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Wecken & Cie.
Klaus R. Wecken's Basel family office co-controls listed German real estate with Apollo and runs a direct-venture book across FinTech, ClimateTech, and...
Wecken & Cie.
Klaus R. Wecken founded the office after building and selling KHK Software, anchoring the family's wealth in a permanent capital base run from Basel. The family's disclosed assets range from office towers in Frankfurt and Leipzig to equity in Bitcoin Group SE, a thoroughbred bloodstock operation, and a fine-art collection—making this a hybrid of real-estate operator and multi-asset family office. The investment strategy rests on two distinct pillars. The first is controlling stakes in German property: Wecken & Cie. jointly controls DEMIRE Deutsche Mittelstand Real Estate AG alongside Apollo Global Management and has been linked through business partner Cevdet Caner to the residential platform Adler Real Estate AG. The portfolio includes the Gutenberg Galerie and Logistikpark Leipzig, plus the Cielo Frankfurt commercial building. The second pillar is direct venture capital, with confirmed early-stage commitments across FinTech, PropTech, ClimateTech, Gaming, and HRTech in Europe. The office writes checks at seed and Series A, often using direct co-investment and SPV structures. The team operates through a close network: Frank Hölzle serves as a key investment manager while running Care4 AG, and Thilo Schmid—also an Adler Group board member—works as an investment manager at the office. The broader controlled-asset map includes a stake in the publicly listed crypto exchange operator Bitcoin Group SE and a disclosed Ethereum position. The family's thoroughbred bloodstock and the Toskana-Wein.com wine label round out a collection of lifestyle and passion investments that sit alongside the institutional-grade real estate and venture book. What sets Wecken & Cie. apart is its model of running permanent family capital through public-market real estate co-control structures while operating a venture program with no outside LP pressure. Few European family offices sit as co-controlling shareholders of listed property platforms alongside institutional giants like Apollo—and fewer still pair that with an early-stage direct-venture practice across ten named sectors.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Switzerland
City
Basel
Corporate office
Basel, Switzerland
Principals
Klaus R. Wecken
Founder
Frank Hölzle
Key investment manager
Thilo Schmid
Investment Manager
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How is Wecken & Cie. structured as a single family office?
The firm operates as the private investment office of Klaus R. Wecken, with no outside clients or pooled third-party capital. It manages the liquid proceeds of the KHK Software exit alongside directly held real estate, crypto positions, and a venture portfolio. All investment activity is funded with permanent family equity, allowing an indefinite holding period on assets like the co-controlled German real estate platforms DEMIRE AG and Adler Group.
Who makes investment decisions at the firm?
Klaus R. Wecken is the founder and ultimate decision-maker. Frank Hölzle and Thilo Schmid serve as key investment managers, with Hölzle also holding the CEO role at Care4 AG. The firm relies on a tight circle of long-term business partners—Cevdet Caner, for instance, has been a repeat counterparty in German real estate transactions linked to Adler Group.
What is the firm's relationship with Apollo Global Management?
Wecken & Cie. and Apollo Global Management jointly control DEMIRE Deutsche Mittelstand Real Estate AG, a publicly traded German commercial-property platform. This co-control arrangement makes Apollo a rare institutional co-investor alongside the family office in a listed real estate vehicle.
Does Wecken & Cie. invest in venture capital stages beyond Series A?
Confirmed investment stages are Early Stage, Seed, and Series A. The firm's venture book focuses on the front end of the private-technology curve, with geographic concentration in Europe. There is no disclosed mandate for growth-stage or crossover rounds.
Which sectors does the venture portfolio target?
The office allocates to ten identified sectors: FinTech, PropTech, HRTech, Workflow Automation, ClimateTech, Supply Chain & Logistics, Gaming, Media & Entertainment, Energy Transition & Renewables, and Luxury. Technology focuses include AI/ML, enterprise software, and ESG-oriented investments.
Where does the underlying family wealth come from?
The wealth originates from Klaus R. Wecken's career as a serial entrepreneur, most notably through founding and exiting KHK Software. That liquidity event funded the creation of the family office, which has since diversified into German real estate, direct venture capital, crypto assets, and a range of passion investments including thoroughbred bloodstock and fine art.
Does the firm manage any philanthropic or separate investment vehicles?
There is no publicly disclosed philanthropic foundation or separate impact-investing vehicle tied directly to Wecken & Cie. The family's wine label and art collection are held as passion investments alongside the main financial portfolio, but they do not appear to be structured as independent investment entities.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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