ZEISS Ventures
Corporate venture capital arm of Carl Zeiss AG
Also known as Carl Zeiss Ventures
Corporate VC arm of the ZEISS Group: $150m+ fund, €0.5–5m initial tickets at pre-Series A/Series A in deep tech (MedTech, life sciences, photonics, industrial tech).
Corporate venture capital arm of the ZEISS Group (Carl Zeiss AG). Distinct from the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung (owner foundation, slug carl-zeiss-stiftung) and from the Ernst-Abbe-Stiftung.
- HEADQUARTERS
- Oberkochen, Germany
- FOUNDED
- —
- AUM
- $150M (2026)
- OUTSIDE CAPITAL
- No — own capital only
- TEAM LISTED
- 21 people
Focus
- STAGES
- SeedSeries A
- ASSET MIX
- Venture capital
- GEOGRAPHY
- EuropeNorth America
Overview
ZEISS Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of the ZEISS Group, whose holding company Carl Zeiss AG is headquartered in Oberkochen and wholly owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation. It runs external venturing (minority investments in start-ups), internal venturing (financing internal start-up projects) and a Beyond Innovation unit for high-risk new business fields. It invests €0.5–5 million initially at pre-Series A and Series A in deep-tech companies in MedTech and life sciences, photonics, optics and semiconductors, and industrial technology, mainly in Europe and North America, and reports a fund size of more than $150 million, more than 15 investments and three exits. Two ZEISS Executive Board members sit on its Venture Board.
Investment thesis
Strategic deep-tech investor in start-ups relevant to ZEISS that sit between, beyond or disrupt its strategic business units, mainly technology-driven companies with interlinked software and hardware for global B2B markets in MedTech and life sciences, photonics, optics and semiconductors, and industrial technology; pre-Series A and Series A, €0.5–5m initial tickets.
PORTFOLIO (23)
- ZEISS MicroOpticsDeep Tech
- MindpeakHealthTech
- MorrowDeep Tech
- ZOMPBiotech & Life Sciences
- Hypervision SurgicalHealthTech
- VibrosonicHealthTech
- InSpheroBiotech & Life Sciences
- Surgify MedicalHealthTech
- OdneHealthTech · since 2025
- LidrotecDeep Tech
- arcoris bioBiotech & Life Sciences
- LinkoCareHealthTech
- SeeTrue TechnologiesDeep Tech · since 2026
- MaculaserHealthTech
- Custom SurgicalHealthTech
- Scantinel PhotonicsDeep Tech · Exited (2025)
- ZEISS CurioZEducation · Spin-in (2024)
- Bridger PhotonicsDeep Tech · Exited (2022)
- NanoscribeIndustrial & Manufacturing · Exited (2021)
- iTrapIndustrial & Manufacturing · Exited (2020)
- OpteyesHealthTech · Exited (2020)
- ZEISS RealScan TechnologiesSoftware & SaaS · Exited (2019)
- ZEISS MultiSEMDeep Tech · Exited (2018)
People
- Dr. Boris HofmannHead of ZEISS Ventures · source
- Dr. Marc SchülerHead of External Venturing · source
- Evgeni RehfussHead of Internal Venturing · source
- Mike GänßlerExternal Venturing · source
- Johannes HofmannExternal Venturing · source
- Benedikt KläsExternal Venturing · source
- Julian SchrothExternal Venturing · source
- Annie TaoExternal Venturing · source
- Niklas UrchsExternal Venturing · source
- Murat KaplanBeyond Innovation · source
- Dr. Marcel RöderBeyond Innovation · source
- Asad AzharInternal Venturing · source
- Timo FürbaßInternal Venturing · source
- Marina LecasInternal Venturing · source
- Nina Mathers VoigtInternal Venturing · source
- Dr. Daisy PaivaInternal Venturing · source
- Dr. Philipp TopicInternal Venturing · source
- Christina GiantsiouOperations · source
- Johanna HahnOperations · source
- Sophia LangOperations · source
- Lisa UllrichControlling · source
Links
Frequently asked questions
ZEISS Ventures is a corporate venture arm based in Oberkochen, Germany.
Yes. ZEISS Ventures invests its own capital in private companies.
ZEISS Ventures invests at Seed and Series A stages in Deep Tech, HealthTech, Biotech & Life Sciences, Industrial & Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence.
ZEISS Ventures's stated ticket size is €500K–€5M.
Key people at ZEISS Ventures include Dr. Boris Hofmann (Head of ZEISS Ventures), Dr. Marc Schüler (Head of External Venturing), Evgeni Rehfuss (Head of Internal Venturing) and Mike Gänßler (External Venturing).
ZEISS Ventures's investments include ZEISS MicroOptics, Mindpeak, Morrow, ZOMP, Hypervision Surgical, Vibrosonic, InSphero and Surgify Medical, among others.
The most recent publicly reported investment by ZEISS Ventures is SeeTrue Technologies (€2.2m round (lead investor)), announced in Aug 2026.
ZEISS Ventures states that it accepts submissions through its official contact page.
No. ZEISS Ventures invests its own capital and does not raise money from outside investors.