News
Stay up to date on our latest investments and exciting developments, backing the next generation of founders from the Ruhr region and beyond.
Otter Energy Trading Secures Pre-Seed Investment
Munich/Essen, 1 July 2025 – Munich-based ClimateTech startup Otter Energy Trading has successfully completed a pre-seed financing round. Investors include the GF BRYCK Ventures fund and experienced business angels. Otter Energy Trading plans to use the fresh capital...
LIDROTEC Raises $13.5 Million to Revolutionize Chip Singulation
Essen, 26 June 2025 – LIDROTEC, a deep tech start-up pioneering next-generation laser systems for low-damage, high-precision chip cutting, has announced the successful closing of a $13.5 million Series A-2 financing round. The round was co-led by Lam Capital, the...
Closing of €10 million GF BRYCK Ventures Fund
Essen, 09 April 2025 – Gründerfonds Ruhr (GFR II), in collaboration with BRYCK and RAG-Stiftung, is proud to announce the launch of GF BRYCK Ventures, a €10 million initiative to support B2B tech startups in their early stages. The fund will provide both financial and...
Thorben Bonn joins as Investment Associate
Essen, 03 March 2025 – Thorben Bonn is joining Gründerfonds Ruhr (Ruhrgründer Management GmbH) as an Investment Associate, further strengthening the team as the second generation of Gründerfonds Ruhr accelerates its growth. With Thorben as the third new team member in...
Nele Janßen joins as Investment Analyst
Essen, 10 February 2025 – Nele Janßen has joined Gründerfonds Ruhr (Ruhrgründer Management GmbH) as an Investment Analyst (working student/part-time), further strengthening the team as the second generation of Gründerfonds Ruhr gains significant momentum. Startup...
Dr. Fabian Hogrebe joins as Investment Manager
Essen, February 10, 2025 – Fabian Hogrebe has joined Gründerfonds Ruhr (Ruhrgründer Management GmbH) as an Investment Manager, further strengthening the team as the second generation of Gründerfonds Ruhr gains significant momentum. Venture Capital and startup...
Gründerfonds Ruhr celebrates its Portfolio Day 2024
Essen, 15 October 2024 - Gründerfonds Ruhr is kicking off its second fund generation with the recent first closing of Gründerfonds Ruhr II with an initial fund volume of €31M. To celebrate this huge milestone important partners, investors, startups and other relevant...
First Closing of €31M of Gründerfonds Ruhr II
Essen, 07 October 2024 - Gründerfonds Ruhr ("GFR") is kicking off its second fund generation with the first closing of Gründerfonds Ruhr II with an initial fund volume of €31M. The fund is offering financial and strategic support to startups from the Ruhr region and...
Ann-Christin Kortenbrede joins Gründerfonds Ruhr as Managing Partner
Essen, 01 March 2024 - Ann-Christin Kortenbrede is joining Gründerfonds Ruhr (Ruhrgründer Management GmbH) as the second Managing Partner alongside Jan Gräfe. The two build the new management team of the new fund generation that will be launched in 2024. From the...
talpasolutions raises €15M Series B
Essen, 28 March 2024 - talpasolutions, a leading IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), analytics and intelligence solution provider for heavy industry, is announcing today it has raised €15 million in Series B funding led by Bosch Ventures and MIG Capital. The round...
Gründerfonds Ruhr invests in VMRay
Bochum, 19 December 2022 - VMRay, a globally successful provider of solutions for detecting and analysing advanced malware and phishing threats, announces the extension of its Series B funding round. The expansion round was led by global alternative asset alternative...
Gründerfonds Ruhr invests in Spherity
Essen, 22 March 2022 - Spherity is proud to announce that Gründerfonds Ruhr has joined our latest investment round alongside our existing investors, High Tech Gründerfonds and SeedCapital Dortmund. With Gründerfonds Ruhr as a trusted partner, we...
Emergence Therapeutics raises oversubscribed €87M Series A Financing
Duisburg, 7 December 2021 - Emergence Therapeutics AG, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibody drug conjugates (ADC) for the treatment of cancers with high unmet needs, today announces that it has closed an €87 million series A financing round. The round...
Abalos completes €43M Series A extension
Düsseldorf, 14 October 2021 - Abalos Therapeutics today announced an expansion of its Series A financing. This increases the company's financing volume of the round to €43M ($50M). The expansion round was led by Seventure Partners, with support from Coparion, Ventura...
Jan Gräfe joins Gründerfonds Ruhr as Managing Director
4.5 Million Euro Series A Financing for talpasolutions
NRW.BANK Joins Venture Fund.
Emergence Therapeutics announces a bumped-up Follow-on Seed Round Financing
Duisburg, Marseille, 25 November 2020 - Emergence Therapeutics AG, a European biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibody drug conjugate (ADC) immuno-therapeutics to treat high need cancers, announces that is has closed a Bumped-up Follow-on Seed Round...
NRW.BANK grants convertible loan to Masterplan.com
Single-digit Million Financing for Online Training Platform.
VISUS Industry receives financing to lead digital material testing revolution
Start-up from Bochum digitizes and archives test processes.
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