German venture capital firm Uplift Ventures has launched its inaugural €100 million fund to invest in European deeptech startups at the late Seed and Series A stages. The fund will focus on startups developing technologies across Physical AI, Energy, Enterprise AI, and Logistics, with investments primarily in Europe and the US.
- Founded by Kerk Wichmann, Christina Hammes, Maike Steding, and Christian Noske, Uplift Ventures plans to back up to 20 startups and selected deeptech funds. The firm aims to provide founders with access to a global network and support them in scaling internationally.
- Uplift Ventures says the fund was created to address a financing gap at the late Seed and Series A stages, when deeptech companies often struggle to secure sufficient capital despite growing investor interest in the sector.
- The firm will take a flexible investment approach, acting as a lead, co-lead, or participating investor depending on the needs of each company and financing round.
- Christian Noske joins Uplift Ventures as General Partner, bringing more than a decade of deeptech investment experience. Previously, he led European investments at NGP Capital and was a founding partner at BMW i Ventures and Alliance Ventures. His previous investments include The Exploration Company, ANYbotics, Tekion, Dataloop, and WeRide.
- Uplift Ventures has already backed more than 30 startups across multiple technology sectors. The new fund is backed by Jungheinrich, which has committed to supporting the firm's strategy of investing in European deeptech innovation.
