Germany Startup Ecosystem

Overview

Germany boasts one of Europe’s leading startup ecosystems, with Berlin being a major hub for innovation. As of 2023, Germany is home to approximately 20,000 startups. The country benefits from strong government support, excellent infrastructure, and a robust industrial base. In 2022, German startups raised around €12 billion in venture capital funding. These factors collectively highlight Germany's dynamic and rapidly evolving startup landscape.

Size of the Market

As of 2023, Germany's startup ecosystem encompasses around 20,000 startups. In 2022, these startups attracted approximately €12 billion in venture capital funding. This substantial investment underscores the ecosystem's growth potential and robust nature. The market's size and financial backing reflect its capacity to foster innovation and sustain a competitive edge within Europe and beyond.

Key Strengths

Germany's startup ecosystem is characterized by several key strengths, including a strong engineering tradition, high-quality research institutions, and a central location in Europe. The country excels in sectors such as automotive tech, industrial manufacturing, and cleantech. These strengths are bolstered by Germany's robust industrial base and government support, positioning it as a leader in the European startup scene.

Major Hubs

Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg are the primary hubs of Germany’s startup ecosystem. Berlin is renowned for its vibrant tech scene, attracting entrepreneurs from around the world. Munich is a key center for deep tech and industrial startups, benefiting from its proximity to major corporations and research institutions. Hamburg excels in logistics and e-commerce, leveraging its strategic location and strong infrastructure. These cities collectively drive Germany's innovation and economic growth.

Emerging Hubs

In addition to the major cities, emerging hubs like Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Cologne are gaining prominence in Germany’s startup ecosystem. Frankfurt is known for its fintech and financial services, Stuttgart for automotive technology and manufacturing, and Cologne for media and entertainment. These emerging hubs are expanding the reach and diversity of Germany’s entrepreneurial landscape, offering new opportunities for innovation and growth.

Support Systems

Germany’s startup ecosystem benefits from a strong network of incubators, accelerators, and co-working spaces that provide essential support and resources for entrepreneurs. Programs like the German Accelerator and the High-Tech Gründerfonds have been instrumental in supporting early-stage startups by providing funding, mentorship, and resources. This supportive infrastructure is crucial for nurturing startups and fostering a collaborative entrepreneurial environment.

Challenges

Despite its strengths, the German startup ecosystem faces challenges such as bureaucratic hurdles and a relatively risk-averse investment culture. Navigating regulatory frameworks can be time-consuming and complex for startups. Additionally, attracting venture capital can be more difficult compared to more risk-tolerant markets. Addressing these challenges requires strategic efforts and supportive policies to sustain growth and competitiveness.

Opportunities and Future Outlook

Germany has significant opportunities for growth in sectors like automotive tech, industrial manufacturing, and cleantech. The country's strong focus on sustainability and green technology drives innovation in renewable energy and environmental technologies. Germany's strategic location in the heart of Europe provides startups with access to a large market and numerous opportunities for international expansion. With continued investment and innovation, Germany's startup ecosystem is poised for further growth, contributing significantly to the global innovation landscape.

Resilience and Adaptability

Germany's startup ecosystem demonstrates remarkable resilience and adaptability. The country's commitment to innovation, coupled with strong government and institutional support, enables startups to navigate challenges and capitalize on opportunities. The diverse talent pool and high-quality research institutions attract entrepreneurs and investors alike, ensuring sustained growth and success in the face of global economic shifts and market dynamics.

Angel Investment trends in Germany

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We found 1,131 VC firms in Germany investing in FinTech on Angels Partners

Alexander Bruehl
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
 Munich, Germany
Investor Picture
Previous Investments
  • SMAHO: (early stage)
  • EQT Ventures: (early stage)
  • Unternehmertum Venture Capital Partners: (mid stage)
  • Senovo: (mid stage)
  • hub:raum - Berlin, Germany: (early stage)
  • Seedcamp: (late stage)
  • softgarden e-recruiting GmbH:
  • Unamo: (early stage)
  • Point Nine Capital: (early stage)
  • userfox - San Francisco, USA: (early stage)
  • Atlantic Capital Partners GmbH:
  • Accelerator Group LLC: (late stage)
  • High-Tech Gründerfonds: (mid stage)
  • _______________________________________________________________________:
  • eZ Systems: (late stage)
  • The SaaSgarage:
  • Ponsit AG:
  • SAG GmbH:
  • repath: $1000000 (Pre Seed)
  • consalio: $1000000 (Seed)
  • AlfaDocs: $2000000 (Seed)
  • bao solutions: $1000000 (Seed)
  • Loyalty Prime: (Series Unknown)
  • Loyalty Prime: $2000000 (Series A)
  • SaaStock: (Series A)
  • Softgarden: $3000000 (Series Unknown)
  • minubo: $2000000 (Seed)
  • minubo: $1000000 (Seed)
  • Sphera [formerly riskmethods]: $2000000 (Series Unknown)
  • Sphera [formerly riskmethods]: $1000000 (Seed)
  • Sphera [formerly riskmethods]: $390000 (Seed)
  • Contentful: $3000000 (Series A)
  • Contentful: $800000 (Seed)
  • DRACOON GmbH: (Series A)
  • DRACOON GmbH: (Seed)
  • Geckoboard: $300000 (Seed)
  • Propertybase: (Series A)
  • FreeAgent: (Series A)
  • FreeAgent: $150000 (Pre Seed)
  • datango: $3000000 (Series A)

Alexander Bruehl

Munich, Germany

Investing In

Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • FinTech (& Financials services) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Mobility • Consumer

Description

B2B SaaS expert ▪ Mentor & Coach ▪ Active Angel Investor ▪ Owner of The SaaSgarage

Investor at Point Nine Capital


Angel investor and mentor for those having exciting business ideas, ready kicking off their company. Core competency and areas of interest: SaaS (eg. @freeagent @geckoboard @positionly @riskmethods @minubo @contentful @softgarden )

Ferry Heilemann
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
 Berlin, Germany - U.S.A.
Investor Picture
Previous Investments
  • UiPath: $30000000 (Early stage VC)
  • Convargo: $16000000 (Early stage VC)
  • Enevo: $12000000 (Later stage VC)
  • ShapeShift AG: $10400000 (Early stage VC)
  • Curio (Publishing): $9000000 (Early stage VC)
  • Alesi Surgical: $6000000 (Later stage VC)
  • Videdressing: $5400000 (Later stage VC)
  • Bitwala: $4660000 (Early stage VC)
  • Energy Robotics: $2440000 (Seed Round)
  • obilet.com: (Other)
  • DCS FAST LINK (dcs plus): (Later stage VC)
  • Movinga: $25000000 (Later stage VC)
  • Klara: $2500000 (Seed Round)
  • Cashboard: $2000000 (Seed Round)
  • Inkitt: $1100000 (Seed Round)
  • CrossEngage: (Seed Round)
  • FintecSystems: (Seed Round)
  • Scondoo: (Seed Round)
  • UNDO: $12000000 (Series Unknown)
  • alcemy: $10000000 (Series A)
  • XFuel: $9000000 (Series Unknown)
  • Voltfang: (Pre Seed)
  • Edurino: (Seed)
  • Amerano: (Seed)
  • Bedrock Energy: $9000000 (Seed)
  • Electriphi: $4000000 (Seed)
  • Blue Pillar: $10000000 (Series Unknown)
  • Blue Pillar: $7000000 (Series B)
  • Alphabet Energy: $24000000 (Series C)
  • Alphabet Energy: $13000000 (Series B)
  • Alphabet Energy: $12000000 (Series A)
  • Alphabet Energy: $1000000 (Seed)
  • Adura Technologies: $9000000 (Series B)
  • Adura Technologies: $12000000 (Series B)
  • Adura Technologies: $5000000 (Series A)
  • Project Frog: $22000000 (Series C)
  • Clean Power Finance: $25000000 (Series B)
  • Clean Power Finance: $4000000 (Series A)
  • TargetCast Networks: $7000000 (Series B)
  • TargetCast Networks: $6000000 (Series A)
  • Edurino: (Seed Round)
  • Amerano: (Seed Round)

Ferry Heilemann

Berlin, Germany - U.S.A.

Investing In

Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Education • AgroTech • FinTech (& Financials services) • Energy • IoT (& Wearables) • CleanTech • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Impact • Logistics (& Distribution) • Mobility

Description

Ferry Heilemann is a Co-Founder and serves as Co-Managing Director at DailyDeal. Heilemann was also a Co-Founder and served as Partner at Heilemann Ventures. Heilemann is also a Co-Founder at FreightHub and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. He also serves as Partner at Earlybird Venture Capital. Ferry founded Heilemann Ventures together with his brother Fabian after the trade sale of his company DailyDeal to Google in 2011. Since then he has been an early stage VC-investor, actively supporting companies in the digital sector with his operational skills and experience. Meanwhile, Ferry and his brother Fabian set the fundamentals for their holding Sky & Sand. Currently it combines DailyDeal, which the brothers bought back from Google in early 2013, and the mobile-POS system provider pepperbill.

Khaled Helioui
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
 Hamburg - Paris, France
Investor Picture
Previous Investments
  • Guild Credit:
  • Dott: (early stage)
  • Nana.io: (early stage)
  • Pachama:
  • Sleeper: (mid stage)
  • Curio Labs:
  • OpenClassrooms: (mid stage)
  • Holding Italiana Quattordicesima - H14:
  • mos.com: (early stage)
  • nextProtein (we're hiring!): (early stage)
  • Playa:
  • Soldo: the multi-user spending account: (mid stage)
  • Beam.io:
  • Upgraded Technologies: (early stage)
  • Werlabs: (mid stage)
  • Yumi: (early stage)
  • Deliveroo: (mid stage)
  • Hello: (mid stage)
  • Student.com: (mid stage)
  • Big in Japan Inc.: (mid stage)
  • Boticca.com Limited: (early stage)
  • GameTube SAS: (early stage)
  • Isometric: $25000000 (Seed)
  • Pesto: $11000000 (Series A)
  • Mos: $40000000 (Series B)
  • Mos: $4000000 (Seed)
  • Numerade: $26000000 (Series A)
  • Cardless: $7000000 (Series A)
  • Nana: $5000000 (Pre Seed)
  • Nearside: $5000000 (Seed)
  • Hedvig: $4000000 (Seed)
  • Bolt: $22000000 (Series B)
  • Freeda Media: $10000000 (Series A)
  • Onfido: $25000000 (Series C)
  • nextProtein: $1000000 (Seed)
  • Upgraded: $1000000 (Seed)
  • Uber: $1000000 (Angel)
  • Central da Visão: $540000 (Pre Seed)
  • Curseria: (Seed)
  • AYES: (Pre Seed)
  • OCELL: (Pre Seed)
  • Kranus Health: $120000 (Pre Seed)

Khaled Helioui

Hamburg - Paris, France

Investing In

Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Media • Education • FinTech (& Financials services) • Retail (& E-Commerce) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Insurance (& InsurTech)

Description

Angel Investor

Angel Investor

CEO at @bigpoint & angel investor focusing on disruptive consumer facing businesses.

Kilian Thalhammer
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
 Munich, Germany
Investor Picture
Previous Investments
  • CyberDirekt: (early stage)
  • sparkdata:
  • LoanLink GmbH:
  • Penseo GmbH: (early stage)
  • Stocard GmbH: (mid stage)
  • Payment & Banking - PBA Experts GmbH: (mid stage)
  • savedroid AG:
  • Loyalty Prime Ltd: (early stage)
  • SatoshiPay: (early stage)
  • Paymill GmbH: (early stage)
  • PearlScout:
  • Client Vela:
  • webmiles:
  • Awake Security:
  • Aurora Solar: (late stage)
  • Chicago:Blend: (early stage)
  • Jupiter Intelligence: (early stage)
  • Optimus Ride: (mid stage)
  • Sitetracker: (late stage)
  • ZEDEDA Inc.: (mid stage)
  • DroneDeploy: (mid stage)
  • Vantik: $2000000 (Seed)
  • LoanLink24 Mortgage: (Seed)
  • Forexfix: $200000 (Angel)
  • FinCompare - Smarter Business Finance: $3000000 (Seed)
  • Penseo: $79000 (Angel)
  • savedroid: $1000000 (Seed)
  • Lodgify: $2000000 (Seed)
  • Lodgify: (Seed)

Kilian Thalhammer

Munich, Germany

Investing In

Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • FinTech (& Financials services) • Retail (& E-Commerce) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Payments • Productivity

Description

Executive Vice President Productmanagement @Wirecard - Managing Partner Paymentandbanking, Investor, Expert in FinTech

Network Partner - Investor at Picus Capital

Stefan Tirtey
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
 Munich Germany , Berl..., Germany
Investor Picture
Previous Investments
  • Bought By Many: $19770000
  • Fraugster: $14730000
  • Marqeta: $25000000 (Later stage VC)
  • iwoca: $20000000 (Later stage VC)
  • OmnyWay: $12750000 (Early stage VC)
  • eToro: $12000000 (Later stage VC)
  • Mambu: $8000000 (Later stage VC)
  • Realbest: $7000000 (Later stage VC)
  • Getsafe: (Early stage VC)
  • CommerzVentures: (early stage)
  • MegaZebra: (mid stage)
  • SoundCloud: (early stage)
  • Ubidyne Inc.:
  • Adaptive Mobile Security: (mid stage)
  • Plazes:
  • Seedcamp: (early stage)
  • Actionality:
  • Odersun AG:
  • Earlybird Venture Capital: (mid stage)

Stefan Tirtey

Munich Germany - Berlin Germany - Frankfurt Germany, Germany

Investing In

Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • IT (& TMT) • BioTech • FinTech (& Financials services) • Retail (& E-Commerce) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Insurance (& InsurTech) • Investment Management

Description

Looking to back the best and brightest entrepreneur in Fintech and Insurtech

Looking to back the best and brightest entrepreneur in Fintech and Insurtech


Founder CommerzVentures • Worked at @soundcloud, @earlybird-venture-capital • Investor @soundcloud, @plazes • Studied at @insead-1, @rwth-aachen-university

Patrick Beitel
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
 Munich Germany, Germany
Investor Picture
Previous Investments
  • Price f(x): $53140000 (Later stage VC)
  • Quantilope: $27270000 (Later stage VC)
  • orderbird AG: $20000000 (Later stage VC)
  • Starmind: $15000000 (Later stage VC)
  • riskmethods: $13500000 (Later stage VC)
  • MovingIMAGE24: $8000000 (Other)
  • ChartIQ: (late stage)
  • Cosaic: (late stage)
  • Seven Senders: (mid stage)
  • Digital+ Partners: (early stage)
  • McKinsey & Company, Inc.:

Patrick Beitel

Munich Germany, Germany

Investing In

Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • IT (& TMT) • Education • FinTech (& Financials services) • Robotics • Real Estate (& Construction) • DeepTech • Investment Management

Description

Managing Director and Founding Partner at Digital+ Partners

Managing Director and Founding Partner at Digital+ Partners

Ludwig Ensthaler
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
 Berlin, Germany
Investor Picture
Previous Investments
  • 468 Capital:
  • Hilma:
  • Blueland:
  • Italic: (early stage)
  • The Life House Group: (early stage)
  • Capsule: (early stage)
  • HomeToGo: (mid stage)
  • Slack: (late stage)
  • SpotHero: (late stage)
  • Away: (early stage)
  • ReachHero GmbH: (early stage)
  • SidelineSwap: (early stage)
  • Workist: $9000000 (Series A)
  • Workist: $2000000 (Seed)
  • hello again: (Angel)
  • Bamba: $3000000 (Seed)
  • Alaan: $3000000 (Seed)
  • Aleph Alpha: $27000000 (Series A)
  • Aleph Alpha: $6000000 (Seed)
  • Codesphere: $500000 (Pre Seed)

Ludwig Ensthaler

Berlin, Germany

Investing In

Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • FinTech (& Financials services) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Cloud Services (& Infrastructure)

Description

General Partner bei 468 Capital

General Partner and Co-Founder at 468 Capital

Michael Hock
Investing in FinTech (& Financials services) &bul...
 Munich, Germany
Investor Picture
Previous Investments
  • Elinvar: $30420000 (Later stage VC)
  • finleap: (mid stage)
  • Digital Science: (late stage)
  • bettermarks GmbH: (late stage)
  • Holtzbrinck Digital GmbH:
  • Lecturio GmbH: (late stage)
  • Deutsche Online Medien| fotokasten| myphotobook: (early stage)
  • Siemens Venture Capital:
  • bezahl.de by NX Technologies: $5000000 (Seed Round)
  • ThreatFabric: $13000000 (Seed)
  • bezahl.de: $12000000 (Series A)
  • bezahl.de: $6000000 (Seed)
  • Nelly: (Pre Seed)
  • Penta: $18000000 (Series B)
  • Penta: $9000000 (Series B)
  • Penta: $20000000 (Series B)
  • Penta: $9000000 (Series A)

Michael Hock

Munich, Germany

Investing In

FinTech (& Financials services) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Payments

Description

CFO @ finleap

Co-Founder & General Partner at Embedded Capital

Axel Krieger
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
 Frankfurt am Main , M..., Germany
Investor Picture
Previous Investments
  • Price f(x): $53140000 (Later stage VC)
  • Quantilope: $27270000 (Later stage VC)
  • orderbird AG: $20000000 (Later stage VC)
  • Starmind: $15000000 (Later stage VC)
  • riskmethods: $13500000 (Later stage VC)
  • MovingIMAGE24: $8000000 (Other)
  • fme: (late stage)
  • TRUCE Software: (late stage)
  • NavVis: (mid stage)
  • movingimage: (late stage)
  • DIGITAL+ PARTNERS: (early stage)
  • McKinsey & Company:

Axel Krieger

Frankfurt am Main - Munich, Germany, Germany

Investing In

Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • IT (& TMT) • Education • FinTech (& Financials services) • Robotics • Real Estate (& Construction) • DeepTech • Investment Management

Description

Managing Director and Founding Partner at Digital+ Partners

Managing Director and Founding Partner at Digital+ Partners

Thorben Rothe
Investing in Businesses Solutions • FinTech ...
 Berlin, Germany - France
Investor Picture
Previous Investments
  • Open Xchange:
  • Braincube (artificial intelligence): $13980000 (Later stage VC)
  • zeotap: $12830000 (Later stage VC)
  • Yubo(Social Content): $12300000 (Later stage VC)
  • Unu: $7500000 (Early stage VC)
  • LeanIX: $7500000 (Later stage VC)
  • Influans: $6000000 (Seed Round)
  • Secret Double Octopus: $6000000 (Early stage VC)
  • Armis: $1000000 (Seed Round)
  • Talon.One: (mid stage)
  • Capnamic Ventures: (early stage)
  • DGG: $4000000 (Seed)
  • Helu.io: $10000000 (Series A)
  • Workpath: $12000000 (Series A)
  • SurePay: $14000000 (Series Unknown)
  • COMPEON: $18000000 (Series C)
  • CHRONEXT: $65000000 (Series E)
  • CHRONEXT: $12000000 (Series C)
  • CHRONEXT: $5000000 (Series B)
  • CHRONEXT: (Series A)
  • CrossEngage: $6000000 (Series Unknown)
  • CrossEngage: (Seed)
  • CrossEngage: (Seed)
  • FATMAP: $3000000 (Seed)
  • Getsafe: $5000000 (Seed)
  • Travador: $7000000 (Series Unknown)

Thorben Rothe

Berlin, Germany - France

Investing In

Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Retail (& E-Commerce)

Description

Venture Capital Investor at Iris Capital

Venture Capital Investor at Iris Capital


Worked for several startups (eCommerce, technology, recruiting), now Investment Manager @Capnamic

Tim Kindt
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
 Frankfurt am Main , M..., Germany
Investor Picture
Previous Investments
  • Price f(x): $53140000 (Later stage VC)
  • Quantilope: $27270000 (Later stage VC)
  • orderbird AG: $20000000 (Later stage VC)
  • Starmind: $15000000 (Later stage VC)
  • riskmethods: $13500000 (Later stage VC)
  • MovingIMAGE24: $8000000 (Other)
  • In Mind Cloud: (late stage)
  • movingimage: (late stage)
  • Digital+ Partners: (early stage)
  • Eight Roads: (mid stage)

Tim Kindt

Frankfurt am Main - Munich, Germany, Germany

Investing In

Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • IT (& TMT) • Education • FinTech (& Financials services) • Robotics • DeepTech • Investment Management

Description

Growth investor at Digital+ Partners

Growth investor at Digital+ Partners

Christian Siegele
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
 Berlin , Cologne, Ger..., Germany
Investor Picture
Previous Investments
  • zeotap: $12830000 (Later stage VC)
  • CHRONEXT: $11000000 (Later stage VC)
  • ZAGENO Inc.: $8000000 (Early stage VC)
  • Unu: $7500000 (Early stage VC)
  • LeanIX: $7500000 (Later stage VC)
  • Wundertax: $4000000 (Early stage VC)
  • HiPeople: $3000000 (Seed Round)
  • HappyCar: $2600000 (Later stage VC)
  • Staffbase: $2020000 (Early stage VC)
  • Contiamo: (Later stage VC)
  • iWelcome: (Later stage VC)
  • CAPMO:
  • adjust: (late stage)
  • parcelLab: (mid stage)
  • Nomagic: (early stage)
  • Getsafe Insurance: (early stage)
  • Onedot: (mid stage)
  • FATMAP: (mid stage)
  • Agorize: (mid stage)
  • HAPPYCAR GmbH: (early stage)
  • Capnamic Ventures: (early stage)
  • Active Venture Partners: (late stage)
  • Fauna Inc.: (mid stage)
  • Dataminr: (late stage)
  • Orchard Platform: (early stage)
  • Blend: (early stage)
  • Improbable: (early stage)
  • RedOwl Analytics: (early stage)
  • Techstars: (late stage)
  • Conversion Capital LLC: (early stage)
  • Barclays Capital:

Christian Siegele

Berlin - Cologne, Germany, Germany

Investing In

Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • IT (& TMT) • Media • FinTech (& Financials services) • Entertainment (& Sports) • Insurance (& InsurTech) • Logistics (& Distribution) • Mobile • Mobility

Description

Founder & Managing Partner Capnamic Ventures

Founder & Managing Partner Capnamic Ventures

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