Press release
Corporate Press
December 5, 2017

Evonik provides growth capital for young digital companies

  • Evonik invests in Digital+ Partners
  • Fund focus on IndustrialTech and FinTech companies
  • Group further advances digitalization


Evonik provides venture capital for young digital companies. Through its venture capital arm, Evonik invests in Digital Growth Fund I, managed by the growth investor Digital+ Partners headquartered in Munich. The fund provides growth capital for fast-growing young IndustrialTech and FinTech companies with proven and successful B2B business models. These companies are regarded as drivers of the digital transformation in industrial and financial processes. The regional focus is on Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The targeted fund size is €300 million. The parties have agreed not to disclose the amount of Evonik’s investment. "With the investment in Digital Growth Fund I, we are entering into a strong partnership that strengthens Evonik in an important field of the future," says Bernhard Mohr, head of Venture Capital at Evonik.

Evonik sees itself as a pioneer in digitalization within the chemical industry. By the year 2020 the specialty chemicals company plans to have invested about €100 million in the development and testing of digital technologies and in building up the associated expertise. "We are also relying on strategic partnerships with startups," says Henrik Hahn, Chief Digital Officer of Evonik. "Our strategic investment in Digital Growth Fund I provides access to young technology companies with relevance for Evonik. This will help us in successfully shaping digitalization at Evonik."

As part of its venture capital activities, Evonik plans to invest a total of €100 million in promising start-ups with innovative technologies and in leading specialized venture capital funds. Regional focus is Europe, North America and Asia. Evonik currently holds stakes in more than twenty startups and specialized funds. Further information is available at http://venturing.evonik.com/ 


Image captions:
Image 1: Bernhard Mohr
, head of Venture Capital at Evonik.
Image 2: Henrik Hahn, Chief Digital Officer of Evonik.
Image 3: Digitalization: Evonik regards itself as a pioneer of digitalization in the chemical industry. Now the company also provides growth capital for young digital companies.



Company information
Evonik is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. The focus on more specialty businesses, customer-orientated innovative prowess and a trustful and performance-oriented corporate culture form the heart of Evonik’s corporate strategy. They are the lever for profitable growth and a sustained increase in the value of the company. Evonik benefits specifically from its customer proximity and leading market positions. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world with more than 36,000 employees. In fiscal 2016, the enterprise generated sales of around €12.7 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of about €2.165 billion.


Disclaimer
In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.