Venture Lab Niterra Group

🔵 Freedom & Defense Tech Forum 2025: Strengthening Europe’s Technological Sovereignty Our Venture Strategy Domain Lead Dr. Kiziltan Yüceil joined the Freedom & Defense Tech Forum 2025 on November 11th at the French Embassy in Berlin, where 200 leaders discussed how innovation underpins freedom and security in Europe. Ambassador François Delattre announced: 1️⃣ Stronger Franco-German partnerships in AI, quantum, and cybersecurity 2️⃣ New EU funding for digitalization and defense innovation 3️⃣ Closer information cooperation across borders Highlights included Audrey Tang and Alicia Combaz on debunking deepfakes through civic consensus, and Anouck Teiller (HarfangLab) on securing Europe’s critical infrastructure, with 343 attacks that took place last year. The Democratic Resilience panel reinforced that digital defense is democracy’s frontline. From Isar Aerospace’s call for sovereign satellite launches to NRW’s Nathaniel Liminski highlighting mid-sized companies’ digitalization, the message was clear: sovereignty requires innovation at every scale. At Niterra Ventures, we believe freedom tech is more than defense: it’s resilience, collaboration, and trust. #FreedomTech #DefenseInnovation #DigitalSovereignty #Cybersecurity #FrancoGermanPartnership #NiterraVentures

Our Venture Strategy Domain Lead Dr. Kiziltan Yüceil attended the de:hub Initiative Ecosystem Forum 2025 this October, where innovators from startups, Mittelstand, policy, and research met to shape Germany’s digital and deep tech future. Key insights for Niterra Ventures: • Policy alignment is key to scaling dual use deep tech solutions in energy, mobility, and industrial IoT. • Mittelstand companies seek compliant pilot projects that deliver measurable impact and quick integration. • Innovation hubs are evolving into national commercialization platforms accelerating regulated market entry. The event also underscored that digital sovereignty now defines strategic areas like AI, cybersecurity, and fintech. As hubs become distributed accelerators for sustainable and secure technologies, collaboration between startups and industry is more vital than ever. We look forward to continuing to engage with the De Hub network to identify opportunities that bridge deep tech innovation and market readiness. #DeepTech #DigitalSovereignty #OpenInnovation #Mittelstand #IndustrialIoT #GreenTech #NiterraVentures #DeHub2025 © de:hub Initiative, Hannes Schmidt

We’re proud to highlight a major milestone from our portfolio company Emerge. Their new micro ultrasonic MEMS chip represents a significant technical achievement and a major step forward for next-generation sensing and tactile interfaces. Emerge has been working toward this breakthrough for years, and it’s impressive to see their team deliver a chip that raises the bar for ultrasonic performance at this scale. As the landscape of AI, robotics, and spatial computing accelerates, this kind of capability will play an important role in enabling more intelligent and intuitive systems. Congratulations to the entire Emerge team on reaching this point. We’re looking forward to supporting the next phase as they bring this technology into real-world products. #hardware #sensors #MEMS #physicalAI #AI

🎙️ New Podcast Episode: Why Persistence and a High Say-Do Ratio Matter Most in a Founder Our latest HealthTech Invest episode, hosted by Managing Director Thomas Kluz, features an insightful conversation with Brian Flucht, Head of the US Region for Global Brain Corporation and a 20-year veteran of the venture capital world. Brian shares lessons from his journey across both corporate and financially driven VC, from his strategic experience at Nike to his global investment role today. He reflects on how he evolved from a generalist investor to building deep, thesis-driven conviction in deep tech and solutions that act as true “painkillers,” not “vitamins.” In this episode, Brian dives into: • Why persistence and a strong say-do ratio are two of the most important founder traits • How storytelling and understanding your audience can make or break a pitch • The rising influence of AI in venture capital and healthcare • What he sees ahead for the VC landscape, exits, and deep-tech innovation Whether you're a founder honing your pitch, or a VC navigating the next wave of AI-driven investment, this episode offers valuable, actionable insights. 🎧 Listen now: Why Persistence and a High Say-Do Ratio Matter Most in a Founder 👉 https://lnkd.in/g9jcn-Sd Learn more about Niterra Ventures: www.niterraventures.com #HealthTechInvest #NiterraVentures #VentureCapital #CorporateVC #DeepTech #AIinHealthcare #StartupAdvice #FounderMindset #Entrepreneurship #TomKluz #GlobalBrain

Last week, Jelena Fenikse represented Niterra Ventures at Web Summit Lisbon, connecting with founders across energy, automation, cybersecurity, mobility, and AI. These conversations gave us a closer look at how emerging technologies are maturing, and where they may align with our focus areas. What stood out: 🔹 AI is shifting from hype to utility—showing up in real, everyday workflows. 🔹 Energy supply and infrastructure remain critical bottlenecks, but it’s encouraging to see truly creative solutions gaining traction. 🔹 Sharp problem definition and genuine customer need are more decisive than ever. 🔹 Data integrity, safety, and compliance are increasingly being built into products from day one. These insights will guide our next steps as we evaluate and prioritize new opportunities. To learn more about us, visit www.niterraventures.com #NiterraVentures #WebSummit #Innovation #EnergyTech #Mobility #Cybersecurity #Automation #AI #VentureCapital #FutureTech

🌟 Great Energy at the 2025 U.S.-Japan Healthcare Connection Reverse Pitch!   Last week on 11/12 in Newark, CA, our GM of Healthcare, Jeff Roe, had the pleasure of presenting on behalf of Niterra Ventures during the U.S.-Japan Healthcare Connection Reverse Pitch, hosted by Triple Ring Technologies. This event uniquely flipped the traditional pitch format, bringing together corporate venture and strategic investment teams from leading Japanese MedTech and Life Sciences companies to share their investment priorities and collaboration opportunities with U.S. startups. We were thrilled to connect with more than 40 innovative startups, along with investors and partners who are pushing the boundaries of healthcare innovation across the U.S. and Japan. The level of creativity, technical depth, and mission-driven focus we encountered was truly inspiring. A big thank-you to Triple Ring and the Japan Society of Northern California for hosting and organizing such a valuable forum for cross-border collaboration. We look forward to continuing the conversations sparked at the event and exploring new ways to partner with emerging innovators. Learn more about Niterra Ventures: www.niterraventures.com #ReversePitch #HealthcareInnovation #MedTech #LifeSciences #VentureCapital #NiterraVentures #USJapanHealthcareConnection #TripleRing #OpenInnovation

🌱 Last month, our Venture Strategy Domain Lead Dr. Kiziltan Yüceil attended the PSP Conference 2025 Sustainability at Potsdam Science Park, where science and entrepreneurship came together to shape a greener future. A few reflections that stood out for us at Niterra Ventures: • R&D institutes like Fraunhofer IPA IAP are leading the way in polymer and nanoscience innovation, tightly connected to industry through early stage collaboration and R&D services. • Commercializing sustainable materials such as biodegradable polymers remains challenging due to cost gaps, often around three times higher than conventional plastics. • Regulation matters: incentivizing green alternatives or penalizing unsustainable products will be crucial for market transformation. • The Potsdam ecosystem exemplifies how technology transfer and cross sector R&D can unlock new pathways for circular materials, advanced biopolymers, and next generation sustainability solutions. Events like PSP remind us that the future of sustainability depends on collaboration between science, business, and policy, and we are committed to being part of that bridge. To learn more about Niterra Ventures, please visit www.niterraventures.com Photo credit: © Adam Sevens #Sustainability #DeepTech #CircularEconomy #VentureBuilding #Fraunhofer #PolymerInnovation #NiterraVentures #PSPConference2025

🌱 Impact Hub Investor – Alumni Brunch 2025: Investing in Scalable Sustainability Our Domain Lead Dr. Kiziltan Yüceil joined the Impact Hub Berlin Investor–Alumni Brunch in Berlin, a gathering of climate-focused investors, early-stage founders, and accelerator alumni driving Europe’s green transition. From vertical farming to AI-powered carbon tracking, startups like CinSOIL, PROSERVATION, Greenhub, Symbotic GT, Darbots, and MIMBIOSIS showcased how circularity and data are reshaping the climate innovation landscape. Key takeaways: 🌍 Investors now prioritize verifiable impact metrics and data-centric models in due diligence. 🔁 Material innovation remains the differentiator for scalable circular solutions. 🤖 AgriTech and AI-driven monitoring are unlocking measurable carbon insetting and resource efficiency. At Niterra Ventures, we see this convergence of climate data, circular design, and automation as the next frontier for sustainable impact. Many thanks to Impact Hub Berlin and Idil Serifoglu for hosting such an inspiring ecosystem exchange. #ClimateTech #CircularEconomy #ImpactInvesting #AgriTech #Sustainability #DeepTech #NiterraVentures

🚕 DEALTAXI Pitch Night 2025: Accelerating Inclusive Innovation Last month, our Domain Lead Dr. Kiziltan Yüceil joined the Deal Taxi Pitch Night in Berlin, the closing showcase of the B.I.R.D. Female Founder Investment Readiness Program. Eight founders in FemTech, HealthTech, Cleantech, and DeepTech pitched their ventures to investors in a one-of-a-kind mobile pitch format. From FemRide’s safety-first mobility platform to wempyre’s decentralized pyrolysis recycling and TerraTrace’s AI-powered carbon traceability, the night spotlighted how women-led deeptech ventures are redefining impact and profitability. Key takeaways: 🌍 Inclusive innovation is driving the next wave of sustainability. 🤖 AI-driven validation and data-centric business models accelerate adoption. 💡 Investor-readiness programs like B.I.R.D. build confidence, transparency, and capital access for female founders. At Niterra Ventures, we’re inspired by ecosystems that bridge impact, inclusion, and frontier tech and look forward to deepening our engagement with femtech and industrial deeptech founders. #FemTech #DeepTech #ImpactInvesting #ClimateInnovation #FemaleFounders #BerlinStartups #NiterraVentures

💡 New Episode of HealthTech Invest! The future of personalized medicine is being built at the intersection of biosensors and AI, where continuous, high-fidelity data fuels the next generation of predictive healthcare models. In this episode, Thomas Kluz sits down with Rich Yang, CEO of Biolinq, to discuss how biosensors will power the next healthcare AI revolution. 🎙️ Rich shares his incredible 27-year journey in diabetes and biosensing, from developing the first FDA-approved continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to leading Biolinq’s mission to create a novel semiconductor biosensor that merges: - Semiconductor manufacturing - Software and data systems - Materials science - Consumer electronics - Large-scale production He breaks down how Biolinq’s platform delivers metabolic tracking, real-time LED feedback, and multi-electrode reliability, all designed to bring proactive health management into everyday life. Rich also offers insights into the future of multi-analyte sensing, building resilient deep-tech teams, and navigating the challenges of scaling breakthrough hardware. 🔥 If you’re passionate about the convergence of biosensing, AI, and health innovation, this episode is a must-listen. 👉 Watch now and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more conversations shaping the future of health and tech innovation: https://lnkd.in/gygA2nKF #HealthTechInvest #Biosensors #AIinHealthcare #Biolinq #DeepTech #Semiconductors #WearableTech #MetabolicHealth #HealthTech