Tengelmann E-Commerce Beteiligungs GmbH

With the guideline “Funding your ideas” Tengelmann E-Commerce Sub-Holding GmbH has been assisting rapidly growing, young businesses since the end of 2009 and already is one of the most significant start-up-investors in Germany. The main focal point of the investments is towards e-commerce and social-commerce-concepts, marketplaces, as well as on internet and web-enabling-technologies. Tengelmann E-Commerce Sub-Holding GmbH provides assistance to businesses with extensive finance and management know-how as well as through infrastructure-services.

Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments

BDMI is a strategic venture investor focused on innovative digital media technologies, products and distribution channels across the globe. They look for opportunities to accelerate growth through BDMI's financial and management resources and close connectivity with one or more Bertelsmann divisions. BDMI is a subsidiary of Bertelsmann AG. With consolidated revenues of over €15.4 billion (U.S. $21.4 billion), Bertelsmann AG is an international media corporation encompassing television (RTL Group), book publishing (Random House), magazine publishing (Gruner + Jahr), media services (Arvato) and media clubs (Direct Group) in more than 50 countries.

Venture Incubator

VI Partners is a Swiss venture capital firm that supports university offshoots and other promising startup companies with capital, coaching, consulting and networks. Via their current “Venture Incubator” fund, VI Partners invests “Smart Money” to turn promising technology-based ideas for products and services into successful businesses. Venture Incubator was established by McKinsey & Company and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETHZ), and started operations in 2001. It now manages an investment fund of 101 million Swiss francs with investors representing 10 blue chip enterprises from industry and finance.

High-Tech Gründerfonds

High-Tech Gründerfonds invests venture capital into budding high-potential technology companies that convert promising research results into successful businesses. The seed of financing they provide enables startups to grow their R&D propositions into the development of a prototype, proof of concept and possibly even a market launch. Investors in this public/private partnership are the German Federal Ministry for Business and Technology (BMWi), the KfW Banking Group and six industrial companies including BASF, Deutsche Telekom, Siemens, Robert Bosch, Daimler and Carl Zeiss. High-Tech Gründerfonds has approximately €272 million under management.