Ananda Impact Ventures is a leading European venture capital firm that has been at the forefront of the impact investing movement since its inception in 2009. Headquartered in Munich, the firm is dedicated to backing technology companies that address systemic social and environmental challenges. Ananda is recognized for its "Impact Investing 3.0" philosophy, which treats positive societal change not as a secondary objective, but as a primary driver of long term commercial value and financial performance. The firm manages approximately 270 million euros across its fund generations and is known for its highly technical team that bridges the gap between scientific innovation and scalable business models.
In January 2026, Ananda Impact Ventures announced the first close of its fifth core fund, Ananda V, at 73 million euros. This fund represents the largest first close in the firm's history, significantly overshooting its initial 50 million euro target despite a broader market slowdown in impact capital.
The fund is backed by a prestigious group of limited partners, including the European Investment Fund, Investcorp-Tages, NRW.BANK, and the Mercator Foundation, alongside more than 40 family offices. Fund V is designed to double down on frontier technologies that address long term sustainability, with an increased focus on biosecurity, biodiversity, and extreme weather prediction.
The firm aims for a final target of 108 million euros, which will be used to support early stage European founders building the next generation of impact unicorns.
Leadership
The firm was co founded by Florian Erber and Johannes Weber, who established the firm after a cross country road trip in search of early stage social enterprises. The leadership team also includes Partners Zoe Peden and Bernd Klosterkemper.
The partners bring a multidisciplinary background spanning engineering, chemistry, biology, and entrepreneurship, which allows the firm to engage deeply with the technical mechanics of the startups they back. This builder oriented leadership is a core part of their "anti consensus" approach to venture capital.
Investment Strategy
Ananda typically acts as a lead investor at the pre seed, seed, and Series A stages, often serving as the first institutional check for technically complex companies. Their strategy is characterized by "thesis centric sourcing," where they identify emerging challenges before they become mainstream venture categories.
They are known for their patience and willingness to act as catalytic capital in overlooked sectors. Beyond capital, the firm offers a proprietary Founders Health Programme to support the well being and resilience of entrepreneurs, reflecting their belief that sustainable businesses are built by healthy founders.
Notable Investments
The firm has built a diverse portfolio of category leaders including:
Notable Exits
Ananda has demonstrated that impact and high financial returns are mutually inclusive through several significant liquidity events. Key exits include the sale of Company Bike, a leading provider of corporate bike leasing, and the acquisition of Arbor Education, a major cloud based management information system for schools.
Other
Ananda links its carried interest directly to the achievement of impact targets, ensuring total alignment between the investors and the mission. They encourage founders to "skip the problem slide" during pitches, as they prefer to spend their time diving into the technical execution and system level impact of the solution. Their pan European footprint is particularly strong in the DACH region, UK, Benelux, and the Nordics, making them a preferred partner for startups looking to scale across these specific markets.
Germany
