Seed Funding for Startups in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

Seed funding marks the first institutional capital a startup receives after bootstrapping, grants, or friends-and-family rounds. Across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the seed landscape includes specialized venture capital funds, government programs, angel networks, and increasingly, convertible instruments like SAFE notes. This page maps the seed funding infrastructure across the three markets. This page is part of the Startuprad.io Knowledge Center , within the Startup Funding &...

Seed funding marks the first institutional capital a startup receives after bootstrapping, grants, or friends-and-family rounds. Across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the seed landscape includes specialized venture capital funds, government programs, angel networks, and increasingly, convertible instruments like SAFE notes. This page maps the seed funding infrastructure across the three markets.

This page is part of the Startuprad.io Knowledge Center, within the Startup Funding & Venture Capital pillar.

In Short

Seed rounds in the region typically range from EUR 0.5 to 3 million, with pre-seed rounds at EUR 50,000 to 250,000. Germany's HTGF (High-Tech Gründerfonds) is the most active seed investor in the region, managing EUR 500 million across its fourth fund with a sweet spot above EUR 800,000 per investment — having financed over 800 companies since 2005 with 200 successful exits. Speedinvest manages over EUR 1.2 billion from Vienna, investing across pre-seed and seed stages. Cherry Ventures and First Momentum focus on early-stage technical founders in Germany. In Switzerland, Redalpine invests from seed through Series A, and StartAngels Network provides individual tickets of CHF 50,000 to 200,000 across a network of 85 angel investors. Government programs play a significant role: Germany's INVEST grant reimburses angel investors 20% of their investment; Austria's aws Preseed and Seedfinancing programs support EUR 0.5 to 3 million stage startups; and Switzerland's Innosuisse covers up to 70% of eligible project costs. SAFE note adoption is growing across the region for pre-seed rounds.

Seed Stage by Country

In Germany, seed rounds typically range from EUR 0.5 to 3 million. HTGF leads the market with investments above EUR 800,000 across digital tech, industrial tech, life sciences, and chemistry. It operates as a semi-public fund with government mandate and corporate LPs. Cherry Ventures, also Berlin-based, focuses on pre-seed and seed with a consumer and B2B SaaS orientation. First Momentum specializes in pre-seed B2B and deep tech, run by a team of engineers and scientists. Point Nine Capital in Berlin is a thesis-driven SaaS seed investor with published benchmark research. Germany's EXIST program provides grants up to EUR 250,000 for university-based founders, while the INVEST grant reimburses angel investors 20% of investments above EUR 10,000 with a three-year holding period.

In Switzerland, seed rounds range from CHF 0.5 to 3 million. Redalpine, headquartered in Zurich, invests at seed through Series A in ICT and life sciences. StartAngels Network, founded in 1999, comprises 85 business angels making individual investments of CHF 50,000 to 200,000, cooperating with Swiss Startup Invest, Venturelab, SICTIC, ETH Transfer, and EPFL. Innosuisse provides Startup Innovation Project funding covering up to 70% of eligible costs, and the Swiss Accelerator Programme commits up to CHF 2.5 million per project.

In Austria, seed rounds follow similar sizing to Germany at EUR 0.5 to 3 million. Speedinvest, headquartered in Vienna with offices in Berlin, London, Munich, and Paris, manages over EUR 1.2 billion and invests at pre-seed and seed across deep tech, B2B AI, and fintech. The aws Preseed and Seedfinancing programs offer direct government financing in Innovative Solutions and Deep Tech tracks. The aws First Incubator supports idea-stage founders, and the European Angels Fund (EAF) Austria provides co-investment support with EIF as advisor and aws as sub-advisor.

Convertible Instruments

SAFE notes and convertible loans have become standard for pre-seed rounds across the region. They enable faster closing without immediate valuation negotiation — particularly valuable for very early companies. However, legal treatment varies by jurisdiction. German law requires notarization for equity transfers, adding friction that makes convertible instruments especially attractive at pre-seed. Austrian and Swiss investors are increasingly adopting convertible instruments alongside traditional equity rounds.

What This Page Does Not Cover

• Series A and B dynamics — see Series A & B Funding

• Angel investor networks — see Angel Investors & Family Offices

• Exit pathways — see Exit & IPO Pathways

Where to Go Next

For later-stage funding, see Series A & B Funding. For angel networks, see Angel Investors & Family Offices. Return to Startup Funding & Venture Capital or the Knowledge Center.

About the Host

Joern Menninger is the host of the Startuprad.io podcast and covers founders, investors, and policy developments across the DACH startup ecosystem. Through more than 1,300 interviews and nearly a decade of reporting, he documents the evolution of the European startup landscape. Follow Joern on LinkedIn.