Berlin, 8 December 2025 – CODE University of Applied Sciences has received more than €5 million in key financing from renowned founders and funds. This will enable the university to continue pursuing its goals of consolidating its place in the top 10 German startup universities1 and expanding its educational offerings and strengthening entrepreneurship. The strong network is being expanded to include important investors. With GF BRYCK Ventures, they have gained a new investor that will continue the previous commitment of the RAG-Stiftung. Existing shareholders IBB Capital, Fadelia, and CODE Trust have once again participated.
With their investment in education, the investors confirm CODE’s success and place their trust in the model with its strong focus on entrepreneurship. In the eight years since its founding, students and alumni have founded over 230 companies. This number is set to double in the next four years. The funds will be used in particular for the further development of new study programs, the expansion of international partnerships, and the digital infrastructure, especially for challenging AI projects.
IBB Capital is providing a significant portion of the funds as part of the BerlinInnoGrowth program, refinanced by Investitionsbank Berlin and KfW (Zukunftsfonds). The program specifically supports growth-oriented, innovative companies in Berlin whose models have a social and entrepreneurial impact. With this renewed commitment, IBB Capital is sending a strong signal for future-oriented entrepreneurship. In this context, Fadelia is once again participating as a long-standing partner and co-investor.
GF BRYCK Ventures, a venture fund focused on investing in very young startups, combines its investment in CODE with a clear vision: The investment is intended to help provide students with application-oriented and entrepreneurial training, thereby empowering more potential founders and inspiring them to become entrepreneurs. The venture fund’s entry confirms the relevance of the model of a project-based, entrepreneurial university within the innovation and tech scene.
Comments on the financing round
“This financing round enables us to continue our strong growth and further expand our role as an international university for creative tech pioneers,” says Dr. Reimar Müller-Thum, Managing Director and University Chancellor of CODE. “We are very pleased that both institutional and private investors are actively supporting our path.”
Torsten Harr, Managing Director of IBB Capital GmbH, adds: “Our continued commitment to CODE is a concrete contribution to strengthening Berlin’s startup ecosystem and Germany as a location for innovation. We invest in institutions and business models that have a social impact and promote innovation and diversity in the long term. CODE University educates the tech talents that Berlin companies need for their innovative future – that’s why we are very happy to continue supporting the university.”
Jan Gräfe, Co-Managing Director of GF BRYCK Ventures, says: “CODE is an extraordinary institution that empowers young talent to take responsibility and produce genuine innovation. We see the ideal conditions here for training the next generation of founders in Germany. We look forward to supporting this growth in the future and continuing the important commitment of the RAG-Stiftung.”
Support from the circle of shareholders
As part of its ongoing growth financing, CODE University of Applied Sciences is once again receiving significant support from its circle of shareholders. Several long-standing investors, including Stephan Schambach, Rolf Schrömgens, Florian Heinemann, Petra Becker, Daniel Krauss, Thomas Bachem, Gero Decker, and Karsten Schneider, have recommitted themselves in this round. They have all been influential figures in the CODE environment for many years and are making a decisive contribution to enabling the university to further expand its reputation as a place for creative tech innovators.