HZG Group
Frank Carsten Herzog, left, with Kerstin Herzog, right.
HZG Group has raised €60 million for its HZG Additive Manufacturing Tech Fund, which will support early-stage start-ups across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The fund has been closed at the upper limit of €60m due to a ‘significant oversubscription.’ Initially, the fund closed at €50m, with €25m being invested by Kerstin Herzog and Frank Carsten Herzog – the original founders of Concept Laser. Since then, renowned family offices, experienced entrepreneurs and other investors are said to have subscribed to the remaining shares of the fund.
Investments made by the HZG Additive Manufacturing Tech Fund will focus on all areas of additive manufacturing and related industrial fields, encompassing machines, processes, applications and services in the context of Industry 4.0. The organisation expects to carry out two to three investments per year, with a research and development centre in Lichtenfels currently being built ‘at the highest international standards.’ This site is being developed in partnership with NADDCON, another brand of the HZG Group which ‘bundles the necessary infrastructure for testing and optimising applicable digital technologies of the future.’
“We were confident that our offer would attract investors. However, being able to close the fund so fast came as a pleasant surprise,” commented Frank Carsten Herzog, founder and Managing Partner of HZG Group. “We are in the fortunate position of having assembled a hand-picked group of investors with whom we will be able to engage in intensive dialogue. With our combined experience, proven track record and access to an excellent 3D printing infrastructure, we aim to effectively support young entrepreneurs, taking them to the next level and establishing them as industry partners.”
“As a technology leader in eye laser systems, SCHWIND eye-tech solutions is constantly working on innovative solutions,” added Rolf Schwind, one of the HZG fund investors. “Additive technologies allow us to rethink our high-tech products. The clear focus of the HZG Fund on 3D printing and the experience of Frank Carsten Herzog and Kerstin Herzog as pioneers in this field convinced me to continue investing in this future topic.”
