Fielmann Ventures

Fielmann Ventures is the innovation and investment unit of the Fielmann Group, an optical retail group. The unit identifies trends, scouts technologies and works with start-ups and established companies to develop new services, products and business models in vision and hearing. Its stated technical focus covers eye and ear health, smart glasses and smart hearing, supported by market and user research and technology scouting. Its geographic remit is worldwide.

The unit engages through three distinct instruments: strategic collaborations, which pair it with start-ups and established companies for joint development work; investments, providing equity or investment capital to companies in the vision and hearing space; and venture clienting, under which Fielmann Ventures acts as a client to move promising ideas from concept or pilot towards implementation and scale. Check size, stage and fund structure are not disclosed.

Sector coverage spans eye care and optometry, hearing care and audiology, healthcare, smart glasses and wearable technology, consumer electronics, and optical retail through the Fielmann Group. The stated orientation is long-term, with an emphasis on lasting value creation and on the industry expertise and market access the unit can offer its partners. Innovation is described as trend- and user/market-driven, and the operating model is explicitly collaborative with both start-ups and incumbent companies.

For candidates, the relevant context is that of a corporate venture unit combining investment activity with commercial engagement - collaboration and clienting alongside equity positions - in the vision, hearing and smart glasses markets.