Our history

Hard to believe, but we are celebrating our 10th anniversary!

With a team of four people, we started in 2013 as the first early stage CVC for FinTech start-ups with Commerzbank as an anchor investor in Germany. Today, more than 30 employees are working together to shape the future digitally and sustainably! Our ten selected highlights tell you about our journey to this point and the milestones we have already celebrated!

2013

Foundation of the main incubator

We are the first early-stage VC with a major bank as an anchor investor in Germany - Commerzbank.
2014

First Investments

Already in the second year of our existence, we make our first two start-up investments with Traxpay and Gini. Many more will follow.
2016

First own innovation project

With Main Funders, our business model expands to include the prototyping approach.
2018

First Exit

We sell our shares in the AI start-up retresco - our first exit! More will follow in the years after.
2019

The making of Lissi

From our research activities around Blockchain and DLT, we recognise that building a Digital Identity Network is important and necessary - the birth of "Lissi" (Let's Initiate Self-Sovereign Identity).
2021

First IMPACT FESTIVAL

In spite of the Corona pandemic, we are organising the IMPACT FESTIVAL for the first time over two days, Europe's largest B2B event for sustainability with 130+ start-ups, 2,000+ guests and 100+ experts! In 2023, the event entered its 3rd edition and has grown steadily.
2022

First Unicorn

Grover raises new money and in the process is valued at more than one billion US dollars - our first Unicorn!
2022

main incubator turns to neosfer

Our rebranding underlines our new direction: we are focused on promoting, developing and investing in sustainable and digital innovation.
2022

Go live of IMPACT SOLUTIONS

With the IMPACT SOLUTIONS platform, we are now offering established companies year-round support for their sustainable transformation by networking them with innovative start-ups from the ESG sector and providing relevant knowledge.
2023

Our 10-year anniversary

We are celebrating our 10th anniversary and with it another important milestone in our company history.

You want to know more?

A lot has happened in the last 10 years, and not only in our company. A lot has also happened in terms of venture capital, venture building and sustainability – our fields of activity! You can find out exactly what in the following articles.

Sustainability
Venture Capital
Venture Building

The last 10 years of sustainability - a decisive time

Will the 2010s be seen as a turning point for the entire globe in the future? They have the potential to do so. Record temperatures and storms threw entire countries into turmoil. Companies neglected their social obligations.
The aim of this article is to highlight the significant developments and pivots of the global sustainability movement over the last decade. We focus on regulatory changes, the emergence of start-ups driving change and aspects such as the reduction of the CO₂ footprint.

The journey through the last VC decade and the beginning of a new investment focus

Over the past decade, the venture capital (VC) industry has evolved significantly around the world, accelerating the growth of many innovative companies, particularly in the technology sector. Our article looks at the trends, challenges and potential solutions that have shaped the European venture capital industry over the last decade and takes a nuanced look at the global context to provide a holistic perspective.

Venture Building: A Decade of Evolution and Innovation in Germany and Beyond

The concept of venture building, which was a hushed sound in the entrepreneurial space in Europe ten years ago, has now become a loud voice in the modern startup ecosystem. Its growing importance is not just a story of statistics and success stories. It represents the collaborative ethos it breeds, the innovation it drives, and the limitless opportunities it opens up for aspiring entrepreneurs. In this blog post, we look at the developments of venture building over the past decade.