Vienna-based Noctua Science Ventures reaches €15m first close

As reported by “The Next Leap” on November 10, 2026, Noctua Science Ventures has reached an first closing of €15 million. The Vienna-based fund is targeting a total volume of €25 million, with a final closing planned for 2027.

Noctua is a joint venture between the seed investor Speedinvest and TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology). The university describes it as the first joint venture in Austria between a higher education institution and an investor, established to support academic startups. The fund invests at the pre-seed stage in spin-offs whose products are rooted in years of research. One notable investment is DiLT Analytics, a spin-off from Graz that secured a seven-figure funding round.

Anchor investors include Erste Group Bank, Verbund X Ventures, Allocator One, and the Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws). An earlier report by “Trending Topics” regarding Verbund’s planned investment mentioned a fundraising target of approximately €10 million. It is not clear from the available sources why the target volume has since been set at a higher figure.

The unique aspect lies in the structure: a university and a seed investor are jointly operating an investment vehicle dedicated to the pre-seed stage.