One to Watch: Pratyush Saxena, founder and CEO of Ideatarmac
When Pratyush Saxena decided to move away from London in 2013, he chose the small, eastern German city of Jena as the best location to launch his new business, Ideatarmac.
Investors / Startups
Germany Gets First VC Fund Aimed Specifically at Women
Gesa Miczaika and Bettine Schmitz have a clear idea about their desired client based. Their EUR 15 million venture capital fund, Auxxo, is only available to start-ups founded by women or teams in which women own at least 20 percent of companies. Meanwhile 60 percent of the investors providing capital for the new fund are female.
New Figures Show Massive Rise in VC Investment in German Start-Ups
The amount of venture capital pumped into fledgling German companies in the first three-quarters of 2021 was 70 percent more than all of 2020 – that’s according to figures compiled by the online business magazine Pitchbook.
Making the Right Connections
Germany’s Digital Hub Initiative offers international companies significant advantages when it comes to building partnerships and driving innovation. Two examples from software and customer support services illustrate how the system works.
BioNTech Lifts Fortunes of Entire City
The co-developer of one of the two major m-RNA vaccines against Covid-19, BioNtech, is not only reaping the rewards of its innovative, life-saving work. It’s creating brand new possibilities in its home city, Mainz, in southwestern Germany.
Insurtech Clark Hits Unicorn Status
An acquisition has given Germany its latest unicorn. Digital insurance broker Clark has taken over Internet information platform Finanzen Group, elevating its own valuation, according to the company itself, to over USD one billion.
German Fintech Ecosystem Growing
Roughly ten percent of all new start-ups in Germany are fintech companies – that’s one of the key insights from the first-ever FinTech Report by Germany Finance, the joint platform of the country’s financial locations, and online magazine Startbase.
Start-Ups Predicted to Increasingly Drive Growth in German Economy
Traditionally, established medium-sized, family owned companies are seen as the heart of German business, but a new study says that could be changing.
German Startups Continue Raft of Big VC Deals
There have been a series of nine-figure financing rounds for fledgling German companies, with N26, Berlin Brands Group and Enpal all raking in massive hauls. And they weren’t the only ones. Here’s our bimonthly round-up of German venture capital success stories.
Hero Buys Part of Gorillas in Food Delivery Deal
Delivery Hero, the self-proclaimed world-leading “quick commerce” company, has nibbled off an eight percent share of Gorillas. In return, the highly touted Berlin on-demand grocery start-up has received USD 235 million in fresh capital to take its Series C funding round, which also included China’s Tencent, to nearly USD one billion.
