Berlin-based venture capital firm Auxxo has announced the final closing of its Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund II at €33.3 million, surpassing its earlier fund by more than 75 percent. The firm also launched a pan-European Founder Matchmaking Platform at the same time. The announcement highlights both new capital and a broader effort to increase female participation in startup founding teams.
A Significantly Larger Second Fund
The new fund closes after a three-year process that co-founder and general partner Gesa Miczaika described as one of the most difficult efforts of her career. The fund had announced a first close of 26 million euros in July 2025. Fund II is 75 percent larger than the €19 million raised for Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund I in 2021. The European Investment Fund remains the anchor investor, joined by new limited partners including Aurum Impact, EnBW New Ventures, Cherry Ventures and Speedinvest.
In addition to institutional investors, the fund attracted family offices, business angels and founders from across Europe. More than half of the limited partners are women, a point Auxxo says signals growing influence in venture capital. Marjut Falkstedt, chief executive of the European Investment Fund, said diversity and financial return can go hand in hand in this type of fund.
Investment Strategy and Portfolio Expansion
Auxxo invests at pre-seed and seed stages across Europe in startups where at least one female founder holds a minimum of 20 percent of founder shares. The firm typically invests around €500,000 for a 3 to 8 percent shareholding and expects to back between 25 and 30 companies from Fund II. So far, 11 companies have been added, with a strong concentration in deep technology and scientific innovation.
Portfolio companies include Marble Imaging, which is building a German satellite network for Earth observation and defence, Delta Labs, which simulates customer behaviour for market intelligence, and BioOrbit, which works on producing medicines in microgravity. Other investments include Emidat, Resolutiion, Stanhope AI, SEAL Robotics, NanoStruct and Radiogenesis across Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland and France. Two portfolio companies have already secured additional funding, including a 6.14 million dollar seed round for Marble Imaging.
Matchmaking Platform for Founders
The new platform formalises requests Auxxo has received from founders seeking female co-founders or executives. It serves three groups: solo founders looking for technical or operational partners, experienced operators considering a founding role, and existing teams seeking capital and access to Auxxo's investment expertise. The platform is already live on the firm's website and draws on networks including the Evangelistas and EncourageVentures angel groups.
A Persistent Gap in Funding
Female-only founding teams still receive roughly 2 percent of global venture capital funding, while mixed teams with at least one female founder secure around 5 percent. Miczaika says the figures prove that real progress is not being made. Auxxo describes the new platform as a more active stance, although she acknowledges that the data does not yet support meaningful change.
The close of Fund II strengthens Auxxo's position as a specialist European investor focused on gender diversity and early-stage technology. By pairing a larger fund with a matchmaking platform, the firm is addressing both capital access and the structural shortage of female co-founders. Whether the approach can move funding numbers remains to be seen, but the combination links investment returns with a clear impact agenda.