APX

Venture Capital (Pre-Seed Investment)apx.vc

APX is a Berlin-based pre-seed venture capital firm backed by Axel Springer and Porsche, investing up to EUR 500K in early-stage European startups, often as their first institutional investor, with over 185 portfolio companies since 2018.

Company typePrivate
Founded2018
HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What APX does

APX is a Berlin-based, earliest-stage venture capital firm that invests up to EUR 500K in pre-seed startups, typically deploying a quick EUR 50K initial ticket. Founded in 2018 as the successor to Axel Springer Plug & Play (which began pre-seed investing in 2013 and produced the fintech unicorn N26), APX is structured as a German limited partnership (Axel Springer Porsche GmbH & Co. KG) and is jointly backed by Axel Springer, a major media and technology company, and Porsche, the sports car manufacturer. The firm targets ambitious European pre-seed founding teams building digital business models, often serving as the first institutional investor.

Since 2018 APX has backed 185+ founding teams across Europe, with a portfolio spanning fintech, real estate, fashion, funeral services, AI-powered foodservice checkout (VisioLab), and AI motorsport coaching (Track Titan). It manages the existing APX portfolio while new pre-seed investments are now made through its successor fund HEARTFELT_, launched in May 2023 under the same management team. The firm generates returns through carried interest on equity stakes and realized exits, with no fees charged to portfolio companies.

The team is intentionally lean (1-10 employees) and led by Managing Directors Dr. Henric Hungerhoff and Jörg Rheinboldt. APX's distribution is essentially deal origination through direct pitch submissions, the website (apx.vc), and its decade-old network of founders and co-investors. Notable follow-on activity in 2025-2026 includes participation in Track Titan's $5M seed round and VisioLab's $11M Series A, demonstrating ongoing capital support for high-growth portfolio companies.

APX firmographics

Firmographics

Name: APX
Legal name: Axel Springer Porsche GmbH & Co. KG
Website: https://apx.vc
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2018
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: APX is a Berlin-based pre-seed venture capital firm backed by Axel Springer and Porsche, investing up to EUR 500K in early-stage European startups, often as their first institutional investor, with over 185 portfolio companies since 2018.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

APX industry classification

Industry

Product category: Venture Capital (Pre-Seed Investment)
NAICS: Other Financial Investment Activities (5239), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
SIC: Investment Advice (6282)
akta.pro primary industry: Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
akta.pro secondary industry: Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

Keywords

Pre-seed venture capital
Earliest-stage startup funding
Corporate venture capital
Seed investment Europe
First institutional investor

Where APX is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Berlin
HQ country: Germany
HQ region: Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

APX business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

Investment Returns: APX generates returns through equity investments in early-stage startups. The firm takes ownership stakes in portfolio companies and realizes returns through exits via acquisitions, IPOs, or secondary sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

APX product offering

Product offering

Core offering

APX is an earliest-stage venture capital firm that invests up to EUR 500K in pre-seed startups, beginning with a quick EUR 50K initial investment. The firm provides capital, mentorship, network access, and strategic resources to founding teams from Europe and beyond, often serving as their first institutional investor. All new pre-seed investments are now routed through the HEARTFELT_ successor fund, while APX continues to support its existing portfolio of 185+ companies.

Product overview

APX is a venture capital firm based in Berlin that serves as an earliest-stage investor, providing pre-seed funding and support to startup founding teams. The firm operates as a platform for early-stage investment rather than as a product company with distinct commercial offerings. APX has invested in and supported over 185+ exceptional founding teams from across Europe since 2018, having begun investing in 2013 through Axel Springer Plug & Play. The firm is backed by Axel Springer and Porsche. All new pre-seed investments are now being made through the successor fund HEARTFELT_, while APX continues to support its existing portfolio companies. The portfolio includes companies such as Getquin (DIY investment software), Emmora (funeral industry digitization), Offmade (digital investment real estate platform), and Unown (premium sustainable fashion leasing platform).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

HEARTFELT_: Successor fund to APX for making new pre-seed investments, launched in May 2023, leveraging learnings and communities built over the past decade.

Products and services

APX Pre-Seed Investment Program Earliest-stage venture capital investment vehicle that deploys up to EUR 500K into pre-seed startups, starting with a EUR 50K initial cheque, alongside mentorship, network access, and strategic support. Targeted at European founding teams with digital business models, often as their first institutional investor.
HEARTFELT_ Successor Fund Successor pre-seed fund to APX that absorbs all new initial investments, leveraging the team's decade of community and investing learnings while APX continues to manage the existing portfolio.

Companies that use APX

Customer profile

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

APX technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

APX partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

HEARTFELT_coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuccessor fund to APX launched in May 2023. All new pre-seed investments are made through HEARTFELT_ while APX continues to support existing portfolio companies. Leverages learnings and communities built over the past decade with the same team managing both vehicles.
Axel Springer Plug and PlaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPredecessor to APX that started pre-seed investments in 2013 and invested in over 100 companies including fintech unicorn N26. APX succeeded this program as the successor vehicle backed by Axel Springer and Porsche.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

APX competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Speedinvest: Vienna-based early-stage VC investing across Europe with multiple sector-focused funds. Directly comparable as a European pre-seed/seed investor with similar check sizes and founder-first approach.
Cherry Ventures: Berlin-based early-stage VC focused on European pre-seed and seed founders. Closest geographic and stage peer to APX, with similar first-check philosophy and pan-European scope.
Point Nine Capital: Berlin-based seed-stage VC investing in B2B SaaS and marketplaces across Europe. Comparable stage, geography, and B2B-oriented portfolio construction.
Earlybird Venture Capital: One of Berlin's longest-standing European early-stage VCs. Comparable as a Berlin-headquartered investor focused on early-stage European tech with similar follow-on participation patterns.
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF): Germany's leading seed investor, frequently co-investing with APX (e.g., VisioLab Series A). Directly comparable as a German pre-seed/seed investor with similar ticket sizes and corporate-co-investor model.
Fly Ventures: Berlin-based pre-seed fund backing technical European founders. Closely comparable as a Berlin-headquartered pre-seed specialist with similar founding-team emphasis.
Cavalry Ventures: Berlin-based pre-seed/seed VC focused on European tech founders. Comparable stage, location, and B2B/consumer pre-seed investment style.
Atlantic Labs: Berlin-based early-stage VC backing science- and technology-driven European founders. Comparable as a Berlin-based earliest-stage investor with deep tech orientation.

Broad incumbents

Partech: Pan-European VC with broad stage range (seed through growth). Co-investor with APX in Track Titan's $5M seed; broader incumbent offering overlapping capability at the seed stage.
Antler: Global early-stage investor and founder generator with strong European presence. Comparable as a high-volume pre-seed investor across European geographies, though structurally broader than APX.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

APX financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

APX leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

APX funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

APX M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments186 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about APX

What does APX do?

Is APX a public or private company?

APX is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was APX founded?

APX was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is APX based?

APX is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.

How does APX make money?

One revenue line is on record: investment Returns.

Who are APX's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Speedinvest, Cherry Ventures, Point Nine Capital, Earlybird Venture Capital, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Fly Ventures, Cavalry Ventures and Atlantic Labs. Broad incumbents are Partech and Antler.

Does APX have an API?

No public API is recorded for APX.

What industry is APX in?

APX's product category is Venture Capital (Pre-Seed Investment). Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 5239 and its SIC code is 6282.