CODE Capital starts: €10 Million Fund for Student Startups at Entrepreneurship University CODE

Berlin, July 1, 2026 – CODE Capital has officially launched as a new early-stage venture capital fund with a target volume of €10 million. Operating as a first-check investor, the fund finances founders from the ecosystem of the CODE University of Applied Sciences – stepping in at a stage where traditional VCs, business angels, banks, or public grant providers do not yet invest. The fund was initiated by serial founders and tech entrepreneurs Stephan Schambach and Younes Ouaqasse, and is led by Prof. Dr. Julia Köhn. She is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at CODE, a serial founder, and an investor.

According to the Redstone University Startup Index, CODE is Europe’s leading entrepreneurship university and a top performer in the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) ranking for Computer Science, Data Science & Cyber Security. Over the past eight years, CODE students and alumni have raised more than €250 million in venture capital, with nine teams successfully graduating from Y Combinator. Today, the companies founded out of CODE have a combined valuation of over €1 billion. Until now, the biggest hurdle has been the absolute earliest stage – a gap that CODE Capital is now closing.

Initial tickets range between €50,000 and €100,000. "Once the teams demonstrate their initial traction, we support them all the way to their exit," says Köhn. Investment decisions are made by an independent, broadly positioned Investment Committee, while the regulatory and administrative management is handled by a leading german Service-KVG. (Service Capital Management Company).

The fund is backed by a powerful network of experienced entrepreneurs. "We know the teams. We find out who is building something extraordinary much earlier than any external fund. We are leveraging this unique advantage," says Schambach, anchor investor and Trustee of CODE. Selected teams will receive personalized, on-site coaching with him, alongside regular, direct sparring sessions.

CODE Capital invests Europe-wide and across technologies in "builder-founders" who code and build the technical core of their ideas themselves. Sector focuses include specialized AI software for industries like manufacturing and healthcare, deep-tech infrastructure for faster and more efficient computing processes, and quantum-safe encryption. Because speed is critical in the early stages, CODE Capital guarantees an investment decision within 14 days – based on standardized, fair founder terms.