Rethink Ventures wants to rethink mobility and logistics, launches €50 million fund

Focused exclusively on investing in the sustainable future of transportation, Rethink Ventures has announced today the launch of a €50 million fund. The German firm is looking to invest in early-stage startups, seed to Series A, working in the mobility, automotive and logistics sectors, with ticket sizes ranging between €500,000 and €2 million. The fund will commit up to €5 million over multiple rounds

LPs amongst the fund include ZF Ventures, Hellmann, Worldwide Logistics, KION Group , Berylls, HAVI, and the the European Investment Fund. The fund also notes that a number of family offices as well as high net worth individuals, some with an automotive background, are also supporting its endeauvours.

The founding team at Rethink has assembled a team with a uniquely positioned pedigree - founding partner Jens-Philip Klein brings operator and investor experience from his time at Atlantic Labs, where he invested in mobility startups including Vimcar, Cluno, and Bliq, and numerous startups prior.

Complimenting Klein also as founding partner, Matthias Schanze has a career with Siems that stems back to 1999, ultimately becoming a Principle at the €1 billion Siemens-backed venture fund Next47, where he helped establish the Catalyst programme, an initiative aimed at facilitating better connections between portfolio companies and corporates.

Rounding out Rethink, the fund’s venture partners include Sven von Loh (Leasingtime), Artur Hasselbach (VW Commercial Vehicles Lab, Orderbird) and Heiko Huber (Techfounders, eGym).

“As a specialist fund, our top priority is to provide unparalleled support to our portfolio companies while adding long-term value to our corporate partners. We are creating a mutually beneficial ecosystem that creates a positive impact for all,” commented Schanze. “For our corporate partners, we facilitate access to the dynamic startup ecosystem, providing a rich source of innovation and opportunities for growth.”

The fund has already made investments in Dutch automotive charging platform Deftpower, Germany’s global freight transportation CO2 measurement and reduction startup Shipzero, and Berlin’s employee perks via mobility coordinator Rydes.

“The transportation sector faces significant challenges as the global demand for mobility and logistics continues to grow. With more than 25% of greenhouse gas emissions coming from this sector and additional negative externalities such as congestion and the significant usage of physical space, there is a lot of pressure to rapidly change the way we move people and goods.

Our mission is to back early-stage startups that address these challenges and help them scale their technologies and products using our capital, deep expertise and access to a strong network of corporates,” concluded Klein.