Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 21, 2026

Planet A

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

Last revised
Jul 21, 2026
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Planet A Ventures
TypePrivate
IndustryVenture capital
Founded2020 (2020) in Germany
FoundersNick de la Forge
Fridtjof Detzner
Lena Thiede
Tobias Seikel
Christian Schad
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.12

The firm focuses on four areas: climate change mitigation, waste prevention, resource efficiency, and biodiversity protection.32 It has described itself as the first European venture capital fund to make a scientific impact assessment a required part of every investment decision.24

History

Planet A was founded in 2020 by a group of entrepreneurs, investors and environmental experts.35 The five founding partners were Nick de la Forge, Fridtjof Detzner, Lena Thiede, Tobias Seikel and Christian Schad.24 Christoph Gras joined later as the firm’s General Partner.

On 8 February 2023, the firm closed its first fund at €160 million, above its original target of €100 million.42 Investors in the fund included the carmaker BMW, the German development bank KfW Capital, 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.421 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.6

By late 2025, partners at Planet A had become commentators on the state of European climate investing.78

Investment approach

Planet A is the first European venture capital firm to operate an in-house science team.24 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.42 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.34

Investments

By 2026, Planet A invested in 40 companies, depending on the source.910 Notable portfolio companies and funding rounds include:2

  • Traceless Materials – a Hamburg company developing a compostable, plastic-free material; raised €36.6 million in 2023.11
  • Makersite – a product-sustainability software company that raised €60 million in 2025.12
  • Hived – a British electric parcel-delivery startup that raised $42 million in 2025.13
  • Arsenale Bioyards – a biomanufacturing company that raised €9.5 million in 2025.14
  • Optiml – a real-estate software (proptech) startup that raised $8 million.15
  • Aris Machina – an artificial intelligence manufacturing startup led by a former Northvolt chief executive.16
  • Gigaton – an autonomous industrial-control company that raised $26 million in 2026.17
References

References

  1. Pratty, Freya (14 February 2023). "Planet A closes €160m for science-based climate investing". Sifted. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  2. 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. "Home – Green Investment by Planet A". Planet A Ventures. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  4. "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. "German Startup Awards 2023: das sind die glücklichen Gewinnerinnen". Wirtschaft Kompakt (in German). 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  7. "China Road Trip Exposes List of Uninvestable Assets in the West". Bloomberg. 21 September 2025.
  8. 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.
  9. "Planet A – Investor Profile, Portfolio, Team & Investment Trends". Tracxn. February 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  10. "Planet A Ventures – Investor Profile". CB Insights. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  11. "Traceless Materials raises €36.6m for eco-friendly plastic alternative". Tech.eu. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  12. "German company Makersite raises €60 million to accelerate product sustainability in the design process". EU-Startups. July 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  13. "Hived raises $42m to expand parcel delivery". Sifted. 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  14. "Arsenale Bioyards raises €9.5 million to cut biomanufacturing costs by 90%". EU-Startups. February 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  15. "Proptech startup Optiml secures $8 million to expand real estate AI platform". Startupticker. 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  16. "Ex-Northvolt CEO gets new funds for AI startup in manufacturing". Bloomberg. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  17. "Gigaton lands $26m to scale autonomous industrial control". Tech.eu. 3 June 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
External links