Berlin- and Singapore-based independent venture capital platform GHARAGE Ventures today announced the launch of its inaugural fund to drive technological resilience in global travel and trade. Fund I amounts to €40 million and is anchored by Hamburg-based leading travel retailer and distributor Gebr. Heinemann.
It will also collaborate with further strategic investors, including airports, brands, and retail partners, to boost innovation across the travel and retail ecosystem.
Lennard Niemann, Managing Partner at GHARAGE Ventures, said, “Large parts of the airport and travel retail ecosystem remain structurally under-digitised. The Fund brings together capital, operational know-how and immediate access to industry environments. This is exactly where long-needed innovation can be turned into scalable, profitable impact.”
GHARAGE Ventures invests in early-stage travel and trade technologies. According to the firm, air travel continues to grow, yet many operational areas within airports and travel retail remain significantly under-digitalised.
GHARAGE Ventures aims to fund startups that address this gap, focusing on automation, AI-powered operations, digital infrastructure, travel tech services, and innovations in logistics and supply chain. The fund invests worldwide across the Seed to Series A stages.
The firm originated from the venture capital and innovation activities of Gebr. Heinemann. It claims to have built a network of operators, brands, technology partners and investors across the travel and trade ecosystem. With Fund I, this platform is now open to additional Limited Partners, such as airports, travel retailers, and brands seeking access to innovative technologies, real-world testing environments, and global market insights.
“We invest in early-stage travel and retail technology founders with a perspective shaped by deep sector insight and a clear understanding of operators’ pain points. Guided by this informed investment approach, we provide direct access to senior decision-makers across global travel retail and adjacent sectors; connecting founders with the right partners at the right level, at the right time,” GHARAGE Ventures mentioned on its website.
GHARAGE operates from Berlin, Hamburg and Singapore, and with Fund I, it has already invested in several companies in the travel and retail industry, such as FileAI, a Singapore-based startup that automates document processing and reconciliation workflows, San Francisco-based Bounce that is building a global luggage storage network, and Gumshoe AI that enables brands and retailers to optimise their visibility across AI-generated search interfaces.
Overall, Fund I plans to make around 30 additional investments across the entire travel and trade value chain, backing companies that create tangible operational value.
“GHARAGE Ventures embodies our commitment to shaping the future of our industry. By investing in bold ideas and building bridges across the ecosystem, we are not only futureproofing our business – we are helping redefine what travel retail can become. And we welcome strong partners to join us on this journey,” said Max Heinemann, co-CEO of Gebr. Heinemann.
