European early stage investor b2venture has reached a major milestone with the final close of its fifth fund at €150 million, hitting the hard cap and marking the largest fund in the firm’s history. The new vehicle reinforces b2venture’s long term commitment to backing ambitious technology founders across Europe, even amid a challenging fundraising environment for venture capital.
The close of Fund V reflects strong confidence from a diverse group of limited partners, including family offices, institutional investors, and high net worth individuals. Many investors have supported b2venture across multiple fund generations, underlining the durability of its investment philosophy and community driven model.
A Strong Mix of New and Returning Investors
Fund V attracted several new institutional backers, including asset manager Flexstone and Swiss pension fund Stiftung Abendrot. They join a long standing base of entrepreneurial investors, operators, and angel backers who have supported b2venture for years.
Notable individual supporters include experienced founders such as Thomas Hagemann of SevenSenders and Joachim Schoss, who continue to play an active role in the firm’s investment ecosystem. This blend of institutional capital and entrepreneurial experience remains central to b2venture’s strategy.
Backing Scalable Technologies Across Europe
The new fund will invest in approximately 35 early stage startups across Europe, following an industry agnostic approach with a strong emphasis on scalable and defensible technologies. b2venture continues to focus on deep tech, artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, advanced manufacturing, and infrastructure.
Several investments have already been completed from Fund V, including Nautica Technologies, Hive Robotics, Augmented Industries, and Assemblean. These companies reflect the firm’s conviction in technologies that address structural challenges and build the foundation for Europe’s future industrial and digital capabilities.
A Community Built Across Generations
At the core of b2venture’s model is its intergenerational approach to venture capital. Founders backed by earlier funds often return as investors after successful exits, contributing capital, experience, and networks to support the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Jan Hendrik Bürk, Partner at b2venture, emphasised that venture capital remains a people driven business. He highlighted the firm’s angel network as a critical differentiator, providing deep domain expertise alongside financial backing.
With Fund V, b2venture aims to strengthen this model further, offering founders not only capital but also access to operators who have built, scaled, and exited technology companies themselves.
A Proven Track Record Through Market Cycles
Over more than two decades, b2venture has backed a wide range of successful European technology companies, including DeepL, 1KOMMA5°, Raisin, SumUp, Nelly, and Urban Sports Club. The firm has supported at least one unicorn in each fund generation and has been involved in 11 IPOs and over 30 trade sales.
In 2025 alone, b2venture recorded an IPO with Navan and completed several notable exits, including Araris Biotech, Beekeeper, and Neptune, which was acquired by OpenAI.
Continuity and Transition Within the Team
The firm continues to evolve internally as well. In 2024, b2venture appointed Mathias Ockenfels as Partner, while long standing Partner Jochen Gutbrod transitioned into the Super Angels network, maintaining close ties to the firm while supporting founders in a new capacity.
As b2venture enters its next chapter with Fund V, the firm remains focused on disciplined investing, long term partnerships, and building a resilient European technology ecosystem capable of competing on a global stage.