STIHL Ventures

Director Benjamin Junghans leads the STIHL Ventures team from Waiblingen, Germany. The firm has not publicly disclosed a full investment committee list, but its corporate venturing mandate means decisions ultimately sit within the STIHL Group's strategic leadership structure rather than an independent partnership.

The unit sources through multiple channels tied to its corporate parent: the Venture Clienting program (STIHL Startup Access) surfaces startups solving operational problems inside STIHL's manufacturing and service divisions, while co-investor relationships with funds like Speedinvest and HTGF, and innovation platforms such as Maschinenraum and IPAI, provide regional European deal flow. The firm also accepts direct pitch-deck submissions via its website.

It is neither. STIHL Ventures is a corporate venture capital unit — a captive investment arm of the STIHL Group. It deploys the parent company's balance sheet, has no external limited partners, and serves the strategic interests of an operating industrial manufacturer, not a family office or standalone fund.

Both. STIHL Ventures makes direct minority equity investments in startups and also commits capital as a limited partner to venture capital funds. Its network page lists HTGF (High-Tech Gründerfonds), Speedinvest, and Emerald Technology Ventures among its fund relationships.

The firm invests from Seed through Series B, with check sizes between €0.5 million and €3 million per deal. The geographic scope covers Europe and the United States.

It is the dedicated corporate venturing unit of the STIHL Group. Its investment mandate maps directly to STIHL's industrial footprint — forestry, professional landscaping, gardening, agriculture, and construction — and its portfolio companies frequently gain access to STIHL's manufacturing expertise, distribution channels, and internal operating divisions through the parallel Venture Clienting program.

The firm does not publish a formal co-investment policy, but its website positions Speedinvest, HTGF, and Emerald as 'true partners' and explicitly notes that fund commitments complement its direct investment activity — suggesting it evaluates co-investment opportunities on a case-by-case basis alongside its network of fund relationships.