We are a team of passionate venture capitalists with backgrounds in engineering, physics, biology and business administration with just the right mix to support your growth with capital, Know-how and LBBW's unique client network.
We mainly focus on software driven approaches but won’t exclude brilliant concepts with a hardware edge. Obviously this includes AI/ML approaches among other tech.
We support companies developing drugs in Phase I as well as companies disrupting the health sector in general through e.g. data, image and AI tech.
We focus on backing entrepreneurs reshaping the financial sector who either optimize/digitize processes or disrupt the sector form the customer perspective.
We back brilliant entrepreneurs that are transforming large adressable markets. We like deep tech as well as smart and fast scaleable services. We seek opportunities coming from core high-tech innovations and disruptive business models. We only invest in outstanding entrepreneurs that are very talented, passionate and have a great fit within their fields.
We invest in late seed, Series A & B with initial tickets from EUR 250k to EUR 5M. We start supporting entrepreneurs at the late seed stage i.e. when a product/service already received market traction and the company has raised a few hundred thousand Euros from angel investors. We also invest at later stages i.e. Series A & B and have significant financial reserves for follow on rounds.
We backed companies in Europe, Israel and the US and gained deep expertise across various industrial sectors. The fund itself was already formed in 1998 and as such counts among the longest standing VC companies in Germany. As such we act as a long-term partner and know that large successes take time and capital to grow.
Our track record includes TWO UNICORNS.
Andreas von Richter, brings 20 years experience of venture capital and high tech engineering expertise to the team. He has been active in the European, Israeli and US venture scene since 2007 and counts two unicorns along this track record. Prior to joining LBBW VC in 2018 he was the managing director of EcoMobility ventures at Idinvest Partners focusing on mobility/transportation themes. Before that he managed the European and Israeli operations of GE’s Venture Capital arm focusing on cleantech themes. His investments include Solaredge (NASDAQ: SEDG), Emefcy (ASX:FLC) and View. He obtained a MSc. In Aerospace engineering from Delft University of Technology, an MBA from Insead and speaks four languages fluently having lived in fifteen cities so far.
Oliver Konanz has over 30 years experience in corporate financing and within the VC/PE field. He also gained direct operational experience as CFO & CRO at two companies. Since 2010 he is also part of the management team of SuedBG – the private equity arm of LBBW. He graduated from Frankfurt School Finance & Management and holds a CVA degree.
Companies: Oxid, Crealytics
Joachim Erdle has over 25 years experience in Corporate, Investment Banking and Private Equity. He heads LBBW's corporate finance activities, the banks PE arm - SuedBG - and is a managing director at LBBW VC. Prior to LBBW he was a managing director at the Société Générale within corporate loans and acquisition finance. Within corporate banking his focus is on the German Mittelstand and large corporates supporting strategic initiatives. He has a diploma (BA) from the Baden-Wuerttemberg State University.
Harald Poth is member of the managing board of LBBW VC and heads the Life Science Team. By now he gained over 19 years investment experience in that field. Recent successful exits were Ganymed Pharmaceuticals GmbH, sloning biotechnology GmbH, Proabiogen Ag and mtm diagnostics. Prior to his VC activities he headed the Life Science startup agency in Baden-Württemberg. He studied Biology at the University Hohenheim in Stuttgart, holds a PhD with distinction in Microbiology from Hohenheim and gained scientific experience at the Université de Genève, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Biotechnology Research Centre in Braunschweig.
Companies: Acousia Therapeutics, Amcure, Biametrics Cortec, Phenex, Poly-an
Patrick Herlinger holds a diploma in physics from the University of Stuttgart and was a researcher for six years at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart before joining the LBBW VC team. He obtained a broad knowledge of semiconductor processing technology, sensors, and electronics. His interests also encompass smart devices and algorithms. During his last two years of study he supported the Robert Bosch VC team as a working student and gained first insights into the VC business.
Julian Hebler obtained a M.Sc. in industrial engineering from the Otto-von-Guericke University. He is a technical minded blockchain and technology enthusiast, who discovered 2017 the distributed ledger technology through his research on cutting-edge governance practices and got stunned by the ability to shift entire systems. Previously he worked as an IT-Consultant for global companies and helped to develop their digital transformation strategies. As an entrepreneur within the cryptocurrency space he led the analysis practices including startup scouting, fundamental analysis and due diligence for token investments in Vienna.
Stefanie Wojciech is part of the Life Science Team. Prior to joining LBBW VC, she gained over five years of international experience in biomedical innovation: in project management (EU-funded project), business development (public-private partnerships and in-licensing) and consulting (non-dilutive funding) in academia and industry with the Global Care Initiative consortium, at MedDay Pharmaceuticals and EY. Stefanie Wojciech obtained a PhD in Pharmacology and Molecular and Cellular Biology from Université Paris Sud X, holds a Diploma in Biochemistry from Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena and speaks German, English and French fluently.
Claudia Wilhelm heads our back-office operations and supports the organization of our workshops with selected start-ups, portfolio companies and corporate clients of LBBW. Before joining LBBW VC she worked at Celesio within the controlling department. She has a BA in business administration from the Baden Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University.
Nadine Trefz supports the team as an assistant. The trained bank clerk and communications specialist (VWA) has extensive experience in project work and supports the team in all areas.
Neurotechnological platform that enables users to measure and stimulate brain activity
Supports leading international eCommerce companies to drive performance in product advertising and paid search
Drug discovery and development company focused on developing novel pharmaceuticals
Molecular Surface Engineering: microparticles, microarray substrates and functionalized consumables for the diagnostic industry and LifeScience
Enables publishers to deliver their magazines on tablets and mobile devices
Advanced mobility insights solutions powered by telecom network data to help mobility service providers and smart cities understand, predict and improve people’s journeys.
Wireless data communication with Bluetooth-technology
Pharmaceutical research and development of innovative technologies to produce signal inhibitors against infections and concomitant diseases
Complex fluids for material segregation, surface modification and the transport of substances
Keyless personalized system to secure the transport containers in the supply chain
Solution for the quick and flexible integration of existing applications and business processes into the internet
Mobile solutions for process managament and data processing to handle mobile goods in logistics
Development of a new class of oncological therapeutic drug (Ideal Monoclonal Antibodies)
Drug for oral chemotherapy against hormone-refractory prostate cancer
Solutions for product information management and e-procurement
Software package for immersive VR-visualization of products in realtime and in their actual size
Development of in-vitro diagnostics with focus on early recognition and diagnosis of cervical cancer
Service provider for production of cell lines for biopharmaceutical product development and cell based analysis
Technology for highly efficient synthesis of gene variants, gene libraries and protein development
VoIp phones for corporate communications based on open standard SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)
Applications for computer telephony integration, personal productivity, presence management, unified messaging and attendant console
