Investor Profile: Auxxo — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Auxxo is a Berlin venture firm with one of the clearest eligibility rules in European venture: it invests only in startups with at least one woman founder holding a minimum of 20% of the founder shares. For women-led teams that have faced a funding gap, that clarity is the point.

Investment thesis

Auxxo was founded in 2021 by Bettine Schmitz and Dr. Gesa Miczaika, following the earlier founding of Auxxo Beteiligungen GmbH with Fabiola Hochkirchen in 2019. Its mission is to advance women's ownership, participation and fair treatment across startups and venture capital, on the argument that diversity drives returns. Gender representation is therefore a defining condition of its investable universe, not an additional consideration layered onto a generalist strategy.

Sectors and stages

The firm is sector-agnostic and invests across Europe at pre-seed and seed, with a particular emphasis on early-stage business-to-business and deep technology companies. The single hard test is the founder test: at least one woman founder holding at least 20% of founder shares. Teams below that threshold are outside the mandate, so founders should check eligibility before pitching.

Fund size and cheque size

Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund I raised €19 million. Its successor, Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund II, reached a first close of €26 million in July 2025 with the European Investment Fund as anchor investor, and a final close of €33.3 million in September 2026, more than 75% above the first fund. More than 50% of the second fund's investors are women, and its backers include Aurum Impact, EnBW New Ventures, Cherry Ventures and Speedinvest. The firm's standard cheque size is not publicly disclosed in the sources reviewed.

Notable portfolio

At its first close, Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund II had backed 11 companies, including climate data infrastructure provider Emidat, artificial intelligence dispute platform Resolutiion and autonomous-systems company Stanhope.ai. The portfolio has since grown to include Earth-observation satellite developer Marble Imaging, synthetic-customer simulation platform Delta Labs and radiopharmaceutical design company Radiogenesis.

Partners

Bettine Schmitz and Dr. Gesa Miczaika are general partners and co-founders. Schmitz previously accelerated nearly 100 companies at Axel Springer Plug and Play; Miczaika was the first employee at Blacklane and is deputy president of the German Startups Association. Melanie Higgs serves as chief financial officer and operating partner, Fabiola Hochkirchen as initiating partner, and Alena Redeker as principal.

Programs, credits and perks

Alongside its September 2026 final close, Auxxo launched a pan-European Founder Matchmaking Platform, live on its website, to close the co-founder gap for women. It serves solo founders looking for a technical or operational co-founder, experienced operators ready to start a company, and teams seeking capital, who gain direct access to pre-seed and seed investment expertise. No standalone credits programme is publicly listed, so the platform and the firm's network are the headline non-capital benefits.

How to apply for funding

No public application portal is listed. The practical route is through Auxxo's website and its Founder Matchmaking Platform, where teams seeking capital are connected to the firm's pre-seed and seed investment expertise. Before approaching, confirm the 20% woman-founder shareholding test, prepare a concise pre-seed or seed case, and be ready to show how the team will use an early cheque to reach its next proof point.