Vidia News July 2026
The Value Creation Bar Has Moved
Spring and summer have been months of acceleration – new platforms, new add-ons, hires and promotions across the investment and value creation teams, and sustained focus on portfolio work.
The most visible acceleration has been in Data & AI. Enno Bornemann joined as Value Creation & Digitalization Lead, bringing deep digitalization and consulting expertise to our portfolio initiatives. We also welcomed Marc Herlitz as AI Solutions Engineer, Franziska Scheller as Associate Data & AI Strategy, and Mina Moshfegh as Junior Associate AI Solutions Engineer – bringing applied AI, data science, software, and automation experience to Vidia. Their mandate is clear: turn data into measurable value and embed AI, software, and automation across our portfolio companies and our own operations. Further hires in this area are joining over the summer.
This matters because Data & AI now runs through every value creation lever. When we built Vidia, we made a deliberate choice: to build a fund where digital and AI capabilities are structural – where we constantly question the status quo and the perceived limits of what is possible. That principle runs through our entire investment lifecycle, from due diligence through portfolio work, building companies equipped with best-practice data systems, operating processes, and AI capabilities.
On a SuperReturn panel recently, I was asked whether AI has transformed value creation in the lower mid-market. My answer was unambiguous: yes, completely. But it is worth separating what has changed from what has not. What has not changed is the foundation. Operational transformation still starts with trust – a shared vision between entrepreneurs, managers, and investors. No algorithm changes that.
What has changed is the bar. Decades of PE experience and a general thesis are no longer enough. Entrepreneurs today expect concrete, industry-specific case studies with measurable results and proof that you can guide them toward what is technically possible. The traditional playbook still yields results, but it is now clearly outpaced by AI-first strategies. For funds that have made a real commitment to AI, that is a structural advantage in sourcing and realizing opportunities – and it is more visible to founders than at any point in private equity history. That is why our entrepreneurial sellers consistently reinvest alongside us.
On the investment team, Frederick Held has rejoined Vidia from Afinum – a genuine pleasure to welcome back someone who was part of this firm during its earliest days. Nic Corsi has been promoted to Investment Manager, a promotion that reflects the consistent quality of his work across transactions and portfolio companies.
Several acquisitions have been completed in recent months, each advancing our energy transition thesis. As energy demand increases, accelerated by AI adoption and electrification, the entire energy value chain must scale, become more intelligent, and efficient. Our role is to help mid-market companies enable that transition.
We are pleased to welcome anemos to our Energy & Climate consulting platform. With 36 years of environmental-meteorology expertise, anemos brings the data, consulting, and forecasting capability that wind energy production depends on.
We are also pleased to welcome Fringsgruppe to Vidia Climate Fund I. For over six decades, Fringsgruppe has delivered the complex electrical infrastructure that powers buildings, industrial facilities, and public infrastructure across North Rhine-Westphalia. Partnering with Vidia marks the next phase of their growth.
Over the next months we will continue to scale our energy transition platforms through strategic acquisitions and dedicated, digital-first, value creation agendas. I could not be more excited about what we are building. Thank you for being part of our journey.
Johanna Struthmann
Founder & Managing Partner
Fringsgruppe joins Vidia Climate Fund I
Fringsgruppe (Frings) has officially joined Vidia Climate Fund I, marking Vidia’s latest platform investment in Germany’s building electrification and automation sector. The partnership supports a long-term family succession for CEO Josef M. Frings, who will transition to an advisory board role following an appropriate transition period, as the group enters its next phase of independent growth.
A Conversation with…
Josef M. Frings, CEO of Fringsgruppe
We spoke with Josef M. Frings about the Fringsgruppe’s evolution under his leadership since 1998, the importance of approaching generational succession from a position of strength, why Vidia was the right partner to support the company’s next chapter, and how organic expansion, digitalization, and targeted acquisitions will shape the future of the business while preserving the values that define Frings today.
anemos partners with Vidia
anemos Gesellschaft für Umweltmeteorologie mbH is joining Vidia Climate Fund I. With more than three decades of environmental-meteorology expertise, anemos strengthens Vidia’s energy transition strategy in a segment where accurate wind and weather intelligence is foundational to siting, financing, and operating renewable energy assets. We are excited to partner with the anemos team as they enter their next growth phase.
EUROPRESS partners with Vidia
Vidia forms a new platform in the recycling technology space with EUROPRESS
Vidia Climate Fund I establishes a new buy-and-build platform in recycling and waste-handling technology, a natural extension of our circular economy theme and conviction on driving the reduction of materials’ emissions. EUROPRESS moves from the diversified Neuenhauser Group as part of the Group’s strategic vision, of which it has been part since 2015, to a dedicated owner focused on this field.
Vidia Perspective
Why building automation matters for the next phase of electrification
The building sector accounts for around 40% of the EU’s final energy consumption and 36% of its energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, making it the single largest energy consumer in the EU (European Commission, 2024; EPBD recast). A building’s overall lifecycle GHG emissions footprint can be reduced by a combination of numerous decarbonization levers, ranging from the choice of building material (substituting concrete with engineered timber) and the design of the building envelope (improved insulation to mitigate heat losses) to co-located electricity production (solar-thermal and rooftop PV systems with battery storage) and the choice of climate solutions for building-related end uses, such as HVAC (heat pumps) and lighting (efficient LEDs).
New Hires
Enno Bornemann
Value Creation & Digitalization Lead
We’re thrilled to welcome Enno as our Value Creation & Digitalization Lead, spearheading value creation initiatives across the portfolio. He brings a strong digitalization and consulting background to the team.
Frederick Held
Investment Manager
We’re excited to welcome Frederick back to Vidia as Investment Manager, focusing on new investments and platform expansions to drive our buy-and-build agenda. He returns to us from Afinum Management.
Marc Herlitz
AI Solutions Engineer
We’re excited to have Marc on board as AI Solutions Engineer, designing and implementing AI, software, and automation solutions across the portfolio and our internal operations. He joins us from PioVation, where he was Founder’s Associate.
Franziska Scheller
Associate Data & AI Strategy
A warm welcome to Franziska, who will shape and execute Vidia’s data and AI strategy across the portfolio. She joins us from Boston Consulting Group’s tech unit, BCG X.
Mina Moshfegh
Junior Associate AI Solutions Engineer
We’re also delighted to welcome Mina, who will support the development of AI, software, and automation solutions across the portfolio and our operations. She joins us from Munich Re.
Alexander Schappacher
Investment Analyst
We’re glad to welcome Alexander to the Investment Team, where he’ll work across new investment opportunities and transactions. He joins us from Rothschild & Co’s M&A practice.
Promotion
We are hiring
We are always looking for outstanding, purpose-driven talents to join the Vidia team. Get in touch to become an integral member of our investment, operations, or impact team.
Office Manager
(m/f/d) Full-time, Location: Munich
Portfolio M&A Manager
(m/f/d) Full-time, Hybrid, Location Munich
Operations Manager / Director
(m/f/d) Full-time, Hybrid,
Location: Portfolio Sites / Munich
Portfolio Working Student
(m/f/d) Part-time, Hybrid,
Location: Munich / Portfolio HQ
Investment Criteria
We look for leading companies with a proven business model offering climate positive products or services.
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