New VC fund May Ventures launches with over €30 million in capital and an AI-focused mission

A new VC fund out of Münster has launched this morning, May Ventures has already raised over €30 million for its AI-focused mission to invest in early-stage startups from the DACH region.

The fund is backed by investors such as NRW.BANK, banks from the Sparkassen and Volksbanken group, as well as Helaba. The target volume is €50 million. 

“We see ourselves as partners for Founders who are bold enough to take new paths – just like we did ourselves,” says Managing Partner Maximilian Derpa. “Our goal is to support startups at an early stage and accompany their growth with capital, know-how, and a strong network.” 

The launch of May Ventures comes at a time when European AI-focused funding activity is accelerating. In Germany, startups such as yasp (€4.2 million seed for AI model optimisation), Mercanis (€17.3 million Series A for procurement automation), Makersite (€60 million Series B for product sustainability) and 36ZERO Vision (€3.6 million pre-Series A for AI inspection systems) have raised significant rounds in 2025.

Alongside these startup financings, new funds are also emerging, such as C4 Ventures, which launched a €100 million AI-centric vehicle out of Paris. Against this backdrop, May Ventures’ first closing of more than €30 million towards a €50 million target underscores the continued momentum in AI investment, with a particular focus on supporting early-stage Founders in the DACH region.

Commenting on the investment focus, Managing Partner Dominik Lohle adds: “We are convinced that the next wave of European tech successes will be driven by artificial intelligence. With May Ventures, we are building a fund out of Münster that not only finances AI but applies it consistently – as an AI-native VC with international ambition.”

May Ventures explains that they differentiate themselves from traditional funds on three levels: 

1. AI-native: The fund integrates AI and automated workflows with AI agents across all stages – from deal sourcing and due diligence to portfolio support. This frees up capacity for the truly important, human decisions.
2. Founder DNA: Two experienced VC investors in their mid-30s who operate at eye level with Founders. Both bring experience from three VC funds each. The team is complemented by a strong network of venture partners such as Nils Engelking (successful exit Founder), along with other well-known entrepreneurs and VC leaders to be announced in the coming weeks.
3. Investment strategy: They consider AI to be the key technology of the coming years, triggering a massive technological transformation. Their investment theses focus on three central areas:
   • Building the infrastructure and organisational foundations needed to deploy AI broadly and efficiently
   • Unlocking markets that emerge from combining AI with other key technologies or through intelligent, industry-specific applications
   • Enabling and orchestrating AI agents that will increasingly be capable of handling more complex tasks.

With Osnabrück-based Droidrun, May Ventures has already made its first investment, confirming its strategy. The company is developing a platform that enables AI agents to operate mobile apps automatically via natural language and is generating significant international interest.

“I have known Founder Christian Ninstel, a young but already serial entrepreneur, for several years. We supported his journey early on and initially inspired him for the startup world through a university seminar. The success of Droidrun and its global attention show that ambitious founding teams do not have to hide outside of traditional startup hubs and can succeed internationally,” says Lohle. 

In the coming months, May Ventures plans to make further investments while simultaneously increasing the fund volume to €50 million.

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