Athos
Also known as ATHOS KG
Family office of Hexal founders Thomas and Andreas Strüngmann, investing in pharma and life science; led the 2023 buyout of disinfectant maker Schülke and co-led Antheia's 2026 Series C close.
USEFUL FOR Business owners seeking a long-term partner · Co-investors
Family office of Hexal founders Thomas and Andreas Strüngmann (legal entity ATHOS KG, Holzkirchen).
Family & background
- FAMILY
- Strüngmann
- WEALTH ORIGIN
- Pharmaceuticals (generics maker Hexal, sold to Novartis in 2005)
- HEADQUARTERS
- Holzkirchen, Germany
Investment approach
- GEOGRAPHY
- GermanyUnited StatesDenmark
- STAGES
- GrowthBuyout
- ROUTES
- Companies (own capital)
- LATEST DEAL
- Antheia (Series C (second close)) · Jan 2026
Overview
ATHOS KG is the family office of Thomas and Andreas Strüngmann, the twin brothers who sold generics maker Hexal to Novartis in 2005. Its website states that it invests entrepreneurially and value-based with a focus on pharma and life science. In 2023 a consortium led by Athos, with co-investors including Bitburger Holding, bought infection-prevention company Schülke & Mayr from EQT; the price was not disclosed but Bloomberg reported about €1.4 billion, and the German Federal Cartel Office cleared the deal in September 2023. In January 2026 ATHOS KG co-led, with America's Frontier Fund, a $24 million second close of the Series C of US biosynthesis company Antheia. ATHOS led the $34 million Series B of Berlin pathology-AI company Aignostics in October 2024, the 2023 Series A of Danish binding-protein company Bactolife and took part again in its Series B in January 2026, and ATHOS KG is the largest listed shareholder of biosimilar developer Formycon (24.3%). The Strüngmann brothers personally provided seed financing to BioNTech at its founding in 2008, together with the MIG funds and Helmut Jeggle.
Holdings & investments (6)
- Schülke & MayrNOTABLEHealthTech · since 2023
- AntheiaNOTABLEBiotech & Life Sciences · since 2026
- FormyconNOTABLEBiotech & Life Sciences · Minority stake (ATHOS KG 24.3% of listed shares)
- BioNTechNOTABLEBiotech & Life Sciences · Listed company; ATHOS self-described 'long-term majority investor of BioNTech' (About ATHOS boilerplate)
- Artificial Intelligence · since 2024
- Biotech & Life Sciences · since 2023
People
- Thomas MaierRepresentative named in the imprint · source
Frequently asked questions
Athos is a single family office based in Holzkirchen, Germany.
Athos invests on behalf of the Strüngmann family (Pharmaceuticals (generics maker Hexal, sold to Novartis in 2005)).
Athos invests its own capital into companies.
Athos invests at Growth and Buyout stages in Biotech & Life Sciences, HealthTech and Artificial Intelligence.
Key people at Athos include Thomas Maier (Representative named in the imprint).
Athos's holdings and investments include Schülke & Mayr, Antheia, Formycon, BioNTech, Bactolife and Aignostics.
The most recent publicly reported investment by Athos is Antheia (Series C (second close)), announced in Jan 2026.