Government-backed FundPuts its own capital into companiesActive · deal in last 18 monthsLAST VERIFIED Oct 2026 · 7 SOURCES

IFB Innovationsstarter

Wholly owned venture and start-up subsidiary of Hamburgische Investitions- und Förderbank (IFB Hamburg)

Also known as IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH, Innovationsstarter Fonds Hamburg, InnoStarterFonds, InnoVentureFonds

Hamburg-based venture subsidiary of IFB Hamburg; invests public money in Hamburg start-ups via the InnoStarterFonds (up to EUR 1.5m) and InnoVentureFonds (up to EUR 7m), and runs grant programmes.

Venture subsidiary of IFB Hamburg (Hamburgische Investitions- und Förderbank); not to be confused with the bank itself or with Innovationsstarter programmes of other Länder.

HEADQUARTERS: Hamburg, Germany
FOUNDED: —
AUM: €108M (2025)
OUTSIDE CAPITAL: No — own capital only
TEAM LISTED: 13 people

Focus

STAGES: Pre-SeedSeedSeries ASeries B
SECTORS: Software & SaaS Deep Tech Biotech & Life Sciences HealthTech Climate & Energy
ASSET MIX: Venture capitalDirect investments
GEOGRAPHY: Germany

Investment arms & vehicles

Innovationsstarter Fonds Hamburg (InnoStarterFonds)
Seed and early-stage open stakes in Hamburg start-ups under five years old, up to EUR 800k per round and EUR 1.5m per company; current third fund EUR 15m (60% City of Hamburg, 40% EFRE)
InnoVentureFonds
Post-seed growth financing of up to EUR 7m per company, always pari passu with private investors; RegioInnoGrowth module of the federal Zukunftsfonds, 70% Bund/KfW and 30% City of Hamburg
Hamburg Investors Network (HIN)
Matching network that brings private investors and Hamburg start-ups together

Overview

IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hamburgische Investitions- und Förderbank (IFB Hamburg), acting on behalf of the Hamburg Behörde für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Innovation and the EFRE. It invests venture capital in Hamburg start-ups through the Innovationsstarter Fonds Hamburg (InnoStarterFonds, investing since 2012, now from its third fund) and the InnoVentureFonds (since 2024, part of the federal Zukunftsfonds), always alongside private investors on equal terms. It also runs grant programmes (InnoFounder, InnoRampUp, InnoFinTech, InnoImpact), the Hamburg Investors Network and the Startup City Hamburg platform.

Investment thesis

Sector-agnostic: innovative start-ups with a seat or site in Hamburg. InnoStarterFonds takes companies under five years old with an MVP and first market feedback; InnoVentureFonds targets post-seed companies with up to EUR 75m group revenue and ecological, digital or social innovations, with capital-intensive deep tech (life sciences, biotech, quantum) exempt from the market-entry requirement.

PORTFOLIO (61)

Treelax Partner (InnoStarterFonds)
Tegus Medical (InnoStarterFonds)
SMIN Therapeutics (InnoStarterFonds)
CertifAI (InnoStarterFonds)
Ant Robotics (InnoStarterFonds)
Planeteers (InnoStarterFonds)
mo:re (InnoStarterFonds)
COLIPI (InnoStarterFonds)
Lignopure (InnoStarterFonds)
Hello Pine (InnoStarterFonds)
BLUU Seafood (InnoStarterFonds)
Holy Technologies (InnoStarterFonds)
VOIDS Technology (InnoStarterFonds)
SupplyET Supply Engine Technologies (InnoStarterFonds)
3D Spark (InnoStarterFonds)
SideCaps (InnoStarterFonds)
fuse.space (InnoStarterFonds)
WOBI – Das fairCamper Portal (InnoStarterFonds)
ai-omatic (InnoStarterFonds)
PROVIREX (InnoStarterFonds)
KSK Diagnostics (InnoStarterFonds)
One Tech Group (InnoStarterFonds)
kitchenadvisor (InnoStarterFonds)
HQLabs (InnoStarterFonds)
PANDA (InnoStarterFonds)
Sonormed (InnoStarterFonds)
SYMPATIENT (InnoStarterFonds)
attenio (InnoStarterFonds)
Life Time (InnoStarterFonds)
Custom Cells Itzehoe (InnoStarterFonds)
MindPeak (InnoStarterFonds)
CEBCON Technologies (InnoStarterFonds)
Protembis (InnoStarterFonds)
GQ Bio (InnoStarterFonds)
Uniberry (InnoStarterFonds)
Resourcify (InnoStarterFonds)
cloudplan (InnoStarterFonds)
AlsterScience (InnoStarterFonds)
ONLOGIST (InnoStarterFonds)
XtalConcepts (InnoStarterFonds)
THREAKS (InnoStarterFonds)
Maklaro (InnoStarterFonds)
i3 membrane (InnoStarterFonds)
familonet (InnoStarterFonds)
Cycle (InnoStarterFonds)
bentekk (InnoStarterFonds)
adtriba (InnoStarterFonds)
EleQtron (InnoVentureFonds)
Shipzero (InnoVentureFonds)
SMIN Therapeutics (InnoVentureFonds)
Tomorrow (InnoVentureFonds)
Vivere (InnoVentureFonds)
Sportplatz Media GmbH (InnoVentureFonds)
BLUU Seafood (InnoVentureFonds)
Flexvelop GmbH (InnoVentureFonds)
GoodBytz (InnoVentureFonds)
traceless materials (InnoVentureFonds)
SYMPATIENT (InnoVentureFonds)
MindPeak (InnoVentureFonds)
DealCircle (InnoVentureFonds)
apoQlar (InnoVentureFonds)

People

Dr. Heiko Milde
Managing Director (Geschäftsführer) · source
Jens Babendererde
Head of Finance / Portfolio Management (Kaufmännische Leitung / Beteiligungsmanagement) · source
Dörte Bunge
Head of Investments · source
Gencer Sahin
Head of Investments · source
Stefanie Höhn
Senior Investment Manager · source
Benjamin Lakhssassi
Senior Investment Manager · source
Justus Ribbe
Junior Investment Manager · source
Leonard Keck
Junior Investment Manager · source
Chiara Kracklauer
Junior Investment Manager · source
Paul Stabla
Portfolio Controller (Beteiligungscontroller) · source
Stefan Hellmich
Portfolio Manager CRF · source
Max Ehmig
Portfolio Manager CRF (Beteiligungsmanager CRF) · source
Jan Hillmer
Head of Grant Programmes · source

Frequently asked questions

IFB Innovationsstarter is a government-backed fund based in Hamburg, Germany.

Yes. IFB Innovationsstarter invests its own capital in private companies.

IFB Innovationsstarter invests at Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A and Series B stages in Software & SaaS, Deep Tech, Biotech & Life Sciences, HealthTech and Climate & Energy.

IFB Innovationsstarter's stated ticket size is Up to €7M.

Key people at IFB Innovationsstarter include Dr. Heiko Milde (Managing Director (Geschäftsführer)), Jens Babendererde (Head of Finance / Portfolio Management (Kaufmännische Leitung / Beteiligungsmanagement)), Dörte Bunge (Head of Investments) and Gencer Sahin (Head of Investments).

IFB Innovationsstarter's investments include Treelax Partner (InnoStarterFonds), Tegus Medical (InnoStarterFonds), SMIN Therapeutics (InnoStarterFonds), CertifAI (InnoStarterFonds), Ant Robotics (InnoStarterFonds), Planeteers (InnoStarterFonds), mo:re (InnoStarterFonds) and COLIPI (InnoStarterFonds), among others.

The most recent publicly reported investment by IFB Innovationsstarter is eleQtron (Series A (EUR 57m, IFB Hamburg participating)), announced in May 2026.

IFB Innovationsstarter states that it accepts submissions through its official contact page.

No. IFB Innovationsstarter invests its own capital and does not raise money from outside investors.