Ann-Kristin Achleitner
About Ann-Kristin Achleitner
Ann-Kristin Achleitner is a German economist. She holds doctorates in business administration and law from the University of St. Gallen. She worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company in Frankfurt in 1994. In 1995 she became chaired professor of banking and finance at the European Business School.
From 2001 to 2020 she held the chair of entrepreneurial finance at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). She has been scientific co-director of TUM's Center for Entrepreneurial and Financial Studies since 2003. She is a distinguished affiliated professor at TUM and at ESMT Berlin. Her research covers venture capital, private equity and deep tech finance.
She now works mainly as a non-executive board director and venture investor. She sits on the Linde board of directors, the DHL Group supervisory board and the Lazard board of directors. She previously served on the Munich Re supervisory board (2013 to 2024), at Deutsche Börse (2016 to 2019) and at Engie (2012 to 2019). She is also vice president of acatech, the German National Academy of Science and Engineering.
PitchBook lists her as an angel investor with 7 investments. Crunchbase lists 5 personal investments and names atira's seed round as the latest. Linde's board biography describes her as a founding investor and vice chair of planqc GmbH. Crunchbase lists her as co-founder and financial expert at planqc. Investment years for most of these deals are not public.
In September 2026, atira announced a $15M seed round led by Accel. Tech.eu names Achleitner among the industry investors who took part. Atira, based in Munich, builds an AI platform that automates industrial sales engineering, including RFQ processing, solution configuration and bid documentation. The company also disclosed a previously unannounced $2.5M pre-seed round, which brings its total to $17.5M.
Her academic work has focused on deep tech innovation and finance. She has also coached university spin-offs, especially in deep tech. Her known investments sit in AI software for industry, quantum computing and aerospace, and are mostly Munich-based. She has not published a check size or stage preference, so none is given here.
- atira: Munich AI platform for industrial sales engineering. She took part in its $15M seed round, announced in September 2026.
- planqc: Quantum computing company. Linde's board biography lists her as founding investor and vice chair.
- Isar Aerospace: Listed by PitchBook as one of her investments. Year not public.
- Blackwave: Listed by PitchBook as one of her investments. Year not public.
- esmt.berlin/person/ann-kristin-achleitner
- lazard.com/our-people/ann-kristin-achleitner
- linde.com/about-us/corporate-governance/board-of-directors/prof-ddr-an
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/327330-01
- crunchbase.com/person/ann-kristin-achleitner-901c
- tech.eu/2026/09/03/atira-raises-175m-to-bring-ai-orchestration-to-indu
- munich-startup.de/en/news/ai-company-atira-raises-13-million-euros
- weforum.org/people/ann-kristin-achleitner
Investing activity
Ann-Kristin Achleitner appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $15M. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $15M. The most recent is atira (Seed, $15M, Sep 2026).
Ann-Kristin Achleitner most often invests alongside Accel, Fortino Capital Partners, Marc Bitzer and Bastian Nominacher, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Ann-Kristin Achleitner
Does Ann-Kristin Achleitner invest in AI startups?
Yes. She took part in the $15M seed round of atira, a Munich startup that automates industrial sales engineering with AI. Accel led the round, and it was announced in September 2026.
What is Ann-Kristin Achleitner's background?
She is a professor of entrepreneurial finance at TUM and ESMT Berlin, a former McKinsey consultant, and a board director at Linde, Lazard and DHL Group. She held the TUM chair of entrepreneurial finance from 2001 to 2020.
What is Ann-Kristin Achleitner's angel check size?
No check size is public. Her investment amounts in atira and her other deals have not been disclosed.
What sectors does Ann-Kristin Achleitner back?
Public records show investments in industrial AI software (atira), quantum computing (planqc) and aerospace (Isar Aerospace). Her research focus has been deep tech innovation and finance.
Where is Ann-Kristin Achleitner based?
Crunchbase lists her location as Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The atira company she backed is also based in Munich.
Is Ann-Kristin Achleitner an angel investor?
Yes. Ann-Kristin Achleitner invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Ann-Kristin Achleitner invested in?
Ann-Kristin Achleitner's AI investments include atira. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Ann-Kristin Achleitner invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Ann-Kristin Achleitner has invested at Seed, with a median round of $15M.
Who does Ann-Kristin Achleitner co-invest with?
Ann-Kristin Achleitner's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Accel (1 deal), Fortino Capital Partners (1 deal), Marc Bitzer (1 deal), Bastian Nominacher (1 deal) and BOOOM (1 deal).
How can founders reach Ann-Kristin Achleitner?
Founders on Lounge can see Ann-Kristin Achleitner's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Ann-Kristin Achleitner to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.