Henkel Ventures

Henkel Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, the German multinational whose brands include Loctite, Schwarzkopf, and Persil. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Dusseldorf, the fund manages €300 million in assets under management and invests between €0.5 million and €5 million per deal, targeting startups from Seed through Series B. Henkel Ventures leads rounds and collaborates closely with Henkel's two business units — Henkel Consumer Brands and Henkel Adhesive Technologies — to co-develop innovations and create commercial pathways for portfolio companies. The fund is geographically agnostic and provides startups with access to over 3,000 Henkel R&D experts. The fund's thematic focus spans Sustainovation (sustainability-driven innovation) and Digitalization, expressed through investments in climate tech, deep tech, commerce and MarTech, enterprise tech, and longevity. The active portfolio of approximately 24 companies includes Aether Bio (enzyme engineering, Henkel's most recent investment in December 2025), eeden (textile recycling, €18 million Series A in 2025), Actnano (nanotechnology for water damage protection), Copprint (copper nanoparticle conductive inks), CleanHub (ocean plastic recovery), Fero Labs (manufacturing optimization AI), ResearchGate (scientific network), Streetbees (AI consumer insights), LoveLocal (digital retail in India), and Software Defined Automation (industrial automation). Previous exits include ZipJet and NBD Nanotechnology, both acquired. The portfolio totals 27 tracked investments. Henkel Ventures creates a two-way value exchange: portfolio companies gain access to Henkel's global manufacturing, commercial, and scientific resources, while Henkel gains early exposure to technologies that could reshape its core adhesives and consumer brands businesses. Arianna Savini from the team received the Rising Stars 2024 award from Global Venturing.