Called a new venture firm Latttaf For the past 16 months, calm built -in, which focuses on a largest decoration of about 20 startups. Its portfolio includes EV companies, space and battery plays, and four nuclear fusion startups. But the firm has just said that its financing is from “European industrial interests”.
Now, Latimother has told Tech Crunch where the money came from: Vox Wagon Group.
The German Automoto Dev has promised 300 million Million in the first fund of Limitif and is his only limited partner. Latimother has so far deployed about one -third of it.
And according to the managing partners of the Young Firm, Matt Treyithak and Jeansways, Latimother wants to raise the funds coming out in the European industrial interest in the European industrial interest beyond Volkswagen. –
This is a great effort. The acquisition of funds for hardware startups, especially with a serious manufacturing component, has been difficult in the past few years. But Travithak believes that it is the right time to try to invest in such companies.
“Technology has always been the driver of human development, and I think the United States is going to spare it,” he told Tech Crunch. “I think the next several years are about to create a number of technical capabilities in the United States that the rest of the world will be surprised.”
Latimotov is also creating a translatable fund, while the geographical political environment is pressing by the Trump administration.
Despite this turmoil, Wes – Joe, who headed the Volkswagen Group’s M&A, investment advice, and partnership divisions before launching a latamotov, said the new firm’s most aim is to “create a bridge between the European Industrial Establishment and the Economic System of US innovation.”
Preference One: Make money
Travithak and Wez said that when agreed to invest in the fund, Volkswagen has a top priority: Make money.
“First and first, it’s about setting up a successful venture firm,” said Wes Wes Wes said.
While the Volkswagen Group receives hundreds of billions of dollars every year, Wes said making money is still partially important because “how the industry maintains the score.”
After that, the VC firm said that it plans to invest in the “companies explaining companies in our interests”, according to the Vees, and also identifies the “new pocket of innovation”, which can benefit the Vox Wagon group.
Wes said he expects to interact with the Volkswagen and its multiple brands, over time, about one -quarter of the lattaf’s portfolio.
EV Truck Startup Harbinger is an example. Littotheph headed Harbinger’s Million 100 million Series B in JanuaryAnd Wez said the startup discussed the cooperation of the Volkswagen’s trucking division.
Geographically, the lattime investment strategy has been formulated so that about 70 % of its capital will be deployed to the United States, while the other 30 % will be installed in the European Union, the firm will maintain offices in both Palo Alto and Munich.
Treyyythak said that in this first fund, 70 % of the global investment of Limitaf will be made in startups that are “solving today’s known problems” and “is ready to buy innovation in the markets besides dollars.”
The other 30 % of the funds will be focused on which they have called the “revolutionary innovation”, which will create “billion dollars” markets in the 2030s and beyond.
So far, this strategy has resulted in the invested in the battery recycling company Red Wood Materials, reusable rocket company Stockpace, and even circular polyester startup sires. Latimother has supported 13 startups to date, though there is more in his portfolio which has not been announced.
There will be other funds at the end of Latimotif. Trevythak and Wes said they were looking at robotics and AI. Volkswagen will have the right to invest in these people if he chooses, but Latimotov is free and, for now, focuses on eliminating his first fund.
Time is everything
It was the worst time for startups in recent memory at the end of 2023, which lockdown large funding rounds, especially those who focus on hardware or “deep tech”, thanks to high interest rates.
Treyithak said he made a great time to start Latimother.
“It is in the markets below when strong companies are separated from the weak. In a bubble, everyone gets financial support,” he said.
Treyithak said that due to the slowdown, other firms took less risk outside the beginning, in which they were already investing.
“There were less new dollars available to fund the good companies there, as everyone got secret about their portfolio,” he said. “I think that’s why we have a lot of interest to participate in the round, which at the time of the bubble, may not have access to us.”
This interest came to a large part thanks to the background of the visits and the triviatic.
Wes spent about 8 years in the Vox Wagon Group, where he integrated, acquisition and invest for a German car maker. During this period of Volkswagen, Wes developed it, which he called “a quite deep network in the venture community in both Europe and the United States”, which included establishing a relationship with the battery -making company quantmakip, where Wes 2024 was a member of the board.
Meanwhile, Travithak was a partner in Vanrok for a decade. There, he focused on investing in green energy during the original clean -tech boom in the early 2010’s, its highest level condition battery -making company is initially in Atova.
As a result, it was a valuable experience to invest, consult and guide companies through clean -techbest, at the time, to visit the industry’s uncertainty.
Although many corporate “net zero” goals are either being healed or abandoned completely, Treythik said the clean tech industry “this time is starting with a much better position.”
In addition, Treyithak said he believed that unexpected capacity would offer more opportunities for firms like Latimother – and his backing would begin.
“I think we can all agree that this will be just a very unstable environment. Which should support inadvertently businessmen, startups and venture investors.
“We feel very confident about our portfolio.” Yes, Wes added. ” [decarbonization] Do we have an important topic? At the same time, we invest in companies where we believe they have a business affair, regardless of what they say, is the subject of the day.