Henkel Ventures

Henkel Ventures

Henkel Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of Henkel AG, founded in 1876 by Fritz Henkel. Marc Thom, Corporate Vice President and Head of Henkel Ventures, manages a €300 million fund that invests in early-stage startups from seed to Series B. The unit operates across three business units: Adhesive Technologies, Beauty Care, and Laundry & Home Care (per firm website). The fund targets sustainovation and digitalization, cutting across sectors like industrial tech, climate tech, and AI/ML. Ticket sizes range from €0.5 million to €5 million. Henkel Ventures does co-innovation deals with portfolio companies, leveraging Henkel's 3,000 R&D experts. The firm is geographically agnostic and invests globally, though its disclosed team is based in the United States. Henkel Ventures employs 14 investment professionals, including one investment principal, seven investment managers, and a senior portfolio manager. The firm connected with its broader corporate parent, Henkel AG, which is publicly traded. In the last 24 months, Henkel Ventures has not disclosed a individual funding round or exit in public filings. The structural differentiator is Henkel Ventures' direct integration into Henkel's three business units — startups get access to commercial channels, R&D labs, and co-innovation pathways beyond simple capital. This operating model treats each portfolio company as a potential joint-development partner rather than a pure financial bet.