U2V Launches €60 Million Fund for Deeptech University Spin-Offs in Europe

University 2 Ventures, building the #1 pre-seed/seed deep tech university spin-off investment platform for Europe, led by Dr. Philipp Semmer, Dr. Johannes Triebs, Michael Schmitt, and Moritz von Klot, has completed the first closing of its €60 million Fund I, with support from corporates including anchor LP Jungheinrich via Uplift Ventures, alongside family offices, serial entrepreneurs and industry executives.

The fund is designed to support teams transforming Europe’s research into commercially viable deeptech companies, helping to close the gap between academia and industry while strengthening Europe’s technological sovereignty and resilience.

Founded by Philipp Semmer, Michael Schmitt, and Johannes Triebs, U2V combines scientific, technical, and commercial expertise, offering capital, strategic support, industry networks, and operational guidance to help companies scale. The founding team brings more than 30 years of combined venture experience and a track record of backing over 50 startups and achieving more than 10 exits across previous funds, with portfolio companies such as Quantum Diamonds, Greenlyte, Ncodin, Certivity, Twaice, and LiveEO.

U2V has proprietary access to leading European tech universities and ecosystems, including TU Munich, ETH Zurich, RWTH Aachen, École Polytechnique, the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Imperial College London, DTU Denmark, and Politecnico di Milano, complemented by an industrial network of more than 500 corporate partners. This combination enables structured go-to-market pathways and early pilot customers for portfolio companies. Through close collaboration with technology transfer offices and corporate innovation units, U2V aims to accelerate commercialisation efforts and subsequent funding rounds.

According to Dr. Philipp Semmer, Founding Partner at U2V, Europe consistently produces scientific breakthroughs but continues to face obstacles in converting them into global companies.

U2V aims to drive meaningful change by enabling scientists to become entrepreneurs and by connecting research, capital, and corporate partners to build Europe’s next generation of category-defining deeptech startups.

With Fund I, U2V aims to back up to 25 pre-seed and seed-stage startups across Europe in AI and novel computing, industrial technologies, and cleantech, creating a deeptech spin-off platform that transforms university-originated technologies into commercially viable industrial solutions.