Hermann Hauser Investment

What Hermann Hauser Investment does

Hermann Hauser Investment GmbH is a privately held Austrian venture capital firm founded in 2016 and headquartered in Innsbruck. The firm invests early-stage equity — primarily Seed and Series A rounds — into science-based and deep tech startups across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), with Central Europe treated as a benchmark rather than a hard geographic limit. Its stated investment verticals include Computing and Artificial Intelligence, Mobility and Communication, and Life Sciences and Health Care, with portfolio exposure extending to Quantum Computing, Synthetic Biology, Electronics, Digital Health, and Operating Systems. Named portfolio companies include Anyline, Byrd, Easelink, ParityQC, and the more recent Vitrealab (photonic integrated circuits for AR light engines), and the firm cites 25+ portfolio investments primarily in Austrian startups alongside co-investment relationships with 5 Austrian VC funds.

The firm's core differentiator is the personal track record and network of its founder Hermann Hauser, a Vienna-born, Tirol-raised physicist with a PhD from Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory who has co-founded or invested in Acorn Computers, ARM, Cambridge Silicon Radio, Solexa, Entropic Research Labs, and Icera. Hauser was knighted as Knight Commander in 2015 and serves as Deputy Chairman of the EIC Pilot Advisory Board. HHI is family-controlled: Hermann Hauser as Founder/Advisor, his son Johannes Hauser as Co-Founder and CEO, Michael Hauser-Raspe as Shareholder, with three additional investment and back-office professionals on staff. The firm maintains core strategic partnerships with I.E.C.T. (Institute for Entrepreneurship Cambridge-Tirol, operating since 2015), the Spin-off Austria initiative (co-founded by Hermann Hauser), and Onsight Ventures (a Tirol-based deep tech seed fund sharing personnel).

HHI's business model is a transaction-fee-driven investment returns model: the firm realizes returns through equity investments, follow-on participation, and portfolio exits, with investment terms negotiated individually with entrepreneurs rather than publicly disclosed. Deal sourcing is relationship-based — inbound Typeform applications, I.E.C.T. programs, university spin-off pipelines, and Onsight Ventures referrals — rather than a scaled marketing or sales motion. As a Beteiligungsgesellschaft (holding/investment company), HHI itself does not develop technology products; its output is capital deployment, portfolio mentorship, and ecosystem support to academic founders in Central Europe.

Name

Hermann Hauser Investment

Legal name

Hermann Hauser Investment GmbH

Website

https://hhi.ventures

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hermann Hauser Investment GmbH is a privately held, family-controlled Innsbruck-based micro-VC investing Seed and Series A equity into science-based deep tech startups across the DACH region, leveraging founder Hermann Hauser's Cambridge/Silicon Fen network and partnerships with I.E.C.T., Spin-off Austria, and Onsight Ventures for deal flow.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early-Stage Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Early-stage equity funding
• Deep tech startups
• Seed series A investments
• DACH region venture capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Innsbruck

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns and Capital Gains: The firm generates returns through equity investments in early-stage deep tech startups, primarily in Seed and Series A stages within the DACH region. Returns are realized through exits, follow-on funding rounds, and portfolio company growth.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hermann Hauser Investment GmbH is a private Austrian venture capital firm that provides Seed and Series A equity investments to early-stage deep tech startups primarily in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). The firm invests in science-based entrepreneurship across verticals including AI, Digital Health, Synthetic Biology, Operating Systems, Electronics, and Quantum Computing, leveraging its co-investor network and Cambridge/Silicon Fen ecosystem connections. Portfolio companies receive early-stage capital, mentorship, and access to an international network of technology partners and follow-on investors.

Product overview

Hermann Hauser Investment is a venture capital and investment company, not a product company. It operates as a Beteiligungsgesellschaft (holding/investment company) that provides equity funding to early-stage deep tech startups in Central Europe, primarily in the DACH region. The company does not develop or sell its own technology products or services; rather, it invests in portfolio companies such as Anyline, Byrd, Easelink, and ParityQC. The investment firm offers strategic support, network access, and co-investment opportunities to science-based entrepreneurs rather than a defined product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seed and Series A Equity Investment Program Equity capital program targeting early-stage deep tech startups in the DACH region at Seed and Series A stages. Provides funding alongside mentorship, network access to the Cambridge/Silicon Fen ecosystem, and co-investor introductions. Focused on verticals including AI, Digital Health, Synthetic Biology, Operating Systems, Electronics, and Quantum Computing.
• Follow-On Funding Participation Continued participation in subsequent funding rounds of portfolio companies, providing follow-on capital alongside the firm's network of co-investors to support portfolio company growth from Seed through later stages.
• Strategic Partnership and Mentorship for Portfolio Companies Beyond capital, the firm provides portfolio companies with mentorship in scaling, access to the Cambridge/Silicon Fen ecosystem, introductions to international co-investors, and guidance in business model development for deep tech products.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• I.E.C.T. (Institute for Entrepreneurship Cambridge-Tirol)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2015, I.E.C.T. supports deep tech entrepreneurs with founding, product development, and market introduction through programs including Summer School on Entrepreneurship and Innovator's Road. Programs target Austrian, European, and global founders with scientific backgrounds.
• Spin-off AustriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative founded by Hermann Hauser and Herbert Gartner to raise awareness that entrepreneurship is a third pillar of Austrian universities alongside research and teaching. Long-term goal is to make spin-offs the rule rather than the exception.
• Onsight VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational investment fund based in Innsbruck with focus on identifying and validating Deep Tech startups at early stage. Led by outstanding individuals and dynamic young team with experience in early-stage deep tech investing.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Speedinvest: Vienna-based early-stage VC with strong DACH focus and sector specialists across deep tech, fintech, and industrial tech. Directly comparable to HHI in stage (Seed/Series A), geography, and check size.
• aws Gründerfonds: Austrian seed/early-stage VC backed by AWS (Austria Wirtschaftsservice) investing in Austrian deep tech and tech-enabled startups. Direct peer in geography and stage; HHI has even co-invested with them in Vitrealab.
• xista Science Ventures: Austrian science-focused VC investing in deep tech spin-offs from universities in the DACH region. Direct peer by thematic focus on academic spin-offs; also a co-investor alongside HHI in Vitrealab's Series A.
• Onsight Ventures: Innsbruck-based Seed-stage deep tech VC run by HHI's own Investment Manager (Jasmin Güngör). Closest geographic and thematic peer; functions both as a partner and a directly comparable fund.
• APEX Ventures: European early-stage deep tech VC with offices in Vienna and Munich, investing in Seed/Series A in AI, robotics, photonics, and advanced computing. Directly comparable stage and sector focus.
• b2venture (formerly b-to-v): St. Gallen-based early-stage VC with strong focus on deep tech and DACH/Central European academic spin-offs. Direct peer in stage, geography, and science-based thesis.

Broad incumbents

• Earlybird Venture Capital: One of Europe's largest and longest-standing early-stage VCs with a deep tech and university spin-out franchise (e.g., unicorns from TU Munich). Comparable by deep tech thesis but materially larger AUM and broader portfolio than HHI.
• HV Capital: Germany-headquartered early-to-growth VC with deep DACH roots and exposure to deep tech, software, and consumer. Comparable geography and DACH deal-flow orientation, but significantly larger fund size and later-stage reach than HHI.

Regional players

• LIFTT Italian Venture Capital: Italian deep tech Seed/Series A investor that has co-led rounds with HHI (e.g., Vitrealab Series A). Comparable by stage and deep tech thesis, but focused primarily on Italian ventures rather than DACH.

Emerging players

• PhotonVentures: Netherlands-based specialist VC focused exclusively on photonic and semiconductor deep tech. Niche peer — directly comparable in stage and to HHI's photonics exposure (Vitrealab), but with a narrower thematic mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments6 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Hermann Hauser Investment