Berlin’s VC fund Auxxo secures €26 million to exclusively invest in “teams with at least one female Founder”

Auxxo today announces the first closing of its new fund, the Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund II, at €26 million, placing the fund’s first closing more than one-third above the volume of its predecessor (Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund I, €19 million).

The European Investment Fund (EIF) has joined as an anchor investor – together with Aurum Impact, Cherry Ventures, Speedinvest, as well as a number of family offices, business angels, and Founders from all over Europe.

“We’re incredibly proud to be partnering with EIF and other inspiring LPs who understand that diversity drives returns,” says Bettine Schmitz, Co-founder and General Partner at Auxxo. “Our network is growing – not only in size but also in influence and effectiveness. The fact that more than half of our LPs are women is a clear sign that the industry is moving toward the future we’ve always envisioned.”

Founded in 2019 by Bettine Schmitz and Dr Gesa Miczaika, Auxxo is a VC fund focused exclusively on investments in teams with at least one Female founder.

Before founding Auxxo, Bettine worked as an investor at Axel Springer Plug & Play Accelerator. Dr Gesa Miczaika was the first employee at Blacklane, where she played a role in the company’s international expansion. She is the former Vice President of the Board of the German Startup Association (Bundesverband Deutsche Startups).

“We’re proud to back Auxxo’s bold vision for a more inclusive and high-performing venture ecosystem. They’ve consistently shown that investing in female Founders isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s smart, strategic, and delivers results,” says Deepali Nangia, Partner at Speedinvest.

Building on the success of its first fund, Auxxo’s mission remains the same: to empower Europe’s strongest female Founders and drive systemic change in the VC ecosystem. The fund maintains its investment thesis and invests exclusively in early-stage startups in Europe that have at least one female founder holding at least 20% of the founder shares.

Auxxo says they stand out for their ability to spot overlooked potential early and help develop it effectively – through active coaching, hands-on support, and access to a strong VC network.

Three investments have already been made from Fund II:

• Emidat, a pioneer in climate data infrastructure for the construction industry.
• Resolutiion, an AI-driven platform innovating the resolution of commercial legal disputes.
• Stanhope.ai, which enables autonomous real-time machine learning and iteration using an innovative “Active Inference”-based framework from computational neuroscience.

Fay from Resolutiion said: “Choosing Auxxo was a strategic decision, driven by their deep conviction, rapid execution, and exceptional commercial acumen. Their straightforward, personable approach, ethics, and enthusiasm for bold ideas aligned perfectly. Partnering with such a forward-thinking fund is empowering. As a founder, surrounding yourself with investors like Auxxo is how you build a trillion dollar company out of Europe.”

Lisa from Emidat adds “We chose Auxxo because they bring real diversity to the cap table – not just in numbers, but in perspective. They truly care about the founders.”

Since their launch and the subsequent start of the Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund I in 2021 with €19 million, their approach emphasises not just capital, but deep, lasting relationships that prioritise Founder development, acting as a catalyst for their success.

“Our model has always been based on trust, transparency, and teamwork,” adds Dr Gesa Miczaika, Co-founder and General Partner. “We bring the full force of our movement and our decades of combined experience into each of our portfolio companies. We look forward to building on the extraordinary momentum of Fund I and continuing to prove that female Founders are not just an investment opportunity – they are the future of European innovation.”

“We’re glad to be continuing the drive for greater gender diversity in European venture capital alongside Auxxo. Diversity and financial return can go hand in hand and we look forward to this new fund making that a reality,” added Marjut Falkstedt, Chief Executive of the European Investment Fund.

The post Berlin’s VC fund Auxxo secures €26 million to exclusively invest in “teams with at least one female Founder” appeared first on EU-Startups.