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AI Mega-Funds & Parloa's Unicorn: DACH VC — May 2025 · Deep Tech Germany – AI, Robotics & Frontier Innovation by Startuprad.io™

• WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:20.080 <v Music> 00:00:19.970 --> 00:00:24.810 <v Speaker0>Welcome to This Month in German, Swiss and Austrian Startups May 2025. 00:00:25.390 --> 00:00:31.070 <v Speaker0>Welcome to our regular startup news from the German-speaking tech and entrepreneurship 00:00:31.070 --> 00:00:33.350 <v Speaker0>scenes in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 00:00:33.730 --> 00:00:37.050 <v Speaker0>Our startup news is recorded with Chris. Hey, how you doing, man? 00:00:37.830 --> 00:00:42.310 <v Speaker1>Yeah, happy Memorial Day. Summer is kicking off, not weather-wise yet, 00:00:42.490 --> 00:00:45.590 <v Speaker1>but otherwise, everyone here in New York is very ready. 00:00:46.310 --> 00:00:49.710 <v Speaker0>As we said, you are in New York. I'm joining from Frankfurt. 00:00:49.910 --> 00:00:53.870 <v Speaker0>Today's news cut is the 23rd of May due to our travels. 00:00:54.090 --> 00:00:59.810 <v Speaker0>As always, all news not yet included will be included in our next news wrap-up, 00:01:00.790 --> 00:01:05.350 <v Speaker0>published before Independence Day for our American audience, July 3rd. 00:01:05.490 --> 00:01:10.010 <v Speaker0>The next news wrap-up after this will be after the summer break on September 00:01:10.010 --> 00:01:15.050 <v Speaker0>1st with the wrap-up of everything that was going on in July and August. 00:01:15.670 --> 00:01:21.810 <v Speaker0>We needed to cut our news seriously again. So we have a brief news overview here for you. 00:01:21.990 --> 00:01:26.430 <v Speaker0>We'll have news pieces on our blog that we did not cover. Otherwise, 00:01:26.610 --> 00:01:28.610 <v Speaker0>the news would stretch way too long. 00:01:28.790 --> 00:01:31.730 <v Speaker0>This time we went through almost 400 pieces for new. 00:01:31.930 --> 00:01:35.490 <v Speaker0>A little disclaimer here. I got up this morning. I was so tired, 00:01:35.670 --> 00:01:39.890 <v Speaker0>mostly due to travel. I was not forming complete sentences in my mother tongue. 00:01:40.110 --> 00:01:45.030 <v Speaker0>Now it's past 9 p.m., 21 o'clock. And we're just recording this. 00:01:45.030 --> 00:01:47.130 <v Speaker0>So please cut me some slack here, okay? 00:01:48.070 --> 00:01:54.930 <v Speaker0>Let's go into our highlights. May 2025 delivered another high-octane month in 00:01:54.930 --> 00:01:59.550 <v Speaker0>the German-Swiss and Austrian startup ecosystem with breakthrough funding rounds, 00:01:59.770 --> 00:02:01.930 <v Speaker0>transformational M&A activities, 00:02:02.210 --> 00:02:06.410 <v Speaker0>and new unicorns reshaping the European innovation landscape. 00:02:06.730 --> 00:02:13.750 <v Speaker0>Berlin-Paste Paloa reached unicorn status after securing $120 million in CRC funding, 00:02:13.750 --> 00:02:22.470 <v Speaker0>cementing its position as leader in agentic AI-powered customer service, 00:02:22.670 --> 00:02:25.590 <v Speaker0>meaning AI agents for customer service. 00:02:25.810 --> 00:02:29.290 <v Speaker0>This is the second unicorn coined in Germany in 2025. 00:02:29.830 --> 00:02:36.770 <v Speaker0>Meanwhile, Munich's Quantum Systems raised 160 million euros to expand its AI 00:02:36.770 --> 00:02:41.870 <v Speaker0>drone platform, pushing closer to aerial intelligence dominance in Europe. 00:02:41.870 --> 00:02:45.510 <v Speaker0>In another major shakeup of the mobility tech sector. 00:02:46.445 --> 00:02:53.765 <v Speaker0>US-based ride-hailing app Lyft acquired free now for 175 million euros. 00:02:54.485 --> 00:02:59.565 <v Speaker0>Signaling aggressive ride-hailing expansion in Germany, France, and Spain. 00:02:59.965 --> 00:03:06.685 <v Speaker0>On the legal front, CureVac scored a partial victory in its high-profile mRNA 00:03:06.685 --> 00:03:12.525 <v Speaker0>battle with BioNTech, a development that could redefine biotech IP strategy 00:03:12.525 --> 00:03:14.045 <v Speaker0>across the European Union. 00:03:14.045 --> 00:03:19.505 <v Speaker0>Talking about the European Union here, they made headlines with 1.3 billion 00:03:19.505 --> 00:03:23.905 <v Speaker0>euro investment push into generative AI and cybersecurity infrastructure. 00:03:24.205 --> 00:03:30.185 <v Speaker0>And the European Investment Bank, EIB, committed a staggering 70 billion, 00:03:30.325 --> 00:03:35.205 <v Speaker0>yes, billion would be, push in fresh startup capital through 2027. 00:03:35.445 --> 00:03:38.565 <v Speaker0>Both moves to close the transatlantic funding gap. 00:03:38.565 --> 00:03:44.005 <v Speaker0>On the home front, Austria launched a $1 billion fund-of-fund to boost domestic 00:03:44.005 --> 00:03:49.725 <v Speaker0>venture capital deployment, and Germany posted a modest GDP growth and an uptick 00:03:49.725 --> 00:03:51.785 <v Speaker0>in the IFO Business Climate Index, 00:03:52.125 --> 00:03:54.705 <v Speaker0>signaling cautious economic recovery. 00:03:54.705 --> 00:04:01.005 <v Speaker0>Across sectors, standard moments, including Climework's workforce cut amid climate 00:04:01.005 --> 00:04:05.025 <v Speaker0>tech recalibration, new cynicons like Vivid and ESA Aerospace. 00:04:05.605 --> 00:04:11.305 <v Speaker0>And major acquisition from Knows' 15 million Web3 buyout in Asia to fiscally 00:04:11.305 --> 00:04:16.745 <v Speaker0>consolidating play in Germany's fiscal tech to commode strategic sale in the 00:04:16.745 --> 00:04:18.125 <v Speaker0>digital navigation space. 00:04:18.125 --> 00:04:22.525 <v Speaker0>Startup Radio continues to deliver exclusive startup news, founder stories, 00:04:22.705 --> 00:04:27.285 <v Speaker0>and VC insights from the Dach region, making this the number one startup podcast 00:04:27.285 --> 00:04:31.285 <v Speaker0>for decision makers in the European tech and innovation ecosystem. 00:04:32.005 --> 00:04:37.545 <v Speaker0>On a little bit more informal note, the day of publication is celebrated as 00:04:37.545 --> 00:04:41.185 <v Speaker0>a session of Christ on May 29th, 2025. 00:04:41.665 --> 00:04:46.565 <v Speaker0>It's also Father's Day here in Germany, so happy Father's Day to all fathers out there. 00:04:48.125 --> 00:04:52.885 <v Speaker0>Chris likes it. If you travel to Germany or do business, we still have some upcoming holidays. 00:04:53.065 --> 00:04:58.225 <v Speaker0>Corpus Christi on June 19th. So you should not expect most people to be back 00:04:58.225 --> 00:04:59.865 <v Speaker0>at the following Friday. 00:05:00.185 --> 00:05:07.085 <v Speaker0>And there is also a Monday of Whit Monday on June 6th. So plan accordingly. 00:05:07.525 --> 00:05:11.145 <v Speaker0>Give us feedback. Let us know who you are and what you do. 00:05:11.305 --> 00:05:17.525 <v Speaker0>Give us feedback on what we do and what we could do better. Happy to hear from 00:05:17.525 --> 00:05:21.585 <v Speaker0>each and every one of you guys down here. There's a link to Google Forms. 00:05:21.925 --> 00:05:24.885 <v Speaker0>We are also introducing the Founders Vote. 00:05:25.651 --> 00:05:30.431 <v Speaker0>We're thrilled to introduce the Founders Vault, a brand new premium series from 00:05:30.431 --> 00:05:33.851 <v Speaker0>Startup Radio, soon live on Substack and or YouTube. 00:05:34.191 --> 00:05:39.471 <v Speaker0>This curated format gives you insider access to deep dive conversations with 00:05:39.471 --> 00:05:42.891 <v Speaker0>exceptional startup founders across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 00:05:43.511 --> 00:05:48.631 <v Speaker0>From stealth stage visionaries to Series A rocket ships, each brief episode 00:05:48.631 --> 00:05:53.871 <v Speaker0>reveals raw lessons, pivotal founder decisions and behind the scenes strategies 00:05:53.871 --> 00:05:55.951 <v Speaker0>that really make it into the public. 00:05:56.151 --> 00:06:00.391 <v Speaker0>If you want actionable insights, we see ready storytelling and the authentic 00:06:00.391 --> 00:06:01.931 <v Speaker0>voice of the DACH innovation. 00:06:02.111 --> 00:06:07.691 <v Speaker0>This is a must listen. We link down here, the sub stack and our YouTube channel. 00:06:08.111 --> 00:06:13.231 <v Speaker0>This series is part of Entrepreneurial Worlds where premium listeners and subscribers 00:06:13.231 --> 00:06:19.031 <v Speaker0>get early access, exclusive jobs and full founder breakdowns you won't find anywhere else. 00:06:19.291 --> 00:06:24.351 <v Speaker0>As I said, audio and video will go live on May 29th. Now, a short message from 00:06:24.351 --> 00:06:27.831 <v Speaker0>our enablers, and then I'll hand over to Chris to the top news. 00:06:28.331 --> 00:06:32.731 <v Speaker1>Okay, to kick us off with the top news of this month, let's start with good 00:06:32.731 --> 00:06:33.751 <v Speaker1>news coming from Parloa. 00:06:34.491 --> 00:06:39.291 <v Speaker1>It's a Berlin-based company that became Germany's second unicorn of 2025. 00:06:39.811 --> 00:06:44.871 <v Speaker1>They ascended to the unicorn status following a $120 million Series C funding 00:06:44.871 --> 00:06:50.071 <v Speaker1>round led by durable capital partners, Altimeter Capital and General Catalyst. 00:06:50.931 --> 00:06:57.051 <v Speaker1>The company specializes in agentic AI for customer service, offering an AI management 00:06:57.051 --> 00:07:00.211 <v Speaker1>platform for enterprise contact centers. 00:07:00.851 --> 00:07:06.171 <v Speaker1>They are enabling the deployment of autonomous AI agents, which they claim are 00:07:06.171 --> 00:07:09.671 <v Speaker1>capable of handling complex customer interaction across various channels, 00:07:09.891 --> 00:07:11.791 <v Speaker1>including phone chat and messaging apps. 00:07:12.031 --> 00:07:15.371 <v Speaker1>This funding round now underscores the growing demand, obviously, 00:07:15.531 --> 00:07:19.031 <v Speaker1>for AI-native enterprise tools, since it's the big trend everywhere. 00:07:20.251 --> 00:07:24.771 <v Speaker1>And Palo seems to be well positioned to be a leader in that transformation of customer service. 00:07:26.110 --> 00:07:32.110 <v Speaker1>Lyft, the Uber competitor, acquires free now for 175 million euros, 00:07:32.810 --> 00:07:38.510 <v Speaker1>strategic move to broaden the global footprint of the company that I think has 00:07:38.510 --> 00:07:40.330 <v Speaker1>always been a bit in the shadow of Uber. 00:07:41.670 --> 00:07:46.630 <v Speaker1>And free now is a European rate-hailing platform. 00:07:47.570 --> 00:07:50.810 <v Speaker1>175 million is the buying price. I already said that. 00:07:50.810 --> 00:07:54.190 <v Speaker1>It marks Lyft's first major expansion outside North America, 00:07:54.470 --> 00:07:59.310 <v Speaker1>granting them access to over 150 cities across nine European countries, 00:07:59.570 --> 00:08:02.710 <v Speaker1>including places like London, Paris and Berlin. 00:08:03.250 --> 00:08:07.970 <v Speaker1>Free Now was originally a joint venture between BMW and Mercedes-Benz that had 00:08:07.970 --> 00:08:12.130 <v Speaker1>written a lot of headlines in the German market because the luxury car brand 00:08:12.130 --> 00:08:16.130 <v Speaker1>competitors actually work together on the future of mobility. 00:08:16.130 --> 00:08:21.870 <v Speaker1>They have a strong presence in the traditional taxi sector in those countries 00:08:21.870 --> 00:08:25.470 <v Speaker1>and make 90% of their bookings there. 00:08:25.650 --> 00:08:32.050 <v Speaker1>So we will see how FreeNow's integration actually enhances Lyft's competitiveness 00:08:32.050 --> 00:08:37.730 <v Speaker1>against Uber and maybe Bolt in the European market. It's an interesting development, I guess. 00:08:38.790 --> 00:08:41.910 <v Speaker1>Quantum systems in munich has raised 00:08:41.910 --> 00:08:45.170 <v Speaker1>160 million euros in funding to advance 00:08:45.170 --> 00:08:48.270 <v Speaker1>their ai power drone technology um the 00:08:48.270 --> 00:08:51.430 <v Speaker1>investment run was led by balderton capital with participation 00:08:51.430 --> 00:08:54.630 <v Speaker1>from airbus defense and space and other 00:08:54.630 --> 00:08:58.170 <v Speaker1>strategic partners and it aims at scaling companies 00:08:58.170 --> 00:09:04.910 <v Speaker1>production capabilities and expand its international presence quantum systems 00:09:04.910 --> 00:09:10.570 <v Speaker1>is in general a company that specializes in developing dual-use unmanned aerial 00:09:10.570 --> 00:09:14.770 <v Speaker1>systems that also claims to integrate AI, 00:09:15.650 --> 00:09:20.650 <v Speaker1>edge computing, and autonomous flight capabilities for applications in defense, 00:09:20.950 --> 00:09:23.870 <v Speaker1>infrastructure monitoring, environmental surveillance, et cetera. 00:09:24.350 --> 00:09:28.870 <v Speaker1>And with that money, if quantum systems becomes a key player in that growing market... 00:09:30.116 --> 00:09:34.216 <v Speaker1>We will see where that goes from Bavaria into the world. 00:09:35.516 --> 00:09:40.856 <v Speaker1>CureVac, it's a company based in Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg, 00:09:40.856 --> 00:09:42.156 <v Speaker1>a pharmaceutical company, 00:09:42.436 --> 00:09:48.676 <v Speaker1>has reported a partial victory in its ongoing patent litigation against BioNTech 00:09:48.676 --> 00:09:54.136 <v Speaker1>concerning the mRNA technology that is being used in COVID-19 vaccines. 00:09:54.136 --> 00:09:59.796 <v Speaker1>The European Patent Office has upheld certain claims of CureVax patents, 00:10:00.116 --> 00:10:05.716 <v Speaker1>potentially impacting the intellectual property landscape for mRNA-based therapeutics in Europe, 00:10:05.896 --> 00:10:13.256 <v Speaker1>which will also be important because they are hoping that mRNA vaccines and 00:10:13.256 --> 00:10:15.976 <v Speaker1>medicine will also be used in the fight against cancer. 00:10:15.976 --> 00:10:20.516 <v Speaker1>So legal proceedings here might still continue, but the development signifies 00:10:20.516 --> 00:10:22.736 <v Speaker1>a noteworthy moment in the protection 00:10:22.736 --> 00:10:28.716 <v Speaker1>and commercialization of biotech innovation within the DACH region. 00:10:28.716 --> 00:10:34.576 <v Speaker1>And then we have Manager Magazin honoring the top 100 women in German business, 00:10:34.756 --> 00:10:40.636 <v Speaker1>Manager Magazin being the biggest monthly business magazine in Germany. 00:10:40.896 --> 00:10:44.036 <v Speaker1>And together with the Boston Consulting Group, they have released their annual 00:10:44.036 --> 00:10:49.356 <v Speaker1>list of the 100 most influential women in German business, celebrating leaders 00:10:49.356 --> 00:10:50.876 <v Speaker1>across various industries. 00:10:53.656 --> 00:11:01.176 <v Speaker1>And Prima Interpares has been named Renate Wagner. 00:11:01.456 --> 00:11:08.416 <v Speaker1>She's a board member of Allianz Insurance for her exemplary leadership in Impact. 00:11:09.336 --> 00:11:15.576 <v Speaker1>So, yeah, I think it's good that we talk about recognizing the importance of 00:11:15.576 --> 00:11:23.256 <v Speaker1>diversity and inclusion in German business since all the DEI discussion actually 00:11:23.256 --> 00:11:26.496 <v Speaker1>seems to be a bit more on the taking a step back. 00:11:27.636 --> 00:11:31.656 <v Speaker1>That's it with the top news. Time for some housekeeping and bragging, 00:11:31.776 --> 00:11:32.696 <v Speaker1>and I'll give it back to you. 00:11:33.676 --> 00:11:40.096 <v Speaker0>Awesome. Thank you, Chris. I have three articles here because nobody will tell 00:11:40.096 --> 00:11:41.896 <v Speaker0>this about us, so we tell it ourselves. 00:11:42.736 --> 00:11:50.636 <v Speaker0>At one point, I was just getting a daily email with all the podcast charts achievements of StartupRate.io. 00:11:50.796 --> 00:11:54.236 <v Speaker0>I was wondering, huh, nobody talks about that. So let's write about that. 00:11:54.836 --> 00:11:59.836 <v Speaker0>At the time, we were in over 20 countries in the podcast charts, 00:12:00.076 --> 00:12:01.856 <v Speaker0>including, of course, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. 00:12:02.636 --> 00:12:07.636 <v Speaker0>But also, I just checked at the day of the recording of this year on the 25th 00:12:07.636 --> 00:12:11.916 <v Speaker0>of May, we are in 23 countries in the podcast charts. 00:12:11.916 --> 00:12:19.816 <v Speaker0>Also, we got ranked pretty good in the top 50 globally across multiple podcast 00:12:19.816 --> 00:12:24.236 <v Speaker0>categories, including business news and technology by a million podcasts. 00:12:24.356 --> 00:12:26.136 <v Speaker0>We have the link down here. 00:12:26.316 --> 00:12:29.496 <v Speaker0>Plus, we are also in the top. 00:12:31.143 --> 00:12:36.343 <v Speaker0>50 management podcasts, top 50 business news and top 100 technology news podcasts 00:12:36.343 --> 00:12:41.363 <v Speaker0>on good pods in addition to our podcast rankings and the influential newsletter 00:12:41.363 --> 00:12:45.883 <v Speaker0>podcast today had us ranked as number one. Awesome. 00:12:46.823 --> 00:12:54.223 <v Speaker0>Chris, you want to do the ecosystem for Germany and I do a little bit high level flying here, right? 00:12:54.523 --> 00:12:59.843 <v Speaker0>Let's talk ecosystem, guys. is Europe. The European Investment Bank launches 00:12:59.843 --> 00:13:02.883 <v Speaker0>70 billion startup funding initiative. 00:13:03.223 --> 00:13:08.103 <v Speaker0>They announced a new initiative to provide 70 billion in startup funding by 2027. 00:13:08.403 --> 00:13:13.343 <v Speaker0>This move aims to bridge Europe's investment gap with the United States. 00:13:13.583 --> 00:13:19.323 <v Speaker0>Source is Silicon Canals. The EU also will invest 1.3 billion in generative 00:13:19.323 --> 00:13:21.503 <v Speaker0>AI and cybersecurity projects. 00:13:22.083 --> 00:13:28.923 <v Speaker0>And news a little bit between both German companies are unprepared for EU Data 00:13:28.923 --> 00:13:32.723 <v Speaker0>Act is a statement by BITCOM, the trade association. 00:13:32.843 --> 00:13:38.163 <v Speaker0>They had a survey that reveals that many German companies are unprepared for 00:13:38.163 --> 00:13:45.523 <v Speaker0>EU Data Act, which will come into force on September 12th, 2025. 00:13:46.203 --> 00:13:51.823 <v Speaker0>The act regulates access to user-generated data aiming to boost Europe's data economy. 00:13:52.703 --> 00:13:59.603 <v Speaker0>We also do have news from Austria. The Austrian government plans 1 billion funder fund for startups. 00:14:01.003 --> 00:14:06.363 <v Speaker0>Austria will launch a 1 billion funder funds to stipulate VC investments and 00:14:06.363 --> 00:14:09.623 <v Speaker0>support innovation-led startups and spin-offs. 00:14:10.003 --> 00:14:15.043 <v Speaker0>The public-private initiative is expected to bolster Austria's competitiveness. 00:14:15.363 --> 00:14:17.003 <v Speaker0>Chris, I hand it over to you. 00:14:17.583 --> 00:14:21.243 <v Speaker1>Yeah, and when we're looking at the German ecosystem this month, 00:14:21.423 --> 00:14:26.763 <v Speaker1>I think it's really an interesting and rather complex impression that we're 00:14:26.763 --> 00:14:30.523 <v Speaker1>getting because we are always talking here about the EFU Business Climate Index, 00:14:30.783 --> 00:14:38.763 <v Speaker1>which is a poll among German companies about how they are thinking that business is going to develop. 00:14:38.763 --> 00:14:43.123 <v Speaker1>Right now, obviously, everything is very heavily influenced by what's going 00:14:43.123 --> 00:14:45.903 <v Speaker1>on with the American tariffs and with President Trump. 00:14:46.143 --> 00:14:53.283 <v Speaker1>But we see that the German EFU business climate index actually increased in April, in May, 00:14:53.643 --> 00:15:02.323 <v Speaker1>from 86.9 to 87.5 points, signaling a cautious rebound, one could say, 00:15:02.443 --> 00:15:03.483 <v Speaker1>in the economic sentiment. 00:15:05.463 --> 00:15:13.563 <v Speaker1>And yeah it's actually one of and it's actually an improvement the fourth or 00:15:13.563 --> 00:15:16.923 <v Speaker1>fifth improvement in a row so that is very interesting and 00:15:18.243 --> 00:15:22.703 <v Speaker1>Nevertheless, we also, and that is like the contradictory information about 00:15:22.703 --> 00:15:30.203 <v Speaker1>it, we also get numbers that the German economy might have grown by 0.4% in 00:15:30.203 --> 00:15:32.863 <v Speaker1>the first quarter, twice the initial estimate. 00:15:33.063 --> 00:15:40.583 <v Speaker1>But we also had a consultant group of the German government called die Wirtschaftsweisen. 00:15:40.923 --> 00:15:46.023 <v Speaker1>So like the, how do you say this? The saviors of the economy. 00:15:46.023 --> 00:15:50.843 <v Speaker0>Did the Council of Economic Wise Men, maybe a literal translation? 00:15:51.203 --> 00:15:58.823 <v Speaker1>Yeah, of Economic Wise Men, yeah. The Economic Savants, which also include women, fortunately. 00:15:59.283 --> 00:16:06.023 <v Speaker1>So they actually said that their expectation for 2025 is actually 0.0%. 00:16:06.623 --> 00:16:14.043 <v Speaker1>So it's complete stagnation, which caused rather troublesome coverage in Germany. 00:16:16.983 --> 00:16:22.683 <v Speaker1>And last but not least from the ecosystem, the D-Hub report, 00:16:23.383 --> 00:16:29.423 <v Speaker1>Startup Gründerin Ostdeutsch, meaning startup founder, female founder, 00:16:30.003 --> 00:16:35.963 <v Speaker1>East German, indicates that female founders in Eastern Germany face dual disadvantages. 00:16:36.223 --> 00:16:40.603 <v Speaker1>They face structural weaknesses in accessing venture capital and a general gender 00:16:40.603 --> 00:16:43.963 <v Speaker1>investment gap, but they are more successful in Eastern Germany. 00:16:43.963 --> 00:16:50.203 <v Speaker1>So, yeah, that I think was an interesting report for us to look into if you 00:16:50.203 --> 00:16:59.203 <v Speaker1>want to get a more in-depth perspective on startups in those five German states. 00:17:00.243 --> 00:17:05.923 <v Speaker1>Moving on to general news, tech news, company news, and our section about VC 00:17:05.923 --> 00:17:08.983 <v Speaker1>news and new funds, in case any one of you is looking for money. 00:17:09.243 --> 00:17:13.983 <v Speaker1>As always, a reminder, this is only a small selection, but let me rattle off 00:17:13.983 --> 00:17:17.343 <v Speaker1>some of the new funds that we were learning about the last month. 00:17:17.343 --> 00:17:22.643 <v Speaker1>Berlin-based VC firm Luna Ventures has launched its second fund, 00:17:22.943 --> 00:17:26.763 <v Speaker1>raising 50 million euros to invest in pre-seed deep tech startups, 00:17:27.143 --> 00:17:32.203 <v Speaker1>a fund aiming to support technical founders solving essential problems with 00:17:32.203 --> 00:17:34.083 <v Speaker1>their headquarters in Berlin. 00:17:34.683 --> 00:17:39.623 <v Speaker1>Adam Street Partners raised 270 million euros for a new fund targeting next 00:17:39.623 --> 00:17:43.903 <v Speaker1>generation healthcare and tech companies across Europe, from early stage to 00:17:43.903 --> 00:17:46.443 <v Speaker1>growth investments, their headquarters in Chicago. 00:17:47.343 --> 00:17:53.143 <v Speaker1>Bosch Ventures, Bosch, the automotive supplier that is also in household items, 00:17:53.343 --> 00:17:57.423 <v Speaker1>has committed 270 million euros to American deep tech startups, 00:17:57.723 --> 00:18:02.463 <v Speaker1>including AI and quantum computing firms to enhance global innovation access. 00:18:02.663 --> 00:18:03.663 <v Speaker1>They are based in Stuttgart. 00:18:04.903 --> 00:18:10.523 <v Speaker1>Insight Partners showcased its 2025 German portfolio, including B2B software 00:18:10.523 --> 00:18:11.803 <v Speaker1>as a service, e-commerce and 00:18:11.803 --> 00:18:15.783 <v Speaker1>fintech startups, backed by its scale up expertise by deutsche startups. 00:18:17.847 --> 00:18:24.767 <v Speaker1>And Final Frontier launches a new AI-powered defense tech fund backed by former 00:18:24.767 --> 00:18:27.087 <v Speaker1>NATO Secretary Anders Falker Rasmussen. 00:18:27.347 --> 00:18:33.647 <v Speaker1>The fund focuses on dual-use AI innovations in aerospace security and national defense. 00:18:35.047 --> 00:18:37.987 <v Speaker1>That's it for the VC news. Green tech news. 00:18:38.907 --> 00:18:44.127 <v Speaker1>Swiss carbon capture company Climeworks is cutting over 10% of its workforce 00:18:44.127 --> 00:18:47.587 <v Speaker1>due to underperformance at its direct air capture plans. 00:18:47.847 --> 00:18:53.447 <v Speaker1>They have a flagship mammoth plant in Iceland, which just captured 750 tons 00:18:53.447 --> 00:19:01.287 <v Speaker1>of CO carbon dioxide versus a 36,000 ton target. 00:19:01.607 --> 00:19:11.247 <v Speaker1>So it's a bit troubling. And I mean, it's an always ongoing discussion in the climate field, 00:19:11.447 --> 00:19:21.887 <v Speaker1>whether technological advances in the field will be able to keep up with the 00:19:21.887 --> 00:19:24.827 <v Speaker1>speed in which we are destroying the earth. 00:19:26.093 --> 00:19:31.433 <v Speaker1>And in terms of AI news, we were already talking about Paul Lauer being a unicorn. 00:19:32.273 --> 00:19:36.493 <v Speaker1>Biotech news, we already talked about CureVac. But that brings us to fintech news. 00:19:36.753 --> 00:19:40.433 <v Speaker1>And there you have some more stuff going on. 00:19:41.193 --> 00:19:45.893 <v Speaker0>Yes, we already talked about in our April news that they have been trading disruptions. 00:19:46.473 --> 00:19:52.133 <v Speaker0>BaFin, the German financial watchdog, warns banks and brokers after April trading 00:19:52.133 --> 00:19:57.073 <v Speaker0>disruption. Germany's financial regulator BaFin has issued warnings to banks 00:19:57.073 --> 00:20:01.453 <v Speaker0>and brokers following significant trading disruptions in April. 00:20:01.693 --> 00:20:03.813 <v Speaker0>The regulator emphasized the 00:20:03.813 --> 00:20:08.673 <v Speaker0>need for robust systems to ensure market stability and protect investors. 00:20:09.373 --> 00:20:14.513 <v Speaker0>Trade Republic also faces criticism over customer service issues. 00:20:14.513 --> 00:20:20.953 <v Speaker0>They are under scrutiny due to customer complaints about prolonged account issues 00:20:20.953 --> 00:20:24.873 <v Speaker0>and inadequate support. 00:20:25.273 --> 00:20:30.453 <v Speaker0>One user reported being locked out of the account for seven weeks without resolution. 00:20:30.873 --> 00:20:31.953 <v Speaker0>Seven weeks is quite long. 00:20:32.473 --> 00:20:37.733 <v Speaker0>And our never-ending story, Wirecard scandal. Right now, Commerce Bank and EY 00:20:37.733 --> 00:20:40.053 <v Speaker0>clash over the Wirecard scandal. 00:20:40.893 --> 00:20:45.973 <v Speaker0>They're in a legal dispute and a bank, a commerce bank, seeks compensation for 00:20:45.973 --> 00:20:51.733 <v Speaker0>damages incurred due to EY's alleged audit failures. 00:20:52.353 --> 00:20:58.933 <v Speaker0>With it, a new bank, they receive a Mika license to expand regulated crypto services in the EU. 00:20:59.173 --> 00:21:04.453 <v Speaker0>They're based in Berlin and they get a Mika, Markets and Crypto Assets License, 00:21:04.533 --> 00:21:07.793 <v Speaker0>allowing it to offer fully regulated crypto products in Germany, 00:21:07.973 --> 00:21:11.893 <v Speaker0>France, and beyond from July 2025 on. 00:21:12.193 --> 00:21:14.753 <v Speaker0>Let's go a little bit into the general news. 00:21:15.113 --> 00:21:19.413 <v Speaker0>Votocoppler delays passenger flights due to certification issue. 00:21:20.710 --> 00:21:24.850 <v Speaker0>Feimpreneur highlights the importance of micro-founders in Germany. 00:21:25.570 --> 00:21:30.230 <v Speaker0>And Jetzee completes first commercial drone delivery in Germany, 00:21:30.430 --> 00:21:35.490 <v Speaker0>a Swiss drone logistics startup. They have concluded Germany's first approved 00:21:35.490 --> 00:21:36.850 <v Speaker0>commercial drone delivery. 00:21:37.310 --> 00:21:44.850 <v Speaker0>Go student, you remember the Austrian unicorn, that was an ad tech which was 00:21:44.850 --> 00:21:48.730 <v Speaker0>pretty big in online tutoring and still is. 00:21:48.730 --> 00:21:52.630 <v Speaker0>They now also launch an offline franchise model. 00:21:53.190 --> 00:21:58.830 <v Speaker0>Aurora Tech and Spire Global launch a satellite constellation for wildfire monitoring. 00:21:59.470 --> 00:22:01.030 <v Speaker0>And how to pronounce this? 00:22:02.390 --> 00:22:11.370 <v Speaker0>MS Fin recovers $5 million in losses from illegal online gambling. 00:22:11.370 --> 00:22:17.850 <v Speaker0>The Vienna-based startup M&S Prozessfinanzierung, MSFIN, has developed a unique 00:22:17.850 --> 00:22:23.270 <v Speaker0>business model specializing in reclaiming losses from illegal online gambling. 00:22:23.530 --> 00:22:27.530 <v Speaker0>In Austria, where gambling is a state monopoly, many international providers 00:22:27.530 --> 00:22:29.670 <v Speaker0>operate without valid licenses. 00:22:30.450 --> 00:22:36.470 <v Speaker0>MSFIN assists players in legal recovering their losses from such platforms. 00:22:36.470 --> 00:22:40.630 <v Speaker0>And then we do have 10 SUNY cores to watch in 2025. 00:22:41.350 --> 00:22:45.810 <v Speaker0>Vivid, we just talked about them. ESA Aerospace, we talked a lot about them 00:22:45.810 --> 00:22:48.030 <v Speaker0>in the future. The Exploration Company. 00:22:48.670 --> 00:22:51.790 <v Speaker0>Billy, where we do have an interview with one of the founders. 00:22:52.230 --> 00:22:53.770 <v Speaker0>Boonfair, we talked about them. 00:22:54.270 --> 00:22:57.610 <v Speaker0>H2 Mobility, hydrogen fueling infrastructure. 00:22:58.470 --> 00:23:03.490 <v Speaker0>And Fin, the car subscription service, where we also do have an interview. 00:23:05.230 --> 00:23:08.790 <v Speaker0>The Buwok commissions group years 00:23:08.790 --> 00:23:11.790 <v Speaker0>for major Berlin housing project the development 00:23:11.790 --> 00:23:14.990 <v Speaker0>will feature 158 residential units 00:23:14.990 --> 00:23:20.570 <v Speaker0>across 9 buildings and the Women's Startup Award 2025 empowers female founders 00:23:20.570 --> 00:23:27.170 <v Speaker0>in Vavaria it's by Unternehmer to whom they offer the startup award offers mentorships 00:23:27.170 --> 00:23:33.250 <v Speaker0>exposure and 1000 euro in price money to promising female tech entrepreneurs, 00:23:33.950 --> 00:23:38.470 <v Speaker0>Winners also receive access to major conferences like Slush and DLD. 00:23:39.630 --> 00:23:44.130 <v Speaker0>Chris, usually you are a good news guy, but you want to take on the bad news today as well? 00:23:44.550 --> 00:23:53.090 <v Speaker1>Yes, let's do it. So let's talk about the creative destruction part of our podcast today. 00:23:53.330 --> 00:23:56.650 <v Speaker1>So what probably didn't go so well in the last couple of weeks in the German, 00:23:57.210 --> 00:24:00.110 <v Speaker1>Swiss and Austrian entrepreneurship world. 00:24:00.110 --> 00:24:05.950 <v Speaker1>We, for example, saw that German biotech firm Medellin has filed for insolvency 00:24:05.950 --> 00:24:08.790 <v Speaker1>following failed partnerships and drying capital. 00:24:10.943 --> 00:24:14.603 <v Speaker1>Basically a decision that underscores the ongoing turbulence in the European 00:24:14.603 --> 00:24:16.143 <v Speaker1>biotech funding landscape. 00:24:16.543 --> 00:24:22.043 <v Speaker1>Same goes for the health tech startup Dr. Lee, which was once hailed as the 00:24:22.043 --> 00:24:23.923 <v Speaker1>future of digital patient management. 00:24:24.443 --> 00:24:28.643 <v Speaker1>They have filed for insolvency amid financial pressures and slow adoption in 00:24:28.643 --> 00:24:29.883 <v Speaker1>the German healthcare system. 00:24:29.923 --> 00:24:37.383 <v Speaker1>I guess in general a market that is very slow and not very great at adopting change. 00:24:37.383 --> 00:24:42.083 <v Speaker1>German battery innovator CustomSeltz, known for supplying electric aviation 00:24:42.083 --> 00:24:46.543 <v Speaker1>projects, has filed for insolvency amid financial pressures in the sector. 00:24:46.843 --> 00:24:52.123 <v Speaker1>They were based in a more rural part of the country in Itzehoe in Germany. 00:24:52.423 --> 00:24:57.123 <v Speaker1>And Hamburg-based Goya, with AA, a platform for creative professionals, 00:24:57.483 --> 00:25:02.863 <v Speaker1>is seizing operations due to a lack of sustainable growth in a tough macro environment. 00:25:03.823 --> 00:25:07.983 <v Speaker1>But let's end on a high note or on several high notes, as always. 00:25:08.543 --> 00:25:12.663 <v Speaker1>Here are a couple of successful fundraisings and exits. 00:25:13.043 --> 00:25:19.883 <v Speaker1>As always, this is just a small selection showing how resilient the market and 00:25:19.883 --> 00:25:21.323 <v Speaker1>the startup scene still is. 00:25:21.623 --> 00:25:26.083 <v Speaker1>We included several selected fundraisings above 10 million euros, 00:25:26.343 --> 00:25:27.723 <v Speaker1>Swiss francs or US dollars. 00:25:28.223 --> 00:25:35.163 <v Speaker1>Let's go. Swiss startup Repronovo has secured $65 million in a Series A funding 00:25:35.163 --> 00:25:40.563 <v Speaker1>to advance their reproductive medicine platform into phase two clinical trials. 00:25:41.603 --> 00:25:46.323 <v Speaker1>They are, for example, working in fertility care through data-driven treatment personalization. 00:25:47.195 --> 00:25:50.355 <v Speaker1>Haya Therapeutics, also in Switzerland, 00:25:50.555 --> 00:25:58.295 <v Speaker1>based in Lausanne, is a biotech company that also secured $65 million in a Series 00:25:58.295 --> 00:26:04.075 <v Speaker1>A to expand their pipeline of non-coding RNA-based therapies for cardiac fibrosis. 00:26:04.695 --> 00:26:08.035 <v Speaker1>They want to tackle medical needs in the cardiovascular care. 00:26:09.575 --> 00:26:14.375 <v Speaker1>Dalma, a French-German pet insurance and wellness platform. I don't know if 00:26:14.375 --> 00:26:16.775 <v Speaker1>it's wellness for the pet owners or for the pets. 00:26:17.195 --> 00:26:22.995 <v Speaker1>But they have secured 20 million euros in funding to expand their tech stack 00:26:22.995 --> 00:26:29.335 <v Speaker1>and the European presence, tapping into the growing pet care economy with AI-enhanced services. 00:26:29.695 --> 00:26:36.035 <v Speaker1>So all the words there to dogs, AI, wellness, it's all there. 00:26:36.535 --> 00:26:41.575 <v Speaker1>Munich-based Remberg secured 15 million euros in a Series A plus funding to 00:26:41.575 --> 00:26:45.435 <v Speaker1>expand its AI-powered maintenance and asset operations software across Europe. 00:26:46.355 --> 00:26:51.535 <v Speaker1>Berlin's Seven Learning secured 10 million euros to expand their AI-powered 00:26:51.535 --> 00:26:54.415 <v Speaker1>dynamic pricing solution to US retailers. 00:26:54.835 --> 00:27:03.155 <v Speaker1>And on March 25th, German tech startup NECT, NECT, secured 2.5 million euros from round two capital. 00:27:03.695 --> 00:27:07.775 <v Speaker1>The revenue-based financing model allows NECT to drive their market expansion 00:27:07.775 --> 00:27:09.975 <v Speaker1>while retaining control over business shares. 00:27:09.975 --> 00:27:15.675 <v Speaker1>So they have 12 million active viewers of their wallet and want to now further 00:27:15.675 --> 00:27:19.575 <v Speaker1>expand its market leadership in Europe scale, its business model internationally. 00:27:21.215 --> 00:27:23.015 <v Speaker1>They are based in Hamburg. 00:27:25.015 --> 00:27:28.595 <v Speaker1>And usually we would not have included that in our coverage here. 00:27:28.715 --> 00:27:34.495 <v Speaker1>But NECT has been a guest in our startup world in the past. So we have a link 00:27:34.495 --> 00:27:40.815 <v Speaker1>for you about their businesses where we talk with them in depth about their business. 00:27:41.415 --> 00:27:43.355 <v Speaker1>Moving on to mergers and acquisitions. 00:27:44.891 --> 00:27:48.451 <v Speaker0>Fiscally acquires Deutsche Fiskal GmbH. 00:27:48.611 --> 00:27:54.411 <v Speaker0>Austrian fiscal compliance provider Fiscally has acquired Deutsche Fiskal GmbH 00:27:54.411 --> 00:28:00.211 <v Speaker0>to expand its footprint across Germany and centralize its market positions in 00:28:00.211 --> 00:28:02.671 <v Speaker0>cloud-based fiscal received services. 00:28:02.671 --> 00:28:06.651 <v Speaker0>We have an interview upcoming with them, also talking about the merger. 00:28:07.111 --> 00:28:13.651 <v Speaker0>Gnosis acquires HQXYZ for 50 million Web3 infrastructure play. 00:28:13.651 --> 00:28:19.111 <v Speaker0>Agnosis has acquired Asian crypto platform, as I said, for $50 million to fuel 00:28:19.111 --> 00:28:24.751 <v Speaker0>its international expansion and strengthen its multi-chain transaction system. 00:28:25.511 --> 00:28:30.891 <v Speaker0>Komoot, acquired by an Italian firm, the Potsdam-based outdoor navigation app 00:28:30.891 --> 00:28:38.611 <v Speaker0>Komoot, has been acquired by an Italian strategic investor. 00:28:38.611 --> 00:28:45.251 <v Speaker0>WellHub acquires Urban Sports Club to expand corporate wellness in Europe. 00:28:45.831 --> 00:28:53.751 <v Speaker0>Centric Software acquires ContentServe for a whopping 220 million euros. 00:28:54.577 --> 00:29:00.337 <v Speaker0>And finally, OneDoc acquires competitor to expand medical appointment platform. 00:29:00.857 --> 00:29:05.737 <v Speaker0>Swiss medical appointment platform OneDoc has acquired a competitor to enhance 00:29:05.737 --> 00:29:08.777 <v Speaker0>services and expand its user base. 00:29:08.937 --> 00:29:13.637 <v Speaker0>The move aims to streamline healthcare access for patients across Switzerland. 00:29:14.077 --> 00:29:18.757 <v Speaker0>Chris, you want to do a little bit useless knowledge to close up our monthly wrap up? 00:29:19.197 --> 00:29:22.257 <v Speaker1>Always. So this time around, 00:29:22.657 --> 00:29:28.457 <v Speaker1>we found a delightful nod to nostalgia because the players of Bayern Munich 00:29:28.457 --> 00:29:32.957 <v Speaker1>recreated an iconic childhood photo of club legend Thomas Müller, 00:29:33.197 --> 00:29:38.397 <v Speaker1>a player whose career with Bayern Munich draws to a close. 00:29:38.577 --> 00:29:42.657 <v Speaker1>And so his teammates paid tribute by emulating a photo of young Müller in his 00:29:42.657 --> 00:29:45.897 <v Speaker1>bedroom, adorned with FC Bayern memorabilia. 00:29:46.997 --> 00:29:52.797 <v Speaker1>And we just thought it looked cute. It was like a heartfelt gesture and Thomas 00:29:52.797 --> 00:30:00.297 <v Speaker1>Müller, yeah, probably one of the biggest German soccer player of the past two or three decades. 00:30:01.397 --> 00:30:10.257 <v Speaker1>And yeah, that picture really showed his dedication to the club and fans worldwide loved it. 00:30:11.877 --> 00:30:12.977 <v Speaker1>That's a wrap. 00:30:13.797 --> 00:30:21.137 <v Speaker0>Yeah, that's a month wrap. We will be back on July 3rd and then September 1st 00:30:21.137 --> 00:30:28.477 <v Speaker0>to wrap up the summer and then we stick to our monthly news schedule until the last news drop, 00:30:28.737 --> 00:30:35.137 <v Speaker0>likely on December 18th and our FinTech review on December 23rd. 00:30:35.297 --> 00:30:36.677 <v Speaker0>Stay ahead of the curve, guys. 00:30:36.837 --> 00:30:40.617 <v Speaker0>We are looking for your feedback as always. Thank you very much. 00:30:41.017 --> 00:30:43.717 <v Speaker1>Thanks for listening. Bye-bye. Happy summer. 00:30:44.157 --> 00:30:45.737 <v Speaker0>Happy summer. Bye, guys. 00:30:46.157 --> 00:30:48.377 <v Speaker1>Early summer. Bye. 00:30:49.040 --> 00:31:18.805 <v Music>