The establishment of the High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) was the product of a working group of representatives from the Federal Ministry of Economics, industry and sector experts in 2005. Their goal was to revive the market for start-up financing, which at that time was completely dormant. Following the burst of the New Economy bubble, seed phase financing almost came to a complete standstill owing to the high risks involved. Then as now, the focus of the initiative was on high-tech start-ups with significant growth potential, with the decision as to whether the HTGF should invest in a start-up being made purely on market criteria.
The success of the HTGF proved its initiators right. In its first year alone, it financed 40 high-tech start-ups – twice as many as there had been in Germany the previous year. To date, the HTGF has successfully launched a total of four funds, financing over 700 companies, of which more than 170 have been successfully sold or floated on the stock exchange. In addition to seed investments, about 5 billion euros of private funds have flowed into HTGF portfolio companies through follow-up financing.
The HTGF is the most outstanding example of a successful public–private partnership. With our funds, their investors and our personal commitment, we contribute significantly to the consistent development of the start-up ecosystem in Germany and across Europe.Number of Investments: 0
