Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund II secures €26M to back female-led startups in Europe

Auxxo announced the first closing of its new fund, the Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund II, at €26 million. The round was led by the European Investment Fund (EIF) and backed by Aurum Impact, Cherry Ventures, Speedinvest, as well as a number of family offices, business angels, and Founders from all over Europe, Sifted reports.

• Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund II is a Berlin-based venture capital fund founded in 2019 by Bettine Schmitz and Dr Gesa Miczaika. It dedicated to supporting early-stage startups in Europe that have at least one female founder. 

• The fund’s mission is to promote gender diversity in the startup ecosystem by investing in female-led ventures at the pre-seed and seed stages.

• The new fund will invest in approximately 30 pre-seed and seed stage startups across Europe that have at least one female founder, who must hold at least 20% of the company’s founder shares. 

• Initial ticket sizes will be between €350-800k for a 3-8% stake in the business.

“This marks a huge step forward on our mission: driving equitable participation of women as founders and investors in venture capital. Over 50% of our LPs are women, and behind the capital is a belief in a different kind of future: one where diversity drives performance, and bold, visionary women shape the next era of European innovation,” shared the company on their Linkedin.