OCCIDENT
OCCIDENT is a Munich-based, owner-managed venture capital firm investing its own capital in deep-tech life sciences and industrial tech spin-offs from scientific research across the DACH region, with 14 active portfolio companies and 7 exits including Tubulis's $3.15B sale to Gilead.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersMunich, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What OCCIDENT does
OCCIDENT (legal name: Occident Ventures GmbH) is an owner-managed venture capital firm founded in 2012 by Patrizia Schützenhöfer (CEO) and Michael Pauer (CIO), headquartered in Munich, Germany with a secondary office in Zug, Switzerland. The firm operates with a deliberately compact team of four — CEO, CIO, Senior Investment Manager for Life Sciences, and Junior Investment Manager — and invests its own capital, not external limited-partner funds, alongside co-investors in deep-tech startups. Its stated thesis is to fund spin-offs derived from scientific research that can generate sustainable societal impact, with a focus on the DACH region.
The firm's investment approach centers on Seed and Series A rounds with typical initial ticket sizes of €500,000 to €1,000,000, plus follow-on participation in subsequent rounds. Deal sourcing is driven by the proprietary OCCIDENT@ACADEMIA program, which formalizes partnerships with twelve-plus academic and research-institution partners including Max Planck Innovation, Helmholtz Association, TUM Venture Lab Healthcare, BioM, BioRN, SPRIND, University Hospital Zurich's Health Innovation Hub, and others. The active portfolio spans 14 companies across life sciences (biotech, pharma, diagnostics, MedTech, HealthTech, veterinary medicine, chemistry, FoodTech, industrial biotech) and industrial tech (sensors, semiconductors, advanced materials, software testing), with named holdings including Tubulis, Lymphatica Medtech, hemotune, InSphero, Resistell, Lunaphore, Code Intelligence, and core-sensing.
OCCIDENT generates returns exclusively through equity realizations on portfolio exits, with no management fees or external fund economics. The firm has recorded seven successful exits, the landmark being the April 2026 sale of portfolio company Tubulis to Gilead Sciences for $3.15 billion plus up to $1.85 billion in milestone payments — the largest transaction in OCCIDENT's history. Other exits include adivo (to Zoetis), Lunaphore (to Bio-Techne), and Versantis (to GENFIT). OCCIDENT develops no proprietary technology itself; its value proposition is fundamentally financial and relational — providing early-stage capital and active portfolio support to scientific founders in the DACH region.
OCCIDENT firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OCCIDENT
- Legal name
- Occident Ventures GmbH
- Website
- https://occident.group
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- OCCIDENT is a Munich-based, owner-managed venture capital firm investing its own capital in deep-tech life sciences and industrial tech spin-offs from scientific research across the DACH region, with 14 active portfolio companies and 7 exits including Tubulis's $3.15B sale to Gilead.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OCCIDENT industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Deep Tech / R&D Commercialization CVC (FSANAHAL)
Keywords
Where OCCIDENT is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Munich
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
OCCIDENT business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Returns: OCCIDENT generates returns through equity investments in deep tech startups. They invest their own capital alongside co-investors and earn returns upon successful exits of portfolio companies. Notable exits include Tubulis (sold to Gilead for $3.15B plus up to $1.85B in milestones), adivo (sold to Zoetis), and Lunaphore (sold to Bio-Techne).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
OCCIDENT product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OCCIDENT is an owner-managed venture capital firm that invests its own capital into deep-tech startups, beginning at the Seed financing round and continuing with follow-on investments through Series A and later rounds. The firm focuses on scientific research spin-offs across life sciences (Biotech, Pharma, Diagnostics, MedTech, HealthTech, Veterinary Medicine, Chemistry, FoodTech, Industrial Biotech) and industrial tech (semiconductors, sensors, advanced materials). In addition to capital, OCCIDENT provides active portfolio management and acts as a long-term partner to founders, leveraging its OCCIDENT@ACADEMIA program for deal sourcing.
Product overview
OCCIDENT is a Munich-based venture capital firm (The Science Investor) that provides investment services to deep-tech startups, particularly spin-offs from scientific research. Their offering consists of financial investment from Seed through Series A and follow-on rounds, combined with entrepreneurial support and strategic guidance. They invest their own capital with a focus on sustainable success potential. OCCIDENT's portfolio spans 14 active portfolio companies and 7 successful exits across life sciences, industrial tech, and digital sectors. Their investment focus areas include Biotech, Pharma, Diagnostics, MedTech, HealthTech, Veterinary Medicine, Chemistry, FoodTech, and Industrial Biotech.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Seed-stage equity financing Equity investments of typically €500,000–€1,000,000 into deep-tech startups originating from scientific research, supporting the earliest stages of company formation from academic spin-offs. Targeted at founding teams seeking initial venture capital to advance scientific innovations toward market readiness in life sciences and industrial tech.
- Series A equity financing Equity participation in Series A financing rounds of deep-tech portfolio companies, scaling up investments in subsequent rounds alongside co-investors. Targeted at venture-ready deep-tech companies seeking growth capital beyond Seed.
- Follow-on equity financing Continued equity participation in subsequent financing rounds (Series B, Series C, and later) of portfolio companies to support their continued growth. Targeted at existing OCCIDENT portfolio companies advancing toward later-stage clinical or commercial milestones.
- OCCIDENT@ACADEMIA program Structured partnership program with universities, research institutions, biotech clusters, and technology-transfer offices for sourcing and supporting academic spin-offs. Targeted at research institutions, universities, and founders seeking access to OCCIDENT's venture capital and expertise for commercializing scientific research.
Quantifiable outcome
- 7 successful exits including Tubulis ($3.15B exit to Gilead)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use OCCIDENT
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
OCCIDENT technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
OCCIDENT partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
22 partnerships are on record, tiered option and license agreement, strategic partnership, strategic collaboration, portfolio company, research collaboration, licensing agreement, legal entity, academic partner, csr partnership and key academic partner.
- Gilead Sciencesoption and license agreementTubulis entered into an option and license agreement with Gilead Sciences valued at up to $415 million to advance ADC treatment for solid tumors.
- Bio-Technestrategic partnershipLunaphore, an OCCIDENT portfolio company, entered a strategic partnership with Bio-Techne to develop a fully automated spatial multiomics workflow.
- AstraZenecastrategic collaborationhemotune, an OCCIDENT portfolio company, entered a feasibility project with AstraZeneca for its HemoSystem blood purification platform technology.
- Lymphatica Medtechportfolio companyOCCIDENT participated in Lymphatica's €17.9 million Series B funding round. Lymphatica develops implantable medical devices for lymphedema treatment.
- CRISP (Center for Research and Innovation in Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences)research collaborationResistell, an OCCIDENT portfolio company, collaborated with CRISP at CHUV Lausanne to combat multi-resistant bacterial lung infections.
- Bristol Myers Squibblicensing agreementTubulis entered a strategic licensing agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb for the development of next-generation ultra-stable antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).
- Pfizerresearch collaborationResistell started a research project with Pfizer to establish pre-clinical proof of concept for antibiotic susceptibility testing.
- Occident Ventures GmbHlegal entityThe official legal entity name of OCCIDENT is Occident Ventures GmbH, located at Klenzestr. 22, 80469 Munich.
- Helmholtz Associationacademic partnerOCCIDENT collaborates with the German Helmholtz Association through the OCCIDENT@ACADEMIA program to identify and support promising academic spin-offs. OCCIDENT serves on the Helmholtz Enterprise Jury.
- xista science venturesacademic partnerOCCIDENT partners with xista science ventures to co-organize pitch events and identify promising deep tech startups from academic backgrounds.
- CO-OPERAIDcsr partnershipOCCIDENT supports the CO-OPERAID Talents project, a scholarship program for youth from poor families in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Laos. OCCIDENT has supported this initiative for over 10 years, helping 54 students access higher education.
- University of Basel Innovation Officeacademic partnerOCCIDENT@ACADEMIA partner - supports spin-offs from University of Basel.
- BioindustryParkacademic partnerOCCIDENT@ACADEMIA partner - supports biotech spin-offs in the BioindustryPark ecosystem.
- BioMacademic partnerOCCIDENT@ACADEMIA partner - Munich biotech cluster network supporting spin-offs.
- BioRNacademic partnerOCCIDENT@ACADEMIA partner - Rhine-Neckar biotech cluster supporting academic spin-offs.
- Gateway to Kölnacademic partnerOCCIDENT@ACADEMIA partner - Cologne startup gateway supporting academic commercialization.
- Max Planck Innovationkey academic partnerOCCIDENT@ACADEMIA partner - technology transfer organization for Max Planck Society, a key source of deep tech spin-offs.
- National Institute of Chemistry (Slovenia)academic partnerOCCIDENT@ACADEMIA partner - supports spin-offs from the National Institute of Chemistry in Ljubljana.
- SPRINDacademic partnerOCCIDENT@ACADEMIA partner - supports deep tech startups through Germany's SPRIND innovation agency.
- TUM Venture Lab Healthcarekey academic partnerOCCIDENT@ACADEMIA partner - supports spin-offs from Technical University of Munich's healthcare vertical.
- USI (Università della Svizzera Italiana)academic partnerOCCIDENT@ACADEMIA partner - supports spin-offs from USI in southern Switzerland.
- University Hospital Zurich (USZ) Health Innovation Hubacademic partnerOCCIDENT@ACADEMIA partner - supports healthcare spin-offs from USZ.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
OCCIDENT competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF): German federal seed/early-stage VC focused on deep tech and life sciences, co-investor with OCCIDENT in Tubulis. Directly comparable in geography, ticket size, and academic-spin-off sourcing model.
- coparion: Cologne-based German VC investing Seed-to-Series A in technology-enabled and life sciences startups. Co-invested with OCCIDENT in Tubulis Series B, sharing similar initial ticket sizes and DACH focus.
- Bayern Kapital: Bavarian state-backed VC fund providing Seed to later-stage capital to technology and life sciences startups in the OCCIDENT home region. Existing co-investor in Tubulis Series C rounds.
- Forbion: Leading European life sciences specialist VC with deep biotech focus across multiple therapeutic areas. Comparable in thesis (science-driven biotech investing) but operates at significantly larger AUM.
- xista science ventures: Austrian-based deep tech and science-focused VC co-organizing pitch events with OCCIDENT. Closest scale and thesis match — both focus on academic spin-offs in DACH.
- BioMedPartners: Swiss/German-based VC investing in life sciences and biotech companies. Co-invested with OCCIDENT in Tubulis Series B — comparable academic-spin-out pipeline and DACH geography.
Broad incumbents
- Andera Partners: Paris-based private equity and venture investor with a sizeable European life sciences franchise. Led Tubulis Series B (€60M) — directly overlapping OCCIDENT in life sciences deal underwriting at scale.
- EQT Life Sciences: Pan-European life sciences investor (formerly LSP), writing Series A through growth cheques. Co-invested with OCCIDENT in Tubulis Series C, overlapping in late-stage biotech deal participation.
- Seventure Partners: Paris-based European VC with strong life sciences/healthcare franchise. Co-investor in Tubulis Series C, comparable in cross-stage European biotech investing but with larger fund management structure.
- Evotec: Large drug-discovery and development platform with an active VC/strategic partnership arm. Co-invested in Tubulis Series B and directly overlaps with OCCIDENT portfolio in early-stage biotech deal participation.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
OCCIDENT social profiles
Digital presenceOCCIDENT financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OCCIDENT leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
OCCIDENT funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OCCIDENT M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments38 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about OCCIDENT
What does OCCIDENT do?
OCCIDENT is an owner-managed venture capital firm that invests its own capital into deep-tech startups, beginning at the Seed financing round and continuing with follow-on investments through Series A and later rounds. The firm focuses on scientific research spin-offs across life sciences (Biotech, Pharma, Diagnostics, MedTech, HealthTech, Veterinary Medicine, Chemistry, FoodTech, Industrial Biotech) and industrial tech (semiconductors, sensors, advanced materials). In addition to capital, OCCIDENT provides active portfolio management and acts as a long-term partner to founders, leveraging its OCCIDENT@ACADEMIA program for deal sourcing.
Is OCCIDENT a public or private company?
OCCIDENT is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was OCCIDENT founded?
OCCIDENT was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is OCCIDENT based?
OCCIDENT is headquartered in Munich, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does OCCIDENT make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Returns.
Who are OCCIDENT's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), coparion, Bayern Kapital, Forbion, xista science ventures and BioMedPartners. Broad incumbents are Andera Partners, EQT Life Sciences, Seventure Partners and Evotec.
Does OCCIDENT have an API?
No public API is recorded for OCCIDENT.
What industry is OCCIDENT in?
OCCIDENT's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAHAL, Corporate Deep Tech / R&D Commercialization CVC. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.