Scale Now GmbH

What Scale Now GmbH does

Scale Now GmbH, operating as Scale Now Ventures, is a privately held investment club founded in 2022 and registered in Düsseldorf, Germany under the legal entity Scale Now GP GmbH (Klaus-Bungert-Straße 3, 40468 Düsseldorf; Commercial Register Düsseldorf HRB 106978). The firm functions as a flexible investment platform that brings together handpicked early-stage startups with handpicked co-investors across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and the United States, deploying the founders' own capital alongside family offices, C-level executives, and serial entrepreneurs. Scale Now does not operate a traditional pooled fund; each investment is structured as a tailored syndicate of aligned co-investors with shared strategic fit, rather than as a vehicle with management fees or limited partners.

The firm invests across at least eight sectors, with a disclosed portfolio of 20+ companies including Carbon6 Robotics (robotics), PalmaAI, VerdoAI and Skydaddyai (AI), Sphaira Medical (healthtech), Ghost Security (cybersecurity), CoachOS (coaching technology), JustHome (real estate), vGreens and Vegdog (sustainability/food), and Storypod (content/media). Co-founders Carsten Puschmann and Daniel Jürgensen anchor the firm: Puschmann has built companies over 30+ years including the technology firm behind major loyalty programs such as Miles & More, Payback, and bahnBonus, while Jürgensen is head of the MRH family office, a lawyer, and former Chief Strategy Officer of a publicly listed global company with experience in cross-border M&A and as a managing director of a corporate venture arm.

Scale Now's business model is return-driven rather than fee-driven: revenue, to the extent it exists, derives from capital gains on portfolio exits, and the firm explicitly does not charge management fees typical of VC funds. Distribution is entirely network-based—deal flow is sourced through the co-founders' personal networks, industry connections, and referrals from existing portfolio companies and advisors, while new co-investors are onboarded via a website contact form and direct outreach. The firm positions itself as a hands-on operational partner that supports founders with strategic guidance, business modeling, market entry, and scaling, using media presence (podcast, mentorship, column writing) and a "people-first, all-in" investment philosophy as the primary brand differentiators against data-driven fund managers.

Name

Scale Now GmbH

Legal name

Scale Now GP GmbH

Website

https://scale-now.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Scale Now GmbH, operating as Scale Now Ventures, is a Düsseldorf-based investment club founded in 2022 that deploys its own capital alongside handpicked co-investors into early-stage startups across the DACH region and the United States, currently holding 20+ portfolio companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early-Stage Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSANAAAE

Geography-Focused Venture Capital (Regional/Emerging Markets)

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Venture Capital Firms

SECONDARYFSANAGAF

Emerging Manager / Seeding Platforms (Multi-Manager)

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms

Keywords

• Early-stage venture capital
• Investment club platform
• Startup equity funding
• Co-investment syndicates
• Founder operational support

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: Scale Now Ventures generates returns through equity investments in early-stage startups. As an investment club that deploys its own capital alongside co-investors, the revenue model is based on capital gains from portfolio company exits (acquisitions, IPOs). The firm does not charge management fees typical of VC funds — it operates as co-investors with skin in the game.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Scale Now Ventures is a modern investment club that deploys its own capital alongside aligned co-investors into early-stage startups in the DACH region and the United States. Beyond capital deployment, the firm provides hands-on operational support to founders across product development, fundraising, hiring, and growth. It also curates a co-investor network for family offices, C-level executives, and serial entrepreneurs seeking curated deal flow.

Product overview

Scale Now Ventures is a modern investment club and venture capital platform, not a technology product company. It does not offer a software product or SaaS platform. The company operates as an investment vehicle that brings together handpicked startups and investors, providing early-stage capital deployment, operational support, and tailored investor syndicates for exceptional ventures in the DACH region and U.S. The firm invests its own capital alongside family offices, C-level executives, and serial entrepreneurs, supporting founders from idea validation through scaling. The portfolio consists of equity investments in various startups (Ares Industries, Carbon6 Robotics, CoachOS, Ghost Security, Fredie, GivingJoy, Kanaan, JustHome, Loosh, Nomadi, Palma AI, Saintsass, Skydaddyai, Sphaira Medical, StarcInvest, Storypod, vGreens, Vegdog, VerdoAI, Visus.One), not proprietary products or services offered by Scale Now Ventures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early-Stage Capital Investment with Operational Support

Quantifiable outcome

• 20+ portfolio companies invested across multiple sectors

Named customers20 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Speedinvest: Pan-European early-stage VC with strong DACH presence investing across sectors from seed stage. Directly comparable as a DACH-rooted early-stage investor pursuing multiple verticals with operational support, though Speedinvest operates traditional pooled funds rather than a deal-by-deal syndicate model.
• Earlybird Venture Capital: One of the largest and longest-running European early-stage VCs, headquartered with significant activity in Germany. Compares to Scale Now on DACH early-stage focus across tech and deep-tech; differs in scale, pooled-fund structure, and institutional LP base.
• HV Capital: DACH-focused early and growth-stage VC (formerly Holtzbrinck Ventures). Similar thesis of backing European tech founders early; differs in fund size, institutional LPs, and 20+ year track record.
• Project A Ventures: Berlin-based early-stage VC with an operational platform and concentrated portfolio approach. Comparable as a DACH early-stage investor with hands-on operational support; differs in pooled-fund structure and larger team.
• b2venture (formerly b-to-v): DACH-focused early-stage VC network that combines angel-style deal sourcing with institutional support. Highly comparable given the network-driven, angel-adjacent approach to early-stage investing in the DACH region.
• Cavalry Ventures: Berlin-based early-stage VC focused on DACH and European B2B software, with a strong operator network. Comparable as a small, operator-led early-stage vehicle with co-investor syndicates, though more sector-focused than Scale Now.
• 42CAP: DACH-focused seed-stage VC partnering with technical founders. Comparable early-stage DACH focus and small-team operational model; differs by operating pooled funds and concentrating on B2B SaaS.
• La Famiglia: European early-stage VC built on a community of operators and family offices. Closely comparable model — co-investor networks of family offices and operators backing early-stage European tech founders, with a 'skin in the game' ethos.
• Point Nine Capital: Berlin-based seed-stage VC with a strong SaaS and B2B focus. Comparable as a DACH-rooted early-stage investor; differs in deeper sector specialization and pooled-fund structure.

Broad incumbents

• Atomico: London-headquartered global early-to-growth-stage VC founded by Skype's Niklas Zennström. Comparable as a high-profile European VC investing early in tech founders, but operates at a much larger scale with pooled funds and broader geographic scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scale-now-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Scale Now GmbH