Gründerfonds

Active

Overview

aws Gründerfonds is Austria's most active venture capital fund, managing around EUR 70 million across two funds focused on late seed to Series A investments in scalable Austrian technology startups.¹² It acts as a co-investor with international partners, providing growth capital to founders and SMEs while mobilizing private capital, with emphasis on sectors like Enterprise SaaS, AI, Deep Tech, Green Tech, Digital Health, and Fintech.² The fund supports portfolio companies through active management and board seats, targeting startups headquartered in Austria with up to 50 employees and less than EUR 10m revenue.⁵

History

Founded in 2013 as aws Gründerfonds with EUR 68.5 million in commitment capital, running until 2026 and currently in divestment phase.² A second fund, aws Gründungsfonds II, was launched with over EUR 70 million volume, maintaining focus on tech and deeptech startups from late seed to Series A.⁷ The funds have achieved 23 exits and hold 28 active investments as of recent data.⁶

Product Lines

Product Line	Positioning	Price Range
aws Gründerfonds (Seed to Series A Fund)	Co-investments in scalable Austrian tech startups	EUR 0.5M - 1.5M initial (up to 5M total)
aws Gründungsfonds II (Follow-on Fund)	Growth capital for tech and deeptech late seed to Series A	EUR 1M - 5M equity investments

Notable Products

Portfolio Investments - 28 active investments in high-growth Austrian startups across AI, SaaS, and Green Tech.
Exits - 23 successful exits from funded companies.

Reputation

Perceived as Austria's leading seed to Series A VC investor, valued for active support and international co-investment network.¹² Professionals note its role in mobilizing private capital for local tech ecosystems, with strengths in portfolio management.² No major criticisms identified in available sources.

Sources (7)