Fast Forward with Holtzbrinck Ventures

[Holtzbrinck Ventures](http://www.holtzbrinck-ventures.com/), who are building up an impressive portfolio (plus Webnews.de) in Germany, have started something new called “Fast Forward” and I really like the idea. It is something that is really needed in Germany and might push things a bit forward.

The idea is simple. You submit your business plan, or rather a shorter one, focussing on the market potential, the founding team and how to use the money or rather what kind of money you need in the next 12 months. The goal is to have a proof of concept with the 150k of course. That obviously means that they won’t fund a biotech startup with this kind of money. :)

The money will be given as a loan to the company and will only convert into equity (at a discount to account for the added risk) with the first round of investment.

What I really like about this is that it helps Holtzbrinck Ventures get a foot in the door in a market where business angels are more and more becoming an alternative for companies that are looking for money. With a timeframe of 3 weeks until investment, a good founding team with a few good numbers and a good case might be able to move really fast with this.

So congratulations to Holtzbrinck Ventures. Good move! (source)