Berliner Volksbank and Redstone launch third venture capital fund

Berliner Volksbank and its long-standing strategic partner Redstone are expanding their venture capital activities with the launch of a third fund, Redstone Fintech & Beyond Fund III. This move marks ten years of cooperation between the two organisations and signals a step toward internationalisation and broader participation from external investors.

The new fund targets €100 million in total volume, with Berliner Volksbank committing €10 million as anchor investor in the first tranche. The fund will focus on European fintech startups and scalable B2B solutions, investing in early-stage financing rounds from pre-seed to Series A.

Since 2015, Berliner Volksbank and Redstone have built a notable presence in venture capital within the cooperative financial sector, gradually opening to external investors. CEO Carsten Jung of Berliner Volksbank described venture capital as a strategic activity, not just for financial returns but also for learning from emerging technologies, improving agility, and expanding networks.

With this latest fund, the management company formerly known as VR Ventures Management GmbH has been renamed Redstone Fintech Management GmbH. Redstone becomes the majority shareholder, while Berliner Volksbank remains a significant stakeholder. The fund will be managed by Timo Fleig and Mickael Bellaiche, with Fleig, who has been involved in the venture platform since its inception, now becoming a shareholder of the management company.

The investment committee for the new fund includes representatives from both partners: Andreas Laule from Berliner Volksbank, Fleig and Bellaiche from Redstone Fintech Management, and Redstone’s CEO and founder, Samuli Sirén.

According to Sirén, the new structure builds on the performance of the previous two funds, which delivered strong results and supported startups such as Planradar, Liqid, Empion, Orus, Banxware, and Atlas Metrics. The first fund achieved a reported value increase of 260%, with successful exits including Thermondo, Flexperto, and Qonto.

By opening to a wider group of professional investors, especially from the financial sector, Redstone Fintech & Beyond Fund III aims to provide access to new technologies and business models and to strengthen its position as a European venture investor. Legal advisory for the initiative was provided by Real Advokatbyrå.