b.value AG
Impact by Deep Tech
We invest in DeepTech startups that combine exceptional founding personalities and disruptive technologies to provide solutions for a sustainable world of tomorrow. Our deep technology expertise and many years of operational experience in building and managing biotech and high-tech companies enable us to identify the most promising DeepTech startups and support them financially and strategically to realize their full potential. Our unique structure and experience allow us to act flexibly and take a long-term view.

Our goal is to build a future-oriented portfolio of fast-growing, deep tech start-up companies that define the production processes and markets of the future. In doing so, we bridge the gap from research and development to global markets. Our specialization, deep market and industry understanding as well as our operational experience are the key to success - for our portfolio companies and investors alike.
Investment focus
We shape the markets of the future
Our world is in transition and with it the industries. At b.value, we are convinced that sustainable processes and products are the foundation for tomorrow's world. For this reason, we have targeted our focus on biotechnology (including precision fermentation, sustainable chemicals, food/feed, life science methods) and advanced materials. These sectors are characterized by above-average growth and offer enormous potential for sustainable innovations.
As b.value AG, we focus on investment opportunities within the European D-A-CH region. Our special focus is on pre-seed and seed stage companies whose products or business models address the future markets of biotechnology and advanced materials. In doing so, we acquire minority stakes and invest together with other co-investors. This collaborative approach enables us to minimize risks and bundle resources to support the success and growth of promising companies.
Our approach
Investing in talent and technology
Our investment approach is based on three core principles: talented founders, scalable business models and disruptive, protected technologies. We look for exceptional founders who want to build the companies of the future with knowledge and courage. With our expertise and network, we support our portfolio companies in scaling their business models and successfully establishing their technologies in the market. Our common goal is to create a sustainable future and to exploit the full potential of core technologies.
Our network
Achieving great things together
We offer our portfolio companies not only strategic and financial support, but also access to an extensive network of industry experts, scientists, investors, policy makers, and industrial and academic thought leaders. Close interaction with our network provides our companies with elemental resources for successful scaling. This provides the founders with valuable insights, partnerships and collaboration opportunities that strengthen their growth prospects and give them a competitive edge.

Entrepreneurial experience in building successful biotech and high tech companies

Support from experts with exceptional technology understanding

Extensive network of experienced supervisory board members, scientists, executives, investors, political decision-makers, and industrial and academic thought leaders

Unique opportunity in Germany to participate in future biotechnology and advanced materials companies at a very early stage of development
For a sustainable world of tomorrow
Investment Portfolio
Our portfolio consists of a broad range of DeepTech startups at various stages of development. We are proud to work with talented entrepreneurs who are pushing the boundaries of what is possible and developing solutions to global challenges. Learn more about the companies we support and discover their innovative technologies.
b.value Team
A partnership of equals
We know from first hand experience, what matters to founders!
25 years of entrepreneurial experience as a founder, scaling expert and investor underpinned by an extensive track record is the basis of our proactive support - from founders for founders.
Support by a team of experts with an exceptional understanding of technology
The profound knowledge of our operational team, consisting of scientists with doctorates in various fields, builds partnerships with the founders on an equal footing and enables a technology assessment that goes beyond the usual and looks "under the hood".
Supervisory Board
Experienced, successful, well-connected
b.value benefits from the supervisory board's many years of industry, transaction and IPO experience
Prof. Dr. Manfred Niewiarra
- former Head of M&A
- Bertelsmann AG &
Member of the Executive Board Axel Springer AG, - Member of the Board CLT UFA
Prof. Dr. Michael Dröscher
- Former Managing Director Evonik Creavis GmbH
- President of GdCh
- Member of the Board of Trustees of MPI-P (Mainz) and LIKAT (Rostock)
Dr. Jürgen Eck
- CTO and Co-CEO SymbioPharm
- Co-Founder & former CEO of B.R.A.I.N AG
- Member of the Board of BIO Germany and DECHEMA
Dr. Dahai Yu
- Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Röhm and Caldic
- Member of the Advisory Board of Sinochem International, allnex and GETEC,
- Former member of the Executive Board of Evonik Industries AG
- Operating Partner for Advent International
- Corporate Advisor for Temasek International
News
you can find more news on our LinkedIn page
25.09.2023
It is the traceless team’s mission to provide a solution for global plastic pollution with its innovative novel biocircular material. Not that this is ambitious in itself, the team aims to set new standards in biocircularity. Thus, the traceless® base material has 100% biobased carbon content - without any conflict to food production and land use - and consists of no plastic, thereby, making use of renewable resources only. These facts are currently confirmed by two eco-labels, DIN Geprüft biobased product und „flustix plastic free„. Both certificates are proofs by the independent test institutes DIN CERTO and flustixand further are the most demanding labels of its kind. They create credible transparency for converters, brand owners and end consumers by trustmarking traceless materials’ pioneering role and credibility of its mission “designed by nature – designed for nature”. Congratulations and Go adhead!
If you want further information on both labels and their high standards of requirements, have a look at the traceless blog articles Officially certified 100% biobased carbon content and The Plastic-Free Guarantee.
traceless materials secures €36.6 Million Series A to build first industry plant for bio-circular alternative to plastic
The financing round was led by UB FIGG and SWEN CP’s Blue Ocean fund. traceless materials secures the funding to expand the production capabilities for its innovative biomaterial technology to industrial scale.
Hamburg, Germany - September 25, 2023. Bioeconomy startup traceless, which produces a natural biomaterial as an alternative to plastic, announces the completion of a €36.6 million funding round. The Series A funding round is led by private equity fund UB Forest Industry Green Growth Fund ("UB FIGG"), which invests in sustainable and resource-efficient forest and biobased industries, and complemented by SWEN CP’s Blue Ocean fund, which invests in innovations that help address the three existential threats to ocean health: overfishing, pollution, and climate change. A local banking syndicate consisting of GLS Bank, Hamburg, and Hamburger Sparkasse also participated in the financing round, as well as the company's three existing investors, greentech investor Planet A Ventures, seed investor High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), and deep tech investor b.value.
Transforming to a circular economy
Plastics not only leave behind the visible traces of global plastic pollution, but also contribute significantly to the climate crisis through their resource-intensive production from fossil raw materials. As part of a sustainable circular economy, the bioeconomy offers a solution: traceless materials has developed a holistically sustainable material to tackle the plastic crises. The natural biomaterial traceless® is certified completely bio-based, home-compostable, and plastic-free. By using agricultural residues, valuable biomass resources are conserved. The patent-pending technology is based on natural polymers, contains no potentially harmful chemicals, and has a minimal ecological footprint: compared to plastic, 91% of CO2 emissions and 89% of fossil energy requirements are saved during production and disposal.
“Through scaling our innovative technology, we prove that a climate-friendly, circular, resilient and regenerative industry is possible. With our novel biomaterial, we can make a significant contribution to solving plastic pollution.", said Dr. Anne Lamp, CEO and co-founder of traceless. "We are convinced that UB FIGG and SWEN’s Blue Ocean fund are a great addition to our shareholders as they have relevant knowledge in our industry. The fact that both our investors and the banks fully support our mission was a decisive criterion for us."
In order to implement the innovative technology on an industrial scale for the first time, traceless is building a demonstration plant in Hamburg. With this production plant, the company will replace several thousand tons of conventional plastic annually and at the same time save a significant amount of CO2 emissions, fossil resources, water, and agricultural land.
“traceless’ approach to use widely available agricultural side streams to replace fossil-based plastic and the financial opportunity their solution proposes convinced us both economically and ecologically”, said Sakari Saarela, Partner at UB FIGG. "The traceless team has achieved extremely strong results in terms of material performance, development times and commercialization of the new material. We are looking forward to accompanying Anne, Johanna and the team in the scale up of this innovative technology."
After the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV) approved a grant of 5 million Euro for the construction of this demonstration plant earlier this year, the Series A financing round is now the second part of the company's financing strategy to expand its production capacities.
“Financing capital-intensive start-ups is still unfamiliar to many investors and banks. This makes it a special challenge for industrial manufacturing start-ups like us that are developing the innovative technologies of tomorrow. We are very pleased that with UB FIGG, SWEN CP, Planet A, HTGF, b.value our local bank consortium we have found partners who share our vision and have recognized and understood the challenges of financing our hardware scale-up. With their support, we are going to reach our ambitious goals to make our contribution to solve global plastic pollution!”, said Johanna Baare, COO and co-founder of traceless.
The company produces traceless® materials in the form of a granulate that can be further processed using standard technologies in the plastics and packaging industry. Thus, the material can be used in a wide range of end products - from rigid molded parts and flexible films to paper coatings or adhesives.
“The Blue Ocean fund seeks to invest in startups bringing innovative solutions to address the 3 main threats to our ocean: overfishing, ocean pollution and climate change. As plastic pollution is one of the main pollutants threatening our ocean, we were seduced by traceless, a bio-based and biodegradable material that can replace plastics in products that easily end up in the environment, and hence in our ocean, such as single-use packaging as well as hidden plastics in adhesives and paper coatings. traceless is a compelling alternative to applications where reusable solutions are not sustainable and technical recycling is not feasible.”, said Olivier Raybaud, Managing Director of SWEN Capital Partners.
Founded in 2020, the traceless team of 40 employees is aiming to replace plastics in large quantities by demonstrating for the first time that the innovative process can be implemented on an industrial scale. In parallel with the technology scale-up, the continuously growing is developing pilot products made from traceless® materials with its customers and partners. traceless' mission: to provide a solution that addresses global plastic pollution, as well as challenges related to climate change, resource scarcity, and the loss of biodiversity. traceless is a change-enabler for driving the green transformation of the industry.
ABOUT TRACELESS
The bioeconomy start-up traceless materials GmbH was founded in 2020 by Dr. Anne Lamp and Johanna Baare in Hamburg. The mission: to contribute to a regenerative, climate-friendly economy and a future free of plastic pollution. With their innovative technology, the company turns agricultural industry plant leftovers into natural biomaterials that are bio-based, home compostable, plastic-free and have a minimal ecological footprint. To realize the ecological potential, the technology is being scaled up from pilot scale to industrial scale.
ABOUT UB FOREST INDUSTRY GREEN GROWTH FUND
UB FIGG is a private equity fund investing in companies focused on plastic and other fossil fuel-based material replacements, higher value and more efficient use of wood and agricultural raw material side streams and greater use of these raw materials across a wide range of intermediate and end uses. Through its investments, the Fund will help the forest and bio-based industries to create solutions to mitigate climate change. UB FIGG is a signatory of Operating Principles for Impact Management and reports on the environmental and climate impact of its investments.
ABOUT SWEN BLUE OCEAN
SWEN Capital Partners is a leading player in responsible investment in private assets in Europe with more than 7.7 billion euros* under management, offering a wide range of investment programs for institutional and private clients. Since 2012, the management company has integrated ESG criteria into all of its asset management activities and has implemented a climate strategy since 2017. In 2021, it strengthened its actions in favor of fairer and more sustainable growth by launching Blue Ocean. SWEN Capital Partners is owned by the OFI Invest Groups, Crédit Mutuel Arkéa and part of its team. Since January 2022, they have been a co-shareholder of the NEC Initiative, the developer of a methodology allowing socio-economic actors to measure their contribution to the ecological transition towards a common goal: the construction of a responsible and sustainable economy.
Weiterführende Informationen: Pressemitteilung Press release traceless materials - Series A financing round
01.08.2023
Investment manager Dr. Dara Forouzan joins the b.value team
We cordially welcome Dr. Dara Forouzan to our team! Dara is a true cosmopolitan bringing new perspectives to b.value from various roles he had on technology transfer and start-ups with an international context. As a protein biochemist with expertise in market analysis and commercialization of life science technologies, he strengthens the corresponding investment area. With his entrepreneurial, tech-transfer, and consulting experience, Dara will certainly provide valuable input to the strategic development of b.value AG and the expansion of our portfolio in his role as investment manager. We are very excited to work with Dara and benefit from his wealth of experience!
17.05.2023
Our portfolio company traceless materials is being funded with around 5 million Euros from the Environmental Innovation Program (Umweltinnovationsprogramm) of the German Federal Environment Ministry in order to demonstrate its innovative technology in an industrially relevant scale. The funding will be used to build a demonstration production plant at Hamburg going into operation in 2024 to produce the traceless® material. The aim is to substitute several thousand metric tons of conventional plastic each year, thus saving a considerable amount of CO2 emissions, fossil resources, water and agricultural land. Last week, Parliamentary State Secretary Dr. Bettina Hoffmann handed over the funding check to the two female founders Dr. Anne Lamp und Johanna Baare. Our warmest congratulations to both of you and the whole traceless team!
The official press releases by traceless materials and BMUV (German only).

20.02.2023
It is the traceless team’s mission to provide a solution for global plastic pollution with its innovative novel biocircular material. Not that this is ambitious in itself, the team aims to set new standards in biocircularity. Thus, the traceless® base material has 100% biobased carbon content - without any conflict to food production and land use - and consists of no plastic, thereby, making use of renewable resources only. These facts are currently confirmed by two eco-labels, DIN Geprüft biobased product und „flustix plastic free„. Both certificates are proofs by the independent test institutes DIN CERTO and flustixand further are the most demanding labels of its kind. They create credible transparency for converters, brand owners and end consumers by trustmarking traceless materials’ pioneering role and credibility of its mission “designed by nature – designed for nature”. Congratulations and Go adhead!
If you want further information on both labels and their high standards of requirements, have a look at the traceless blog articles Officially certified 100% biobased carbon content and The Plastic-Free Guarantee.
It is the traceless team’s mission to provide a solution for global plastic pollution with its innovative novel biocircular material. Not that this is ambitious in itself, the team aims to set new standards in biocircularity. Thus, the traceless® base material has 100% biobased carbon content - without any conflict to food production and land use - and consists of no plastic, thereby, making use of renewable resources only. These facts are currently confirmed by two eco-labels, DIN Geprüft biobased productand “flustix plastic free”. Both certificates are proofs by the independent test institutes DIN CERTO and flustix and further are the most demanding labels of its kind. They create credible transparency for converters, brand owners and end consumers by trustmarking traceless materials’ pioneering role and credibility of its mission “designed by nature – designed for nature”. Congratulations and Go adhead!
If you want further information on both labels and their high standards of requirements, have a look at the traceless blog articles Officially certified 100% biobased carbon content and The Plastic-Free Guarantee.
03.02.2023
Our portfolio company Cellbricks GmbH was featured in the latest episode of the Handelsblatt Disrupt podcast.
Every Friday, Handelsblatt invites CEOs, women entrepreneurs, politicians, investors and innovators to talk about the big changes in business.
Cellbricks CEO Joachim von Arnim caught up with noted tech journalist Larissa Holzki to talk about the potential, status and challenges of 3D bioprinting and large-scale human tissue replication.
Enjoy listening!
Our portfolio company Cellbricks GmbH was featured in the latest episode of the Handelsblatt Disrupt podcast.
Every Friday, Handelsblatt invites CEOs, women entrepreneurs, politicians, investors and innovators to talk about the big changes in business.
Cellbricks CEO Joachim von Arnim caught up with noted tech journalist Larissa Holzki to talk about the potential, status and challenges of 3D bioprinting and large-scale human tissue replication.
Enjoy listening!
18.01.2023
We at b.value are excited to kick off 2023 with a fresh new look! Our team has worked hard to complete a new corporate design and we can't wait to share it!
Our new logo and slogan states in a more modern style what we are, and what we do. Starting our investments in the biotech field including precision fermentation, sustainable chemicals, food/feed, life science tools, our portfolio became more diverse over time with interesting startups offering advanced materials. We believe in biotech and advanced materials as the core technologies of the future shaping our tomorrow’s world and addressing future markets. From our point of view, impact will be driven by deep tech.
While our look is new, our core values remain the same: we will continue working alongside our portfolio companies, co-investors, and network partners with our usual reliability, profound technological knowledge and operational expertise. We are looking forward to an exciting 2023!
We at b.value are excited to kick off 2023 with a fresh new look! Our team has worked hard to complete a new corporate design and we can't wait to share it!
Our new logo and slogan states in a more modern style what we are, and what we do. Starting our investments in the biotech field including precision fermentation, sustainable chemicals, food/feed, life science tools, our portfolio became more diverse over time with interesting startups offering advanced materials. We believe in biotech and advanced materials as the core technologies of the future shaping our tomorrow’s world and addressing future markets. From our point of view, impact will be driven by deep tech.
While our look is new, our core values remain the same: we will continue working alongside our portfolio companies, co-investors, and network partners with our usual reliability, profound technological knowledge and operational expertise. We are looking forward to an exciting 2023!

09.12.2022
Congratulations on the New Economy Award 2022
Last Friday, 02.12.2022, CEO Anne Lang received the Next Economy Award 2022 in behave of the whole traceless team. The Next Economy Award (NEA) is the startup competition of the German Sustainability Award (Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis) - Europe's leading award for ecological and social engagement. The NEA prizes founders who drive social and ecological change with innovative business models, and is awarded in cooperation with Evonik Industries. Traceless is one of three winning startups elected through a public voting. Congratulations to the whole traceless team – well deserved for your continuous engagement to make the world a better place! More information and pictures at https://www.traceless.eu/post/traceless-is-one-of-the-next-economy-award-winners.
First traceless® product hits C&A shelves
Traceless‘s vision is to remove more and more products of our daily live by sustainable alternatives made of the traceless® granulate. Therefore, we are very proud that the company published its collaboration with the fashion retailer C&A yesterday. First pilot product are traceless® sock-hooks. On the 8th of December the product was launched in the C&A Store in Hamburg Altona. We have already had the hooks in our hands and were very impressed.Looking forward to the next traceless® products! More information and impressions on the traceless® sock-hooks at https://www.traceless.eu/post/collaboration-with-c-a-first-traceless-product-hits-the-shelves.
Congratulations on the New Economy Award 2022
Last Friday, 02.12.2022, CEO Anne Lang received the Next Economy Award 2022 in behave of the whole traceless team. The Next Economy Award (NEA) is the startup competition of the German Sustainability Award (Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis) - Europe's leading award for ecological and social engagement. The NEA prizes founders who drive social and ecological change with innovative business models, and is awarded in cooperation with Evonik Industries. Traceless is one of three winning startups elected through a public voting. Congratulations to the whole traceless team – well deserved for your continuous engagement to make the world a better place! More information and pictures at https://www.traceless.eu/post/traceless-is-one-of-the-next-economy-award-winners.
First traceless® product hits C&A shelves
Traceless‘s vision is to remove more and more products of our daily live by sustainable alternatives made of the traceless® granulate. Therefore, we are very proud that the company published its collaboration with the fashion retailer C&A yesterday. First pilot product are traceless® sock-hooks. On the 8th of December the product was launched in the C&A Store in Hamburg Altona. We have already had the hooks in our hands and were very impressed.Looking forward to the next traceless® products! More information and impressions on the traceless® sock-hooks at https://www.traceless.eu/post/collaboration-with-c-a-first-traceless-product-hits-the-shelves.
03.10.2022
Cellbricks GmbH wins this year's Spark Award, which is presented by McKinsey & Company and Handelsblatt. Cellbricks successfully competed in a highly qualified field of 750 medical technology start-ups. The renowned jury described Cellbricks' 3D bioprinting capabilities as a "quantum leap in medicine" and highlighted the scalability to replicate human tissue and print entire organs in the future.
Further information:
Cellbricks GmbH wins this year's Spark Award, which is presented by McKinsey & Company and Handelsblatt. Cellbricks successfully competed in a highly qualified field of 750 medical technology start-ups. The renowned jury described Cellbricks' 3D bioprinting capabilities as a "quantum leap in medicine" and highlighted the scalability to replicate human tissue and print entire organs in the future.
Further information:
13.09.2022
What an incredible news: The founders of our portfolio company traceless materials, Anne Lamp and Johanna Baare, have won the prestigious award Deutscher Gründerpreis 2022 (German Entrepreneur Award) last night. Congratulations!
These inspiring ladies and their team did a fantastic job over the last 18 months which has been honored by numerous awards - absolutely justified since they work hard for the vision to substitute 1 Mio t plastics until 2031. It is a great pleasure to be at your side together with our partners Johannes Weber at High-Tech GründerFonds as well as Tobias Seikel and Christian Schad at Planet A Ventures. It is an exciting journey with you! Looking forward to what is coming next!
What an incredible news: The founders of our portfolio company traceless materials, Anne Lamp and Johanna Baare, have won the prestigious award Deutscher Gründerpreis 2022 (German Entrepreneur Award) last night. Congratulations!
These inspiring ladies and their team did a fantastic job over the last 18 months which has been honored by numerous awards - absolutely justified since they work hard for the vision to substitute 1 Mio t plastics until 2031. It is a great pleasure to be at your side together with our partners Johannes Weber at High-Tech GründerFonds as well as Tobias Seikel and Christian Schad at Planet A Ventures. It is an exciting journey with you! Looking forward to what is coming next!
Contact
Let's create the future together
Would you like to learn more about b.value AG or do you have an innovative technology that might pique our interest? Do not hesitate to contact us. Our team will be happy to answer your questions. We are looking forward to hearing from you and exploring the possibility of working together.
b.value AG
Contact Person
Dr. Georg Lentzen (Managing Director)
Georg.Lentzen@b-value.de
Peter Kallien (Managing Director)
Peter.Kallien@b-value.de
Contact
b.value AG
Otto-Hahn-Straße 15
D-44227 Dortmund
+49 (0) 231/79300196
Impact by Deep Tech
