Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund is a Berlin-based early-stage venture capital firm focused on supporting female-founded and co-founded startups across Europe. Founded to address the significant gender gap in venture funding, Auxxo is one of the few funds in Europe built specifically around the goal of empowering women in entrepreneurship. The fund invests at the earliest stages and seeks to create systemic change by backing diverse leadership and inclusive innovation.
Auxxo invests in pre-seed and seed-stage startups with at least one female founder holding a minimum of 20% of founder shares, across all sectors with a geographic focus on Europe (portfolio companies span Germany, the UK, Sweden, Finland, and France). The firm is sector-agnostic but leans toward deep technology and scientific startups, prioritizing companies with scalable potential and strong, diverse founding teams.
In September 2026, Auxxo announced the final close of its second fund, Female Catalyst Fund II, at $38.6M, up from a $23 million first close in July 2025. Gesa Miczaika described the roughly three-year fundraising process as "one of the most difficult things" she'd done in her career.
The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the anchor LP, joined by Aurum Impact, EnBW New Ventures, Cherry Ventures, Speedinvest, and family offices and business angels across Europe. More than half of the fund's LPs are women, aligning with Auxxo's mission to reshape both sides of the cap table.
Leadership
Bettine Schmitz and Dr. Gesa Miczaika are Co-founders and General Partners. Fabiola Hochkirchen is a Co-founder and Initiating Partner (she co-founded Auxxo Beteiligungen GmbH in 2019). Alena Redeker is Principal and Melanie Higgs is CFO & Operating Partner.
The wider team includes venture partners Christian Schad, Dr. Sophie Pollok, Magdalena Oehl, and Steffen Maas, and advisor Dr. Leopold von Schlenk-Barnsdorf.
Investment Strategy
Auxxo typically writes checks around $540K (€500K) for 3-8% equity, targeting a portfolio of 25-30 companies. It invests early, often pre-revenue, providing hands-on support in business model development, product-market fit, and next-stage fundraising, and fosters a community among its founders for knowledge exchange and mentoring.
In September 2026 the firm also launched a pan-European Founder Matchmaking Platform connecting solo founders, experienced operators, and capital-seeking teams.
Notable Investments
Bettine Schmitz — Co-founder & General Partner
tine@auxxo.de
Gesa Miczaika — Co-founder & General Partner
Fabiola Hochkirchen — Co-founder & Initiating Partner
Alena Redeker — Principal
alena@auxxo.de
Melanie Higgs — CFO & Operating Partner
melanie@auxxo.de
Germany
