# Redalpine closes $250M bet on science _Redalpine closed its $250M RAC VIII fund to back about 20 European Seed and Series A startups in robotics, AI and science._ **Published:** 2026-11-10 **Source:** https://www.startuphub.ai/ai-news/investors-news/2026/redalpine-closes-250m-bet-on-science --- redalpine closed a $250 million early-stage fund in Zug, according to redalpine. RAC VIII will write $1-15 million first checks and lead Seed and Series A rounds in about 20 European startups, according to redalpine, chosen from more than 5,000 companies screened per year. Half of redalpine investment staff are trained scientists, according to redalpine, including biologists, physicists and engineers. That staffing detail matters because RAC VIII is built to underwrite technical risk in fusion, robotics and biotech before revenue exists, and Vestbee [reported](https://www.vestbee.com/insights/articles/redalpine-closes-oversubscribed-250-m) RAC VIII exceeded its initial fundraising target. Twenty years in, redalpine is not apologizing for betting early. Dr. Michael Sidler, founding partner at redalpine who started redalpine in Zurich in 2006, said redalpine began with conviction that the most important companies would emerge where software and science meet. General partner Sebastian Becker, who leads early-stage investing at redalpine, said advantage now lies with founders who understand underlying science best. redalpine points to more than 100 portfolio companies including Proxima Fusion, Mistral AI and N26 plus 12 exits since 2023 when exits were scarce, according to redalpine. Companies backed by RAC VII have since raised over $1.1 billion in total funding, according to redalpine, which sets a hard follow-on test for RAC VIII. First RAC VIII checks include [Enact Intelligence](/startups/enact-intelligence) for force intelligence in robotics, Helical for a virtual AI lab for drug discovery, and Arlequin AI for AI architecture to protect critical systems, according to redalpine. Backers include Aviva Investors, Flexstone Partners and KfW alongside founders and operators, according to redalpine, with Aviva fintech head Cynthia Chen saying redalpine offers access to high-growth startups across the UK and Europe. With 5,000 startups chasing 20 RAC VIII slots, according to redalpine, technical depth is the filter that decides who gets a term sheet. --- Original analysis from [startuphub.ai](https://www.startuphub.ai), the #1 AI startup directory. © StartupHub.ai. All rights reserved. You may not republish this article in full without a license. Search engines and AI research tools may crawl and summarize for reference. Bulk reproduction or model training on this content requires a license. See https://www.startuphub.ai/terms.