Germany conducts research at a world-class level. Yet many technologies fail to make the transition from the laboratory to the market, not because of their quality but because of a lack of capital.
The Joachim Herz Foundation and the Berlin-based investment platform Marvelous are addressing this with the new Marvelous Scito Fund, which has a volume of €20 million.
German venture capital volume has fallen from $24.7 billion in 2021 to $9.8 billion in 2025. By 2030, the growth capital gap in the deeptech segment could increase to around €10 billion annually. Traditional venture capital funds avoid these early stages because technological, market-related, and operational uncertainties do not align with their risk-return profiles.
The Marvelous Scito Fund offers foundation capital with a long-term investment horizon and social mission that can provide stability and momentum during these phases. It invests in teams developing and commercialising technologies with clear potential for industrial scaling, societal benefit and ecological impact. It focuses on Advanced Materials, Waste Valorisation and Robotics.
The Joachim Herz Foundation was founded in Hamburg in 2008 to enable effective solutions for resource efficiency, climate protection, and the securing of skilled labour. It helps ensure that more innovations from cutting-edge research reach practical application and supports entrepreneurial talent in developing innovative business models. It promotes future skills and digital transformation to provide new impetus for vocational education and training.
