Karlsruhe · Pre-Seed–Series B · 10 people tracked
Investment thesis
First Momentum Ventures invests at the earliest stage in highly ambitious technical teams tackling hard problems with complex technology. Operating as a pre-seed specialist since 2015, the firm positions itself as a companion to founders 'at hour zero', staffed by engineers and scientists who understand highly technical products, markets and commercialization paths. It offers tangible support through connections to talent, partners, customers and investors, and follows a 'From Founders to Founders' mindset rooted in its origins launching the incubator of Germany's largest campus entrepreneurship association. The firm emphasizes intellectual honesty and open communication with the teams it backs.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 10 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 42 of 46 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×15SaaS ×12Deep Tech ×10Enterprise Software ×9Cleantech ×7Developer Tools ×7Energy ×6Advanced Manufacturing ×5
HQs:Germany×18United States×3Switzerland×1France×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 5 portfolio companiesAccelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
Investments · 46 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2025 · 12022 · 12021 · 24 dated
Atlas builds a foundational model of human biology used to predict patient outcomes and run virtual clinical trials.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechHealthtech
Co-investorsLEA PartnersAccel
Brineworks develops an electrochemical Direct Air Capture system that uses electrolyzer technology and renewably powered intermittent operation to capture CO₂ at low cost.
CleantechClimate TechDeep Tech
Co-investorsSeaX VenturesAiiM PartnersSatganaKatapultNucleus CapitalPale Blue Dot
ContextSDK provides an on-device context intelligence platform for mobile apps, using a lightweight iOS SDK that processes over 300 real-world device signals (motion, activity, device state) through on-device ML models.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsNew York City, US
Felix Krause(Founder)in
Co-investorssandstorm.vcSpeedinvest
Daedalus provides cloud infrastructure and tools for precision manufacturing operations, offering manufacturing-specific functionality similar to AWS's broader cloud services.
Advanced ManufacturingRoboticsSan Francisco, US
Jonas Schneider(Founder)in
Co-investorsLEA PartnersNGP CapitalY CombinatorAdditionKhosla VenturesTechstars
Dive Solutions offers a mesh-free, cloud-based CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation software that uses Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) to model fluid behavior in components like electric motors, washers, and gearboxes.
Cloud ComputingDeep TechSaaS
Co-investorsSenovo
edyoucated provides a skills management platform that helps companies map employee competencies in a unified skill matrix, speed up onboarding, plan staff deployment, and make data-based training decisions.
EdTechFuture of WorkHR Tech
encosa plans, installs, and operates battery storage systems for businesses, optimizing electricity use behind the meter (peak shaving, self-consumption, reduced grid fees) while also trading available storage capacity on energy, capacity, and intraday markets.
CleantechClimate TechEnergy
Sascha KoberstaedtSebastian Becker
Enneo offers an AI-native platform for customer service operations that combines AI agents, human teams and automation across channels such as email, chat, chatbot, voicebot and telephony under a single logic.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSBerlin, DE
Co-investorsACT Venture PartnersBSV VenturesinfoShareInnventure
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) is a German news publisher providing current coverage of politics, business, sports, and culture.
Media & Entertainment
Co-investorsAviv Venture Capital
Gauss Fusion is a German fusion energy company developing high-field magnetic confinement fusion technology, with the goal of building an industrialized gigawatt-class fusion power plant by 2045.
CleantechDeep TechEnergy
Frank Laukien(Founder & Executive Chair)Klaus Schlenga(Former Managing Director)
BoardMichael Peiniger(Vice Chair)
Handelsblatt is a German business and financial news publication providing coverage of stock markets, economics, and company news, including stock quotes and market data.
Media & Entertainment
Co-investorsb2ventureEnBW New Ventures GmbH
HeyCharge provides hardware and software for companies to manage employee charging of company vehicles at home, with tax-compliant tracking and reimbursement capabilities across any OCPP-compatible wallbox.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechClimate TechEnergyEnterprise SoftwareHardwareIoTMobility & TransportationMunich, DE
Chris Cardé(Founder)inRobert Lasowski(Founder)inChris Carde(Founder)in
Co-investorsBMW i VenturesVireo VenturesY CombinatorStatkraft Ventures
Immobilien Zeitung publishes an eMagazine featuring a directory of German real estate law firms with their specializations, fees and contact details, plus articles, videos and graphics on topics like anti-money-laundering and land registry.
Media & EntertainmentPropTech
Co-investorsb2venture
Hyperdrives develops electric motors using advanced cooling and winding technology, offering high power density in a package up to 50% smaller than conventional motors.
CleantechHardwareMobility & Transportation
Co-investors2100 VenturesAcequia Capital (AceCap)Rethink Ventures
ISPTech develops propulsion systems for spacecraft in the NewSpace sector, using non-toxic propellants, standard parts, and additive manufacturing to lower cost.
Deep TechHardwareSpace Tech
Lukas Werling(Founder)in
Co-investorsFaberFaber Capital SCR SAFinal Frontier (Space & Defence VC)Join Capital
Kipu Quantum offers a platform and matchmaking agent (Tinkuq) that helps enterprises, researchers, and universities build quantum-centric applications without prior quantum computing expertise.
Deep TechEnterprise SoftwareQuantum Computing
Co-investorsDeepTech & Climate FondsEntrada VenturesLBBW Venture Capital GmbHOnsight VenturesQAI VenturesQuantonation+1 more
Lightly provides tools for AI teams to manage and curate training data more efficiently.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareZürich, CH
Igor Susmelj(Founder)in
Co-investorsSICTICY CombinatorFounderfulSoma Capital
Magentic builds an AI agent platform for procurement and supply chain, offering AI "teammates" (called Mages) that use a company's existing software and ERP systems to handle manual workflows such as supplier follow-up, invoice updates, and price negotiation prep.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningEnterprise Software
Co-investorsThe Westly GroupSequoia Capital
Manufacturing Digital is a B2B digital media platform for manufacturing and "factory of the future" executives, offering media, events, research, and data services.
AdTechAdvanced ManufacturingMedia & Entertainment
Glen White(CEO, BizClik & Manufacturing Digital)
Ninetailed offers a personalization platform that enables web teams to create and deliver tailored content experiences without developer support.
AdTechCloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSBerlin, DE
Sascha Konietzke(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Paolo Negri(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Andy Kaiser(Co-founder and CEO; later VP Product at Contentful)Alexander Braunreuther(Co-founder)Steve Sloan(Executive Officer, Director)Margo M Smith(Executive Officer)
Co-investorsBalderton CapitalCherry VenturesGaia VenturesGrand VenturesHeavybitMosaic Ventures+11 more
one.five offers Quartermaster, an AI-powered packaging platform that helps brands assess product-market fit and choose packaging solutions balancing performance, sustainability, and cost.
AI & Machine LearningCircular EconomyNew Materials
Co-investorsAuxxoBlue Horizon CorporationBtomorrow VenturesGGFGreen Generation FundPlanet A Ventures+1 more
Pliant is a B2B credit card platform that lets businesses issue and manage corporate cards, control spending, and automate finance and accounting operations.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Co-investorsAlstin CapitalFin CapitalMolten VenturesMotive PartnersMS&AD VenturesNina Capital+5 more
Project B is a German payroll processing company that offers both managed payroll services for businesses and a software platform for payroll offices and tax consultants to streamline payroll administration.
Enterprise SoftwareHR TechSaaSMunich, DE
Co-investorsEpisode1
QuantPi provides a validation and testing platform for enterprise AI, checking models, agents, and AI systems before and after deployment to produce statistical evidence of reliability.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Co-investorsCapnamicPreston-Werner VenturesNew Forge
QuantumDiamonds develops quantum sensing systems for non-destructive semiconductor defect inspection and failure analysis, using magnetic current imaging with diamond-based sensors to localize faults such as shorts, opens and leakages in chips.
Deep TechQuantum ComputingSemiconductorsMunich, DE
Co-investorsEarlybird Venture CapitalOnsight VenturesWorld FundIQ Capital
Roofline develops a retargetable AI compiler and SDK, built on MLIR and IREE, for deploying edge AI models across CPUs, mobile GPUs, and NPUs.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechDeveloper Tools
Skycore is a fabless semiconductor company that develops advanced power conversion microchips for efficient energy conversion in AI servers, power modules, and battery energy storage systems.
AI & Machine LearningEnergySemiconductors
Co-investorsBalnord Sp. z o.o.Morph CapitalMätch VC
Co-investorsAuxxo
Software Defined Automation provides a platform for industrial operations that manages factory automation and control systems with AI-driven insights and built-in OT (operational technology) security.
Advanced ManufacturingCloud ComputingCybersecurityDeveloper ToolsIoTBoston, US
Josef Waltl(Executive Officer, Director)inJon Rosenbaum(Director)Axel Scheurer(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardAxel Bichara(Director)in
Co-investorsBaukunstFly VenturesTechFounders
The European Spinoff Summit is an event for researchers, scientist-founders, TTOs, VCs, and ecosystem players covering the journey from research to marketable products through workshops, panels, keynotes, and networking.
Deep TechMunich, DE
Streambased makes Apache Kafka and Apache Iceberg queryable together, providing a unified view of real-time and historical data without copying data or building new pipelines.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper Tools
Tom Scott(Founder)in
Co-investorsElaia
Telura develops a next-generation drilling technology that breaks rock using electrical/lightning-based methods to make deep geothermal energy cheaper and faster to access.
CleantechDeep TechEnergyMunich, DE
Andrew Welling(Founder)
Tilores provides real-time entity resolution that links duplicate and conflicting records across a company's systems into a single resolved entity view, delivered as a layer accessed via GraphQL and pre-built connectors.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureSaaS
Co-investorsCOREangels
TURN2X produces certifiable renewable natural gas (RNG) by combining green hydrogen with biogenic CO2 through methanation at plants co-located with renewable power sources, then delivers it via existing pipeline infrastructure.
CleantechClimate TechEnergyMunich, DE
Benedikt Stolz(Founder)
Co-investorsLEA PartnersTechFounders
Unikraft provides a compute platform that transforms Dockerfiles into minimal Linux-based unikernel VM images, offering VM-grade isolation with sub-10ms cold starts and high density (100K+ instances per server).
Cloud ComputingCybersecurityDeveloper Tools
Co-investorsFly VenturesMango Capital
Jam offers an AI platform that assesses, coaches, and assists sales reps to improve their performance in customer conversations, using AI role-plays, automated call scoring, and a voice assistant for CRM/email/calendar work.
AI & Machine LearningSaaSSales TechMunich, DE
Clemens Lechner(Co-Founder & CPO)inSebastian Klein(Co-Founder & CEO)inTobias Hölzer(Co-Founder & CTO)in
Co-investorsPICUS CAPITAL10x Founders
Zenline is a SaaS AI phone assistant that answers calls 24/7 for landlines and mobile numbers, handling frequently asked questions, booking appointments, taking orders and messages, qualifying callers, and transferring calls to a human when needed.
AI & Machine LearningSaaSSales Tech
Zenline AI provides assortment intelligence software for retail category teams to optimize product selection and margin decisions.
AI & Machine LearningRetail TechSaaS
ZuriQ develops quantum computing hardware based on a three-dimensional trapped-ion architecture designed for scalable qubit systems while preserving connectivity and operation fidelity.
Deep TechHardwareQuantum Computing
Pavel Hrmo
Co-investorsOnsight VenturesQAI VenturesQuantonationSquareOne
Exits · 1
IPOs and acquisitions across the tracked portfolioNinetailedacq. by Contentful
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Handelsblatt · handelsblatt.com · Aug 19, 2026
Atlas · trysignalbase.com · Aug 7, 2026
Karavela · eu-startups.com · Jul 2, 2026
Ninetailed · tech.eu · Jun 1, 2026
ISPTech · spacenews.com · Mar 17, 2026
HeyCharge · chargedevs.com · Feb 19, 2026
Brineworks · finsmes.com · Sep 22, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has First Momentum made?
- First Momentum has 24 tracked investments, including 1 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does First Momentum invest at?
- First Momentum invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B stages.
- What is First Momentum's typical check size?
- First Momentum typically writes checks of $216K – $1.1M.
- What sectors does First Momentum focus on?
- First Momentum focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Cloud Computing, Deep Tech, Energy, Hardware, Robotics, SaaS, Sector Agnostic, Space Tech.
- Where is First Momentum located?
- First Momentum is headquartered in Karlsruhe, DE.
- Does First Momentum lead rounds?
- Yes, First Momentum leads investment rounds.
- Who does First Momentum co-invest with?
- First Momentum most often shares deals with b2venture, LEA Partners, Y Combinator, among 58 tracked co-investors.
From the blog
visit blog ↗First Momentum has written about quantum computing hardware innovation through trapped-ion startups and structural challenges facing European deep tech scaling, including capital gaps and corporate procurement barriers. AI summary
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamHow to Raise a VC Fund with Andreas Fischer & Sebastian Böhmer | First Momentum Ventures webinar
First Momentum · Sebastian Böhmer
#8 Investing in university talent - Andreas Fischer, First Momentum Ventures
The European VC · Andreas Fischer
Images
Similar investors
DCVC (Data Collective) is a deep tech venture capital firm that backs entrepreneurs using computational approaches to solve large-scale real-world problems across many industries.
Lux Capital is a venture capital firm that backs founders building transformative deep technologies, having been among the first investors in category-defining companies across AI, robotics, biotech, defense, and infrastructure.
Everywhere Ventures is an early-stage venture firm, backed by a community of founders and operators as LPs, that writes early checks (including pre-seed) into startups across many sectors and geographies.
Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies focused on technology, mobile, and clean energy sectors, including biotechnology applications. The firm provides capital and strategic support to entrepreneurs developing breakthrough technologies across multiple markets.
OMERS Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in founders globally, with investment teams based in New York, Palo Alto, and Toronto.