High-Tech Founders Fund (High-Tech Gründerfonds, HTGF)
Backs deep technology and medtech startups in Germany with investment and follow-on support through High-Tech Gründerfonds.
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is Germany's most active seed-stage venture investor, operating as a public-private partnership backed by the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWE), the KfW development bank, and a consortium of corporate co-investors. The fund targets early-stage German technology companies at TRL 1–4 and provides initial seed financing structured as a convertible instr…
HTGF provides convertible seed financing of up to €5 million to early-stage German technology companies across all deep-tech and innovation-intensive sectors.
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Guides for this application
All guides →TRL Levels Explained for Deeptech Founders
Learn what TRL levels mean, how to estimate technology readiness, and how TRL affects grants, EIC Accelerator, SBIR/STTR, funding stage, and application evidence.
Start hereNon-Dilutive Funding vs VC for Deeptech Startups
Compare non-dilutive funding and venture capital for deeptech startups, including grants, SBIR/STTR, EIC Accelerator, dilution, timing, and stage fit.
DocumentsProof-of-Concept Data for Grants: Evidence Examples for Deeptech Applications
See how to present proof-of-concept data in grant applications, with examples for evidence registers, test logs, pilot data, and prior project proof.
Start hereStartup Funding Stages for Deeptech: From Lab to Scale
A deeptech funding roadmap that maps startup funding stages to TRL, grants, SBIR/STTR, EIC Accelerator, pilots, VC, and scale-up evidence.
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