Latest / Blockchain Germany – Web3 Startups, Crypto Innovation & Venture Capital by Startuprad.io™ / DACH News Sept 2025: Deep Tech, VC Surge & Fintech
Transcript
- WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:00.400 Foreign. 2 00:00:09.280 --> 00:00:12.800 Your podcast and YouTube blog covering the German 3 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:16.480 startup scene with news, interviews and 4 00:00:16.560 --> 00:00:17.760 live events. 5 00:00:20.080 --> 00:00:23.800 Hey guys, welcome Back to part two of this month in German, Swiss and 6 00:00:23.800 --> 00:00:27.400 Austrian startups 2025. This goes live on 7 00:00:27.400 --> 00:00:31.120 September 4, 2025 and in between 8 00:00:31.200 --> 00:00:35.040 the recording, which for some of you may have been three days in between 9 00:00:35.120 --> 00:00:38.440 for Chris and me, just three minutes we 10 00:00:38.440 --> 00:00:41.360 established that Chris had a clown for breakfast. 11 00:00:42.480 --> 00:00:46.280 He is super fun today. Welcome back to Part two 12 00:00:46.280 --> 00:00:49.760 of our Startup News Wrap Up. In this segment we're driving into the 13 00:00:49.760 --> 00:00:53.480 movers shaping Europe's innovation landscape. From new 14 00:00:53.480 --> 00:00:57.290 venture capital funds and leadership shakeups to deep tech 15 00:00:57.290 --> 00:01:00.770 breakthroughs, green tech milestones and latest fintech 16 00:01:00.770 --> 00:01:04.330 plays. Whether you're raising money tracking cutting edge 17 00:01:04.330 --> 00:01:07.970 tech or following the biggest shifts in the dark startup scene, 18 00:01:08.050 --> 00:01:11.810 we got you covered and talking about this. There is 19 00:01:11.810 --> 00:01:15.410 the general news section here where we have tech news, companies news 20 00:01:15.650 --> 00:01:19.010 and so on. Right now we will focus on 21 00:01:19.010 --> 00:01:22.810 VC news, new funds in case simply 22 00:01:22.810 --> 00:01:25.920 if you are looking for money Smart 23 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:29.560 Infrastructure Ventures launches 30 million 24 00:01:29.560 --> 00:01:33.320 euros SI Ventures to to back early 25 00:01:33.320 --> 00:01:37.160 stage German startups and especially 26 00:01:37.240 --> 00:01:40.920 focused on smart infrastructure. Sebastian 27 00:01:41.080 --> 00:01:44.320 Boric joins HTTF High Tech 28 00:01:44.320 --> 00:01:48.040 Kronephone which was at the time I was interviewing the 29 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:51.800 former CEO Alex von Frankenberg. I think 2020, 30 00:01:52.340 --> 00:01:56.180 end of 2020 they've been the most active seed investor 31 00:01:56.180 --> 00:02:00.020 in Europe as I said. Sebastian Borick joins HTGF 32 00:02:00.020 --> 00:02:03.620 as co Managing Director completing the new leadership 33 00:02:03.620 --> 00:02:07.460 trio reports VC Magazine and then I already hand 34 00:02:07.460 --> 00:02:11.140 it over to Chris. Yeah, and I get to look a bit 35 00:02:11.140 --> 00:02:14.900 more into the deep tech news of 36 00:02:15.060 --> 00:02:18.820 our program. First up is a 37 00:02:18.980 --> 00:02:22.290 team from Freiburg in the very 38 00:02:22.290 --> 00:02:26.050 southwest of Germany where. Team 39 00:02:26.130 --> 00:02:29.170 of wouldn't you want to say down into the left. 40 00:02:29.650 --> 00:02:33.370 Down. Down in the. In the left. Down in the left. They 41 00:02:33.370 --> 00:02:36.690 are building what they claim is Germany's first brain 42 00:02:36.770 --> 00:02:40.210 inspired AI chip, but also 43 00:02:40.370 --> 00:02:43.490 ran into the fact that they must test it abroad. 44 00:02:45.330 --> 00:02:48.690 To be a bit more specific, they are developing a neuromorphic 45 00:02:49.500 --> 00:02:52.860 they're developing neuromorphic brain chips for ultra low power 46 00:02:52.860 --> 00:02:56.100 AI and there are regulatory 47 00:02:56.100 --> 00:02:59.780 constraint constraints so prototype testing is only allowed outside 48 00:02:59.780 --> 00:03:03.100 of Germany. The contract cited in coverage 49 00:03:03.660 --> 00:03:07.380 it Business Insider points to rising 50 00:03:07.380 --> 00:03:10.780 European demand for deep tech compute alternatives. 51 00:03:12.540 --> 00:03:16.230 Vienna in Austria is 52 00:03:17.430 --> 00:03:21.230 the home of QT Labs which 53 00:03:21.230 --> 00:03:24.790 is reporting a milestone communicating with a NASA 54 00:03:24.790 --> 00:03:28.470 spacecraft around 265 million kilometers 55 00:03:28.470 --> 00:03:32.070 away. And so QT Labs is showcasing long 56 00:03:32.070 --> 00:03:35.750 range high fidelity space communications grounded in 57 00:03:35.750 --> 00:03:37.990 quantum adjacent expertise. 58 00:03:39.590 --> 00:03:43.430 That's also, that's also me. I also have quantum 59 00:03:43.430 --> 00:03:45.830 adjacent expertise. And 60 00:03:47.350 --> 00:03:50.910 the feed underscores Austria rising Austria's rising deep 61 00:03:50.910 --> 00:03:54.630 tech profile and potential dual use applications, 62 00:03:54.710 --> 00:03:57.830 insecure comms and space infrastructure. 63 00:03:59.670 --> 00:04:03.110 Moving on to green tech news where 64 00:04:03.510 --> 00:04:07.230 you can keep in mind the 825 million euros for orange 65 00:04:07.230 --> 00:04:10.990 bed that we talked about in our top news section in the 66 00:04:10.990 --> 00:04:14.750 first part of our episodes. But moving on Saltstrom 67 00:04:14.750 --> 00:04:18.500 and Bogenland Energy or Bogenland Energy 68 00:04:19.220 --> 00:04:22.020 launch a sustainable salt based 69 00:04:22.500 --> 00:04:26.260 storage offensive so Borgen Land 70 00:04:26.260 --> 00:04:29.620 is a state of Austria and 71 00:04:30.180 --> 00:04:33.540 they aim at scaling this like sustainable salt 72 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:36.500 salt based electricity storage project 73 00:04:38.420 --> 00:04:41.740 aiming at providing long duration 74 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:44.900 recyclable energy storage as Austria specifically 75 00:04:44.900 --> 00:04:47.210 accelerates renewable grid integration. 76 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:52.240 Biotech News Moving on from the green tech News already 77 00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:56.440 CureVac, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer 78 00:04:56.440 --> 00:05:00.240 BioNTech resolve MRNA patent dispute 79 00:05:01.440 --> 00:05:05.040 News agency Reuters confirmed that these three companies 80 00:05:05.200 --> 00:05:08.320 settled their long standing MRNA patent dispute 81 00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:12.400 with sorry that Curevac and partner GSK 82 00:05:13.490 --> 00:05:17.210 settled it with Pfizer Biontech. The agreement ends years 83 00:05:17.210 --> 00:05:20.810 of litigation over the COVID 19 vaccines intellectual 84 00:05:20.810 --> 00:05:24.410 property and the settlement clears the legal overhang for all 85 00:05:24.410 --> 00:05:28.050 parties allowing Biontech to double down on oncology 86 00:05:28.050 --> 00:05:31.690 pipelines. Now a an area 87 00:05:31.690 --> 00:05:35.170 of research that is also very much in flux since the US 88 00:05:35.250 --> 00:05:38.610 announced that they probably might retract from MRNA 89 00:05:39.710 --> 00:05:42.830 based research and development with like huge implications 90 00:05:44.750 --> 00:05:48.470 thanks to RFK. Jr. We we should also keep in 91 00:05:48.470 --> 00:05:52.230 mind that we had in last news that Q Work agreed to 92 00:05:52.230 --> 00:05:55.950 be bought by Biontech. So this news that litigation is 93 00:05:55.950 --> 00:05:59.670 stopped shouldn't surprise anyone here. Chris, taking 94 00:05:59.670 --> 00:06:03.310 over from you for the fintech news. Bit Panda 95 00:06:03.310 --> 00:06:06.320 Modern doubles 2024 revenues to 96 00:06:06.400 --> 00:06:09.960 993 million euros with an 97 00:06:09.960 --> 00:06:13.520 EBITDA margin of more than 30%, BTC 98 00:06:13.520 --> 00:06:17.200 Echo reported. Bitpana achieved this revenue 99 00:06:17.200 --> 00:06:20.880 more than two times year on year with an EBITDA margin of more than 100 00:06:20.880 --> 00:06:24.680 30% and 7/ million users underpinning 101 00:06:24.680 --> 00:06:28.240 a broader EU expansion. Strategic partners 102 00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:32.000 include Deutsche Bank, LBBV, a German formerly state owned 103 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:35.720 bank, Reif Isen and 26. No new numbers beyond 104 00:06:35.720 --> 00:06:39.360 our earlier BL German fintech bling 105 00:06:39.520 --> 00:06:43.280 acquires startup Finstep to expand youth banking 106 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:47.320 starting up reported Berlin based Bling has acquired 107 00:06:47.320 --> 00:06:50.800 Finstep, a fintech focused on family and youth 108 00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:54.080 oriented finance solutions. The acquisition 109 00:06:54.080 --> 00:06:57.600 strengthens Berlin's position as Gen Z Financial 110 00:06:57.600 --> 00:07:01.280 Services center added complementary savings and 111 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:05.200 pocket money features to its platform. Terms of the 112 00:07:05.200 --> 00:07:09.040 deal were not disclosed. Guys, we 113 00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:12.640 will be back after a short break talking about Europe's deep tech 114 00:07:12.640 --> 00:07:16.360 frontier. From brain inspired chips in TR to AI 115 00:07:16.360 --> 00:07:19.960 coaches in Berlin, plus the rise of AI search analytics 116 00:07:19.960 --> 00:07:20.760 startups. 117 00:07:26.440 --> 00:07:30.120 And Back from the break, we are looking at deep tech and AI 118 00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:33.720 news some more Munich based defense drone 119 00:07:33.720 --> 00:07:37.200 maker Quantum Systems could triple its valuation to around 120 00:07:37.200 --> 00:07:40.620 1.5 billion billion euros powered by NATO and 121 00:07:40.620 --> 00:07:43.940 Ukraine contracts and Europe's defense rearmament cycle. 122 00:07:44.260 --> 00:07:47.620 The company's AI enabled reconnaissance platforms and 123 00:07:47.700 --> 00:07:51.500 expanding order book underlying dual use momentum across the 124 00:07:51.500 --> 00:07:55.180 Dach defense stack. In 125 00:07:55.180 --> 00:07:59.020 the reporting in Hannell's blood there was no new funding 126 00:07:59.020 --> 00:08:02.540 amount disclosed, but at least we know that the company is really doing 127 00:08:02.540 --> 00:08:06.280 well. A Dresden based startup won a major order 128 00:08:06.280 --> 00:08:09.920 for its neuromorphic chips. Designed after the human brain, the 129 00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:13.560 chips promise ultra low energy AI processing targeting both 130 00:08:13.560 --> 00:08:17.400 automotive and industrial automation. The contract 131 00:08:17.400 --> 00:08:20.920 demonstrates European potential in deep tech hardware 132 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:26.280 and this obviously brings 133 00:08:26.280 --> 00:08:29.880 high hopes for the startup Spin cloud 134 00:08:30.220 --> 00:08:33.900 in Dresden in eastern Germany. Coach hubs 135 00:08:35.260 --> 00:08:38.860 AI coach designed to extend access beyond human 136 00:08:38.860 --> 00:08:42.620 coaching pools. It's in Berlin. Scale up and POS 137 00:08:42.620 --> 00:08:46.299 trying to position Amy for multilingual company wide deployment with 138 00:08:46.299 --> 00:08:50.100 enterprise integrations following a 2023 139 00:08:50.100 --> 00:08:53.700 revenue of 56 million euros. The product push targets 140 00:08:53.700 --> 00:08:56.220 margin improvement and broader 141 00:08:57.780 --> 00:09:00.820 attach across HR suites 142 00:09:01.540 --> 00:09:05.260 and Chris. Do you know what this news says? Coaches 143 00:09:05.260 --> 00:09:08.940 AI is coming for your job. Yeah, well we will see about 144 00:09:08.940 --> 00:09:12.499 that. Can it, can it pull off a shirt like this 145 00:09:12.499 --> 00:09:16.180 though? I don't think so. Peak 146 00:09:16.180 --> 00:09:19.300 AI Launches It's a 147 00:09:19.700 --> 00:09:23.460 Berlin based company founded by Marius Miners, Tobias Livonia and 148 00:09:23.460 --> 00:09:27.140 Daniel Darabo Software as a service company monitoring 149 00:09:27.140 --> 00:09:30.920 brand mention citation and growth across AI search tools 150 00:09:30.920 --> 00:09:34.360 such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, giving 151 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:37.680 SEOs and marketers a new analytics layer as 152 00:09:37.680 --> 00:09:41.360 SGE AI answers disrupt classic rankings. 153 00:09:41.760 --> 00:09:43.760 So Peak AI PEEC 154 00:09:45.360 --> 00:09:49.080 could be some worthwhile alternative for 155 00:09:49.080 --> 00:09:52.800 you if you want to know more about coverage 156 00:09:52.800 --> 00:09:56.000 and citations. Moving on to the general news 157 00:09:56.960 --> 00:10:00.080 Taking. Over from Chris, here again to the general news. 158 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:04.320 Uber consolidates position in Germany's Right Hailing Market 159 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:07.880 efforts had reported that Uber is finally 160 00:10:07.880 --> 00:10:11.480 establishing itself in Germany after years of 161 00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:15.280 regulatory battles and resistance from taxi associations. 162 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:19.840 With legal framework clarified and consumer demand shifting, 163 00:10:20.380 --> 00:10:23.740 Uber now competes directly in major German cities. 164 00:10:24.220 --> 00:10:28.020 Analysts see this as a turning point for mobility startups in 165 00:10:28.020 --> 00:10:31.860 the Dach region with implications for local players like Freenow 166 00:10:31.860 --> 00:10:35.580 and Bolt. And one should keep in mind that FreeNow has 167 00:10:35.580 --> 00:10:39.100 just been bored. We had this in one of our last news 168 00:10:39.100 --> 00:10:41.180 by uber competitor Lyft 169 00:10:42.540 --> 00:10:46.140 VCs poor fresh millions into German startups across AI 170 00:10:46.140 --> 00:10:49.580 SaaS and climate tech. Deutsche Startups highlights new 171 00:10:49.580 --> 00:10:52.920 VC investments into German startups with multimillion 172 00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:56.760 euro deals across AI SaaS, fintech and climate 173 00:10:56.760 --> 00:11:00.520 tech verticals to report points to continued early and 174 00:11:00.520 --> 00:11:03.880 growth stage capital inflows despite macroeconomic 175 00:11:03.880 --> 00:11:07.480 headwinds. This reflects resilience in the German venture market 176 00:11:07.480 --> 00:11:10.920 and investor focus on deep tech and green tech transition 177 00:11:10.920 --> 00:11:14.480 sectors. Auto One Group We've been talking about them quite 178 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:17.960 frequently post double digit growth across all 179 00:11:17.960 --> 00:11:21.250 core metrics in the first half of 2025, 180 00:11:21.490 --> 00:11:25.250 IT Times reported. Berlin based Auto1 Group achieved strong 181 00:11:25.330 --> 00:11:28.930 growth across revenue, gross profit 182 00:11:28.930 --> 00:11:32.530 and unit sales in the first half of 2025 as 183 00:11:32.530 --> 00:11:36.090 Europe's leading digital used car trading 184 00:11:36.090 --> 00:11:38.930 platform. Auto1 credits its margin 185 00:11:39.490 --> 00:11:43.250 expansion to Auto Hero their retail part, 186 00:11:43.490 --> 00:11:46.370 their retail growth and supply chain efficiency. 187 00:11:47.010 --> 00:11:50.330 Investors view this as a validation of the post IPO 188 00:11:50.330 --> 00:11:54.070 turnaround doctlib it's an 189 00:11:54.070 --> 00:11:57.870 app in Germany where you can book doctors appointment. They face 190 00:11:57.950 --> 00:12:01.630 government scrutiny over market power and data practices. 191 00:12:03.550 --> 00:12:07.070 They came under review by federal ministries in Germany regarding market 192 00:12:07.149 --> 00:12:10.910 dominance and data protection concerns. Regulators are 193 00:12:10.910 --> 00:12:14.390 examining the platform's role between patients practices and 194 00:12:14.390 --> 00:12:17.910 insurance. No remedies or penalties were 195 00:12:17.910 --> 00:12:21.750 announced at this stage. Reva, a retail giant here 196 00:12:21.750 --> 00:12:25.290 in Germany, I would say something like Whole Foods. Would you agree? Chris 197 00:12:26.010 --> 00:12:29.490 yes Yep. Rolls out the startup lounge 198 00:12:29.490 --> 00:12:33.250 nationwide to fast track shelf access for early stage 199 00:12:33.250 --> 00:12:36.410 brands, reports Horizon Storebox 200 00:12:36.650 --> 00:12:40.450 Lounges parcel service alternative to post the 201 00:12:40.450 --> 00:12:43.050 German dhl, GLS and DPD 202 00:12:43.930 --> 00:12:47.730 Brutcasten reported that Austrian logistics startup Storebox 203 00:12:47.730 --> 00:12:51.170 is entering the parcel service market, positioning itself as an 204 00:12:51.170 --> 00:12:53.130 alternative to incumbents. 205 00:12:54.980 --> 00:12:58.140 We do a little bit good Odd 206 00:12:58.140 --> 00:13:01.780 Schumpeter Leonie says insolvency avoided restructuring 207 00:13:01.860 --> 00:13:05.660 chosen as only path hundreds but 208 00:13:05.660 --> 00:13:09.500 reported automotive supplier Leone confirmed dust Insolvency would 209 00:13:09.500 --> 00:13:12.740 have been the only alternative to its restructuring 210 00:13:12.740 --> 00:13:16.100 deals, which secured credited support and prevented 211 00:13:16.100 --> 00:13:19.820 liquidation. They plan to provide Runway for the 212 00:13:19.820 --> 00:13:22.100 shift to EV wiring and E mobility. 213 00:13:23.180 --> 00:13:26.900 Duolingo shares plunged 12% they they are 214 00:13:26.900 --> 00:13:30.300 not insolvent and just bad news after growth 215 00:13:30.540 --> 00:13:33.940 slowdown spooks. Wall Street Yahoo Finance reported 216 00:13:33.940 --> 00:13:37.580 Duolingo fell more than 12% intraday after Q2 217 00:13:37.580 --> 00:13:41.260 results showed slower than expected user and booking 218 00:13:41.260 --> 00:13:44.700 growth. My World ex 219 00:13:44.700 --> 00:13:48.380 Linus they file for bankruptcy amid 220 00:13:48.380 --> 00:13:51.460 collapse of cashback empire 221 00:13:51.860 --> 00:13:55.700 trending Topics Reported My Word, previously known 222 00:13:55.700 --> 00:13:59.300 as Lyoness, has gotten insolvent. The Graz, Austria 223 00:13:59.300 --> 00:14:02.340 based company once ran a sprawling cashback 224 00:14:02.660 --> 00:14:06.380 MLM empire repeatedly facing legal 225 00:14:06.380 --> 00:14:10.020 actions across Europe. Bankruptcy underscores the systemic 226 00:14:10.020 --> 00:14:13.660 rest risk in unregulated referral schemes and 227 00:14:13.660 --> 00:14:17.420 marks the end of one of Austria's most controversial 228 00:14:17.420 --> 00:14:21.260 scale ups. Idagio and his insolvency 229 00:14:21.820 --> 00:14:25.660 around 35 million years were invested since 2025 230 00:14:25.740 --> 00:14:29.260 at as Landstone took majority 231 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:32.940 Deutsche Startup confirmed Insolvency proceedings for 232 00:14:33.420 --> 00:14:36.940 Ida Sven Kirschner 233 00:14:36.940 --> 00:14:39.340 appointed trustee founders Till 234 00:14:41.500 --> 00:14:45.280 Young, Tchukovsky and Christoph Lange no 235 00:14:45.280 --> 00:14:48.680 longer active. Investors include Tangleman Ventures, BTOV 236 00:14:48.760 --> 00:14:51.720 Partners, Macquarie later lands on partners 237 00:14:53.800 --> 00:14:57.080 Prewave reduces workforce by 8% 238 00:14:57.960 --> 00:15:00.440 amid growth strategy Shift 239 00:15:01.240 --> 00:15:05.080 Broadcasting revealed that Vienna based Pre Wave, a supply 240 00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:08.760 chain risk intelligence scale up, is cutting 8% of its workforce. 241 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:12.760 The company cited strategic realignment and efficiency gains as 242 00:15:12.760 --> 00:15:16.440 reason. Despite layoffs, Prewave continues to expand 243 00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:20.140 its AI driven platform to monitor ESG and supply chain 244 00:15:20.140 --> 00:15:23.980 disruptions. And Chris, you are always the person who hands on 245 00:15:23.980 --> 00:15:27.700 a high note, right? I'm very much ending on a high note. But also 246 00:15:27.700 --> 00:15:31.380 I would like to add a bit more depth to Leonie 247 00:15:31.380 --> 00:15:34.500 where you said the wiring company that 248 00:15:34.740 --> 00:15:38.460 avoided insolvency because that is actually a 249 00:15:38.460 --> 00:15:42.060 fascinating company because they are not necessarily a 250 00:15:42.060 --> 00:15:45.770 startup. Do you know when they opened up their first 251 00:15:46.650 --> 00:15:50.450 shop? As in like repair shop, their 252 00:15:50.450 --> 00:15:54.090 first vaccine? Nope. And they're in Nuremberg 253 00:15:54.090 --> 00:15:56.250 in take a guess the year 254 00:15:57.050 --> 00:16:00.090 1980, 1569. 255 00:16:02.250 --> 00:16:05.930 Yes, but as we always said in the general news that 256 00:16:06.090 --> 00:16:09.850 their repair shop there more or less aligned with what we were 257 00:16:09.850 --> 00:16:13.510 doing here. Yes. So. And they have a hundred 258 00:16:13.510 --> 00:16:17.110 thousand people working for them. And so it's 259 00:16:17.110 --> 00:16:20.870 really, and it's actually considered to be a crucial company in 260 00:16:20.870 --> 00:16:24.550 Germany because they have such a, or at least had such a unique 261 00:16:24.550 --> 00:16:28.350 position in terms of the wiring for cars, which nowadays 262 00:16:28.350 --> 00:16:32.150 has gotten so much more important with there being so many 263 00:16:32.470 --> 00:16:36.150 computers and processors on in every car. And 264 00:16:36.150 --> 00:16:39.910 of course a lot of the startups rely on this because they are bringing 265 00:16:39.910 --> 00:16:43.640 the tech to the cars. Yes. So yeah, 266 00:16:44.040 --> 00:16:47.760 successful fundraisings, the high notes that you talked about. Keep in 267 00:16:47.760 --> 00:16:51.600 mind this is as always a small section. The 268 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:55.160 news here and the total value of the company always show how resilient the 269 00:16:55.160 --> 00:16:59.000 startup scene actually is. This time we included selected fundraisings 270 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:02.440 above 10 million euros Swiss francs or US dollars 271 00:17:02.760 --> 00:17:06.200 and let me rattle through some of them. Berlin's 272 00:17:06.280 --> 00:17:09.920 Talon 1 raises $114.7 273 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:13.470 million to expand incentive automation 274 00:17:13.630 --> 00:17:17.070 platform software as a service platform for promotion and 275 00:17:17.070 --> 00:17:18.830 loyalty program management. 276 00:17:20.590 --> 00:17:23.870 The scale up plans to use that for international 277 00:17:24.510 --> 00:17:25.310 expansion. 278 00:17:28.510 --> 00:17:32.190 Oculus amended its BlackRock loan facility 279 00:17:32.510 --> 00:17:36.230 raising potential access to 100 million Swiss francs, that 280 00:17:36.230 --> 00:17:39.870 is around 106 million euros to accelerate 281 00:17:39.870 --> 00:17:43.590 therapies for ophthalmic and neuro ophthalmic 282 00:17:43.750 --> 00:17:46.870 diseases. This capital 283 00:17:47.030 --> 00:17:50.830 extends the Runway for late stage clinical programs and positions 284 00:17:50.830 --> 00:17:54.150 Oculus to push pivotal trials and 285 00:17:54.630 --> 00:17:58.070 helps them to preserve equity because it's non dilutive capital. 286 00:18:00.790 --> 00:18:04.070 Munich based new Clydeum raises 287 00:18:04.390 --> 00:18:07.710 84 million euros in a series B round to advance 288 00:18:07.710 --> 00:18:11.470 radiopharmaceutical their radiopharmaceutical pipeline. The 289 00:18:11.470 --> 00:18:14.810 funding is going to drive clinical trials for cancer diagnostics and 290 00:18:14.810 --> 00:18:18.610 therapies. Another step forward for Germany's 291 00:18:19.250 --> 00:18:22.690 health tech as a For Germany as a health tech 292 00:18:23.330 --> 00:18:27.090 country then Q and 293 00:18:27.170 --> 00:18:30.610 Q A N t has a 62 294 00:18:30.690 --> 00:18:34.210 million euro Series A to industrialize photonic 295 00:18:34.210 --> 00:18:38.050 computing and quantum sensing. It's a Stuttgart based company 296 00:18:38.130 --> 00:18:41.810 my old hometown and it's a spin out part 297 00:18:41.810 --> 00:18:45.370 of Trump Group planning to expand production 298 00:18:45.370 --> 00:18:49.050 engineering while targeting energy efficient AI acceleration 299 00:18:49.370 --> 00:18:51.370 and navigation grade sensors. 300 00:18:53.130 --> 00:18:56.810 Also Stuttgart based is the maker site, 301 00:18:57.369 --> 00:19:00.890 a company that secured 60 million euros in the series B 302 00:19:00.890 --> 00:19:04.250 funding as well. They offer AI driven product lifecycle management 303 00:19:04.330 --> 00:19:08.170 PLN focused on sustainability and compliance. 304 00:19:09.970 --> 00:19:13.410 Buena closed a $58 million 305 00:19:13.970 --> 00:19:17.810 Series A to expand their AI driven local services marketplace 306 00:19:17.810 --> 00:19:21.330 across Europe. They want to scale the product and go to 307 00:19:21.490 --> 00:19:24.770 market to capture fragmented 308 00:19:25.010 --> 00:19:27.250 high frequency categories. 309 00:19:31.410 --> 00:19:35.090 Plan Craft a German construction software as a Service 310 00:19:35.170 --> 00:19:38.690 startup raised 38 million euros in a Series B 311 00:19:38.690 --> 00:19:42.510 financing company provides digital workflow solutions for 312 00:19:42.510 --> 00:19:45.870 contractors and small and medium sized enterprise 313 00:19:45.870 --> 00:19:49.310 builders tackling inefficiencies in project and 314 00:19:49.310 --> 00:19:52.990 compliance management. Zurich based 315 00:19:52.990 --> 00:19:56.830 biotech Marbilon AG announced a 30 million 316 00:19:57.070 --> 00:20:00.190 Swiss franc funding round to expand its antibody 317 00:20:00.190 --> 00:20:03.950 immunotherapy platform. The company develops next generation 318 00:20:03.950 --> 00:20:06.590 treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases 319 00:20:07.990 --> 00:20:11.630 and Candy Solar secures $24 million 320 00:20:12.070 --> 00:20:15.510 from existing backers including a 20 million 321 00:20:15.510 --> 00:20:19.110 convertible and 4 million dollar mezzanine top up. 322 00:20:19.430 --> 00:20:22.950 The company's active portfolio expanded by 60 323 00:20:23.110 --> 00:20:26.910 plus megawatt in the past 12 months, reaching now 324 00:20:26.910 --> 00:20:30.590 132 megawatt contracted 325 00:20:30.590 --> 00:20:34.430 capacity across 22 Indian states and aid 326 00:20:34.430 --> 00:20:35.950 South African provinces. 327 00:20:39.070 --> 00:20:41.870 Berlin based Motor AI raised $20 million 328 00:20:42.750 --> 00:20:46.070 to enhance its autonomous driving software stack the 329 00:20:46.070 --> 00:20:49.910 startups the startup develops explainable AI systems for 330 00:20:49.910 --> 00:20:53.670 vehicle decision making, addressing regulatory and safety hurdles in Europe's 331 00:20:53.670 --> 00:20:56.750 autonomous driving race. We talked a bit about that topic already. 332 00:20:57.550 --> 00:21:01.090 Munich based certivity closed 333 00:21:01.090 --> 00:21:04.690 a €13.3 million Series A round to grow its 334 00:21:04.690 --> 00:21:08.490 regulatory compliance platform. It's the the software 335 00:21:08.490 --> 00:21:12.290 as a service helps enterprises manage complex EU regulations, which 336 00:21:12.290 --> 00:21:15.530 is all EU regulations in automotive and 337 00:21:15.530 --> 00:21:19.330 industrial sectors. Backers include prominent European 338 00:21:19.490 --> 00:21:23.250 VCS. Tanzo from 339 00:21:23.250 --> 00:21:26.850 Munich raised 12 million euros in a Series A 340 00:21:26.850 --> 00:21:29.250 led by Cap Namec and UVC Partners. 341 00:21:31.030 --> 00:21:34.670 They are building accounting Software to help SMEs 342 00:21:34.670 --> 00:21:36.790 comply with EU CSRD rules. 343 00:21:38.390 --> 00:21:42.030 Austrian XR company HoloLite raised 10 344 00:21:42.030 --> 00:21:45.310 million euros to accelerate development of its 345 00:21:45.310 --> 00:21:48.950 immersive streaming platform for enterprises. They 346 00:21:49.270 --> 00:21:52.950 Their platform enables complex 3D visualizations in AR 347 00:21:52.950 --> 00:21:56.790 and VR environments targeting engineering and design 348 00:21:56.790 --> 00:22:00.300 heavy industries and Vienna based Zero Third 349 00:22:00.540 --> 00:22:03.860 secured a $10 million investment to scale its quantum 350 00:22:03.860 --> 00:22:07.540 computing solutions. Zero Third is a 351 00:22:07.540 --> 00:22:11.260 company that focuses on hardware software co 352 00:22:11.260 --> 00:22:15.100 design for industrial applications. Funding here will 353 00:22:15.100 --> 00:22:18.860 accelerate lab to market transition and help 0 354 00:22:18.860 --> 00:22:22.700 third to gain a better position within Europe's deep 355 00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:25.638 tech ecosystem. M&A's 356 00:22:25.862 --> 00:22:29.710 M&A's Next one of our former guests of 357 00:22:29.710 --> 00:22:31.990 course we linked the interview down here in the show Notes 358 00:22:32.950 --> 00:22:36.790 acquires Hamburg based Akadis to expand ID 359 00:22:37.030 --> 00:22:38.630 verification platform, 360 00:22:41.430 --> 00:22:45.070 another local startup to extend its authentication and 361 00:22:45.070 --> 00:22:48.870 onboarding capabilities. At the time we interviewed them they 362 00:22:48.870 --> 00:22:52.550 have been already the most neck. I mean necked here. They have been 363 00:22:52.550 --> 00:22:55.820 the most downloaded self edit 364 00:22:55.890 --> 00:22:59.090 identification app in Germany. That was back in 365 00:22:59.090 --> 00:23:02.690 2021 Rumble explores interest in 366 00:23:02.770 --> 00:23:06.610 Northern Data amid AI compute expansion 367 00:23:06.610 --> 00:23:10.130 strategy F8 said Frankfurt Alge reported 368 00:23:10.210 --> 00:23:13.570 Rumble is interested in Frankfurt based Northern Data, a 369 00:23:13.570 --> 00:23:17.090 European AI HPC compute operator. 370 00:23:17.410 --> 00:23:20.930 Any transaction could give Rumble closer control over GPU 371 00:23:20.930 --> 00:23:24.150 infrastructure for AI and video workloads, 372 00:23:24.150 --> 00:23:27.750 highlighting the strategic value of European 373 00:23:27.750 --> 00:23:30.910 compute capacity. Discussions remain 374 00:23:30.910 --> 00:23:34.270 exploratory. No deal terms have been disclosed. 375 00:23:34.990 --> 00:23:38.510 US Material startup Lighten to 376 00:23:38.510 --> 00:23:42.190 acquire Northwest remaining assets you remember 377 00:23:42.190 --> 00:23:45.950 guys, they have been pretty big from Scandinavia and they want to build up a 378 00:23:45.950 --> 00:23:49.670 big factory in northern Germany. We 379 00:23:49.670 --> 00:23:53.230 talked about like the little village that was the last one that had to 380 00:23:53.230 --> 00:23:56.810 prove all of that and it unfortunately went 381 00:23:57.130 --> 00:24:00.930 under. So now we are in the story and Silicon Canals 382 00:24:00.930 --> 00:24:04.570 reported Lyten's plans to acquire all remaining assets of 383 00:24:04.570 --> 00:24:08.410 Northwold following the Swedish battery makers insolvency. 384 00:24:08.490 --> 00:24:12.250 The deal would transfer manufacturing and IP assets to 385 00:24:12.250 --> 00:24:16.010 Liens, Lilium Sulfur and Advanced Materials 386 00:24:16.010 --> 00:24:19.690 roadmap, preserving parts of Europe's battery supply 387 00:24:19.690 --> 00:24:23.220 chain footprint under new ownership. Frank 388 00:24:23.220 --> 00:24:27.020 Thielen, one of the investors in or in the 389 00:24:27.020 --> 00:24:30.780 first round of investors of Germany's shark tank called Lions. Then 390 00:24:30.780 --> 00:24:34.380 at the time Handelsblad revealed that we see Frank 391 00:24:34.380 --> 00:24:38.180 Thielen sold Scanbot SDK, a German document scanning software 392 00:24:38.180 --> 00:24:41.380 provider, to Canadian firm A Price. 393 00:24:41.700 --> 00:24:44.740 Financial terms were undisclosed, but the deals reflect 394 00:24:44.980 --> 00:24:48.780 consolidation in the enterprise document text base for 395 00:24:48.780 --> 00:24:52.350 talent. This marks a nose another notable asset for his 396 00:24:52.350 --> 00:24:56.150 portfolio DVP bank basically Security 397 00:24:56.310 --> 00:25:00.150 service bank buys Lemon Markets closing targeted 398 00:25:00.150 --> 00:25:03.270 autumn 2025 BaFin approval 399 00:25:03.350 --> 00:25:06.630 pending Deal Monitor confirms DBP bank 400 00:25:07.190 --> 00:25:10.990 will acquire Lemon Markets and keep it as a standalone unit 401 00:25:10.990 --> 00:25:14.790 post close IT Finance magazine adds that closing 402 00:25:15.190 --> 00:25:18.790 is slated for autumn 2025, subject to 403 00:25:18.790 --> 00:25:22.480 Bafin and customary approvals. The aim is to 404 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:26.120 add digital non brokerage platform to 405 00:25:26.120 --> 00:25:29.600 DVP Bank's infrastructure. And Chris, 406 00:25:29.680 --> 00:25:33.200 you are the person who is closing this record 407 00:25:33.760 --> 00:25:37.440 long recording. I think in total we are now at almost 408 00:25:37.520 --> 00:25:41.200 an hour of recording time. And you will end it with some 409 00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:45.040 awesome useless knowledge, right? Yes. Our useless 410 00:25:45.040 --> 00:25:48.480 knowledge today is not necessarily connected to the dach startup scene, 411 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:51.840 but it's about a very dedicated person nonetheless. 412 00:25:52.560 --> 00:25:55.980 Her name is Debbie Indicot. She lives in Lenoir, North Carolina 413 00:25:56.140 --> 00:25:59.980 and in 1990 she was in a diner in Las 414 00:25:59.980 --> 00:26:03.740 Vegas. The diner was Coca Cola themed so red 415 00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:07.260 and white everywhere and Indicot must have thought 416 00:26:07.660 --> 00:26:11.500 that's what I want at home. So she started 417 00:26:11.500 --> 00:26:14.700 collecting Coca Cola memorabilia and 418 00:26:15.900 --> 00:26:19.260 did so for three decades until in 2020 419 00:26:19.740 --> 00:26:23.310 she got the Guinness Book of Records title for the 420 00:26:23.310 --> 00:26:26.750 collection with the most Coca Cola memorabilia in the world. Because 421 00:26:26.830 --> 00:26:29.790 she had 2028 items 422 00:26:31.390 --> 00:26:34.990 based on Coca Cola in her collection. Then someone else took over the record. 423 00:26:35.070 --> 00:26:37.630 Apparently it's a very. It's very sought after. 424 00:26:38.749 --> 00:26:42.470 She got her record back, someone else took over. But now I'm happy 425 00:26:42.470 --> 00:26:45.630 to report Debbie has the record again and 426 00:26:46.030 --> 00:26:49.550 has been newly certified as the person 427 00:26:49.790 --> 00:26:52.990 in the world with the biggest collection of Coca Cola memorabilia. 428 00:26:53.550 --> 00:26:56.890 With now individual Number of items 429 00:26:57.050 --> 00:27:00.810 5623. Congrats. 430 00:27:01.130 --> 00:27:04.890 Definitely awesome to close those record news with a 431 00:27:04.890 --> 00:27:08.530 dedicated with such a dedicated person. Chris, was a pleasure talking to 432 00:27:08.530 --> 00:27:12.010 you. Yes, I won't finish this. Also her favorite 433 00:27:12.090 --> 00:27:15.370 type of Coke is Diet Coke. She said oh, 434 00:27:15.690 --> 00:27:18.810 okay. Mine would be the vanilla Coke. 435 00:27:19.370 --> 00:27:22.980 Yeah. And she said Diet Coke. But I also like cheese cherry. So 436 00:27:22.980 --> 00:27:26.580 fine. What's your favorite Coke Diet. 437 00:27:26.900 --> 00:27:30.580 I don't fully care. Yeah, I sometimes go for or Coke Light, 438 00:27:30.580 --> 00:27:34.180 whatever. I don't think is there. Yeah, Coke Light, Coke Zero. Is there a 439 00:27:34.180 --> 00:27:37.940 difference? Who knows? I think Coke Light is more targeted 440 00:27:37.940 --> 00:27:41.620 towards women and Coke Zero more towards men. Guys, we 441 00:27:41.620 --> 00:27:44.500 do have also a lot of stay ahead of the curve including 442 00:27:45.220 --> 00:27:48.780 Defense Tech 2025 report. Women now hold almost 443 00:27:48.780 --> 00:27:52.460 20% of top venture capital roles globally and Tony's 444 00:27:52.460 --> 00:27:56.040 box and this Tony Bo2 and much, 445 00:27:56.040 --> 00:27:59.760 much more. We will be back, Chris and I with the startup news 446 00:27:59.840 --> 00:28:03.680 to be published on October 2nd. And guys, keep in mind, 447 00:28:03.680 --> 00:28:07.320 October 3rd is German's unity Day, so we all 448 00:28:07.320 --> 00:28:11.080 do have a public holiday there. Chris, as always, a pleasure 449 00:28:11.080 --> 00:28:14.520 talking to you. Yes, same. Goodbye. 450 00:28:14.520 --> 00:28:16.880 Truce. Goodbye. Bye guys. 451 00:28:22.080 --> 00:28:25.610 That's all folks. Find more news, streams, 452 00:28:25.770 --> 00:28:26.890 events and 453 00:28:26.890 --> 00:28:31.290 interviews@www.startuprad.IO. 454 00:28:31.610 --> 00:28:33.850 remember, sharing is caring.