Tobias Jahn
Partner
Munich, Germany

Tobias, an engineer turned investor, brings nearly 20 years of venture capital expertise. Formerly with 3M Ventures and BMW i Ventures, he now drives climate tech and deep-tech innovations at Hitachi Ventures, passionate about partnering with visionary founders.
As an engineer at heart, Tobias combines natural curiosity with business acumen refined over nearly two decades of venture investments. Since 2008, he has been investing in venture-backed tech-companies, driven by the belief that venture investing isn’t about keeping pace with change but leading it.
Tobias began his journey in technical and innovation management at BMW before transitioning to 3M’s Corporate Venture unit, where he worked on investments in energy management, multi-touch displays, collaboration software, and more. After over six years at 3M, he joined BMW i Ventures, advancing from Principal to Managing Director for Europe. During his tenure, the firm evolved its focus from mobility services to autonomous driving, industrial automation, and, ultimately, climate tech.
Now at Hitachi Ventures, Tobias centers his efforts on software and hardware solutions in climate tech, tackling areas such as industrial decarbonization, green molecules, energy transition, resource efficiency, and circularity. His work bridges the needs of corporations on their ESG journeys with the ambition of startups aiming to scale. Tobias is equally passionate about groundbreaking deep-tech innovations—like quantum technology, fusion energy, and space tech—that promise transformative societal impacts in the coming decade.
Tobias holds a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Stuttgart.
Personal Note
Tobias loves any excuse to be outdoors, whether it’s sailing, trail running, skiing, biking,… Basically, if it involves fresh air and a bit of adrenaline, he’s all in!
Areas of Interest
- ClimateTech
- Decarbonization
- Energy
- Circularity
- DeepTech
- Vertical B2B SaaS Solutions
Active Investments
Ascend Elements
Equiem
BeZero
Cyclic Materials
Strangeworks
Makersite
Wase
Samsara
Thea
Previous
Graphcore
Claroty
Synera
Autobrains
Chargemaster
JustPark
Perceptive Pixel
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Let’s biohack this mess — Infinite plastic recycling with Samsara Eco
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Wase zaps microbes to squeeze more biogas from wastewater sludge
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Thea Energy raises $20M Series A for pixel-inspired fusion power plants
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Makersite announces strategic partnership with Hitachi Solutions
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Ascend Elements Raises $542 Million to Accelerate Production of U.S.-engineered Lithium-Ion Battery Materials
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Strangeworks Commercial Success In Quantum Computing Drives Ecosystem Expansion, Lands $24M Series A
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Hitachi Ventures invests in BeZero’s 50m Series B led by Quantum Energy Partners to secure leading ratings and risk analytics position in VCM
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Hitachi Ventures invests in BeZero’s 50m Series B led by Quantum Energy Partners to secure leading ratings and risk analytics position in VCM
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Hitachi Ventures co-leads Makersite’s 18M Series A to decarbonize global manufacturing sector
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GCV profiles the industry’s top 50 CVC Emerging Leaders 2022
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Hitachi Ventures investing in Ascend Elements (formerly Battery Resourcers)