# Franz Humer

> Franz Humer is a seed investor at Pappas Ventures (New York) backing SaaS and Robotics. See 3 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [Pappas Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/pappas-ventures)
- Location: New York, United States
- Total investments: 3
- Last investment: Dec 2022
- Lead investor: 0%
- Last updated: Aug 2026

Franz Humer is a seed investor at Pappas Ventures in New York focused on SaaS and Robotics. Dr. Humer joined Pappas Ventures in October 2013 as a Venture Partner, bringing a wealth of leadership experience in the pharmaceutical and life science industry. Currently the chairman of Roche Holding Ltd, he will retire from that position in March 2014. He became Chief Executive Officer for Roche Group in 1998, previously serving as ChiefOperating Officer and Head of Pharmaceuticals (F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd). Franz began his career in the pharmaceutical industry in 1973, joining Schering Plough Corporation as assistant to the vice president of Europe, Africa, Middle East operations and general manager of Ecuador, UK and Portugal. After leaving Schering Plough, he held various managerial positions (including director) at Glaxo Holdings plc, where he was responsible for research, business development, manufacturing, commercial strategy, and all operations outside the United States. In addition to his role as Chairman of Roche, Franz currently serves as the Chairman of Diageo plc and as a director of CitiGroup Inc.Franz also serves as Chairman for INSEAD, for the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and for the Friends of Phelophepa Foundation. In 2000, he received the Oliver R. Grace Award for distinguished service in advancing cancer research. Franz holds a Doctor of Law from the University of Innsbruck and an MBA from INSEAD. He also holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Basel and from the School of Pharmacy, University of London.Franz is reuniting with Art Pappas and Ernie Mario, who all served together in the early 1990s as senior executives and board members for Glaxo Holdings.

## Round sizes

| Stage | Round size |
| --- | --- |
| Seed | $1.6M–$1.6M |

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SaaS | 1 | 33% |
| Robotics | 1 | 33% |
| Software | 1 | 33% |
| Training | 1 | 33% |
| E-Learning | 1 | 33% |

10 industries tracked in total.

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Austria | 1 | 33% |
| Germany | 1 | 33% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WAKU Robotics | WAKU Robotics enables warehouses, DCs, and factories to select, implement, and operate the best robotic solutions. Mobile robots can be compared and procured via our marketplace ‘Lotsofbots.com’. We represent all major robot brands and are committed to extending their sales reach. Our SaaS product ‘WAKU Sense’, an agnostic robot control tower,enables robot operators to increase robot utilization, reduce downtime, and prevent vendor lock-in. | $1.6M | Seed | Dec 02, 2022 |  |
| Leaders21com | They offer our customers an exciting portfolio of practical training and services. Based on our many years of experience and our specially developed leadership approach. Flexibility and situational action are essential leadership qualities. That is why we also structure our cooperation with our customers in exactly the same way - flexible andadapted to individual requirements. Digital and analog. |  | Seed | Dec 01, 2022 |  |
| WAKU Robotics | WAKU Robotics enables warehouses, DCs, and factories to select, implement, and operate the best robotic solutions. Mobile robots can be compared and procured via our marketplace ‘Lotsofbots.com’. We represent all major robot brands and are committed to extending their sales reach. Our SaaS product ‘WAKU Sense’, an agnostic robot control tower,enables robot operators to increase robot utilization, reduce downtime, and prevent vendor lock-in. | $1.6M | Seed | Aug 03, 2022 |  |

3 of 3 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [BITO CAMPUS](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bito-campus) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Pi Labs](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/pi-labs-2) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Plug & Play Mexico](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/plug-play-mexico) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Schauenburg Ventures GmbH](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/schauenburg-ventures-gmbh) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [TGFS - Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/technologiegrnderfonds-sachsen) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Calm/Storm VC](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/calm-storm-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## About Pappas Ventures

VC Fund · Durham, United States

Pappas Ventures provides investment in the life sciences sector.

5 contacts available at Pappas Ventures.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Eric W. Linsley | Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/eric-w-linsley |
| Ford Worthy | Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ford-worthy |
| Franz Humer | Venture partner and Senior editor | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/franz-humer |
| Mike Grey | Venture Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/mike-grey |
| Artthur M. Pappas | Founder, CEO & Managing General Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/artthur-m-pappas |

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## FAQ

### What does Franz Humer invest in?

Franz Humer invests primarily in SaaS, Robotics and Software startups, most often at Seed stage. Most of the 3 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Austria. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### What is Franz Humer's check size?

Franz Humer typically joins rounds of $1.6M–$1.6M at Seed. These ranges are 10th–90th percentile round sizes calculated from confirmed public funding rounds, so they are a realistic guide to the rounds Franz Humer participates in.

### When did Franz Humer last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Franz Humer closed in Dec 2022. Shizune tracks 3 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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