La Famiglia

Investment decisions are led by Founding Partner Jeannette zu Fürstenberg and General Partner Dr. Judith Dada. Zu Fürstenberg established the firm in 2016 and drives the core thesis linking industrial families to venture-stage technology. Dada, who joined from the Berlin startup ecosystem, leads deal execution and portfolio support. The partnership operates with a flat decision-making structure, typical of European early-stage venture firms of this size.

The firm's sourcing model relies on its network of European industrial family offices and corporate partners, who often surface startups that are selling into complex industrial supply chains. This provides early visibility into companies before they run broad institutional fundraising processes. La Famiglia also cultivates relationships with research universities and technical institutes across the DACH region, particularly in Munich and Berlin.

La Famiglia invests directly into portfolio companies and co-invests alongside other venture capital firms, but does not operate a fund-of-funds program. The firm sources, underwrites, and leads rounds, often bringing co-investors from its network of industrial families and institutional partners. Capital is deployed exclusively through its commingled venture funds.

The firm focuses on Seed and Series A rounds, with a reserve allocation for follow-on investments into Series B. Initial check sizes typically range from €2 million to €8 million, depending on stage and syndicate composition. La Famiglia occasionally participates in pre-Seed rounds for founders emerging from its industrial network who are building in targeted verticals.

La Famiglia does not invest in consumer internet, B2C marketplaces, media, entertainment, or pure-play financial technology. The firm's mandate is explicitly industrial: enterprise software, industrial automation, robotics, AI/ML applications for physical industries, climate technology with hardware components, and mobility infrastructure. Biotech and therapeutics are also excluded.

The firm was founded to aggregate capital and strategic access from multiple European industrial families, including the zu Fürstenberg family and others in the German Mittelstand. These families served as anchor LPs in Fund I and contributed to the firm's advisory board, which facilitates commercial introductions for portfolio companies. Fund II diversified the LP base to include institutional investors while retaining several original family backers.

La Famiglia actively co-invests with other venture capital firms, particularly in deals where multiple sector-specialist funds are building a syndicate. The firm has co-invested alongside European and US venture funds including those focused on industrial technology and deep tech. Co-investment enables larger check deployment without leading every round, and aligns with the firm's role as a commercial-access bridge for startups.