Newten Ventures

Five founders who have each built businesses of their own sit behind this Berlin investment company, which puts both money and working time into young firms at the seed stage. Between them the partners cover marketing, sales, finance and business development, and the firm describes its shared aim as creating market leaders.

Conventional businesses with an online side

The firm says it looks for proven, conventional business models that gain unusual growth prospects once an online component is added. Its stated aim is to come in during a company's early fundraising phase and then apply the partners' own experience as entrepreneurs on the way to profitability. It calls its partners "managing angels", meaning that they help shape the development of each holding rather than waiting on the sidelines.

What a holding receives

Support comes in three forms: entrepreneurial know-how, financing, and the willingness to take over operational business processes. The firm brings in its service partners and its national and international contact network where they help, and holdings are said to gain access to large service providers that can speed up their business development.

Each holding is analysed and valued with tools and methods the partners developed from their own experience. The strengths of the company are identified and deliberately built up, and the partners then work with the managing directors and team to draw up a roadmap and a concrete plan of measures. The firm also offers co-investors the chance to share in the rise in value of these companies.

Companies it has backed

The portfolio the firm shows is wide in subject matter:

• BigRep, maker of a full-scale FDM 3D printer meant for studio and office use.
• smartConcierge, a way of enjoying the conveniences of a concierge service.
• obst.de, an online fruit shop built around the idea of giving fruit instead of flowers.
• Facharzt24, a patient portal for finding medical specialists that also offers doctors practice marketing.
• Design Offices, flexible workspaces and meeting rooms in several German cities, shown with an exit marker.
• Show & Order, a fashion order fair held at the Kraftwerk Mitte venue in Berlin.
• Hammerwohnung, a co-branding housing product from the Mehrwertwohn platform for housing companies.
• Lindermanns Tierwelt, a web TV and pet magazine on products for domestic animals.

The partners also describe backgrounds that include founding a listed real estate company, leading German chambers of commerce abroad, running a Berlin business development agency, co-founding an online property portal and working as a branding and marketing strategist, which explains the weight the firm gives to marketing and sales support.

Newten Ventures is a venture capital company in Berlin that concentrates on seed-stage investments. It is run by five experienced entrepreneurs from marketing, sales, finance and business development.

The partners call themselves managing angels and take part in running the businesses they back.

Products and services

• Seed investment: money and time for companies in an early fundraising phase.
• Operational help: the team takes on parts of day-to-day business processes.
• Analysis and roadmaps: its own tools assess each holding and set out a plan with management.
• Network access: contacts with service partners and large service providers, at home and abroad.
• Co-investment: a way for others to share in the growth of the portfolio.

Customers and markets

Proven, conventional business models with an online component. Portfolio names include a maker of large 3D printers.

Key facts

• Based in: Berlin, Germany
• Team: five entrepreneurs
• Stage: seed