GENIUS Venture Capital
Government fundSchwerin · Pre-Seed–Series A · 4 people tracked
Investment thesis
The firm invests in technology-oriented micro and small enterprises located or substantially operating in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern during the seed, startup, and first expansion phases. It typically co-invests alongside independent private investors, acting as either lead or co-investor, and offers more than just equity by actively supporting company building, providing strategic advice, and giving founders access to its network. It expects founders to have a clear vision, relevant know-how and industry knowledge, the potential to build and lead a company, and a willingness to commit significant personal and financial engagement.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 7, 2026.
Team · 4 people
from public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 20 of 24 portfolio companiesBiotech ×6Deep Tech ×5Healthtech ×5Medical Devices ×5Hardware ×4AI & Machine Learning ×3Fintech ×3GovTech ×3
HQs:Germany×18
Investments · 24 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathPRIMACYT develops isolated liver cell models and toxicity testing services for medical device and pharmaceutical research.
BiotechDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechMedical DevicesSchwerin, DE
Dieter Runge(Co-founder & Managing Director)
Vontobel is an investment firm with Swiss roots providing investment and advisory solutions to private and institutional clients.
FintechMedia & EntertainmentHannover, DE
BASIS Wismar provides IT and network technology services, including networking, software solutions, hardware, VoIP phone systems, and security solutions.
CybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareHardwareWismar, DE
DST develops allergy and food intolerance diagnostic products for medical laboratories and healthcare professionals, including laboratory tests and point-of-care testing systems.
BiotechHealthtechMedical Devices
Europaportal Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the official European affairs web portal of the German federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, publishing government press releases and information on regional policy, agriculture, education, and EU-related topics.
GovTech
FW Robotics manufactures BUDDY, a remotely operated underwater vehicle for offshore inspection, maintenance, repair, survey, and scientific exploration tasks.
Deep TechHardwareRoboticsRostock, DE
German Accelerator is an accelerator program backed by the German government that helps high-potential German startups and scale-ups expand globally through access to over 30 international innovation hubs and tailored support.
Future of WorkSector Agnostic
Co-investorsStart2 Group
Halbestunde is a company with a leadership team consisting of a CEO, CTO, CPO, and CMO, though the page does not explicitly state what the company builds or the market it serves.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerEdTech
Tiberius Treppner(Chief Executive Officer)Evgenii Koriagin(Chief Technology Officer)Stephan Arndt(Chief Product Officer)Breno Pessoa(Chief Marketing Officer)
Co-investorsKfW Capital
Innocent Meat develops an automated cultured meat production system that enables conventional meat processors to manufacture lab-grown minced meat in-house using AI-controlled bioreactors, with integrated supply chain support for biological ingredients.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechClimate TechFoodTech
Co-investorsBig Idea Ventures
KfW is a German development bank that provides international project and export financing, advises and finances companies investing in developing countries, and supports development in emerging and developing economies.
FintechFrankfurt, DE
Co-investorsAfrica Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund (AATIF)
Life Science Nord is a cluster organization for the life sciences industry in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, connecting around 300 members and stakeholders.
BiotechHealthtech
Co-investorsAcario InnovationClean Energy VenturesKintetsu Venture PartnersVolvo Group Venture Capital AB
pydro develops monitoring and sensing solutions for water utilities to detect leaks and manage water distribution networks sustainably.
AgTechCleantechHardwareIoTRostock and Hamburg, DE
Mulundu SichoneFelix M
Official government portal of the German federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, publishing news, press releases, and information from the state government and its ministries.
GovTech
Solvamed GmbH develops medical devices for the prevention and diagnosis of infections, with current research focused on preventing catheter sepsis (CutSep) and non-invasive sampling for respiratory infectious diseases.
BiotechDigital HealthMedical DevicesRostock, DE
Stefan Margraf(Geschäftsführer (Managing Director))
SonoBeacon provides a three-part system of local sensors (SonoEdge), a cloud platform (SonoCloud), and analytics dashboards (SonoAdvice) that capture and analyze anonymized pedestrian and passenger movement data in real time.
AI & Machine LearningIoTMobility & TransportationWismar, DE
Olaf Stepputat(CEO & Co-founder)Thoralf Nehls(Founder & Advisory Board Member)Kristiaan De Jongh(CTO)
A medical device company that translates scientific findings into life-saving medical products, operating under strict quality and compliance standards.
HealthtechMedical DevicesNew Materials
Siegfried Kruse(Chief Executive Officer)Ulf Pommerering(Chief Executive Officer)
VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH is a German organization that manages and supports innovation and technology funding programs, focused on promoting future technologies, competitiveness, and resilience for Germany as a business location.
Deep TechGovTech
Co-investorsBeyond Capital PartnersDBAGDeutsche Beteiligungs AGPhoenix Contact Innovation Ventures
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has GENIUS Venture Capital made?
- GENIUS Venture Capital has 24 tracked investments.
- What stage does GENIUS Venture Capital invest at?
- GENIUS Venture Capital invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is GENIUS Venture Capital's typical check size?
- GENIUS Venture Capital typically writes checks of $540K – $1.6M.
- What sectors does GENIUS Venture Capital focus on?
- GENIUS Venture Capital focuses on Biotech, Cleantech, Data & Infrastructure, Deep Tech, Hardware, Medical Devices, New Materials, SaaS, Sector Agnostic, Semiconductors.
- Where is GENIUS Venture Capital located?
- GENIUS Venture Capital is headquartered in Schwerin, DE.
- Does GENIUS Venture Capital lead rounds?
- Yes, GENIUS Venture Capital leads investment rounds.
- Who does GENIUS Venture Capital co-invest with?
- GENIUS Venture Capital most often shares deals with Acario Innovation, Clean Energy Ventures, Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures, among 13 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the team#Chancenmacher: Uwe Bräuer, Geschäftsführer GENIUS Venture Capital GmbH & Thoralf Nehls, SonoBeacon
Bundesverband Beteiligungskapital e.V. · Uwe Bräuer
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