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Planet A

Planet A Ventures
TypePrivate
IndustryVenture capital
Founded2020; 6 years ago (2020) in Germany
FoundersNick de la Forge
Fridtjof Detzner
Lena Thiede
Tobias Seikel
Christian Schad
Christoph Gras
Headquarters
Berlin
,
Germany
ProductsVenture capital fund (€160 million Fund I)

Planet A is a German venture capital firm based in Berlin that invests in early-stage European deep-tech companies.[1][2]

The firm focuses on areas such as neo manufacturing, energy, resource mastery and critical infrastructure.[3][2] It has described itself as the first European venture capital fund to make a scientific impact assessment a required part of every investment decision.[2][4]

History

Planet A was founded in 2020 by a group of entrepreneurs, investors and environmental experts.[3][5] The five founding partners were Nick de la Forge, Fridtjof Detzner, Lena Thiede, Tobias Seikel and Christian Schad.[2][4] Christoph Gras joined later as the firm’s General Partner[6].

On 8 February 2023, the firm closed its first fund at €160 million, above its original target of €100 million.[4][2] Investors in the fund included the carmaker BMW, the German development bank KfW Capital, multinational financial services Allianz,[7] the retailer REWE, and the Danish state investment fund EIFO. Several entrepreneurs also invested, including Rolf Schrömgens of Trivago, Maximilian Backhaus of HelloFresh, and Rubin Ritter of Zalando.[4][2][1] At the time of the fund's close, Planet A had already made 14 investments.[1] In 2023, founding partner Fridtjof Detzner was named Investor of the Year at the German Startup Awards.[8]

By late 2025, partners at Planet A had become commentators on the state of European climate investing.[9][10]

Investment approach

Planet A is the first European venture capital firm to operate an in-house science team.[2][4] Before investing, the team carries out impact assessments such as life-cycle assessments, a method that measures the environmental effects of a product or technology across its entire life, from raw materials and supply chains through to disposal.[4][2] The firm spends roughly 100–200 hours on this analysis for each prospective investment and publishes the resulting assessments publicly.[1] It invests only in companies that can demonstrate a significant, measurable positive impact in at least one of its four focus areas.[2]

The firm invests mainly at the early stages, from pre-seed to Series A, with initial investments typically ranging from about €500,000 to €5 million.[3] It backs both hardware and software companies, in sectors such as agriculture and food, energy, manufacturing, transport, construction, and waste management.[3][4]

Investments

By 2026, Planet A invested in 40 companies, depending on the source.[11][12] Notable portfolio companies and funding rounds include:[2]

  • Traceless Materials – a Hamburg company developing a compostable, plastic-free material; raised €36.6 million in 2023.[13]
  • Makersite – a product-sustainability software company that raised €60 million in 2025.[14]
  • Hived – a British electric parcel-delivery startup that raised $42 million in 2025.[15]
  • Arsenale Bioyards – a biomanufacturing company that raised €9.5 million in 2025.[16]
  • Optiml – a real-estate software (proptech) startup that raised $8 million.[17]
  • Aris Machina – an artificial intelligence manufacturing startup led by a former Northvolt chief executive.[18]
  • Gigaton – an autonomous industrial-control company that raised $26 million in 2026.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Pratty, Freya (14 February 2023). "Planet A closes €160m for science-based climate investing". Sifted. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Butcher, Mike (8 February 2023). "Planet A Ventures comes out of the door with a €160M European, science-backed climate fund". TechCrunch. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d "Home – Green Investment by Planet A". Planet A Ventures. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Planet A green-tech fund closes at €160m, 60% higher than original target". Impact Investor. February 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  5. ^ "Planet A Ventures". Climatebase. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  6. ^ Butcher, Mike (2023-02-08). "Planet A Ventures comes out of the door with a €160M European, science-backed climate fund". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
  7. ^ "YPOG advises Planet A Ventures on the closing of its €160 million impact fund". YPOG. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  8. ^ "German Startup Awards 2023: das sind die glücklichen Gewinnerinnen". Wirtschaft Kompakt (in German). 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  9. ^ "China Road Trip Exposes List of Uninvestable Assets in the West". Bloomberg. 21 September 2025.
  10. ^ Lockwood, Tasmin (27 December 2025). "Europe is at a 'fork in the road' between AI competition and climate, fund managers say". CNBC. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  11. ^ "Planet A – Investor Profile, Portfolio, Team & Investment Trends". Tracxn. February 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  12. ^ "Planet A Ventures – Investor Profile". CB Insights. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  13. ^ "Traceless Materials raises €36.6m for eco-friendly plastic alternative". Tech.eu. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  14. ^ "German company Makersite raises €60 million to accelerate product sustainability in the design process". EU-Startups. July 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  15. ^ "Hived raises $42m to expand parcel delivery". Sifted. 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  16. ^ "Arsenale Bioyards raises €9.5 million to cut biomanufacturing costs by 90%". EU-Startups. February 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  17. ^ "Proptech startup Optiml secures $8 million to expand real estate AI platform". Startupticker. 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  18. ^ "Ex-Northvolt CEO gets new funds for AI startup in manufacturing". Bloomberg. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  19. ^ "Gigaton lands $26m to scale autonomous industrial control". Tech.eu. 3 June 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.

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