Corporate VCPuts its own capital into companiesActive · deal in last 18 monthsLAST VERIFIED Oct 2026 · 11 SOURCES

Bertelsmann Investments

Venture capital and growth-investment unit of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA

Also known as BI, Bertelsmann Investments (BI)

Gütersloh-based venture and growth-investment platform of Bertelsmann; funds BAI, BII, BHI and futurepresent plus the Bertelsmann Next growth unit; c. €2.3bn invested since 2006.

The venture and growth-investment unit of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA. Not the Bertelsmann Stiftung (foundation). BDMI (New York) is now run by 1745 Ventures.

HEADQUARTERS: Gütersloh, Germany
FOUNDED: 2006
AUM: —
OUTSIDE CAPITAL: —
TEAM LISTED: 12 people

Focus

STAGES: SeedSeries ASeries BGrowthBuyout
SECTORS: Software & SaaS Artificial Intelligence HealthTech Fintech Consumer & E-commerce Education Media & Entertainment
ASSET MIX: Venture capitalDirect investmentsFunds (as LP)Private equity
GEOGRAPHY: GlobalEuropeNorth AmericaAsia-PacificLatin America

Investment arms & vehicles

Bertelsmann Asia Investments (BAI)
Venture fund in China since 2008, backed by BI and other global LPs
Bertelsmann India Investments (BII)
Sector-agnostic India fund since 2012, Series A to D
Bertelsmann Healthcare Investments (BHI)
Early-stage healthcare technology fund (North America and Europe), launched January 2026, Bertelsmann as sole LP
futurepresent
Venture firm investing in AI platforms and infrastructure in the US and Europe, launched March 2026
Bertelsmann Next
Growth unit building businesses organically and by buy-and-build (mobile ad tech, HR tech, pharma tech, India)

Overview

Bertelsmann Investments (BI) bundles the venture capital activities of the Bertelsmann Group and its growth unit Bertelsmann Next; its website is published by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA in Gütersloh. It invests directly and in third-party venture funds, through regional and thematic vehicles: Bertelsmann Asia Investments (BAI), Bertelsmann India Investments (BII), Bertelsmann Healthcare Investments (BHI) and futurepresent. Since launching its venture activities in 2006 it has invested around €2.3 billion in companies and funds and held 328 active investments as of 30 June 2026. Bertelsmann Next builds majority-owned businesses in mobile ad tech (Applike), HR tech (EMBRACE), pharma tech (cormeo) and Indian logistics (LetsTransport).

Investment thesis

Operator investor partnering with entrepreneurs across stages and sectors, directly and through venture funds; thematic focus on AI and the transatlantic healthcare market, plus building nine- to ten-digit revenue platforms for Bertelsmann through Bertelsmann Next.

PORTFOLIO (36)

Applike GroupNOTABLE
Software & SaaS · since 2015 · Incubated within Bertelsmann Next
LetsTransportNOTABLE
Mobility & Logistics · since 2018 · Majority stake acquired Q4 2025 (Bertelsmann Next India)
ShiprocketNOTABLE
Software & SaaS · IPO (India, August 2026)
StoriNOTABLE
Fintech
EMBRACE (Ausbildung.de, Studyflix, Vocanto, Milch und Zucker)
Education · Majority-owned (Bertelsmann Next)
cormeo (Docuvera, EXTEDO, Rote Liste, medicines.ie)
HealthTech · Majority-owned (Bertelsmann Next)
Rozana
Consumer & E-commerce · since 2024
Eruditus
Education
Licious
Food & Agriculture
Pepperfry
Consumer & E-commerce
AgroStar
Food & Agriculture
Nat Habit
Consumer & E-commerce
Univest
Fintech
Fairdeal
Consumer & E-commerce · since 2026
Handpickd
Consumer & E-commerce
Snabbit
Consumer & E-commerce
MStar
Fintech
Meshy.AI
Artificial Intelligence
General Intuition
Artificial Intelligence
Take2
HealthTech · since 2026
DiDi Finance
Fintech · since 2025
SparkView
Artificial Intelligence · since 2025
Phare Health
HealthTech · Acquired by R1 (2025)
Flinn
HealthTech · since 2025
Scimplify
Industrial & Manufacturing · since 2025
Deepexi
Artificial Intelligence · IPO (Hong Kong, 2025)
Seyond
Mobility & Logistics · IPO (Hong Kong, 2025)
General Catalyst (fund commitment)
Morningside Ventures (fund commitment)
SV Angel (fund commitment)
Liquid 2 (fund commitment)
Nebular (fund commitment)
HFØ (partnership)
Frst (fund commitment)
Helion (fund commitment)
Canary (fund commitment)

People

Carsten Coesfeld
Member of the Executive Board of Bertelsmann and CEO Bertelsmann Investments · source
Deniz Pielsticker
CFO Bertelsmann Investments · source
Hilke Heise
Chief People Officer · source
Annabelle Long
Managing Partner, BAI · source
Pankaj Makkar
Managing Director, BII · source
Thomas Lueke
Managing Partner, futurepresent · source
Thorsten Wirkes
Managing Director, BHI · source
Tim Schneider
Partner, BHI · source
Niklas Klocke
Head of M&A · source
Timo Süllwold
Head of FP&A · source
Jan Hölkemann
Head of Communications · source
Jan-Henrik Sander-Wulf
Chief of Staff · source

Frequently asked questions

Bertelsmann Investments is a corporate venture arm based in Gütersloh, Germany, founded in 2006.

Yes. Bertelsmann Investments invests its own capital in private companies. It also commits capital to third-party funds as an LP.

Bertelsmann Investments invests at Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth and Buyout stages in Software & SaaS, Artificial Intelligence, HealthTech, Fintech, Consumer & E-commerce, Education and Media & Entertainment.

Key people at Bertelsmann Investments include Carsten Coesfeld (Member of the Executive Board of Bertelsmann and CEO Bertelsmann Investments), Deniz Pielsticker (CFO Bertelsmann Investments), Hilke Heise (Chief People Officer) and Annabelle Long (Managing Partner, BAI).

Bertelsmann Investments's investments include Applike Group, LetsTransport, Shiprocket, Stori, EMBRACE (Ausbildung.de, Studyflix, Vocanto, Milch und Zucker), cormeo (Docuvera, EXTEDO, Rote Liste, medicines.ie), Rozana and Eruditus, among others.

The most recent publicly reported investment by Bertelsmann Investments is Fairdeal (New investment (via BII), announced in H1 2026 results), announced in Aug 2026.