
Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund
Description
The Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF) serves as the corporate venture capital arm of the global pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, headquartered in Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany. Established with a clear mandate, BIVF is dedicated to identifying and investing in groundbreaking therapeutic approaches and innovative technologies that address significant unmet medical needs. Its strategic objective is to foster the development of novel biological entities, new therapeutic modalities, and cutting-edge digital health solutions, aligning closely with the parent company's long-term vision for healthcare innovation.
BIVF's investment thesis is highly specialized, concentrating on areas with high potential for transformative patient care. Key therapeutic areas of interest include oncology, immunology, respiratory diseases, cardiometabolic diseases, and central nervous system disorders. The fund typically engages with companies at early stages, ranging from seed to Series B rounds, often taking on a lead or co-lead investor role. This hands-on approach reflects their commitment to actively supporting portfolio companies beyond just capital infusion, leveraging Boehringer Ingelheim's extensive scientific and industry expertise.
In 2020, the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund successfully closed its third fund, BIVF III, with a substantial commitment of $300 million. This significant capital base enables the fund to make impactful investments in promising startups. For initial investments, BIVF typically deploys first cheques ranging from $5 million to $20 million. Furthermore, the fund demonstrates a strong commitment to its portfolio companies' long-term growth, indicating an ability to invest up to $50 million over the entire lifecycle of a single company. This flexible and substantial funding capacity underscores BIVF's role as a strategic and patient capital provider in the biotech and health tech sectors.
Investor Profile
Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund has backed more than 93 startups, with 6 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 46 rounds, about 49% of its total and boasts 10 exits across its portfolio.
Investment Focus Highlights
- Concentrates on Series A, Series B, Seed rounds (top funding stages).
- Majority of deals are located in Germany, United States, Switzerland.
- Strong thematic focus on Biotechnology, Health Care, Therapeutics.
- Led 4 rounds in the past year.
- Typical check size: $5M – $20M.
Stage Focus
- Series A (43%)
- Series B (26%)
- Seed (18%)
- Series C (8%)
- Series Unknown (4%)
- Pre Seed (1%)
Country Focus
- Germany (28%)
- United States (25%)
- Switzerland (11%)
- Belgium (9%)
- France (8%)
- United Kingdom (5%)
- China (3%)
- Sweden (2%)
- Israel (2%)
- Spain (2%)
Industry Focus
- Biotechnology
- Health Care
- Therapeutics
- Medical
- Life Science
- Oncology
- Medical Device
- Biopharma
- Pharmaceutical
- Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.