Meet a new VC firm secretly supported by Volkswagen

A new adventure is called Pay FIRM Nausea Calm Blitz has been on the last 16 months, focusing about 20 startups on decorbonization. Its portfolio includes EV companies, space and battery plays and four atomic fusion startups. But Pay FirM has just said that its funds are from “European Industrial Dysfunction”.

Now, Latmotif has told Techcranch where the money came from: Volkswagen Group.

The German Automotive Giant has committed Million 300 million for the first fund of Latmotif and is its only limited partner; Latmotip has so far been deployed by about one third. During a conference on Tuesday, Oliver Blue, CEO of Volkswagen Group, said litmotif investments could help reduce automaker’s carbon footprint and develop a “circular economy” inside and outside the company.

“Volkswagen culture is a team culture,” he said.

According to Young Pay FirM Managing Partners Matt Travel and Jens Viz, Latmotif wants to move further. They expect a gradual funds drawn in more European industrial dysfunction than Volkswagen.

It is an ambitious effort. Getting funds for people with hardware startups, especially serious production components has been difficult for the last few years. But the travity believes that this is the right time to try to invest in such companies.

“Technology has always been the driver of human progress, and I think the United States is going to supercharge,” he told Techcranch. “I think the next several years are about to produce several technical abilities in the United States on which the rest of the world will be surprised.”

Latmotif Translantic funds are also forming when the geographical political climate is being strained by the Trump administration.

Despite that upheaval, Before starting the Latmotif before Viz – Volkswagen Group’s M&A, Investment Advisory and Partnership Division – said that the important goal of the new Pay FIRM is to create a “European Industrial Establishment” and U.S.

Priority one: Make money

Trevithic and Viz said Volkswagg had a top priority when he agreed to invest in a fund: make money.

“First and foremost, this is to organize a successful adventure pay FIRM,” Wiz said.

While the Volkswagen group racks hundreds of billions of dollars a year in revenue, Viz said it is still important to make money because it is “how the industry keeps score.”

Subsequently, VC Pay FirM said that according to Viz, it plans to invest in “companies defined by companies in our areas of interest”, and will also identify “new pockets” that can benefit the Volkswagen group.

Wiz said he expects a portfolio of almost a quarter latemotif over time to communicate with Volkswagen and his numerous brands.

EV Truck Startup Harbinger is an example. Harbingerer’s Million 100 Million under Litmotif Co-Senate Series B in JanuaryAnd Wiz said the startup discussed collaboration with Volkswagen’s trucking department.

Geographically, Latmotif’s investment strategy is designed so that about 70% of its capital is in the US. Will be deployed, another 30% will be invested in the EU, both Firm will maintain the Offices Fissure in Alto and Munich.

Trevithic said 70% of global investments of litmotif in this first fund will be made in startups that are “solving today’s well -known problems” and billion dollars plus markets with customers willing to buy innovation.

The other 30% of the funds will focus on what it calls “revolutionary innovation” that will create “billion dollars markets” in 2030 and beyond.

So far, this strategy has also invested in battery recycling company Redwood Materials, Reusable Rocket Company Stock Space and Circular Polyester Startup Series. Latmotif has updated 13 startups publicly to date, though no further announcement has been made in its portfolio.

Latmotif will eventually have other funds; Trevithic and Viz said they were especially looking forward to robotics and AI. Volkswagen will have the right to invest if he likes, but Latmotif is independent and, for now, focusing on ending his first fund.

Time is all

At the end of 2023, the latest memory was the worst time for startups to round the big funds for startups, especially those who focus on hardware or “deep tech”, attributed to high interest rates.

Trevithic said it has created an excellent time to start a letmotif.

“When strong companies differ from weak people, they are in the down markets. In the bubble, everyone gets funds, “he said.

Trevithic said, “Funds. Due to the recession, other companies were taking less risks outside the already invested startups.”

“There were fewer new dollars loers available to fund good companies,” he said, as everyone found myopic about their own portfolio. “I think we have got a lot of interest to participate in the round, that, in bubble time, we might not have access.”

It is attributed to the background of interest visas and travity.

Viz spent about 8 years in Volkswagen Group, where he operated merger, acquisitions and investments for the German automaker. During this tenure at Volkswagen, Viz called it “a Deep Vanda Network in the adventure community in both Europe and the US”, including a battery maker quantumscape, where Viz was a member of the board until 2024.

Trevithic, in the meantime, has been a partner in Vennerock for a decade. There, he focused on investing in green Energy during the original Clean Tech Boom in the early 2010 decade, its highest profile betting is the initial one on the battery maker Eateava-the company eventually became Lucid Motors.

Trevithic said that it was a valuable experience to explore the uncertainty of the industry at the time of investing, advice and guidance of companies through subsequent clean tech bust.

While many corporate “net zero” goals are either hedge or completely abandoned, the travity said that the clean tech industry is “starting in a better position at this time.”

Plus, Trevithik said he believes that unexpected litmotif will present more opportunities for companies – and startups backs it.

“I think we can all agree that it will be just a very unstable environment. Which favors disproportionate entrepreneurs, startups and adventure capitalists, “he said.

“We feel very confident about our portfolio,” Wiz added. “Yes, Dacarbonization is our overwhelming theme. At the same time, we invest in companies where we are convinced that they have a professional case regardless of what they have, let’s say, it is the theme of the day. “

This story has been updated with the comments of Oliver Blum, CEO of Volkswagen Group.