Female founders in Europe still receive a disproportionately small share of total VC funding. The gap has persisted for years despite growing evidence that gender-diverse teams outperform less diverse ones. The Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund, led by Dr. Gesa Miczaika and Bettine Schmitz, is one of the few funds in Europe built entirely around closing that gap. In July 2025, it announced the first close of Fund II at €26 million, more than one third above the total size of its first fund.
For founders and investors watching where institutional capital is moving, Auxxo is worth understanding closely.
A Clear Investment Thesis:
Auxxo is a sector agnostic pre-seed and seed stage investor that backs female co-founded startups in Europe. The threshold is clear. Early-stage European startups must include at least one female founder holding a minimum of 20% of the founding shares, ensuring genuine influence rather than tokenism. That means mixed founding teams are fully eligible and make up a significant share of the portfolio.
Fund I launched in 2021 with €19 million in capital. According to Crunchbase, it made 34 investments and recorded one exit, from AI-based learning platform Peer Solutions. Fund II first closed at €26 million in July 2025, already exceeding the total size of its predecessor.
Fund II Portfolio Companies:
Three investments were announced at the Fund II launch. Emidat, co-founded by Lisa Oberaigner and Florian Fesch, is pioneering environmental data infrastructure for construction materials and building products. Resolutiion, founded by Dr. Fayola-Maria Jack, uses AI to resolve commercial legal disputes. Stanhope AI, founded by Rosalyn Moran, enables autonomous real-time machine learning using a neuroscience-inspired active inference framework.
All three represent sectors where better data, AI infrastructure, and deep tech are creating structural shifts at the industry level.
Institutional Backing Signals a Shift:
The European Investment Fund joined Fund II as anchor investor, alongside Aurum Impact, Cherry Ventures, and Speedinvest, as well as family offices, business angels, and founders from across Europe. Marjut Falkstedt, Chief Executive of the EIF, said directly: “Diversity and financial return can go hand in hand and we look forward to this new fund making that a reality.” That is an institutional signal, not just a values statement.
More Than 50% of LPs Are Women
Over half of Auxxo’s limited partners are women. Bettine Schmitz has described this as a clear sign that the industry is moving toward the future they have always envisioned. For any European VC fund of this size, that LP composition is rare and reflects genuine alignment between the capital structure and the fund’s mission.
How Portfolio Founders Describe It:
Fay from Resolutiion said: “Choosing Auxxo was a strategic decision, driven by their deep conviction, rapid execution, and exceptional commercial acumen. Their straightforward, personable approach, ethics, and enthusiasm for bold ideas aligned perfectly.” Lisa from Emidat added: “We chose Auxxo because they bring real diversity to the cap table, not just in numbers, but in perspective. They truly care about the founders.”
That kind of founder feedback is a useful signal for operators evaluating which early-stage investors add value beyond the check.
Founders Worth Reaching Out:
The Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund is one of the most focused and institutionally backed seed investors for female co-founded startups in Europe right now. If you are building a pre-seed or seed stage company in Europe with at least one female co-founder holding 20% or more of founding shares, you can apply directly at here, explore the full fund thesis and current portfolio at auxxo.de, and connect with Dr. Gesa Miczaika and Bettine Schmitz via their LinkedIn profiles for investor outreach at the right stage.
