Capital — as lead
I led rounds and backed founders with private money, giving other investors the confidence to join.
Business Angel & lead investor
Someone once believed in us with his own money.
When we started NanoTemper, a business angel backed two physicists with no capital and no network. That made all the difference. For years I passed that on as a lead angel in research-based startups. Because of my role at LMU Munich, I am currently not making new investments.
How I invested
Usually as the lead investor
A lead gives other investors the confidence to follow. The money is the smallest part of it.
I invested in research-based startups — biotech, deep tech and life sciences — where a scientific insight has to become a product and a sales motion. That is the passage where most science companies stall, and it is the one I know best.
What I brought beyond capital
Network
Doors into pharma, biotech and deep tech — customers, partners and co-investors built over seventeen years.
I’ve been in your shoes
I built a company out of a laboratory myself. I was there when it mattered — which is rarely during the good weeks.
Portfolio
Companies I have backed
Research-based teams I backed — and still stand behind.
Alongside the founders
Where I actually spend my time
What founders say
The day you joined gave the whole team a boost of energy, confidence and commitment. As you have already walked in my shoes, your help is always empathetic, diplomatic and respectful.
Kathrin Brenker — Founder & CEO, Opto Biolabs