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
01.07.2024
Dr. Isabelle Schiffer joined b.value as an Investment Manager at the beginning of July. She has experience in guiding academic scientists through their initial steps in venture building from her previous work in technology transfer at the start-up center of the University of Cologne. Her expertise in the German and European funding landscape, along with her extensive network in universities, will be a great asset to our team. She also worked at a foundation dedicated to supporting science and start-ups in the longevity field. In this role, she managed strategic partnerships and public relations. Isabelle has a background in biomedical sciences, and holds a PhD in Genetics from the Max-Planck-Institute for Biology of Aging.
We are looking forward to the great things we will achieve together!
18.06.2024
traceless materials, an innovator in sustainable material technologies, announces a strategic partnership with Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper. This collaboration aims to push the application of traceless®, a novel and natural plastic alternative, across the paper industry on a large scale.
Founded in 2020 by Anne Lamp and Johanna Baare, traceless has pioneered the development of a biocircular and certified plastic-free granulate from plant residues, aiming to replace plastics with a regenerative alternative.
The partnership with Mondi, renowned for its sustainable business practices and global reach in the paper and packaging industry, represents a critical step forward in traceless materials’ mission to significantly reduce global plastic pollution.
Environmental Impact of Traditional Plastic Coatings and the traceless®Solution
Traditional paper coating methods often involve the use of synthetic plastics to enhance sealing and barrier properties. These coatings, derived from non-renewable petroleum resources, are not biodegradable under industrial composting conditions.
In contrast, traceless® is bio-based on residues and naturally compostable, breaking down in a short timeframe without leaving any harmful residues. By introducing an alternative to conventional plastic coatings with traceless®, the partnership between traceless materials and Mondi is set to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and decrease the volume of unnecessary plastic waste generated, all while being recyclable in existing paper recycling streams. This shift meets increasing consumer and regulatory demands for environmentally friendly packaging solutions.
Anne Lamp, CEO and co-founder of traceless materials, states, "Our collaboration with Mondi is more than just a partnership; it’s a powerful combination of innovation and scale. Together, we are ready to transform the paper coating industry by implementing our traceless® material coating alternative on a scale that only a company like Mondi can achieve. This is a major step towards a sustainable future where our material becomes a standard in everyday products."
Marko Schuster, COO Functional Paper and Films at Mondi, states, "This partnership aligns perfectly with Mondi's commitment to making packaging and paper sustainable by design. Working with traceless® allows us to introduce innovative, natural solutions to our customers, further enhancing our approach to responsible production and consumption. Jointly we are taking the next step in developing solutions that contribute to a circular economy."
ABOUT MONDI GROUP
Mondi is a global leader in packaging and paper, contributing to a better world by producing products that are sustainable by design. We employ 22,000 people in more than 30 countries and operate an integrated business with expertise spanning the entire value chain, enabling us to offer our customers a broad range of innovative solutions for consumer and industrial end-use applications. Sustainability is at the centre of our strategy, with our ambitious commitments to 2030 focused on circular driven solutions, created by empowered people, taking action on climate.
In 2023, Mondi had revenues of €7.3 billion and underlying EBITDA of €1.2 billion. Mondi has a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange (MNDI), where the Group is a FTSE100 constituent, and also has a secondary listing on the JSE Limited (MNP).
ABOUT TRACELESS
The bioeconomy start-up traceless materials GmbH was founded in Hamburg in 2020 by Anne Lamp and Johanna Baare. With its natural biomaterial traceless®, the team wants to make a real contribution to solving global plastic pollution and, as a biomaterial pioneer, drive forward the green transformation of the materials sector.
After closing a 36.6 Mio. EUR Series A financing round in 2023, the team has started building their first large-scale production plant in Hamburg in 2024 - a significant step on the way to technology industrialization. The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection is funding the project with an amount of 5,128,401 EUR from the Environmental Innovation Programme.
For the development of product applications, traceless cooperates with European brand owners and manufacturers such as OTTO, Lufthansa and C&A. A first pilot product in the packaging sector has been successfully tested on the market since 2022. The company has also received numerous awards, including the German Entrepreneur Award and the German Sustainability Award/Next Economy Award.
06.06.2024
We are pleased to announce a cooperation agreement by FibreCoat with Saint-Gobain for the production of its AluCoat product. With Saint-Gobain, FibreCoat now has a strong and experienced partner at its side to scale up the AluCoat production in order to meet the growing market demand. Another important milestone in the company's development! Congratulations to the FibreCoat team!
The expansion of the cooperation between Saint-Gobain and FibreCoat is a sign of the great trust that has been built up over many years of collaboration in development and as an investor.
25.04.2024
Still overwhelmed by the impressions of our first b.value Family Day, we are starting this working week.
We welcomed our b.value portfolio to Dortmund last Thursday. The first part of the Family Day took place at bitop AG in Phoenix West, whose history is closely linked to b.value AG. In their opening statements, Co-CEO Eva Galik and Chairman of the Supervisory Board Dr. Dieter Hahn looked back on the successes and challenges of the past 30 years since bitop was founded and demonstrated that building a company is not a sprint.
The rest of the day was all about getting to know each other and networking. What challenges are currently being faced and which have already been successfully overcome? Key questions that were discussed against the imposing backdrop of the former blast furnace plant. The two rusting blast furnaces in front of the window, surrounded by state-of-the-art office and production halls, symbolize the constant change of economy, which our portfolio companies also want to drive forward. In a relaxed atmosphere with a freshly brewed beer and a subsequent walk around Lake Phoenix, the lively exchange that had begun there was continued. The crowning finale was the joint dinner. We are still impressed by how quickly a feeling of togetherness developed, even though many of us were meeting for the first time - family feeling at its best.
Many thanks to our portfolio teams for making the long journey to take part in the Family Day! It was a great day with you and a fascinating experience for us to see our portfolio up close in all its different facets. We hope that the Family Day was just the start of staying in touch with each other. Perhaps some mutual inspiration will enrich your everyday business life.
23.04.2024
We are thrilled to announce our newest investment in Cultimate Foods, a biotech startup based in Berlin's Biocube and Hannover (Institut für Technische Chemie, Leibniz Universität Hannover)!
Cultimate Foods creates cell-cultivated fat ingredients for plant-based meat products. While there are lots of plant-based meat products available on supermarket shelves, taste remains the top consumer barrier to the adoption of these sustainable alternatives. The first product CultiFat mimickes authentically pork and beef flavor due to its unique lipid composition which has been proven in commercial pilots with the food industry leaders.
The closing of a 2.3 million EUR round will help to scale up the production process and to enter first markets as a B2B partner for the alternative meat industry. We are happy to support this mission as part of a strong biotech and food tech investor consortium together with High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) leading this round, Life Science Valley Wachstumsfonds, Kale United, and the global food tech investor Big Idea Ventures.
You can find futher details on this seed round at https://www.htgf.de/de/htgf-seed-cultimate-foods/.
An impression of the mission of Cultimate Foods is also presented by https://www.cultimatefoods.com.
Congratulations to the founders Eugenia Sagué and George Zheleznyi and the whole Cultimate Foods team!
07.03.2024
The material pioneer's first large-scale production facility is built at Großmoorbogen in Hamburg-Harburg. The company takes over the bakery building of the long-established Wedemann company.
The first traceless production plant will be built on the former Wedemann site on an area of around 4000 square meters. From 2025 onwards, several thousand tonnes of traceless granulate are to be produced here annually from plant residues from the agricultural industry, which can be further processed into single-use products, rigid and flexible packaging, and paper and cardboard coatings using standard processing technologies. This makes it possible to replace products that are difficult to recycle or easily end up in the environment. Up to 91% of CO2-emissions can be saved in production and disposal compared to conventional plastics.
Following the announcement of the successful closing of a financing round of 36.6 million Euros in September 2023, construction can finally start. The demo plant is the first step towards the industrialization of traceless technology to show that the material can be produced competitively on a large scale.
With the first production plant being built, traceless is sending a forward-looking signal for the bio-based industry in Germany. Just like the two founders, we hope that this impulse will lead to further settlements in the south of Hamburg making the district of Neuland a new ground for green and bio-based industries.
Congratulations to the pioneers and their team on this important milestone in the company's history!
Press releases:
traceless material – traceless demo plant will be built in Hamburg-Harburg
chemie.de – Bioökonomie Startup traceless gibt Standort für Produktionswerk bekannt
30.11.2023
Seed round led by bm-t beteiligungsmanagement thüringen gmbh paves the way to market readiness for the online-capable SpheroScan® sensor.
FluIDect GmbH has successfully completed its seed financing round worth millions. bm-t beteiligungsmanagement thüringen gmbh (bm|t), b.value AG from Dortmund and Sparkasse Jena-Saale-Holzland are investing in the start-up from Jena for the development of the SpheroScan sensor for online monitoring of biological processes in industry and agriculture.
The fully automatic SpheroScan® biosensor is used for online monitoring of liquid products and process media. It can be integrated into many technical systems and identifies dangerous germs continuously and at a high cycle rate. This is made possible by an innovative sensor principle that uses functionalized microparticles as freely movable probes in an analytical sample. FluIDect's patented photonic detection method, which is based on the WGM effect (Whispering Gallery Modes), allows the particles to be read out directly. This achieves high sensitivity with a very short time-to-result.
For the first time, plant operators receive directly usable microbiological data for continuous control and long-term analysis of product quality and process stability. This enables an unsurpassed level of safety and efficiency in the production of food and active ingredients, the provision of clean water or the defense against infectious diseases. FluIDect's in-process bioanalysis is therefore an important building block for sustainable management for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment.
"FluIDect is a real deep tech start-up with a promising platform technology. Once the innovative detection principle for the contamination of liquids has been established, there are countless potential applications with which the company can grow," emphasizes Katja Butzmann, Senior Investment Manager at bm-t. Peter Kallien, Managing Director of b.value AG, adds: "FluIDect has a label-free detection method for microorganisms and can therefore eliminate the time-consuming and labor-intensive sample preparation that such tests normally require. This opens up completely new application possibilities for this type of analysis, which is highly exciting for us as a deep tech investor."
About FluIDect: FluIDect develops state-of-the-art microbial process measurement technology for industry, agriculture and water suppliers. The aim is to increase the safety, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of biological processes along the value chain. FluIDect thus makes an important contribution to sustainability from the producer to the consumer.
Further information can be found at www.fluidect.com
About the bm|t: bm|t, based in Erfurt, is the leading address for corporate investments in Thuringia. bm|t currently manages eleven funds with a total volume of around EUR 415 million, which invest in innovative companies in almost all sectors and in all phases of corporate development - both in the start-up and growth phases or in company succession situations.
Further information about bm|t is available at www.bm-t.de
About b.value AG: b.value invests in DeepTech start-ups that combine exceptional founders and groundbreaking technologies and offer solutions for a sustainable world of tomorrow. Its deep technology expertise and many years of operational experience in building and managing biotech and high-tech companies enable b.value to identify the most promising deep tech startups and support them financially and strategically to realize their full potential. Its unique structure and experience allow b.value to be both flexible and long-term.
About Sparkasse Jena-Saale-Holzland: For 195 years, the Sparkasse has been the first point of contact for financial transactions as a partner and promoter of regional companies and charitable commitments. It is actively committed to the region and cultivates the savings bank concept.
Another focus of its regional commitment as the principal bank for its corporate customers is the development of the economy, the skilled trades and the associated infrastructure.
Investments such as the one in FluIDect GmbH are an important contribution to promoting business and technology in the region. This is why Sparkasse Jena-Saale-Holzland will continue to participate in further corporate financing in the future, thereby laying the foundations for new jobs.
Further information about Sparkasse Jena-Saale-Holzland is available at www.s-jena.de
16.11.2023
Kia's new EV4 concept car featuring revoltech's LOVR material would be unveiled in Seoul. This groundbreaking collaboration marks another significant milestone in revoltech's mission to develop materials with maximum impact. Together with Kia and other leading partners, a groundbreaking concept car has been created that represents a significant step forward in sustainable mobility.
Marília Biill, Head of CMF Design at Kia Worldwide, explains the decision to use LOVR in the vehicle's interior: "Not only is it very sustainable, but it's also very malleable, which means it's a very versatile material to work with, and it enhances the interior of the EV concept car with its beautiful, rich color." She adds: "Hemp is a fast-growing plant that requires few resources to grow." The integration of LOVR into the new EV4 Kia concept car highlights the positive impact of sustainable materials in the automotive industry and symbolizes a significant step in revoltech's commitment to promoting eco-friendly solutions and shaping a greener future.
Further information: LinkedIn post - revoltech
31.10.2023
Our portfolio company Cellbricks GmbH was awarded the prestigious "Mittelstandspreis der Medien 2023" in the "Pioneers" category. The award ceremony took place in the iconic ambience of the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt am Main and honored outstanding achievements of medium-sized companies in Germany that actively contribute to strengthening and renewing the business landscape.
Julia Klöckner, economic policy spokesperson for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, paid tribute to Cellbricks in her laudatory speech: "Pioneers are not just entrepreneurs, they are also visionaries. Among other things, because they solve problems that we don't even know are there yet." She emphasized the courage and the innovative and visionary approach of Cellbricks in tackling one of the most pressing challenges facing humanity. Cellbricks' 3D bioprinting technology has the potential to revolutionize medicine and significantly improve the availability of organ replacements.
As an investor, we are proud that Cellbricks has received this important award. Their innovative approach and visionary solutions are helping to drive forward pioneering technologies. We congratulate Cellbricks on this well-deserved success and look forward to their further ground-breaking developments.
Further information: LinkedIn post - Cellbricks
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.
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
