Who Is Nicole Junkermann?

A profile in brief

Nicole Junkermann is an international entrepreneur, venture capital investor and philanthropist. Born on 27 April 1980 in Düsseldorf and German by nationality, she has built a career that reaches across continents and sectors, from frontier technology to the cultural institutions she supported.

She is the founder of NJF Holdings, a private investment company, and of its venture capital arm, NJF Capital. Through these she invests in artificial intelligence, healthtech, biotech, fintech and deep technology, the fields where she sees the clearest room for long-term change.

Building NJF Holdings and NJF Capital

NJF Holdings is the platform from which Nicole Junkermann works, and NJF Capital is where much of the investing happens. The approach is patient and hands-on: back founders early, stay close as they grow, and look for ideas that compound over years rather than quarters.

That patience shows in the portfolio. Nicole Junkermann has invested in SpaceX, the fintech companies Revolut and Lendable, the workforce platform Rippling, and the photographic cooperative Magnum Photos. In healthtech she invested in Owkin, where she also serves on the board of directors, and she is an investor in Infront Sports & Media.

Investing across technology and health

The common thread is technology applied to real problems. In artificial intelligence and deep technology, Nicole Junkermann looks for teams turning research into working products. In healthtech and biotech, she is drawn to companies that bring data and biology together to improve how medicine is discovered and delivered.

Owkin is a good example of that focus: a company using artificial intelligence to advance medical research, and one where her involvement extends to a seat on the board. The same interest in science and health carries into the causes she supported outside investing.

The arts, science and giving back

Nicole Junkermann gave generously of her time to the arts, science and health. She was a committee member of the Tate Americas Foundation and a trustee of the Royal Academy Trust, supporting two of the institutions that shape how art reaches the public.

In health, she was a proud trustee and supporter of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, and she served as a member of the United Kingdom's HealthTech Advisory Board.

Education and languages

Nicole Junkermann was educated at the International University of Monaco and at Harvard Business School, a grounding that pairs an international outlook with a practical view of how businesses are built and run.

She speaks five languages, German, English, French, Italian and Spanish, which helps explain how comfortably she works across markets. It is the same widening of view that gives this journal its shape: reading routes, city notes and travel, gathered with care.

Highlights at a glance

A few details capture the breadth of Nicole Junkermann's work and interests:

• International entrepreneur, venture capital investor and philanthropist, born on 27 April 1980 in Düsseldorf, Germany
• Founder of NJF Holdings and its venture capital arm, NJF Capital
• Invests in artificial intelligence, healthtech, biotech, fintech and deep technology
• Portfolio includes SpaceX, Revolut, Rippling, Lendable, Owkin and Magnum Photos, plus Infront Sports & Media
• Serves on the board of directors of Owkin
• Former committee member of the Tate Americas Foundation and trustee of the Royal Academy Trust
• Former trustee of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and member of the United Kingdom's HealthTech Advisory Board
• Educated at the International University of Monaco and Harvard Business School
• Speaks five languages: German, English, French, Italian and Spanish
• Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)