Innovationsstarter Fund Hamburg III (IFH III) – Venture Capital for Young Innovative Companies

The Innovationsstarter Fund Hamburg III (IFH III) provides venture capital for young, innovative small enterprises with a business establishment in Hamburg. The program aims to promote the growth of these companies, unlock innovation potential, create jobs, and improve the startup climate in Hamburg by closing the equity funding gap.

The program supports innovative business ideas by providing venture capital to young companies. It is open to all sectors but excludes certain ones, focusing on companies in the early stages of their founding and growth process that develop new or significantly improved products, services, or processes.

The Innovationsstarter Fund Hamburg III offers financial support in the form of equity investments and equity-like instruments. The amount of the investment varies depending on the type of aid, but is limited per company and financing round and always remains below 50% of the share capital.

Specific legal, operational, and state aid conditions apply to applicants of the Innovationsstarter Fund Hamburg III. These include requirements for the application procedure, regulations for cooperation with private investors, and compliance with European state aid rules, particularly the GBER.

The application procedure for the Innovationsstarter Fund Hamburg III requires the submission of documents to IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH. The decision on an investment is made at discretion based on an individual due diligence review, which includes business analyses and discussions.

The Innovationsstarter Fund Hamburg III is based on the investment principles of IFH III and is closely linked to European and national regulations, particularly the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) and the ERDF program of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.