Schenker Ventures

Schenker Ventures is the corporate venture capital and venture-building arm of DB Schenker, the logistics subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, Germany's national rail operator. Launched in August 2021 and headquartered at DB Schenker's global headquarters in Essen, Germany, the unit is built on three pillars: direct venture capital investments, a Venture Studio launched in partnership with Berlin-based MVP Factory as Germany's first corporate venture studio in logistics, and a broader venture-building program. Leadership includes Patric Hoffmann as Head of Schenker Ventures and Paulina Banszerus as Head of Venture Capital. The investment thesis targets B2B software-as-a-service solutions that make logistics and supply chains greener, safer, and more efficient. Core themes are sustainability, AI and automation, and supply-chain resilience. Checks run from 300,000 euros to 5 million euros across pre-seed through Series B. Across 7 disclosed investments, named portfolio companies include Northbound (logistics workflow SaaS, a 1.3 million euro pre-seed round co-invested in July 2024 with Apex Black, Id4 Ventures, and IBB Ventures), Dexory (autonomous warehouse robotics and digital twins, Series A-II in September 2023), SQUAKE (carbon emissions calculation for travel and logistics), and Warehousing1 (e-commerce warehousing marketplace). The firm's 2025 ambition is to build a portfolio of 15 to 20 logistics-tech startups. Schenker Ventures' primary advantage over independent logistics-tech investors is distribution: DB Schenker's global network of freight, contract logistics, and supply-chain operations gives portfolio companies direct access to one of the world's largest logistics buyers as an early reference customer, validation partner, and channel for scaling across international markets.