neutral manner as a partner of banks and savings banks.

B2venture is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in digital and industrial technology companies. B2venture invests EUR 100m+ per year in high-growth companies with ticket sizes from EUR 0.25m to 3.5m.

Atlantic Labs supports and invests in mission-driven founders working on transformative technology ventures.&nbsp;<br><br>We partner with founders early, providing the capital, tools and network necessary to growing their companies and accompanying them on their entrepreneurial journey. We are currently active in areas including Digital Health, Future of Work, Machine Learning, Decentralized Networks, Mobility and Industrial Applications.

We are looking for the newcomers, the architects of the future, the movers & shakers.

STS Ventures is a tech-oriented VC that is strongly differentiated from other venture capital funds primarily by its focus on camel tech start-ups and its investment focus on niche markets. Camel start-ups are companies that are resilient and resistant and can therefore survive even under difficult economic conditions, pandemics or global crises.The VC bundles the business angel activities of the Cologne-based serial entrepreneur and investor Stephan Schubert. In addition, business angels, entrepreneurs and family offices who are friends or in close business association with Stephan Schubert invest jointly with him through STS Ventures. Since the advent of the internet in Europe in the late 1990s, Stephan Schubert has invested in numerous technology-driven start-ups and has become one of the most active and experienced business angels in Germany.

Bayern Kapital (founded at the end of 1995) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the LfA Foerderbank Bayern (Bavaria‘s development bank). Bayern Kapital’s objective is to finance research and development as well as the market launch of new products, product diversifications, and expansion of the market share.The requesting company has to be located inBavaria. Industries are e. g. IT/software, life sciences, new materials, micro-systems and environmental technologies.Bayern Kapital and its funds have invested in more than 250 companies and currently manages funds to the value of EUR 340 m. The five investing funds currently managed by Bayern Kapital are Seedfonds Bayern, Clusterfonds Start-Up!, Innovationsfonds, Innovationsfonds EFRE and Wachstumsfonds Bayern.

A global, early-stage venture capital firm, backing founders who use technology to reimagine how the world works like Datadog, DeliveryHero and Cred.

Venture Stars is a Munich based venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in innovative, digital B2C and B2B business models.

Founded in 1997, Earlybird invests in all development and growth phases of technology companies. Among the most experienced venture investors in Europe, Earlybird offers its portfolio companies not only financial resources but also strategic support plus access to an international network and capital markets. With EUR 2 billion under management,eight IPOs and 30 trade sales, Earlybird is one of the most established and active venture capital firms in Europe.

Target Global is a prominent European technology investment firm with a significant presence in the venture capital landscape, boasting over €3 billion in assets under management. The firm operates out of key tech hubs including London, Berlin, Tel Aviv, and Abu Dhabi, and has a rich portfolio featuring some of Europe's most successful techcompanies such as Revolut, Auto1, Copper, Delivery Hero, Docplanner, and Rapyd.Founding and GrowthTarget Global was established in 2015 by Shmuel Chafets and Yaron Valler, who brought a wealth of experience from their tenure at Hasso Plattner Ventures. Their professional partnership dates back 15 years to their time at Giza Venture Capital, a trailblazer in Israel's investment ecosystem, where they honed their investment acumen and industry foresight.Investment Philosophy and ImpactTarget Global stands out in the European tech industry for its diverse team and its ability to identify and capitalize on unique opportunities. The firm's knack for recognizing potential in the early stages of Germany's tech economy led to the emergence of several unicorns in the 2010s. As the European tech industry evolves, Target Global remains at the forefront, seeking out innovative companies like Robovision, Saleor, and Finom. These recent investments reflect the firm's commitment to supporting cutting-edge technology and business models.Fundraising SuccessesTarget Global's fundraising prowess is evident in its six investment funds, which have collectively raised significant capital. The funds range from Early Stage Funds, focusing on nascent startups, to Growth Funds that support more mature companies scaling their operations. The firm's co-investment strategy has led to over €1 billion in capital deployment across a diverse array of partnerships.Backing and AchievementsWith the backing of investors such as FERI, UBS, Allianz X, Mubadala, and Hermes GPE, Target Global has cemented its reputation as a trusted and successful investment firm. Its portfolio spans over 140 companies at various development stages, with a focus on those targeting trillion-dollar markets.Just a few of the many notable companies in the firm’s portfolio include:- Tarabut, MENA’s leading open banking platform, which was recently featured in Forbes Middle East’s list of Top 50 Fintech Companies.- Flo Health, an AI-driven women’s health product, which is the world’s top health and fitness app by downloads.- Robovision, an easy-to-use AI-driven computer vision platform for users to develop their own deep-learning-based solutions.- Enter, a German company that helps homeowners and businesses reduce their carbon footprint.Target Global's track record includes support for 15 unicorn companies, over 20 exits, and 7 IPOs, showcasing its ability to drive growth and success in the European tech ecosystem. The team, comprised of individuals with founder and operator backgrounds, continues to pursue exceptional opportunities to expand the firm's portfolio and influence.Target Global's journey from its inception to its current status as a key player in European venture capital is marked by strategic investments, a commitment to diversity, and a deep understanding of the tech industry's dynamics. With a clear vision for the future, Target Global is poised to continue its role in shaping the next wave of European tech giants.

TGFS - Technologiegruenderfonds Sachsen is an early stage VC fund targeting high tech startups with strong growth potential. The fund invests into ventures located in Saxony/Germany, Europe's leading semiconductor cluster. The team has invested into more than 120 companies so far, including more than 40 investments from the currentfund.

Varengold is an asset management boutique that is focused on the development of unique, specialized hedge fund strategies from the managed futures space. With its current core business areas such as Prime Brokerage and Commercial Banking, the bank offers a wide portfolio of products and services to its users. The company provides retail clientswith instant access savings and fixed term deposits. Asset management, commercial banking, and investment banking services are offered to business clients of the company.Varengold is based in Germany. The company was founded in 1995 by Yasin Sebastian Qureshi.

Market One Capital | Seed fund empowering marketplaces and network effects platforms across Europe

Hevella Capital is a principal investment firm.

Empowering visionary founders with pre-seed and seed funding for B2B software innovation. Partner with us to turn your aspirations into thriving businesses. Our expert support ensures your journey to success.

Rouven Dresselhaus is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Cavalry Ventures. His most notable investments at Cavalry include McMakler, Forto and Planetly (acq. by OneTrust). He also serves on numerous boards, e.g. at BRYTER and Sofía.Rouven started his career at Morten Sondergaard and then moved to Capnamic Ventures. In parallel, as a member of theadvisory board, he spearheaded the digitization initiative of his family business Joseph Dresselhaus GmbH & Co. KG (acq. by Nimbus) comprising core processes such as finance, HR, logistics and procurement.Rouven has invested in more than five dozen startups and participated in over two hundred funding rounds. He is a member of YPO, a global community of chief executives, and has been mentoring young entrepreneurs in formats such as Techstars, Techstars SAP.io, next logistics accelerator and the Axel Springer Plug and Play Accelerator. In addition, Rouven is a supporter of the entrepreneurial charity Founders Pledge.

Carsten Maschmeyer is a successful entrepreneur, consultant and financial investor. He was born on May 8, 1959 in Bremen and grew up in Hildesheim. After his graduation in 1978 Maschmeyer completed military service before he began to study medicine in Hannover. To finance his studies, he worked part-time in sales of investment advice to it in 1982completely dedicated financial advice. More about Carsten Masch Meyers consultant. In 1988 Carsten Maschmeyer to AWD financial group, which was successfully launched on the stock market in 2000 and rise to the MDAX and expanded in 11 countries. Was sold in 2007 Carsten Maschmeyer all his shares in the company at the insurance group Swiss Life, who renamed the AWD in AWD Holding. Maschmeyer has today different occupational focuses, inter alia, as entrepreneur, investor and consultant. His experience Carsten Maschmeyer a sought-after speaker on the subject of success. Motivated by the desire expressed by many listeners to learn more about his secret of success, Carsten Maschmeyer published in the spring of 2012 his book "Self Made - performance live richly". In it he describes the basis of his own exciting path and the celebrities strategies for professional, financial and personal success.

Mutschler ventures has been actively investing in start-up or young internet companies in the areas of e-commerce and / or "matchmaking".