The Berlin-based FinTech start-up DEGURA, a pioneer in the field of digital occupational retirement provision (bAV), has reached a decisive financial milestone. In an impressive round of seed financing, the company secured 2.2 million euros. This capital injection is a clear commitment to DEGURA's innovative vision to further scale and expand the DEGURA Pension Cloud — the first fully digital platform for bAV in Europe.
The seed financing round is led by btov Partners. In addition, renowned angel investors are participating in the financing round, including Dr. Patrick Dahmen (former AXA and HDI board member) and Dr. Gerhard Cromme as well as logistics platform founders David Nothacker, Nicolaus Schefenacker and Julius Köhler (sennder). btov Partners is known for supporting promising young FinTech companies that will later become tech champions. These include SumUp and Raisin as well as ClimateTech stars such as 1point 5° and Cologne's very first Unicorn, the AI-based language translator DeepL.
A new standard in company pension provision
With its platform, DEGURA addresses a key challenge in the European pension system: the need to modernize occupational pension provision and make it equally accessible and efficient for employees and employers. The Pension Cloud from DEGURA not only simplifies access and administration of bAV, but also significantly improves the user experience through digitization.
“Setting up and managing a company pension plan is laborious, complex and not aimed at the end customer at all. At a time when it is foreseeable that the statutory pension alone will not be sufficient to secure retirement – neither in Germany nor in the rest of Europe – we see an urgent need to help employees plan their financial future. That is why we have developed our product with the end customer in mind and are helping citizens across Europe have access to company pension plans as easily as possible. We are delighted that we have such renowned investors on board who are helping us build the leading digital platform for company pension plans in Europe. ”
Christian Witte, DEGURA co-founder and CEO.
The vision behind DEGURA
Founded by a team of experienced managers from the insurance and digital industries, DEGURA aims to fundamentally renew the company pension planning process. “Our goal has always been to create a solution that meets the needs of today's working world. With the Pension Cloud, we have found a way to make this process as simple and transparent as possible,” says Christian Witte, co-founder and CEO of DEGURA.
Traction and trust
The trust that more than 120 companies, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, place in DEGURA underlines the importance and potential of the Pension Cloud. More than 15,000 employees are already benefiting from simplified and improved management of their company pension plans.
“In recent years, the FinTech revolution has made private retirement planning and investment opportunities more accessible via neobrokers and robo-advisors. But one very important component of our pension system was neglected: company pension provision (bAV). Degura's Pension Cloud not only makes employers' lives easier, but also offers workers a digital experience with less friction and more choices that a younger generation expects. We are very proud to support the team and their mission to close the pension gap in Europe. ”
Jochen Gutbrod, partner at btov.
A glimpse into the future
With the latest financing round, DEGURA is ideally positioned to further expand its leading role in the digital transformation of occupational pension plans. The company plans to expand its team, expand digital services and achieve important milestones on the road to full digitization. “This funding round is a decisive step for Degura to advance our mission to close the pension gap in Europe. We are grateful for the trust placed in us by our investors and are looking forward to the next phase of our development,” adds Witte.
Digital company pension provision is not only an instrument in the “War for Talents”, but also a central component for a secure financial future. DEGURA is at the forefront of this movement, with a clear vision to sustainably change the way bAV is offered and managed.
