Today La Famiglia – the female-led VC backed by some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, family businesses and industry leaders – has announced a €50 million fund to uncover the next-generation of B2B giants.
This brings the total raised by the fund since 2017 to more than €85 million. La Famiglia’s USP lies in its unmatched strength of uniting a multi-generational and multi-sectoral base of entrepreneurs that support each other through shared learnings and exclusive insights, thereby circumventing common entrepreneurial pitfalls on their way to product-market fit.
Its LP base includes established industry giants such as the Mittal, Pictet, Oetker, Hymer and Swarovski families, the industry leaders Voith and Franke, as well as the owning families behind conglomerates such as Hapag Lloyd, Solvay, Adidas, and Valentino, alongside new economy leaders Niklas Zennström (Skype, Atomico), Zoopla’s Alex Chesterman and Personio’s Hanno Renner.
Led by Dr. Jeannette zu Fürstenberg alongside partner Judith Dada, the pair is on a mission to drive the integration of technology into every sector of the economy by building a home for entrepreneurs and leaders that drive the next wave of industry-transforming companies. Their vision for La Famiglia is to foster cooperation between young digital disruptors and leading companies by serving as a trusted access platform and advisor for existing entrepreneurs and business leaders to create mutually beneficial relationships.
“Having worked closely with La Famiglia for three years, we find them on the cutting edge when it comes to discovering, investing and supporting the next generation of tech companies,” said Niklas Zennström, founder of Skype and Atomico. “What makes them stand out is their long-term view and ability to understand tech founders’ vision.”
“We have been an investor in La Famiglia since the first fund, convinced by the concept of connecting old economy families and start-ups as well as the formidable team and culture of La Famiglia”, the Franke Group commented.
La Famiglia’s value is also echoed by founders who have worked with them. “I think Jeannette and Judith have established a unique value proposition by combining an exceptional network within the old and new economy, with a deep understanding of new trends and technologies. Besides, working with them has always been a lot of fun due to their amazing personalities”, said Hanno Renner, co-founder and CEO of Personio.
La Famiglia closed its first €35 million fund in 2017 and has since invested in 37 fast-growth firms across Europe and the US. As part of its second fund, La Famiglia is looking to make initial investments of up to €1.5 million in startups that are addressing a significant need in an industry through an innovative technology and a scalable business model.
The fund has a vertical focus on logistics and supply chain, the industrial space as well as insurance. Furthermore, they identified early on the transformative role of sustainability and the future of work for large industries and society as a whole. A fact that gives the portfolio acceleration in COVID times.
“Within B2B-models there is a wealth of untapped potential – there is no reason for why a B2B business in Europe shouldn’t scale as fast as in other markets, with client bases often being international by definition. Yet founders starting in B2B face the challenge of long feedback cycles and opaque industry structures. La Famiglia provides transparency and access as quickly as possible – a partner that can help you cut unnecessary corners” said Jeannette zu Fürstenberg.
The selected startups will not only have the potential to benefit from new business, but will help with the digital transformation of legacy firms and processes, to help revolutionise industries that are often stuck in decades-old, cumbersome processes and infrastructure. Approximately half of the fund will be used for these initial investments, with a reserve being used as follow-on funding in later rounds.
The second fund has already backed a range of promising companies, including Berlin-based Spread.ai, building a product intelligence platform, Munich-based Luminovo, building the operating system for the electronics industry, and London-based ChaosIQ, building a resilience infrastructure platform.
