b2venture

Girls'Day - Mädchen-Zukunftstag is about access - to ideas, to industries, and to people you don’t often see in textbooks. It is a nationwide initiative that encourages girls to explore careers where women remain underrepresented - including tech, science, and finance. For the third year in a row, we opened our Berlin office to students curious about the world of venture capital. We deeply believe that early exposure matters. From evaluating early-stage startups to discussing what makes a convincing pitch, we gave them insights into our day-to-day - and they jumped right in with thoughtful questions and lively discussions. Huge thanks to Larissa Ruf from BIMA who pitched in front of our next-gen investors.✨ We hope it sparked curiosity - and maybe even a few future careers. 💼✨ cc: Johanna, Anna, Defne #GirlsDay

DeepL, if you're reading this - you've been our secret crush for years. Now we're right behind you in G2's top German Software Company's list. TextCortex AI has been named one of the Top 20 German Software Companies in G2's Best Software Awards 2025! 🏆🇩🇪 From a netflix style intro to b2venture saying "hey, you liked DeepL, you should also like us?!"... to Andreas Goeldi demoing our product in their partnership and joining our board... to speaking alongside DeepL at an b2venture LP event last year - their journey has always inspired us. In 2021, it was DeepL's tech sovereignty which inspired us. In 2024, it's DeepL's growth story in how they turned their PLG base to a B2B rocket passing by the $100M+ ARR. So while we might not be at their revenue levels, yet... G2's rankings are based on verified customer reviews and satisfaction. So at least I can happily say our customers share similar love to our product as they do to one of the most knowns translation companies worldwide. To our team, customers, and supporters: THANK YOU.

After years of small but steady growth, the share of female startup founders in Germany has dropped for the first time - down from 20.7% to 18.8% (Deutscher Startup Monitor 2024, Startup-Verband) That’s why initiatives like Female Founder Office Hours matter. We’re excited that Johanna Junkermann will once again take part on April 3rd - Edition 13 of the initiative - hosted by Playfair. This is the largest diversity and inclusion initiative in venture capital - with over 190 investors across Europe joining forces to support female founders through mentoring and pitch meetings. We are proud to be part of a movement that builds long-term support, one conversation at a time.

⚡️  Marvel Fusion has extended its Series B to EUR 113m, marking another milestone on the path to commercial fusion energy. With strong new partners onboard - including Siemens Energy, EQT Ventures, and the EIC - European Innovation Council - Marvel is advancing the development of its laser-driven fusion approach and laying the groundwork for its first technology demonstration facility. We’re proud to continuously back Moritz von der Linden, Heike Freund, Dr. Nicolas Burkardt, and the entire team as they tackle one of the most complex technological challenges of our time. Congratulations on this significant step forward! cc Gerrit Jurilj 🇺🇦, Valentin Wierse

We’re still full of energy reflecting on this year’s START Global Summit in St. Gallen. It was two packed days of entrepreneurial spirit – from energizing main stage moments with Matt Cohler and Florian to meaningful conversations across the summit, and deep-dive workshops with our angel investors and domain experts. Congrats to Emissium for winning the pitching competition! Glad to see our angel investors, portfolio companies and the b2venture team on stage – including LatticeFlow AI, assemblean, Daniel Gutenberg, Gil Horsky🎗️, as well as Sabrina, Marisa, and Andreas. A big thank you to all the inspiring founders and students who stopped by our booth. Last but not least, a huge shoutout to the fantastic START team – working with such a driven and talented group of students was both inspiring and fun (Tristan, Lucie, Max, Matteo & more!). We’re already looking forward to next year. For a deeper reflection, check out Andreas Goeldi’s takeaways in our upcoming newsletter (link in comments).

Wellhub + Urban Sports Club = A stronger future for corporate wellness in Europe! 🚀 Thrilled for this acquisition and the exciting opportunities ahead. As an early stage investor of Urban Sports Club we are thrilled to have been backing Moritz and Benjamin since 2016. Congrats to all involved! cc: Jochen Jan-Hendrik Marisa

🏆 We Have a Winner — Summiteer Pitching Competition! 🚀 A huge congratulations to Emissium for winning this year’s START Summiteer Pitching Competition with their innovative idea of reducing CO₂ emissions and costs from data centers, tackling a pressing global challenge.🌍💻 This year’s prize is truly game-changing: not only do the winners take home 10,000 CHF equity-free, but they also secured a 500,000 CHF investment to fuel their vision and scale their project to new heights! 💰💡 A massive thank you to our partner b2venture for making this possible and for continuously supporting the startups that brave the stage. It’s initiatives like these that help push the Swiss entrepreneurial ecosystem forward. ✨ 👏 Shout out to all the incredible participants who pitched their hearts out — the future is bright with talents like you! #START25 #STARTGlobal #STARTSummit #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #STARTSummiteer Credits 📸 : Melanie Buob & Sarina W.

We are incredibly proud of our portfolio company, Everlab, as they step into the next phase of their journey. Excited for what’s ahead! cc Johanna Jan-Hendrik

START Global Summit starts off tomorrow, and we couldn’t be more excited! Here’s where you can find us: 📅 Thursday, 20 March 🔹 10:30 - 11:15 | Workshop: “The Fourth Wave: How AI is going to change startup business models” – with Andreas | Workshop Room 1, Olma Halls 🔹 13:25 - 14:10 | Workshop: “Navigate the Angel Landscape – Insights from b2venture & Gil Horsky🎗️” – with Sabrina | Workshop Room 4, Olma Halls 🔹 14:30 - 14:55 | Main Stage: “From Student to Silicon Valley Investor: Matt Cohler’s Guide for Young Entrepreneurs”, interviewed by Florian on the Summit Stage 📅 Friday, 21 March 🔹 14:30 - 14:55 | Main Stage: “AI Legends: Shaping the Future of Europe” with Petar Tsankov from our portfolio company LatticeFlow AI 🔹 15:15 - 15:40 | Switzerland Area: "Unlocking Capital for Global Impact” – with Andreas 🔹 17:30 | Main Stage: START Summiteer Final – with Andreas 📍 Plus, you can always find us at our booth right to the Main Stage in the Kanton St.Gallen Area! If you haven't got your hands on a ticket yet, take your last chance with our discount code b2venture20. Looking forward to great conversations — see you there! 🚀

Welcome back! Anna Rösler (re)joins b2venture as Platform Lead. We’re happy to welcome Anna, who will be leading our Platform efforts. Anna joins us from Enpal, where she most recently worked as Principal Growth, accelerating the company’s expansion. Some of you may remember Anna from her time as a Visiting Analyst at b2venture, where she made a lasting impact with her hard work, dedication, and ability to bring people together. With her strategic mindset and positive energy, she inspires those around her, making her a perfect fit to strengthen our community and portfolio support. "We are delighted to have her back and are confident that her deep expertise and passion for building strong ecosystems will further strengthen our community and support our portfolio companies," said Dominik Perisa, Partner at b2venture. Anna will be at START Global starting tomorrow - feel free to reach out to her there! Please join us in welcoming Anna back to the b2venture family!