Solo GP Andreas Klinger Raises €15M for European Robotics and AI Fund
Andreas Klinger has raised 15 million euros for his third venture capital fund and portfolio companies have raised over one billion dollars in financing in 2025 alone. The Austrian investor’s latest fund, rebranded as Prototype Capital, represents a significant milestone in European robotics and AI investment at a time when venture capital and private equity investment in robotics is accelerating in 2025.
The Solo GP Model in Action
The fund emerged from the rebranding of Remote First Capital, which Klinger founded in 2020 as a solo-GP fund, and with the new structure, Klinger plans to finance between 15 and 20 startups in the pre-founding phase annually. This approach places the Andreas Klinger Prototype Capital fund alongside a growing cohort of Solo GP venture capital Europe focused funds. By Sifted’s count, over a dozen European solo GP funds have closed this year.
The fund operates with typical ticket sizes that make it accessible to emerging founders. Typical investment sizes range between $200,000 and $400,000 per investment. This positioning allows the Andreas Klinger Prototype Capital fund to capture promising European robotics AI investment opportunities at their earliest stages.
Strategic Focus on European Deep Tech
The focus is on European founders working on robotics, automation, and manufacturing. This deep tech fundraise Europe strategy reflects broader trends in the market. According to PitchBook, just over €1 billion has already been invested across 84 deals this year – putting 2025 on track to surpass the €1.4 billion peak of 2021.
However, the Andreas Klinger startup investment philosophy goes beyond typical venture approaches. “We don’t set up a VC fund in the classic sense,” says Klinger. “It’s more about a community of extremely ambitious people who actively want to change Europe for the better.” This focus on early-stage robotics AI funding aligns with Europe’s manufacturing heritage.
Europe invented industry, according to Klinger. “We are the cradle of precision manufacturing. The second largest manufacturing location in the world. Leading in automation and robotics.”
Track Record and Performance
The Andreas Klinger Prototype Capital fund builds on impressive historical performance. All three funds of the company rank in the top one to five percent of their respective cohorts worldwide, with the first fund from 2019 achieving a capital return multiple of 4.9 with a distribution rate of 0.95, and the Growth Fund from 2022 showing a multiple of 5.6 with a distribution rate of 2.75.
Portfolio highlights demonstrate the fund’s AI robotics venture capital success. The outstanding success of the past year was Luma AI, which became the second company in the portfolio to exceed a billion-dollar valuation, developing multimodal world models that combine video with other sensors, text, and physics.
Recent investments showcase the fund’s active dealmaking. Rollo Robotics, the Estonian deep-tech startup pioneering the world’s first stable autonomous monowheel security robot, has raised €3.7 million in pre-seed funding with Prototype as a technical solo-GP VC led by Andreas Klinger, investing first checks into Europe’s most ambitious frontier tech founders.
Market Context and Competition
The timing of this deep tech fundraise Europe aligns with significant market momentum. In the first several months of 2025, investors committed more than $6 billion to robotics startups globally, with Q2 2025 seeing robotics deal value hit nearly $8.8 billion, representing triple-digit increases compared with prior quarters.
This Solo GP venture capital Europe approach contrasts with larger institutional funds but offers distinct advantages. Belief Capital will invest in pre-seed and seed-stage companies in Europe and the US, paying particular attention to young technical founders building in AI, robotics and infrastructure, as many of the most interesting venture outcomes of the past few years are built by young, deeply technical founders.
The market for AI robotics venture capital has particular momentum around physical applications. Interest in ‘physical AI’ is accelerating, particularly where machine-learning systems are paired with reliable mechanical execution.
Investment Philosophy and Approach
The Andreas Klinger startup investment strategy emphasizes vertical integration across the robotics supply chain. Prototype Capital deliberately invests in the entire vertical supply chain: motors, sensors, power electronics, and manufacturing processes. This comprehensive approach distinguishes the fund from competitors focused solely on software or specific hardware components.
Klinger, who previously served as CTO at Product Hunt, VP Engineering at CoinList, and in leading positions at AngelList and On Deck, brings both operational experience and an established network in the European tech scene. This technical background enables informed evaluation of early-stage robotics AI funding opportunities.
The fund specifically targets founders with deep conviction. Klinger seeks founders who are “obsessed” with their problem and emphasizes that he himself must feel genuine enthusiasm for the respective topic.
European Innovation Urgency
The Andreas Klinger Prototype Capital fund operates against a backdrop of European technological sovereignty concerns. As Klinger notes, “We sell our best technology to China. We export our best founders and the majority of our investment money to the USA.”
This European robotics AI investment urgency is reflected in broader policy initiatives. Government backing is amplifying the trend: the EU’s Horizon Europe program alone earmarked €180 million for breakthrough technologies, including robotics.
The fund’s focus extends to critical infrastructure protection. “Western companies are facing rapidly growing hybrid threats to their physical infrastructure. Securing these assets with scalable, autonomous, robotic platforms such as Rollo is essential right now and a gigantic market of the future,” says Andreas Klinger of Prototype.
Global Investment Landscape
The Andreas Klinger Prototype Capital fund operates within a rapidly expanding global market. Over $2.26 billion in global robotics funding was raised in Q1 2025 alone, with specialized robotics startups—those targeting defined verticals like warehouse automation or robotic picking—accounting for over 70% of this capital.
The early-stage robotics AI funding market shows particular strength in valuations. AI-native platforms command premium multiples, with early-stage AI robotics companies raising at median revenue multiples of 39.0x in recent Series A and B rounds.
However, funding distribution remains uneven. While the surge in financing activity in 2024 and early 2025 has been very promising for the robotics sector, most of the invested capital has been in large, often late-stage financings, at companies focused on autonomous vehicles, defense and humanoid robots. This creates opportunities for early-stage European robotics AI investment funds like Klinger’s.
Future Expansion and Vision
The fund is aiming for a total volume of 20 million euros. This additional capital will enable the Andreas Klinger Prototype Capital fund to expand its reach within the European ecosystem. Prototype Capital invested in 15 European startups, primarily in the fields of robotics, automation, and physical AI.
The fund’s expansion aligns with broader trends toward specialized deep tech fundraise Europe initiatives. Paris-based C4 Ventures launched a new vehicle targeting AI, robotics and DeepTech with a €100 million fund, and together, these raises amount to approximately €235 million across funds and robotics/AI companies.
Klinger calls on founders to get in touch, even if their idea is not yet a finished company – especially in the fields of robotics, automation, energy, and space exploration. This open approach to Andreas Klinger startup investment reflects confidence in European technical talent and innovation potential.
The Solo GP venture capital Europe model demonstrates that smaller, specialized funds can compete effectively in the AI robotics venture capital landscape. With its focus on European robotics AI investment and proven track record, the Andreas Klinger Prototype Capital fund represents a strategic bet on Europe’s ability to build the next generation of robotics and automation technologies. As the early-stage robotics AI funding market continues to expand, targeted deep tech fundraise Europe initiatives like Klinger’s fund may prove essential for maintaining European competitiveness in this critical technology sector.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Andreas Klinger’s Prototype Capital fund?
Prototype Capital is a €15M solo-GP venture capital fund led by Andreas Klinger that invests in European robotics, automation, and AI startups in their pre-founding phase.
What sectors does the Andreas Klinger Prototype Capital fund target?
The fund focuses on European founders working on robotics, automation, manufacturing, energy, and space exploration technologies.
What is the typical investment size from Prototype Capital?
Prototype Capital makes investments ranging between $200,000 and $400,000 per startup, targeting 15-20 companies annually.
What is Andreas Klinger’s background before starting Prototype Capital?
Klinger previously served as CTO at Product Hunt, VP Engineering at CoinList, and held leading positions at AngelList and On Deck.
How has the Andreas Klinger Prototype Capital fund performed historically?
All three of Klinger’s funds rank in the top 1-5% of their cohorts worldwide, with portfolio companies raising over €1 billion in 2025 alone.
What is unique about the Solo GP venture capital Europe approach?
Solo GP funds like Prototype Capital operate with single general partners, enabling faster decision-making and more personalized support for portfolio companies.
Why does the fund focus specifically on European robotics AI investment?
Klinger aims to keep European technology talent and innovation within Europe, countering the trend of founders and capital moving to the US or China.
