What Oscar & Paul does

Oscar & Paul operates as the corporate venture capital arm of Beiersdorf AG, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. The entity invests in early to growth-stage startups, with a primary focus on Series A rounds, targeting breakthrough innovations at the intersection of life sciences and BioTech, sustainability and climate innovation, artificial intelligence, and digital solutions/digital health for the future of skin care. The investment vehicle deploys initial ticket sizes of €0.5–5.0M for minority stakes of up to 20%, with prospective follow-on investments, and pursues a tri-regional mandate spanning Europe, North America, and APAC.

The current portfolio comprises seven disclosed companies: Evommune, Vincere, Turbine, Deploy, Rubedo, Deeplife, and Dermanostic. Beyond capital, Oscar & Paul offers portfolio companies hands-on collaboration with Beiersdorf's R&D teams, deep category expertise across the cosmetic product lifecycle (from technology validation to product launch), and access to Beiersdorf's global distribution infrastructure covering more than 170 markets via its NIVEA, Eucerin, and La Prairie brand platforms. The engagement model is described as flexible — ranging from pure investment to strategic collaboration and joint development — and the firm positions itself as a long-term partner rather than a financial-only investor.

As a corporate VC, the entity itself does not generate conventional product revenue; its economic model is equity participation in portfolio companies with returns realized on exit events. The source data does not disclose AUM, fund vintage, deployed capital totals, exits, or realized returns. Note: The detailed source content is drawn from the Beiersdorf Venture Capital website (vc.beiersdorf.com); the firmographics reference the domain oscar-and-paul.com and treat Oscar & Paul as the same entity as Beiersdorf Venture Capital.

Name

Oscar & Paul

Legal name

Beiersdorf Venture Capital

Website

https://oscar-and-paul.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Oscar & Paul is the corporate venture capital arm of Beiersdorf AG, investing €0.5–5.0M minority stakes in early to growth-stage startups across life sciences, AI, sustainability, and digital health for the future of skin care.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem Investment Arms (FSANAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Healthcare & Life Sciences Growth Equity (FSANACAB), Technology & Software Growth Equity (FSANACAA), Energy & Sustainability / Climate Growth Equity (FSANACAG)

Keywords

• Corporate venture capital
• Venture capital investments
• Skincare technology investment
• Biotech venture investing
• Startup equity funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Returns: Generates returns through equity investments in early to growth-stage startups in the skin care and beauty technology space. Investments are made as minority shareholder with initial ticket sizes of 0.5-5.0M€ with prospective follow-on investments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Oscar & Paul operates as a corporate venture capital arm of Beiersdorf AG, making minority equity investments (up to 20% stake, 0.5–5.0M€ initial ticket size) in early to growth-stage startups, primarily at Series A. The firm invests in companies at the intersection of life sciences, AI, sustainability, and digital solutions for the skin care industry, and offers portfolio companies hands-on R&D collaboration, access to 170+ global markets, and a long-term partnership model.

Product overview

Beiersdorf Venture Capital operates as a corporate venture capital arm of Beiersdorf, one of the world's leading skin care and beauty companies (known for brands like NIVEA, Eucerin, and La Prairie). The investment vehicle focuses on four key investment theses: Life Science & BioTech, Sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Solutions & Digital Health. The service provides venture capital funding (primarily series A, with initial investments of 0.5–5.0 M€ for minority stakes up to 20%) along with strategic support including R&D collaboration, access to 170+ markets, and network support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Venture Capital Investment Services Corporate venture capital investment service for early to growth-stage startups (primarily Series A) developing breakthrough technologies in life sciences, AI, sustainability, and digital solutions for the skin care industry. Investments are minority equity stakes of up to 20%, with initial ticket sizes of 0.5–5.0M€ and prospective follow-on capital. Beyond funding, portfolio companies receive R&D collaboration, access to 170+ global markets, and an extensive network of suppliers and specialists.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Henkel Ventures: Henkel's CVC arm focused on consumer products and adhesives innovation. Comparable German CPG strategic investor with similar minority stake approach and European base.
• Shiseido Venture Partners: Shiseido's CVC investing in beauty tech, biotech, and digital beauty startups globally. Comparable Japanese-headquartered CVC with similar thesis-driven approach to skin care innovation.
• Procter & Gamble Ventures: P&G's corporate venture capital arm backing consumer goods, beauty, and personal care innovation. Direct peer as another CPG giant's strategic CVC investing in skin care adjacencies.
• Unilever Ventures: Unilever's CVC arm investing in early-stage consumer, beauty, and personal care technology companies. Comparable structure as a strategic minority CVC in the broader personal care space.
• Coty Ventures: Coty's corporate venture and innovation arm investing in beauty, fragrance, and skin care technology. Comparable US-based beauty CVC with similar category focus and early-stage orientation.
• Estée Lauder Companies Strategic Investments: Estée Lauder's CVC and innovation arm focused on prestige beauty, biotech, and digital beauty startups. Comparable as a beauty-focused strategic investor with similar deal sizes.
• L'Oréal Venture (Fonds Stratégique d'Investissement): L'Oréal's corporate venture arm investing in beauty, skin care, biotech, and digital health startups with minority stakes and strategic partnerships. Most direct comparable given overlapping category focus and CVC structure.

Regional players

• Kao Group Ventures: Kao's CVC investing in personal care, beauty, and consumer tech primarily from a Japan/APAC base. Comparable Asian-headquartered strategic CVC with skin care category focus.

Broad incumbents

• Johnson & Johnson Innovation (JJDC): J&J's corporate venture arm investing broadly across healthcare, biotech, and consumer health. Larger-scale CVC with skin care and dermatology overlap, but much broader portfolio scope.
• LVMH Innovation Awards / Kering Ventures: LVMH and Kering's respective innovation and venture initiatives investing in luxury, beauty, and adjacent technology. Comparable luxury CPG strategic investors with skin care portfolio exposure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments3 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Oscar & Paul