The Munich HR startup Penzilla has closed a seed financing round of €3.2 million. The company aims to company pension scheme (bAV) to make it more efficient and transparent through digitalization and automation. Penzilla offers a software-as-a-service solution that integrates seamlessly with existing HR systems such as Personio, SAP, HiBob, or Rexx. The platform automates all processes related to company pension plans – from contract management and salary adjustments to communication with insurers.
Christoph Leser, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Penzilla, explains:
"Many HR teams still manage company pension contracts using Excel lists, PDFs, and paper files. Penzilla puts an end to this. Our platform automates all processes—from contract maintenance and salary adjustments to communication with insurers—thus saving valuable time and resources in HR."
Penzilla offers technology for a complex topic
The financing round was led by venture capital firms Acadian Ventures and Delin Ventures. Robin Capital, Motive Ventures, Wenvest Capital, and several business angels, including entrepreneur Diana zur Löwen, also participated.
"We have analyzed the occupational pension (bAV) market for a long time and in depth. While many players primarily operate as online brokers, we see enormous untapped potential for technological innovation here. Penzilla impresses us with its sophisticated software. The superior technology enables the complex challenges of occupational pension (bAV) provision for large medium-sized companies and international corporations to be solved efficiently, transparently, and future-proof – a fundamental difference compared to existing solutions and a significant relief for HR departments."
says Thomas Otter, General Partner at Acadian Ventures. Also Iskender Dirik, partner at Delin Ventures, emphasizes the social relevance of the topic:
"We invest with conviction in startups that drive Germany forward. Penzilla is our fund's first investment – because occupational pensions are not a marginal issue, but a future-proofing solution for millions."
Penzilla was founded by Catherine Leser and Christoph Leser in 2021. In spring 2023, the startup secured a Pre-Seed Round over 2.5 million euros. Since then, the company has been able to establish strategic partnerships with providers such as Allianz, Swiss Life, Canada Life, and WWK. Customers such as Lacoste, Notebooksbilliger.de, and ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE are already using the platform.
"This financing is a significant milestone for Penzilla. It enables us to further develop our product and thus continue to offer our customers occupational pension management with the highest levels of reliability, efficiency, and compliance assurance. We are proud to work with such renowned investors who share our vision and look forward to taking the next steps together."
so Catherine Leser, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Penzilla.
