What DeepTech & Climate Fonds does

DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF) is a German venture capital fund established in 2022 with €1 billion in committed capital from the German Future Fund (Zukunftsfonds, administered under BMWE/BMF) and the ERP Special Fund, managed by DeepTech & Climate Fonds Management GmbH. Headquartered in Bonn with offices in Berlin and Munich, the fund invests €5–50 million per company in early growth-stage deep tech and climate tech businesses across Germany and Europe, taking minority equity positions (under 25% voting rights) and operating with a 25-year fund lifetime to accommodate long development cycles typical of capital-intensive deep tech ventures. Its core customer segments are DeepTech and ClimateTech startups in areas including quantum computing, semiconductors, space technology, fusion energy, advanced manufacturing, battery technology, and life sciences.

DTCF's sole product is its investment services, structured around direct equity deployment and co-investment syndicates with European VCs (HV Capital, Balderton, Plural, Wellington Partners, EIC Fund, Bosch Ventures) and corporate strategics. As of early 2026, the portfolio comprises approximately 19 companies across four primary verticals — Industry & Automation, Computing & Security, Climate & Sustainability, and Life Sciences & HealthTech — including Proxima Fusion (fusion energy), FMC (ferroelectric memory chips for AI data centers), The Exploration Company (reusable spacecraft), Nuclidium (radiopharmaceuticals), planqc (quantum computing), cylib (battery recycling), and UniverCell (battery cell manufacturing). Investments span stages from seed (e.g., Proxima Fusion's €20M seed in April 2024) through Series C (FMC €100M, November 2025), with deal sizes scaling materially in 2025–2026.

The fund operates a sales-led origination model combining inbound pitch submissions, industry conference presence (Bits & Pretzels, Slush, Sifted Summit, HTVD), and ecosystem networks, with decisions driven by thorough due diligence and Managing Director approval. Revenue mechanics follow standard VC fund economics: management fees on committed/deployed capital during the investment period, with return generation deferred to exits, IPOs, and secondaries of portfolio equity. In February 2026, DTCF merged operations with High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) into a unified public-private investment platform providing continuous seed-to-growth financing for German and European technology companies.

Name

DeepTech & Climate Fonds

Legal name

DeepTech & Climate Fonds Management GmbH

Website

https://dtcf.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF) is a German venture capital fund backed by the German Future Fund and ERP Special Fund with €1B in committed capital, investing €5–50M per company in early growth-stage deep tech and climate tech companies across Germany and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital and Growth Equity Investment

NAICS

Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), Other Financial Vehicles (52599)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

SDG / Thematic Sustainable Investment Funds (FSANAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem Investment Arms (FSANAHAF)

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Deep tech growth capital
• Climate tech funding
• Growth stage investments
• Sovereign backed venture fund

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fund Management and Equity Returns: DTCF generates returns through equity stakes in portfolio companies. As a growth-stage investor taking minority positions (<25% voting rights), returns are realized through exits, IPOs, or secondary transactions of portfolio company equity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF) is a €1B German venture capital fund that invests €5-50M per company in early growth-stage deep tech and climate tech companies across Germany and Europe. The fund takes minority positions (<25% voting rights), acts as an anchor investor, and provides long-term patient capital with a 25-year fund lifetime for technology companies with extended development cycles. Backed by the German Future Fund (Zukunftsfonds) and ERP Special Fund, DTCF bridges investors, SMEs, and early growth-stage startups across Life Sciences, Computing, Climate, and Industry sectors.

Product overview

DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF) is a German venture capital fund that operates as a single unified investment service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The fund provides growth capital (€5-50M per company) to early growth-stage deep tech and climate tech companies in Germany and Europe. DTCF's primary offering is its investment services, backed by the German Future Fund and ERP Special Fund, targeting companies with long development cycles in sectors including Life Sciences, Computing, Climate, and Industry. The fund maintains a portfolio of approximately 19 companies invested in since 2023, including portfolio companies across radiopharmaceuticals (Nuclidium), battery technology (UniverCell, cylib), quantum computing (planqc, Kipu Quantum), fusion energy (Proxima Fusion), semiconductors (FMC), and space technology (The Exploration Company).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DTCF Investment Services DeepTech & Climate Fonds provides venture capital investment services, deploying €5-50M per company in early growth-stage deep tech and climate tech companies across Germany and Europe. The fund acts as an anchor investor and long-term partner, supporting companies with extended development cycles and substantial financial needs.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 November 2025DTCF and HTGF joined forces on February 1, 2026 to form a new public-private investment platform. The platform unifies HTGF Seed Funds, HTGF Opportunity Fund, and DTCF's growth investments, creating a continuous financing path from seed to growth stage for technology companies in Germany and Europe.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF): Germany's leading seed-stage deeptech VC, now merged with DTCF since February 2026 to form a unified seed-to-growth platform. HTGF operates the seed layer of what DTCF anchors at growth, sharing the same deeptech thesis and many of the same portfolio companies.
• European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund: EU sovereign-backed fund investing €5-30M tickets in European deeptech and breakthrough technology companies. DTCF and EIC routinely co-invest (e.g., UniverCell, LiveEO), and EIC serves as the pan-European complement to DTCF's German-centric mandate.
• KfW Capital: German state-backed fund-of-funds providing capital to German and European VC funds. KfW Capital is a structural peer within Germany's public-private VC ecosystem, supporting German deeptech through fund-of-funds investments alongside direct programs like DTCF.
• Vsquared Ventures: European deeptech VC investing in next-generation computing, mobility, energy, and healthcare. Vsquared has co-invested with DTCF in multiple rounds (FMC, others) and competes for the same European deeptech founders.
• Earlybird Venture Capital: One of Europe's largest early-stage VCs with deeptech and growth-stage focus, investing across Germany and Europe. Earlybird has been a longstanding German VC peer, with prior team members (e.g., Stephanie Stein) moving between the two firms.
• HV Capital: Munich-headquartered growth-stage VC investing in European tech companies across multiple sectors. HV Capital co-led the €100M FMC financing with DTCF and is a frequent co-investment partner for German deeptech rounds.
• Balderton Capital: London-based European growth-stage VC with significant deeptech and enterprise exposure. Balderton led The Exploration Company's Series B alongside DTCF, demonstrating its role as a parallel growth investor in European deeptech.
• Freigeist Capital: Bonn-headquartered German deeptech seed/early-stage VC. Several DTCF team members (Alexander Paß, Lena Stache) previously worked at Freigeist, making it a closely related German deeptech peer at the earlier stage of the financing stack.

Regional players

• Bpifrance: French sovereign investment bank and fund manager operating direct and fund-of-fund deeptech/climate investing programs analogous to DTCF. Bpifrance is the French structural peer in the European public VC landscape but operates primarily in France rather than Germany.

Broad incumbents

• Atomico: Major European venture capital firm with a broader sector mandate but growing deeptech and climate exposure. Atomico is a larger-scale peer that competes for late-stage European deeptech allocations alongside DTCF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/78389716

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments25 records

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

Frequently asked questions about DeepTech & Climate Fonds