DTCF and HTGF to Form a New Public-Private Investment Platform 

A NEW CHAPTER FOR EUROPE’S TECH FINANCING LANDSCAPE 

The DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF) and the High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) will join forces on 1 February 2026 to become a new public-private investment platform supporting young, technology-driven companies across all phases of growth. This marks a milestone for Germany’s and Europe’s innovation architecture: for the first time, seed-, early-, and growth-stage financing will run under a complementary public-private platform, offering founders and investors a clearer, more consistent path from first validation to industrial scaling.

This responds directly to a key insight from the State of European Tech 2025 report by Atomico, which identifies the lack of scale-up capital and the fragmentation between funding stages as one of Europe’s most persistent barriers to global competitiveness.

A continuous financing path from idea to scale 

Under the new structure, the platform unifies the activities of HTGF Seed Funds, HTGF Opportunity Fund, and DTCF’s growth investments.

The goal is clear: provide startups in strategically important technologies—from energy and quantum to semiconductors, industrial tech, life sciences, climate and AI—with the capital and expertise needed at every stage.

This new platform directly addresses one of Europe’s most persistent challenges: the funding gap between Seed and Series C. By strengthening both the capital base and the expert teams, it enables continuous financing pathways and accelerates the development of future market leaders.

A proven partnership ready for the next step 

DTCF and HTGF have been working closely since the very beginning. With joint investments in companies such as FMC and Proxima Fusion, the teams already share due diligence approaches, market insights, and complementary expertise.

Dr. Elisabeth Schrey, DTCF Managing Director, comments this step: “Over the past three years, the DTCF has firmly established itself in the market and built a portfolio of 19 outstanding companies. Through large investment syndicates, such as those supporting The Exploration Company and Cylib, we have been able to give these tech companies more time for development and scaling during their early growth stages.”

Dr. Achim Plum, HTGF Managing Director, adds: „With the vision of a joint investment platform, we are creating the public-private VC structure that Germany and Europe need right now: continuous innovation financing—from technological idea to market leadership.“

Tobias Faupel, DTCF Managing Director, highlights the strategic importance: “Since the very beginning, DTCF has worked closely with HTGF. This successful collaboration will continue on the new platform with the same strong commitment to our portfolio and to DTCF’s investment focus.”

What founders and investors can expect 

With the new platform, founders will benefit from:

• access to investment across multiple phases
• complementary expertise across deeptech, climate, industrial tech & more
• a stronger capital base for scaling
• support in navigating regulatory and strategic challenges
• a clearer path through Germany’s and Europe’s innovation landscape

For our existing portfolio and co-investors, nothing changes operationally. All ongoing processes, contracts, and reporting structures will continue as before. New investment processes will also be managed by the DTCF team in the same way they have been to date. For private investors and corporates, the platform brings increased dealflow, co-investment opportunities, and a more resilient, sovereign tech ecosystem.

Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond 

The new platform will begin operating on 1 February 2026. This step will strengthen Europe’s innovation capacity at a time of global competition and geopolitical uncertainty. By aligning public and private capital under one strategic platform, Germany aims to make its tech ecosystem more resilient—and more capable of developing the industrial champions of tomorrow.

Read the full press release in German (PDF) and English (PDF). 
Find our Media Kit here (ZIP).

Media Contact for more information: 
Stephanie Stein, Head of Communications
s.stein@dtcf.de