Skip to main content
ZEISS Group Global
back
ZEISS Group
Global

ZEISS Ventures

Enabling tech start-up companies to become market-shapers

Our mission

Enable and accelerate the development and commercialization of market-shaping innovations which are between, beyond, or disruptive to the current ZEISS Strategic Business Units

Our team structure

  • External Venturing: We identify and invest in external innovations and new business models for ZEISS and actively manage start-up investments, including door-opening within ZEISS.
  • Internal Venturing: We support and validate early-stage business development efforts within ZEISS and finance internal start-up projects.
  • Beyond Innovation: We enable high-risk business development and expanding into new markets and technologies beyond the current ZEISS market fields.

Our investment strategy

  • We are a strategic investor and focus on ventures that are relevant for ZEISS.
  • We are a Deep Tech investor with particular interest in Industrial Tech, Med Tech and Life Sciences.
  • We target start-ups at pre-Series A / Series A stage and our typical ticket sizes vary between 500k – 5 million Euros for the initial investment.

Our search clusters

We primarily invest in technology-driven start-ups with interlinked software and hardware systems and with potential for scalable business models for global B2B markets.

  • MedTech & Life Sciences

    • AI & Image Analysis
    • Diagnostics & Monitoring
    • Microscopy
    • Microsurgery
    • Ophthalmology

  • Photonics & Optics / Semiconductor

    • Advanced Packaging
    • Enabling Technologies
    • Next-Gen Eyewear Solutions
    • Optical Sensors
    • Photonic Integrated Circuits

  • Industrial Technology

    • Advanced Sensors
    • Industrial Metrology
    • Machine Vision & AI
    • Robotics & Automation

  • Explorative Verticals

    • AI
    • Beyond Innovation Fields
    • CRT Technology Roadmap
    • Disruptive Optical Technology
    • Tissue Engineering

Past ZEISS ventures

Our venture principles

Aspiration

We aim to create value for ZEISS and the world.
  • Live the start-up culture: We invest in new ideas within and outside of ZEISS to succeed.
  • Together for one goal: We want to acquire the best people and business ideas for ZEISS from all over the world.
  • Creating value: We run our ventures with the goal of maximizing their value while creating benefits for ZEISS.
  • Joint effort: We want to join forces with entrepreneurs, co-investors, and partners with the same goal. Once a venture has become a resilient business, we are open to pass it on to the best natural owner – within or outside ZEISS.

Relevance

We focus on ventures that are relevant for ZEISS.
  • Off the beaten track: We search for new business options with a demonstrated product market fit beyond the current ZEISS core business.
  • Visionary: The ideal start-up generates options for business development, drives a disruption to a current ZEISS Strategic Business Unit, or enables new capabilities for ZEISS in the future.
  • Follow the ZEISS strategy: We incorporate several eligibility criteria and investment hypotheses when choosing a new start-up.
  • Principle: While we seek to be commercially effective, we will not compromise the ZEISS brand and culture of thinking long-term for short-term financial motivations alone.

Structured process

We provide expertise through the entire venture life cycle.
  • Step-by-step: We support start-ups from as early as the first validated market product fit until market maturity.
  • Active Ownership: We assign dedicated owners to each venture, who bring in skills and experience to drive the value of the venture.
  • Access to the ZEISS world: We provide access to the international ZEISS network of people and assets.
  • Decision makers: Two Executive Board members are part of the Venture Board, supported by our Ventures management team.

Venture spirit

We bring the venture spirit into the corporate world.
  • Act as a team: Our best ventures have been global team efforts. We fully commit to our entrepreneurs and build long-term relationships based on open dialogues and mutual trust.
  • Conviction: We are a highly determined investor and strong business partner.
  • Learn and grow: We are convinced that candidness and learning from each other is significant and valuable.
  • Speed to succeed: News businesses need to move fast to succeed. Sometimes high-risk decisions need to be made for new companies to flourish.

Our key facts

ZEISS Ventures in numbers
  • 6

    Years
    We have been a strong venture partner for 6 years.

  • 22

    Team members
    We are an international team with a wide variety of different professional backgrounds.

  • >15

    Investments globally
    Our business portfolio is international and we focus on Europe and North America.

  • +150 Mio USD

    Fund size
    Our venturing includes funding and expertise to build resilient businesses step-by-step.

  • 3

    Exits
    As of today, we have achieved profit realization in three cases.

Our team

A diverse, international team with a great mix of backgrounds to cope with the different matters across our portfolio.
Portrait of Dr. Boris Hofmann, Head of ZEISS Ventures

Dr. Boris Hofmann

Head of ZEISS Ventures