Welcome to Luminance Group

A different kind of capital partner

Explore Luminance Group, a family office run by entrepreneurs who understand the challenges faced by founders, offering unique support for growth.
We back proven businesses with hands-on support and long-term capital
A family office structure
Flexible investment horizons
We tailor our investment strategies specifically to the goals of each company we support.
Quick decision-making
Unlike typical institutional investors, we are not constrained by holding period limitations, rigid return targets or bureaucratic processes.
Mentorship-driven and partnership-focused
We focus on entrepreneurial and flexible partnerships which foster mentorship, enabling swift and independent decisions.

Our mindset

At Luminance, we bring a builder’s mindset to everything we do. We’re not your typical investors, we’re co-builders.
We partner with exceptional founders to scale businesses, and unlock real growth. What sets us apart? Speed, substance, and a genuine commitment to building businesses together.
Berlin skyline with TV Tower and Oberbaum Bridge over the Spree river
Luminance is the partner I have always wished for.
“On my own entrepreneurial journey, building a bootstrapped start-up into a unicorn, I learned that muscle power has its limits. There comes a point where you need the right people, tools and frameworks to grow beyond your perceived limitations. With everything I have learned along the way, I founded Luminance to be the entrepreneurial partner I once wished for.”
Portrait of Peter Chaljawski
Peter Chaljawski
Founder of Luminance
We're not just investors, we see ourselves as co-builders. That means getting involved when it matters, supporting the vision without ever taking the wheel, and doing the work that turns reality into momentum.
Our Early Growth
Equity focus
We invest in early-growth companies that have proven their market concept and generate €2 -20m in annual revenue.
We support young companies in their transition to scale-ups, helping them grow efficiently and sustainably before they evolve into true grown-ups. Our approach minimizes dilution, aligns founders and investors, and focuses on long-lasting value creation from day one.
Diagram positioning Early Growth Equity between Venture Capital and Private Equity

Philosophy

We are not here to run your business.
We are here to help you scale it - faster, smarter, and with greater firepower.
Luminance is an entrepreneurial family office that provides capital with practical high-impact support. We do not do bureaucracy or buzzwords; we focus on real work, delivered shoulder to shoulder.
Luminance team collaborating at a screen in the Berlin office
What we look for
Great teams exist across every field, which is why we do not confine ourselves to certain industries.
What matters most to us is the mix of drive, passion, hard work and talent. We view teams not just as a factor in choosing where to invest, but as the very center of our commitment throughout the life of our partnership. When people grow, their companies grow with them. Alongside this conviction, we apply the following criteria when making investment decisions.
People focused
Passionate & driven founders: True growth requires relentless execution and hard work, and we look for leaders who refuse to stop until their vision becomes reality.
Mentorship-seeking & personal-growth-focused founders: Building a company demands resilience, reflection and interpersonal skills, which is why we see personal growth as the prerequisite of business growth.
Founders who want to lead: We usually invest in minority positions, leaving the majority ownership and control with the founding team.
Berlin TV Tower and spires of Nikolaikirche above historic rooftops
Business focused
Established proof-of-concept and early growth: Companies generating revenues €2-€20m and a strong growth trajectory.
Profitable or close to profitability: Ideally EBITDA of €0.5-€5m.
High growth potential: Scalable business models with strong growth potential of >30% annual growth.
Significant valuation uplift potential: Business models capable of scaling into market-leading companies with valuations exceeding €100m.
Our investment empowers companies to grow faster while avoiding costly missteps which are hard to reverse. We don’t operate within the classical Series A, B, or C funding framework, nor do we provide short-term capital. We structure financing in a way so founders can stay fully focused on growing their businesses.

Playbook

Our Approach:
At our core, we embody our hands-on builder's mentality.
We recognize that every company and team is unique, and that growth is not always linear - it requires agility, creativity and the ability to adapt. That is why we believe in swift, decisive action and rapid decision-making, without the typical private equity constraints like holding periods, rigid return targets, or bureaucratic processes.
Mentor-like investor approach
Our passion is helping founders grow personally, to become great leaders. We love founders who seek to keep autonomy and stay in the driver's seat to grow the business.
Flexibility
We pursue quick, independent decision-making, without typical private equity constraints like holding period limitations, rigid return targets or bureaucratic approval processes.
Targeted support
We provide expertise where it is needed the most - as a strategic sparring partner, in supporting key hires, and across operational or technical matters.
Founder empathy
We understand the pressures that come with being the driving force at the heart of your business. We help you navigate these challenges and prepare for what lies ahead by consistently supporting the personal development of founders and management teams.
We apply a tailored approach, shaped by the specific needs of the team and business. Some typical areas where we help drive progress include:
Engineer sketching a Formula 1 car on a whiteboard
1 Build strategic foundation
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Define strategic initiatives (growth & backbone)
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Identify the right organizational structure
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Find and attract the right talent
Team analyzing vehicle data and telemetry on monitors
2 Implement commercial best practices
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Build automated sales and marketing engines
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Strengthen data-driven decision-making
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Drive price and margin improvements
Technical team working together on a race car in a studio
3 Grow capabilities & apply in-organic growth
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Optimize processes for scalability
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Expand leadership capabilities
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Enable inorganic growth through acquisitions
Racing driver with helmet in front of a Formula 1 car and pit crew
4 Empower leadership
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Develop founders into strong leaders
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Broaden leadership base within the company
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Foster long-term founder independence within the organization

Team

We are a group of entrepreneurs, operators and experts who have been in the trenches. We know what it means to build and we bring that experience to every partnership. What unites us? Curiosity, humility and the drive to make things happen.
Our Team
We are not big on titles or hierarchies. We believe in autonomy, clear responsibility and honest feedback. We are constantly learning and improving and we look for people who do the same.
Portrait of Peter Chaljawski, Founder of Luminance
Peter Chaljawski
Founder of Luminance

Peter Chaljawski scaled his startup with a funding of €25,000 into a bootstrapped unicorn with €400m in revenue. With 20 years of venture building experience, he invests in real estate and companies with a digital edge, backed by high-performance founders committed to continuous self-growth.

Portrait of Jost Frederik Wenckebach, Investments
Jost Frederik Wenckebach
Investments

Jost Frederik Wenckebach has over 15 years of professional experience as a private equity investor and M&A advisor. In addition to having actively supported more than 20 transactions across various sectors and situations, he also founded and sold his own company and advises entrepreneurs as a sparring partner in different business contexts.

Portrait of Anja Josten, Finance & Operations
Anja Josten
Finance and Operations

Anja Josten has 19 years of experience in Finance and Operations. As Head of Finance and Executive Committee representative, she led global planning, liquidity management as well as M&A and due diligence processes with international private equity investors. Today, as Managing Director of JK Media & Consulting Ltd., she supports companies in building financial clarity, robust KPI structures and sustainable growth.

Portrait of Marcel Kantsevitch, Investments
Marcel Kantsevitch
Investments

Marcel Kantsevitch is completing his degree at WHU, actively shaping his entrepreneurial mindset. Leveraging his experience in strategy consulting and venture building, he brings a sharp eye for value creation. At Luminance, Marcel focuses on sourcing and evaluating high-growth companies led by passionate and driven founders.

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