Markus Flik
About Markus Flik
Dr. Markus Flik is based in Stuttgart, Germany. He studied mechanical engineering in Stuttgart and at ETH Zurich and received his doctorate from UC Berkeley. His site also lists three years of research at MIT and 27 years in the automotive supply and machinery industries.
He was CEO of three industrial companies, for 17 years in total. Press coverage names them as Behr, Homag and Chiron. His site says those companies had 2,000 to 16,000 employees and revenue between EUR 500 million and EUR 3 billion.
He is managing partner of Flik GmbH, which advises private equity and venture capital firms and industrial companies and co-invests with clients. He sits on the supervisory boards of Trumpf, Festo and Hittech and chairs the supervisory board of LMT Group. Earlier board roles include BBS Automation, Benteler and Anand.
Crunchbase lists one personal investment for him, a seed round in Dryft. His own site lists several holdings, including PartsCloud (since 2021), SPT Labtech (since 2022), BBS Automation (2020 to 2023), Dryft (since 2025) and atira (since 2025). The site does not say which of these are angel investments and which are made through Flik GmbH.
Both of his AI investments are in industrial software. Dryft, based in Palo Alto, is an AI copilot for procurement decisions at industrial manufacturers. It announced $5 million in funding led by General Catalyst. Flik was named among the angel investors, alongside Jeff Wilke, Claire Hughes Johnson and Qasar Younis.
Atira is a Munich startup founded in 2024. It builds AI agents for technical sales in the machinery industry. On the Lounge deals desk it has a $15M Seed round dated 2026-09. Menlo Times reported the round as led by Accel. It said atira was deployed with 15+ industrial customers, including Chiron Group, where Flik was formerly CEO.
His public holdings point to AI and software for industrial and machinery companies, with a few other industrial or technology holdings. They are mostly in Germany, plus one US company, Dryft. He describes his network as strongest in DACH, the USA, China and Japan. Dryft was an early-stage round and atira's is a Seed. No check size or stated investment criteria for his personal investing are public.
- atira: Munich startup building AI agents for technical sales in the machinery industry; listed on his site since 2025, with a $15M Seed on the Lounge deals desk (2026-09)
- Dryft: Palo Alto startup with an AI copilot for industrial procurement decisions; $5M round led by General Catalyst, investor since 2025
- PartsCloud: listed on his site as an investment since 2021
- SPT Labtech: life-science lab automation company, listed since 2022
- BBS Automation: engineering company, listed as an investment from 2020 to 2023
Investing activity
Markus Flik 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).
Markus Flik most often invests alongside Accel, Ann-Kristin Achleitner, Fortino Capital Partners and Marc Bitzer, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Markus Flik
Who is Markus Flik?
Dr. Markus Flik is a Stuttgart-based industrial executive and investor. He was CEO of Behr, Homag and Chiron and is managing partner of Flik GmbH. He also holds supervisory board roles at Trumpf, Festo, Hittech and LMT Group.
Which AI startups has Markus Flik invested in?
His site lists atira, which builds AI agents for machinery sales, and Dryft, an AI procurement copilot. Both have been listed since 2025.
What check size does Markus Flik write?
No check size is public. Founders should not assume a range.
What kind of AI founders should pitch Markus Flik?
His public investments are AI products for industrial manufacturers and machine builders. His background is in industrial operations, so founders in that area are the most obvious fit. He has not published criteria for what he looks for.
Did Markus Flik invest in atira's $15M Seed?
The Lounge deals desk lists the atira $15M Seed (2026-09), and his site lists atira as an investment since 2025. Menlo Times reported Accel as the round's lead. We found no public source that states his participation in that specific round.
Where can founders contact Markus Flik?
He has a LinkedIn profile and a Flik GmbH website. We found no X account for him.
Is Markus Flik an angel investor?
Yes. Markus Flik invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Markus Flik invested in?
Markus Flik's AI investments include atira. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Markus Flik invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Markus Flik has invested at Seed, with a median round of $15M.
Who does Markus Flik co-invest with?
Markus Flik's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Accel (1 deal), Ann-Kristin Achleitner (1 deal), Fortino Capital Partners (1 deal), Marc Bitzer (1 deal) and Bastian Nominacher (1 deal).