€20M German Deeptech Fund Launched by Herz Foundation & Marvelous

A significant new capital injection is set to bolster Germany's deeptech innovation pipeline. The Joachim Herz Foundation, in partnership with the Berlin-based investment platform Marvelous, has established the Marvelous Scito Fund with a substantial €20 million. This initiative directly addresses a critical bottleneck in the German innovation ecosystem: the challenging transition of cutting-edge scientific discoveries from research laboratories to scalable industrial applications.

The fund's primary objective is to bridge this commercialization gap, a persistent hurdle for German deeptech ventures. While the nation excels in fundamental research, securing the necessary growth capital for early-stage technologies, particularly those with long development cycles and inherent market uncertainties, has proven difficult. Traditional venture capital often shies away from these pre-seed and seed-stage opportunities due to their risk profiles. The Marvelous Scito Fund, backed by the long-term investment horizon and social mission of the Joachim Herz Foundation, is designed to provide the stable, impact-focused capital required to navigate these complexities.

Focusing on sectors with high societal and ecological impact potential, the fund will target innovations in Advanced Materials, Waste Valorisation, and Robotics. These areas are crucial for driving the transition towards a more sustainable and efficient economy. The Joachim Herz Foundation, established in 2008, has a long-standing commitment to resource efficiency and climate protection, making this venture a natural extension of its philanthropic mission to foster practical applications for groundbreaking research and support entrepreneurial talent.

Marvelous, an investment platform dedicated to the commercialization of physical deeptech innovations, will manage the fund. Their strategy involves a dual approach: investing directly in early-stage deeptech startups through their existing Marvelous Ventures vehicle and managing the Marvelous Scito Fund's capital. This latter function includes investing in other deeptech venture funds and co-investing alongside them in promising startups, thereby offering broad yet focused exposure to Germany's deeptech innovation hubs.

This collaboration is particularly timely given the current venture capital climate. German venture capital investment saw a notable decline from approximately $24.7 billion in 2021 to $9.8 billion in 2025. Projections suggest a potential annual growth capital gap of around €10 billion in the deeptech segment by 2030. The Marvelous Scito Fund's intervention aims to counteract this trend by providing essential early-stage funding, enabling technologies with clear industrial scaling potential and significant societal benefits to flourish.

Ulrich Müller, CFO of the Joachim Herz Foundation, highlighted the strategic evolution of their asset management. "By expanding into venture capital, we are complementing our existing investment strategy with another asset class, aiming to generate sustainable market-level returns here as well. At the same time, we are increasingly investing part of the foundation’s capital while taking impact-oriented aspects into account." This move signifies a growing trend of philanthropic capital actively engaging as an innovation driver within the German ecosystem.

Chris Heyer, General Partner at Marvelous, views the fund as a pivotal step in their platform's development. "The Marvelous Scito Fund is a consistent step in implementing our vision of a platform. Marvelous Capital and Marvelous Catalyst work hand in hand," he stated, underscoring the integrated approach to supporting deeptech commercialization from inception through to market success.