RTL Ventures

RTL Ventures is the venture capital and corporate investment arm of RTL Group, the European broadcaster majority owned by Bertelsmann, Europe's largest media conglomerate. The platform operates across two interlinked units: RTL Ventures Netherlands, headquartered in Hilversum and founded in 2010 as the dedicated corporate VC vehicle of RTL Nederland, and RTL Ventures Germany, launched in March 2024 by RTL Deutschland to back European consumer-tech companies with growth potential in German-speaking markets. Both entities operate on a distinctive media-for-equity model -- investing a combination of cash and media value across TV, digital, addressable TV and print channels in exchange for a minority stake in fast-growing B2C and B2B2C ventures. The core model is designed to accelerate portfolio companies' brand-building and customer acquisition during the growth phase, leveraging strong RTL media brands including RTL, VOX, NTV, Stern and Gala. Core sector focus spans consumer technology, eHealth, eLearning and everyday consumer solutions. Portfolio companies include Travelbags (travel retail), Reclamefolder.nl (offers marketplace), Flinders (interior e-commerce) and marta, an eldercare platform that received a Seed VC-II round in August 2023 as the most recently disclosed investment. The German unit is led by Beate Koch, with Ute Henzgen's team handling media performance and consulting support for portfolio companies. The media-for-equity structure gives RTL Ventures a differentiated value proposition compared with conventional corporate VC arms: rather than offering strategic alignment as an afterthought, the firm's media assets are the primary value-add, allowing portfolio companies to access tens of millions of consumers across Europe through RTL Group's broadcast and digital platforms.