Bosch Launches €250 Million Fund for Startups

In the face of economic uncertainty and global economic turbulence, Bosch is continuing with its commitment to provide venture capital to startups. Its subsidiary Bosch Ventures, already one of Europe’s biggest corporate venture-capital investors, is launching a new fund worth around €250 million.

“Our investments in startups promote technological progress in business and society, and this collaboration also benefits our divisions. With disruptive technologies, startups can boost innovation in a way that delivers important growth impetus for a country’s economy. That is why we want to remain a reliable partner for the startup sector worldwide, even in an adverse business environment,” said Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Bosch.

Bosch Ventures supports startups around the world whose technologies have the potential to improve quality of life and conserve natural resources. Since its establishment in 2007, it has established locations with contacts for the startup ecosystem in the global technology hotspots of China (Shanghai), Germany (Stuttgart, Frankfurt), Israel (Tel Aviv), and the US (Boston, Sunnyvale).

“As a global investor, we need to be part of the local startup ecosystem so we can find startups with potential, whose innovative technologies could turn entire markets upside down,” said Ingo Ramesohl, managing director of Bosch Ventures. “Our investment professionals screen more than 2,000 startups every year. But only about a hundred of these make it to the shortlist. Each year, Bosch Ventures invests in six to ten carefully selected companies.“