kloeckner.ventures

kloeckner.ventures (kloeckner.v GmbH) is the corporate venture capital arm of Klockner & Co SE, one of the world's largest producer-independent steel and metal processors. Founded in 2015 and based in Berlin, the fund invests in startups developing game-changing ideas for the steel distribution industry and adjacent sectors. Klockner & Co operates a distribution and service network of approximately 110 warehouse and processing locations across North America and the DACH region, serving over 60,000 customers with 6,000-plus employees and 6.6 billion euros in annual sales. The fund leads rounds and invests from pre-seed through Series B, with ticket sizes ranging from 100,000 euros to 1.5 million euros and an average check of approximately 750,000 euros. The investment thesis is organized around three verticals: Logistics and Operations (transport solutions, supply chain planning, NFC solutions), Procurement (analytics, supplier evaluation, simulation tools), and Sales (customer service platforms, AI-based decision support, and e-commerce solutions for processed products). The team of 11 includes 7 partners. Notable portfolio companies include Keelvar, a procurement optimization software platform (most recent investment, June 2023), Contorion, a B2B tools e-commerce marketplace, and BigRep, a large-scale 3D printing company that listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in August 2024. The fund has recorded 7 total investments and also engages in indirect fund investments, including participation in other vehicles. kloeckner.ventures operates with the strategic intent of keeping Klockner & Co at the frontier of industrial digitalization. By connecting portfolio companies directly to its parent's enterprise customer base, manufacturing operations, and procurement network, the fund offers startups a commercial acceleration path that pure financial investors cannot match.