Uplift Ventures launches €100M fund to back European deeptech startups

Uplift Ventures has opened its first fund, a €100 million vehicle built to back Europe’s deeptech founders. The firm is aiming squarely at the stage where a lot of promising companies get stuck: late Seed and Series A, when the technology is exciting but the checks are still hard to come by.

That choice matters because the money in deeptech often shows up late. Uplift says too much of the sector’s capital is still flowing into bigger, more visible rounds, while many future category leaders need support much earlier. Its fund is designed to step in before companies become obvious winners.

The plan is to invest in as many as 20 startups and also select deeptech funds, building what the firm describes as a global network around its portfolio. Uplift has already backed more than 30 startups across several technology areas, and its focus now includes Physical AI, Energy, Enterprise AI and Logistics, mainly in Europe and the US.

Christian Noske is joining as general partner, alongside Kerk Wichmann, Christina Hammes and Maike Steding. Noske brings more than a decade of deeptech investing experience in Europe, including leadership roles at NGP Capital, BMW i Ventures and Alliance Ventures. He has backed companies such as The Exploration Company, ANYbotics, Tekion, Dataloop and WeRide, and also hosts the podcast DeepTech Unleashed. The fund is backed by Jungheinrich.