Kärcher New Venture

Karcher New Venture is the corporate venture capital and venture clienting arm of Alfred Karcher SE & Co. KG, the global leader in cleaning technology with approximately €3 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 2018 and based in Winnenden, Germany, the firm manages approximately $50 million in assets. Karcher New Ventures invests at late seed and Series A stages with checks of $500K to $3 million across North America and Europe, with a clear strategic focus: backing innovative founders who are shaping the future of the cleaning industry. The firm's four investment themes are smart cleaning (intelligent solutions for private, commercial, and municipal applications), AI, robotics, and automation (advancing human-machine interplay in cleaning operations), new cleaning methods (alternative and preventive approaches to conventional processes), and new business models (platforms, online sales, and sharing or rental models). The portfolio of 30-plus investments includes InOrbit (cloud-based robot management), Skyline Robotics (automated high-rise building cleaning), Peanut Robotics (3D cleaning robots), TULU (an app-based rental platform for household products, most recent investment November 2025), Route (software for cleaning service providers), ZanCompute (AI building management analytics), mysoda (sustainable sparkling water makers), Homebell (digital tradesperson platform), and Contorion (online professional tools shop). Karcher New Ventures also operates a Venture Clienting program for pilot projects with startups, enabling portfolio companies to run commercial pilots within Karcher's own operations before scaling to the broader market. The firm won the first European Corporate Venture Capital Award in the Manufacturing, Chemicals, and Materials category at Wolves Summit 2024 — recognition of its model as a benchmark for corporate innovation arms in traditional industries.