b2venture, a Berlin-based early-stage investor, has closed its Fund V at the hard cap of €150 million, the firm’s largest early-stage fund to date aimed at accelerating the next wave of European tech leaders building scalable, defensible technologies and digital business models from the earliest stages.
Fund V is backed by a mix of long-standing and new institutional investors such as asset manager Flexstone, Swiss pension fund Stiftung Abendrot, as well as b2venture portfolio entrepreneurs and operators such as Thomas Hagemann (SevenSenders) and long-term b2venture Super Angels like Joachim Schoss.
“b2venture to us quite literally means we are here to venture. We’ve been committed to venture since the year 2000. Ever since, b2venture has stood for a consistent investment philosophy: backing exceptional founders early and supporting them over the long term. Fund V reflects the next chapter of this approach and also stands for our intergenerational continuity of investors working hand in hand with our decades-long experience.
“This allows us to bring b2venture to the next level, while staying true to our principles and our community-based investment approach,” says Florian Schweitzer, partner at b2venture.
In the 2025–2026 European venture capital landscape, b2venture’s Fund V places the Berlin-based firm among a cohort of mid-to-large early-stage investors that have successfully raised fresh capital despite a more selective funding environment.
In January 2026, London-based 2150 closed its €210 million Fund II, focused on urban systems and climate-driven technologies, bringing its total AUM to approximately €500 million. In late 2025, Backed VC reached the €86 million hard cap for its third fund, continuing its early-stage focus on European DeepTech founders. Around the same time, Amsterdam-based Keen Venture Partners announced the raise of Europe’s largest dedicated DefenseTech fund, reported at over €150 million.
Together, these fundraises point to continued capital formation among European VC firms operating at Seed and Series A level, with b2venture’s Fund V comparable in size to several specialised vehicles while standing out for its generalist, community-driven model and its emphasis on founder-led continuity across generations of capital.
Approximate total capital across these funds: €596 million.
“We are very much looking forward to partnering with another 35 entrepreneurial teams — all aiming to build category-defining companies in the next decades,” adds Florian.
Founded in 2000 in the Alpine corridor and anchored in Swiss values and the principles of an “ehrbarer Kaufmann”, the firm backs founders by combining direct and fund investments, supported by a community of more than 350 angel investors – founders, operators, and industry leaders who contribute capital, expertise, and networks to help startups grow.
Their portfolio includes DeepL, 1KOMMA5°, Raisin, SumUp, Nelly, and Urban Sports Club, as well as Araris Biotech and Neura Robotics, among others.
At the core of b2venture’s model is a founder-centered philosophy rooted in long-term support. Fund V continues b2venture’s intergenerational model, in which founders can become investors after exiting their companies and pass on their experience, network and the flow of capital and knowledge to the next generation.
b2venture systematically integrates a community of more than 350 experienced angel investors into every stage of the partnership with the invested startups. These founders, operators, and industry leaders contribute capital and deep domain expertise drawn from building and scaling companies themselves.
This combined institutional-and-angel approach is treated as an artisanal craft by the firm, focused on precision, patience, and conviction rather than quantity.
Across its history, the firm has backed at least one unicorn per fund, celebrated 11 IPOs, more than 30 trade sales and supported hundreds of founders in building sustainable businesses. In 2025, b2venture celebrated one IPO (Navan) and successfully sold seven other portfolio companies such as Araris Biotech, Beekeeper or lately Neptune to OpenAI.
“Venture Capital is ultimately a people business,” shares Jan-Hendrik Bürk, Partner at b2venture. “What sets us apart is the depth of our angel community that helps us source, select and support founders building category-defining companies. With Fund V, we are strengthening this model to support the next generation of European tech champions with true domain knowledge, not just capital.”
Fund V will invest in around 35 early-stage startups across Europe, following an industry-agnostic approach with a focus on scalable, defensible technologies. The fund has already made several investments, including:
Nautica Technologies – autonomous swarm robots delivered as a subscription service for ship-hull cleaning
Hive Robotics – the operating system for autonomous systems across air, land, and sea
Augmented Industries – an AI-powered training platform helping manufacturers close critical workforce and skills gaps
Assemblean – a production-as-a-service platform enabling faster, more cost-effective manufacturing of complex products
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/with-decades-of-exits-and-unicorns-behind-it-b2venture-reaches-e150-million-hard-cap-for-fund-v/
