# Max Planck Foundation

Max Planck Foundation is an Endowment / Foundation based in Munich, Germany.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Munich, Germany
- **Region:** Europe
- **Address:** Aldringenstraße 4, 80639 Munich, Germany
- **Founded:** 2006
- **Assets under management:** 783 (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** maxplanckfoundation.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/max-planck-foerderstiftung

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Max Planck Foundation was created in 2006 by Reinhard Pöllath and Stefan von Holtzbrinck. Its mandate is to finance projects of the Max Planck Society, its institutes, and individual scientists. Five trust foundations sit under its roof and direct grants toward education and basic research. The foundation allocates across real estate, venture capital, and fund commitments. Direct holdings include the Göttingen North Campus residential project, the Via Gregoriana property in Rome, and planned complexes in Garching and Heidelberg. Confirmed positions include minority ownership in Planqc and Proxima Fusion plus limited-partner interests in KHAN Technology Transfer Fund I and II. Activity spans Germany and Italy. Assets total 783 million USD as of late 2024. The foundation maintains no additional offices beyond Munich. It sponsored the MPF Start-up School in Mülheim an der Ruhr in February 2026. Service providers include P+P Pöllath + Partners for legal work and Khanu Management for investment advice. Governance rests with a board chaired by Reinhard Pöllath, who also leads the law firm that has advised the foundation since inception. This structure keeps investment decisions inside the same legal practice that drafted the original statutes, creating a closed loop between formation documents and capital deployment.

## Sectors

- Biotechnology
- Media
- Healthcare
- Information Technology
- Clean Technology

## People

- Reinhard Pöllath — Co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees
- Stefan von Holtzbrinck — Co-founder

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Max Planck Foundation?

Reinhard Pöllath chairs the board and oversees allocations. Khanu Management has served as investment advisor since 2019.

### Does Max Planck Foundation participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

It holds limited-partner interests in KHAN Technology Transfer Fund I and II while also making direct investments in real estate and startups.

### What investment stages does Max Planck Foundation typically target?

Early-stage venture and seed opportunities appear alongside expansion and special-situations mandates in the strategy list.

### How is Max Planck Foundation related to Max Planck Society?

The foundation exists solely to provide financial support to the Max Planck Society, its institutes, and its scientists.

### What is Max Planck Foundation's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?

It acts as a limited partner in technology-transfer funds and takes minority positions directly in portfolio companies.

## Related profiles

- [Funde Property & Casualty Insurance](https://altss.com/profile/funde-property-casualty-insurance)
- [The Skoll Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/the-skoll-foundation)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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