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German Startup News – June 2025: Helsing's Decacorn & the EU's €10B Scale-Up Fund · Startup & Tech News from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland by Startuprad.io™

• WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:20.080 Music. 00:00:20.132 --> 00:00:24.452 Hello and welcome, everybody. This is Joe from StartupRate.io. 00:00:24.772 --> 00:00:28.612 You are listening to This Month in German, Swiss, and Austrian Startups June 00:00:28.612 --> 00:00:30.452 2025 together with Chris. 00:00:30.652 --> 00:00:33.632 Hey, how are you doing? Hey, I'm good. 00:00:34.632 --> 00:00:40.272 Awesome. Chris is, as always, joining us from New York City and I'm in Frankfurt. 00:00:40.272 --> 00:00:44.672 Welcome to our regular startup news from the startup at Tech Entrepreneurship 00:00:44.672 --> 00:00:50.572 Scenes in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We are recording this on the 30th of June. 00:00:50.852 --> 00:00:55.232 As always, all news not included will be part of our news wrap-up. 00:00:55.432 --> 00:00:58.372 This time, the summer wrap-up to be published on September 1st, 00:00:58.532 --> 00:01:01.472 where we're wrapping up July and most of August. 00:01:03.112 --> 00:01:07.392 Our news is taking summer break in July and August, and then we will be back 00:01:07.392 --> 00:01:10.132 with regular news from September on. 00:01:10.312 --> 00:01:17.252 We needed to cut, again, our news very, very seriously. we had like 17 pages 00:01:17.252 --> 00:01:21.492 of raw news and that would have been something for like an hour. 00:01:23.092 --> 00:01:27.572 Everything, as always, you can find on our blog, celebrate.io forward slash 00:01:27.572 --> 00:01:30.252 blog, all the sources where you can dig in. 00:01:31.252 --> 00:01:36.832 Quite a lot of news pieces have several news source links. 00:01:37.632 --> 00:01:41.192 Chris, are you going to celebrate Independence Day the day after this publication? 00:01:42.172 --> 00:01:49.292 Yes, I will. And be celebrating with friends who always rent out a hotel room 00:01:49.292 --> 00:01:52.412 in order to have a better view at the fireworks in New York. 00:01:53.172 --> 00:01:57.392 Where are the fireworks taking place? This year on the East River. 00:01:58.352 --> 00:02:02.132 And it's really big. And then we all sneak into a tiny room. 00:02:02.512 --> 00:02:09.352 We have drinks in the bathtub and some food. And it's usually like 10 to 12 people. It's super fun. 00:02:09.932 --> 00:02:18.112 Sounds good. Let's go to our highlights. June 2025 catapulted the Dach startup scene into new heights. 00:02:18.292 --> 00:02:24.752 Headlines by Germany's ascension as a powerhouse in defense tech and deep tech. 00:02:24.992 --> 00:02:29.952 Berlin and Munich-based Helsing became Germany's most valuable startup, 00:02:30.372 --> 00:02:36.772 surpassing Salonis with a 600 million Series C funding, a 600 million euros, 00:02:36.912 --> 00:02:41.432 sorry, CERC funding led by Daniel X Primera Matera. 00:02:41.572 --> 00:02:48.012 If the name Daniel X sounds familiar, he's one of the founders of Spotify. 00:02:48.952 --> 00:02:55.932 Cementing its position as the country's second decatur corn and overtaking Salonis in the process. 00:02:56.112 --> 00:03:00.272 Simultaneously, Munich's ESA Aerospace joined the Unicorn Club, 00:03:00.272 --> 00:03:07.172 raising $150 million via convertible bonds to fuel its commercial space launch operations, 00:03:07.432 --> 00:03:13.012 with growing geopolitical demand for sovereign satellite capabilities across Europe. 00:03:13.272 --> 00:03:18.552 Meanwhile, Berlin-based stealth mode health tech LunarCare quietly entered Unicorn 00:03:18.552 --> 00:03:21.692 territory with over 30 million users. 00:03:21.692 --> 00:03:28.452 FDACA approved phototherapy solutions, highlighting Berlin's rising cloud in 00:03:28.452 --> 00:03:31.352 media innovation, in medical innovation. 00:03:31.732 --> 00:03:37.712 And by the name, guys, by the way, guys, for LumaCare, we really had to dig deep to find this. 00:03:38.532 --> 00:03:43.132 Infrastructure and fintech also took center stage. Hamburg's Impossible Cloud, 00:03:43.332 --> 00:03:48.192 a decentralized Web3-enabled enterprise cloud platform, 00:03:48.652 --> 00:03:59.072 reached a $470 million valuation as strategic injection from NGP Capital, 00:03:59.072 --> 00:04:04.952 further validating Europe's ambition to develop hyperscaler alternatives. 00:04:04.952 --> 00:04:12.952 Munich's headquartered Scalable Capital closed the record 155 million Euro Series E, 00:04:13.641 --> 00:04:18.821 Round, aiming to become the Charles Schwab of Europe with ETF investing, 00:04:19.001 --> 00:04:22.801 crypto access and AI-powered wealth management tools. 00:04:23.061 --> 00:04:31.641 In biotech, ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE secured a mammoth 262.5 million 00:04:31.641 --> 00:04:38.301 euro in non-dilutive debt financing from Blue Owl Capital to scale its radiopharmaceutical 00:04:38.301 --> 00:04:42.541 pipeline and PrEP for FDA submission of ITM11, 00:04:42.761 --> 00:04:46.381 its GEP Net Cancer Therapy. 00:04:46.601 --> 00:04:52.821 These mega-run deals confirm investors' appetite for infrastructure layer innovation, 00:04:53.121 --> 00:04:55.621 vertical SaaS and frontier health tech. 00:04:56.421 --> 00:05:01.521 Policy and ecosystem moves rounded out the month with a long-awaited release 00:05:01.521 --> 00:05:06.741 of the EU Start-Up and Scale-Up Strategy dubbed Choose Europe to Start and Scale. 00:05:06.741 --> 00:05:13.301 The blueprint includes a $10 billion scale-up Europe fund, a unified 28th regime 00:05:13.301 --> 00:05:21.081 for legal harmonization, and Lab2Unicorn initiative to bridge research and commercialization. 00:05:21.381 --> 00:05:26.681 All key steps in making the EU globally competitive for tech founders. 00:05:26.681 --> 00:05:31.301 Regionally, Switzerland's 100 billion deep tech vision, 00:05:31.681 --> 00:05:37.821 new reports on DACH CEE climate tech, and Germany's improved IFO Business Climate 00:05:37.821 --> 00:05:43.141 Index pointed to a cautious optimism despite capital concentration pressure. 00:05:43.141 --> 00:05:49.541 From rising unicorns like Helsing to smart policy bets and decentralized infrastructure 00:05:49.541 --> 00:05:51.761 champions like Impossible Cloud, 00:05:51.881 --> 00:05:53.361 Startup Radio remains your go-to 00:05:53.361 --> 00:05:58.261 source for what's next in DACH innovation funding and founder momentum. 00:05:58.821 --> 00:06:06.781 So let's talk startups. As we said, this news piece will go live Thursday, July 3rd, 2025. 00:06:06.781 --> 00:06:12.321 You can listen to it on our radio station and we will be back after short ad 00:06:12.321 --> 00:06:14.061 break with Chris with the top news. 00:06:19.871 --> 00:06:24.591 So let's pay some more attention to a couple of the top news of this month. 00:06:24.831 --> 00:06:27.871 Some of it you had already mentioned. 00:06:28.491 --> 00:06:33.251 First up, there's three new unicorns in these news. 00:06:33.411 --> 00:06:36.671 And one is even a Decacorn. 00:06:37.571 --> 00:06:43.811 So Helsing is Germany's second Decacorn and now Germany's most valuable startup. 00:06:44.631 --> 00:06:51.391 The German defense tech sector sees a breakout moment as Helsing surpasses Celonis in valuation. 00:06:52.991 --> 00:06:57.571 It is a pretty remarkable development because now we see that Germany's startup 00:06:57.571 --> 00:06:59.251 landscape has a new champion. 00:06:59.251 --> 00:07:07.031 So the AI-driven defense startup Helsing has closed a monumental 600 million euro CUC funding, 00:07:07.291 --> 00:07:13.311 propelling its valuation to a staggering 12 billion dollars and dethroning Celonis 00:07:13.311 --> 00:07:16.231 as the country's most valuable privately held tech company. 00:07:16.231 --> 00:07:20.971 The raise, as you mentioned, led by Spotify co-founder Daniel X, 00:07:21.191 --> 00:07:25.351 investments firm Prima Materia marks a pivotal shift in European venture capital 00:07:25.351 --> 00:07:30.391 from software as a service and fintech towards dual-use deep tech innovation. 00:07:30.731 --> 00:07:37.211 It's only the second German Decacon and Helsing reflects growing investor appetite 00:07:37.211 --> 00:07:42.151 for sovereign AI and next-generation defense technologies. 00:07:43.091 --> 00:07:48.111 The company is based in Berlin and Munich and develops real-time AI software 00:07:48.111 --> 00:07:53.791 for battlefield situational awareness, integrating sensor fusion and drone autonomy, 00:07:54.091 --> 00:07:57.571 a model gaining traction among heightened geopolitical instability. 00:07:58.531 --> 00:08:02.531 Probably you've heard that a lot of countries, especially the NATO countries, 00:08:02.751 --> 00:08:06.031 are discussing increasing their funding for, 00:08:06.935 --> 00:08:10.335 um for military operations so 00:08:10.335 --> 00:08:15.015 this right now seems to be well within this trend and the funding round cements 00:08:15.015 --> 00:08:21.035 helsing's status as europe's premier defense unicorn with strategic partnerships 00:08:21.035 --> 00:08:26.095 in place including rheinmetall and a pending acquisition of grob aircraft signaling 00:08:26.095 --> 00:08:30.175 a full-stack expansion into AI-powered aerospace systems. 00:08:33.075 --> 00:08:41.535 So, ESA Aerospace, again related in the same field, reaches the unicorn orbit 00:08:41.535 --> 00:08:44.655 with 150 million euros in a convertible race. 00:08:45.115 --> 00:08:48.155 Germany's private space race gains momentum here. 00:08:49.995 --> 00:08:56.295 They had a 150 million euro convertible bond raise positioning the Munich-based 00:08:56.295 --> 00:09:00.435 rocket startup among the elite of Europe's burgeoning commercial space sector. 00:09:00.815 --> 00:09:05.275 Founding in 2018 as a private launch services provider, 00:09:05.735 --> 00:09:09.715 Isai Aerospace now has rapidly ascended from a Sunicorn to a Unicorn, 00:09:10.015 --> 00:09:15.075 capitalizing on rising geopolitical demand for sovereign launch capabilities 00:09:15.075 --> 00:09:17.195 and satellite deployment independence. 00:09:18.095 --> 00:09:22.555 Funding round, confirmed by German business media, fuels the company's ambitions 00:09:22.555 --> 00:09:27.115 to rival SpaceX, Arianespace, and Arianespace by offering flexible, 00:09:27.715 --> 00:09:30.835 coast-efficient orbital delivery from European soil. 00:09:31.575 --> 00:09:35.855 The fresh capital will be used to accelerate its Spectrum rocket program, 00:09:36.155 --> 00:09:40.215 set to deliver small and medium payloads to low-Earth orbit, LEO, 00:09:40.875 --> 00:09:47.135 amid mounting demand from defense, climate monitoring, and telecommunications clients. It's... 00:09:47.770 --> 00:09:52.170 Also, this milestone comes as Germany doubles down on space tech autonomy, 00:09:52.470 --> 00:09:56.530 placing the country at the forefront of a new industrial frontier with major 00:09:56.530 --> 00:09:59.650 ESA contracts, so that's the European Space Agency, 00:10:00.070 --> 00:10:03.970 already secured and the new valuation crossing the billion euro mark. 00:10:04.090 --> 00:10:10.410 ESA Aerospace exemplifies the resurgence of European new space competitiveness. 00:10:10.410 --> 00:10:17.470 And you also already mentioned that the Berlin-based health tech startup LumaCare 00:10:17.470 --> 00:10:20.310 has very discreetly entered the Unicorn Club, 00:10:20.510 --> 00:10:25.570 achieving a valuation exceeding 1 billion euros following its Series D funding round. 00:10:25.890 --> 00:10:31.990 Despite amassing over 30 million euros users, LumaCare has maintained a low 00:10:31.990 --> 00:10:36.670 profile focusing on delivering innovative phototherapy solutions. 00:10:36.670 --> 00:10:43.530 They have a flagship product called the LumaCare LC122M LAMP, a versatile, 00:10:43.850 --> 00:10:49.290 non-invasive treatment platform for conditions ranging from dermatological issues 00:10:49.290 --> 00:10:56.790 to oncology, utilizing photodynamic therapy called PDT and phototherapeutic protocols. 00:10:58.370 --> 00:11:03.130 The company has CEMDD and FDA approvals, 00:11:03.130 --> 00:11:07.110 and therefore LumaCare's technology is gaining traction in both clinical and 00:11:07.110 --> 00:11:12.470 research settings in a field that has a growing demand for cost-effective and 00:11:12.470 --> 00:11:15.330 flexible medical treatments. Okay. 00:11:16.613 --> 00:11:20.693 Also here, we can see since they are based in Berlin, that the European health 00:11:20.693 --> 00:11:27.093 tech sector is expanding and Berlin is becoming more of a hub for medical innovation there. 00:11:28.233 --> 00:11:32.893 And Hamburg-based Impossible Cloud has reached a 470 million euro valuation 00:11:32.893 --> 00:11:37.633 following a strategic investment from NGP Capital, signaling growing institutional 00:11:37.633 --> 00:11:40.433 confidence in decentralized infrastructure solutions. 00:11:41.033 --> 00:11:45.653 Chris, does this sound for you very much like Sunicorn as well? 00:11:46.313 --> 00:11:51.513 Yeah, yeah. But yeah, so I mean, 470 million. 00:11:51.733 --> 00:11:57.713 Yeah, because I mean, numbers, do they matter these days anymore? Who knows? Up is down. 00:11:58.893 --> 00:12:03.973 The startup which operates a blockchain-powered cloud storage platform tailored 00:12:03.973 --> 00:12:08.893 to enterprise use is positioning itself as a European answer to hyperscalers 00:12:08.893 --> 00:12:12.473 like AWS from Amazon, Google Cloud, and Azure. 00:12:12.733 --> 00:12:16.933 By combining Web3 architecture with enterprise-grade compliance and performance, 00:12:17.093 --> 00:12:21.953 Impossible Cloud is tapping into the surging demand for very sovereign and distributed 00:12:21.953 --> 00:12:24.833 data services across the EU and beyond. 00:12:24.833 --> 00:12:30.133 And NGP Capital's investment underscores larger capital reallocation trend toward 00:12:30.133 --> 00:12:35.813 infrastructure-layer startups that blend decentralization with real-world utility. 00:12:37.633 --> 00:12:43.033 We also see that this move reinforces themes from our recent interview with 00:12:43.033 --> 00:12:47.973 NGP Capital on VC investment patterns in the Dach region, where the rise of 00:12:47.973 --> 00:12:51.333 vertical SaaS and frontier tech, including cloud, AI, cybersecurity, 00:12:51.733 --> 00:12:54.313 is reshaping Europe's venture. 00:12:55.613 --> 00:12:59.293 Landscapes. Three more to go, people. Bear with me. 00:12:59.493 --> 00:13:03.673 Munich-based ITM Isotope Technologies has locked up to... 00:13:05.459 --> 00:13:08.759 262.5 million euros in 00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:11.819 non-dilutive debt financing from funds managed 00:13:11.819 --> 00:13:14.979 by blue old capital marking one of the largest capital 00:13:14.979 --> 00:13:18.319 raises in european biotech this year the financing 00:13:18.319 --> 00:13:21.179 led by blue old credit platform provides an 00:13:21.179 --> 00:13:27.379 immediate 140 million dollars tron trench to advance the u.s regulatory submission 00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:32.479 and commercial readiness of itm 11 the company's lead radio pharmaceutical legal 00:13:32.479 --> 00:13:40.159 candidate for treating gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:42.319 GEPNETs. 00:13:43.659 --> 00:13:44.379 JEPNETs. 00:13:44.779 --> 00:13:49.339 I think they, JEPNETs, that sounds more like something you want to fight. 00:13:50.079 --> 00:13:55.799 With promising phase three clinical trial results and a 2025 FDA filing planned, 00:13:55.919 --> 00:14:00.159 ITM is emerging as a dominant player in targeted radiotherapeutics. 00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:06.999 The deal also supports the scale-up of actinium-225 isotope production via actinier, 00:14:07.839 --> 00:14:12.019 ITM's joint venture reinforcing Germany's leadership in next-generation cancer therapies. 00:14:12.319 --> 00:14:18.519 So we see here that we are in an era where biotech startups often face equity dilution. 00:14:19.019 --> 00:14:24.579 ITM's non-dilutive structure is standing out, signaling deep investor confidence 00:14:24.579 --> 00:14:29.099 in late-stage nuclear medicine innovation. 00:14:30.099 --> 00:14:37.779 A very dynamic market as of now, especially given the developments in the US. 00:14:38.419 --> 00:14:42.059 So we will see how it goes for European companies here. 00:14:42.439 --> 00:14:46.819 And the European Commission has officially launched its comprehensive EU startup 00:14:46.819 --> 00:14:51.679 and scale-up strategy titled Choose Europe to Start and Scale. 00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:58.159 Aiming to transform the European Union into a global hub for technology-driven companies. 00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:02.299 The strategy addresses longstanding challenges faced by startups and scale-ups, 00:15:02.479 --> 00:15:04.119 including fragmented regulations, 00:15:04.499 --> 00:15:09.339 limited access to finance, talent shortages, and key initiatives now include 00:15:09.339 --> 00:15:16.739 the introduction of a 28th regime to harmonize insolvency, labor, and tax laws. 00:15:18.099 --> 00:15:20.879 28th regime here referring to the fact 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:24.159 that the european union has 27 membership countries and 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:28.539 therefore 27 secretaries because 00:15:28.539 --> 00:15:31.679 each country needs to have one secretary or commissioner in 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:38.219 the european commission also the establishment of a 10 billion scale-up europe 00:15:38.219 --> 00:15:42.239 fund to support deep tech companies and the blue carpet initiative to attract 00:15:42.239 --> 00:15:47.439 and retain top talent The strategy also emphasizes faster market uptake through 00:15:47.439 --> 00:15:48.979 the Lab2 Unicorn program, 00:15:49.299 --> 00:15:53.019 facilitating the transition from research to commercialization. 00:15:54.288 --> 00:15:57.628 This whole development aligns with our earlier report in February, 00:15:57.828 --> 00:16:01.248 in which we anticipated the release of the strategy in the summer. 00:16:01.488 --> 00:16:06.768 For more details, you can refer to our February coverage, where we had the DACH 00:16:06.768 --> 00:16:08.488 startups seen a February roundup. 00:16:08.808 --> 00:16:12.808 And there we are talking a bit more about that. And last but not least, 00:16:12.948 --> 00:16:18.488 Munich-based fintech Scalable Capital has secured 155 million euros in its largest 00:16:18.488 --> 00:16:23.628 funding round to date, led by Belgium investment firm Zofina and the pan-European 00:16:23.628 --> 00:16:26.028 growth equity investor Notteo's partners. 00:16:26.508 --> 00:16:32.168 This series E round brings the total capital raised by Scalable Capital to over 470 million euros. 00:16:32.888 --> 00:16:37.468 Fresh funding will support the expansion of Scalable's digital investment platform 00:16:37.468 --> 00:16:40.628 across Europe with a focus on markets like France and Italy. 00:16:41.508 --> 00:16:45.188 The company wants to grow its assets under management from 30 billion euros 00:16:45.188 --> 00:16:49.188 right now to over 100 billion euros within the next two to three years, 00:16:49.728 --> 00:16:53.408 positioning themselves, you already said it, as the Charles Schwab of Europe. 00:16:53.828 --> 00:16:58.568 Scalable Capital offers a suite of investment products, including ETFs, 00:16:58.768 --> 00:17:04.528 stocks, bonds, cryptocurrencies, private equity through its Scalable Broker 00:17:04.528 --> 00:17:06.248 and Scalable Wealth Services. 00:17:06.248 --> 00:17:10.648 The platform also plans to introduce new features such as children's investment 00:17:10.648 --> 00:17:14.928 accounts and enhance AI-driven portfolio management tools. 00:17:15.708 --> 00:17:20.628 Co-founder and co-CEO Erik Pottsuvajt emphasized that the funding round is a 00:17:20.628 --> 00:17:26.908 significant step toward becoming Europe's leading retail investment platform. 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:32.940 And now we are done with taking some time for the real big stories, 00:17:33.260 --> 00:17:36.900 a bit of housekeeping, and then we can look at the ecosystem. 00:17:38.080 --> 00:17:42.600 Actually, I don't have a lot for housekeeping. I was just checking the monthly 00:17:42.600 --> 00:17:45.840 wrap-up we get from… Because we got our house in order. 00:17:46.040 --> 00:17:52.180 That's why. We got our house in order. We scored in the last 30 days in more 00:17:52.180 --> 00:17:58.120 than 30 countries in the world, in some of them, in multiple podcast charts. 00:17:58.900 --> 00:18:03.360 If you're interested to work with us, email us at partnerships at celebrate.io. 00:18:04.320 --> 00:18:09.380 You can subscribe and follow on our link tree. And now we are already on to the ecosystem. 00:18:10.860 --> 00:18:16.680 First, have a look at Europe. 1 trillion euro fund, Power Walk and Northern 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:22.020 Gridstone team up on a new UK-based EIS fund, Ambition. 00:18:22.600 --> 00:18:26.520 Europe's first trillion euro startups, Swiss-EU startups. 00:18:27.360 --> 00:18:32.240 EIF, Defense Tech Fund, European Investment Fund, launches its first defense 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:37.160 tech initiative, part of a growing strategic investment wave. 00:18:37.160 --> 00:18:43.760 DACH CE Climate Tech report highlights the fastest growing climate tech startups 00:18:43.760 --> 00:18:48.220 across DACH and Central and Eastern Europe in 2025. 00:18:49.240 --> 00:18:56.200 EU AI Act enforcement timelines. The European Commission confirms phased enforcement 00:18:56.200 --> 00:18:59.520 of AI Act begins in Q3 2025. 00:19:00.400 --> 00:19:05.600 Fines expected in 2026. Now let's talk a little bit about Germany. 00:19:05.600 --> 00:19:09.160 And there I hand it back over to Chris, who is usually the guy for Germany. 00:19:10.040 --> 00:19:16.140 Yeah. And so interesting how different governments are trying to rein in some of the AI companies. 00:19:17.020 --> 00:19:22.420 It's also always part here of the discussions in the US in the finance packaging. 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:26.740 And there's even discussion whether if some states individually in the US try 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:32.400 to regulate AI, whether they are receiving government funding or whether the 00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:35.960 federal government stops giving them money. Moving on to Germany, 00:19:36.080 --> 00:19:37.080 though, you already said it. 00:19:37.580 --> 00:19:44.220 We always look at the IFO index, which is a business climate index based on a survey. 00:19:44.760 --> 00:19:50.040 And we see that it increases for the sixth straight month driven by optimism 00:19:50.040 --> 00:19:52.540 in manufacturing and services. 00:19:53.280 --> 00:19:59.540 10 VCs are actively investing millions into German startups across sectors like AI, fintech and SaaS. 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:03.500 A bullish signal for the local ecosystem, writes Deutsche Startups. 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:07.540 We have now a federal minister on startups. 00:20:08.500 --> 00:20:12.420 It's part of the new government here. The first public appearance of Germany's 00:20:12.420 --> 00:20:15.820 startup minister highlights a vision-driven approach to supporting founders. 00:20:16.380 --> 00:20:22.120 Business Insider writes a bit more about this. Then when we look at digital wallets, 00:20:22.835 --> 00:20:29.015 That secretary that I was just talking about, Wildberger, he outlined aggressive 00:20:29.015 --> 00:20:32.115 goals for nationwide wallet infrastructure and startup partnerships. 00:20:32.475 --> 00:20:33.755 More about that in Handelsblatt. 00:20:34.515 --> 00:20:40.755 Die Kreditanstatt für Wiederbauaufbau, KFW, has some new startup insights. 00:20:41.095 --> 00:20:45.655 Their latest research highlights increased German startup activity despite macro 00:20:45.655 --> 00:20:51.695 headwinds. And Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, criticized for calling 00:20:51.695 --> 00:20:54.995 himself Plan B for a digital minister. 00:20:55.255 --> 00:21:02.395 He raises concerns over tech policy expertises. So, yeah, we see that this whole 00:21:02.395 --> 00:21:09.715 new secretary or this new ministry is kind of still like some growth pain, growing pain to do. 00:21:09.715 --> 00:21:13.115 Um german entrepreneurship org 00:21:13.115 --> 00:21:15.895 and ifo institute call for 00:21:15.895 --> 00:21:20.255 stronger government support to unlock startup growth we 00:21:20.255 --> 00:21:26.115 have a deep dive into capital concentration in germany's vc landscape at deutsche 00:21:26.115 --> 00:21:31.755 startups asking who still gets funding in 2025 and bitcoin com the german tech 00:21:31.755 --> 00:21:35.875 association says founders are optimistic about the new federal government stance 00:21:35.875 --> 00:21:37.575 on innovation and capital markets. 00:21:37.815 --> 00:21:44.795 And in the fight between the two capitals or metropolises of Berlin and Munich, 00:21:44.975 --> 00:21:51.175 we have a new analysis that reveals Berlin is home to 60% of Germany's unicorns, 00:21:51.235 --> 00:21:54.495 but Munich is catching up in B2B SaaS. 00:21:55.235 --> 00:22:01.895 And moving on to Austria, there we see that Austria's tech Fund Fund Zukunft 00:22:01.895 --> 00:22:06.615 Österreich is going to disperse 140 million euros in 2026, 00:22:06.815 --> 00:22:10.895 though only 50 million euros has been reserved to date. 00:22:11.395 --> 00:22:15.915 So if you intend to move to Salzburg, there's money. 00:22:17.195 --> 00:22:21.235 And in Switzerland, we have a deep tech report there. 00:22:21.435 --> 00:22:27.815 A new Swiss report is showing that deep tech startup creation rises in medtech, AI and robotics. 00:22:29.895 --> 00:22:35.895 Related to that, there is a deep tech 100 billion euro vision. 00:22:36.655 --> 00:22:41.015 New insights position Switzerland as Europe's 100 billion euro deep tech innovation 00:22:41.015 --> 00:22:46.075 engine driven by public private research and development, writes TechEU. 00:22:46.835 --> 00:22:51.695 And Swiss Angel investor Peter Kessel is named business angel of the year 2025. 00:22:53.315 --> 00:22:55.475 Congratulations, Herr Kessel. 00:22:57.530 --> 00:23:03.090 General news. Joe, VC funds for people who are looking for money. 00:23:03.650 --> 00:23:08.530 Show me the money. Yeah, a few of you guys, I'm sure, are looking for money. 00:23:08.710 --> 00:23:13.890 Some VC news and funds in case you're looking for money. And as always, 00:23:14.010 --> 00:23:15.130 there's just a selection. 00:23:15.610 --> 00:23:21.790 Budget A closes fund number five. Over-subscribed 325 million euros. 00:23:22.110 --> 00:23:28.870 Top AI VCs in Europe. PitchBook reveals the 10 most active VC firms investing 00:23:28.870 --> 00:23:32.890 in European AI startups led by Atomico and Early Bird. 00:23:33.430 --> 00:23:38.850 Pico's Capital Fund announces 250 million euros, fund number two, 00:23:39.230 --> 00:23:43.470 to support early stage startups from pre-C to Series A in Europe and the US. 00:23:44.310 --> 00:23:47.550 BGF 500 million pound fund. 00:23:47.790 --> 00:23:52.670 UK-based BGF commits 500 million pounds to European tech investment, 00:23:52.870 --> 00:23:55.630 targeting growth, startup, and scale-ups. 00:23:56.330 --> 00:24:02.930 Main capital fund number five. They raised 520 million euros to support B2B 00:24:02.930 --> 00:24:05.610 software across Europe. Crypto VC launch. 00:24:06.430 --> 00:24:12.170 Javier Megan launches 20 million euros, 20 million US dollars. 00:24:12.170 --> 00:24:20.470 Sorry, crypto VC fund Fractis to support next-gen DeFi protocol tooling. 00:24:21.450 --> 00:24:25.890 VC launch book. Alex van Frankenberg releases Das Ehrliche Geld, 00:24:26.010 --> 00:24:29.870 The Honest Money, exploring VC transparency and founder psychology. 00:24:29.870 --> 00:24:34.210 Of course, you can listen to the interview we had with Alex when he was still 00:24:34.210 --> 00:24:39.030 CEO of Germany's Hitech Gründerfonds or HTGF. 00:24:39.030 --> 00:24:46.590 Greentech Growth Fund closes €160 million, focused on decommodization scale-ups. 00:24:46.970 --> 00:24:50.410 Deep tech news, Proxima Fusion on the Unicorn Path. 00:24:51.110 --> 00:24:57.430 They secured €130 million to build the world's first accelerator power plant, 00:24:57.790 --> 00:25:00.530 Europe's largest private fusion race. 00:25:01.230 --> 00:25:04.230 Note, we have an upcoming interview with them. 00:25:04.230 --> 00:25:10.810 You'll see it very likely late summer, early spring. AWS Server and Cloud Amazon 00:25:10.810 --> 00:25:16.270 Web Services launches a dedicated European Server and Cloud to meet GDPR. 00:25:17.335 --> 00:25:22.295 On the Green Tech News, Circular Economy Mapping, a startup map highlights innovators 00:25:22.295 --> 00:25:26.655 across Europe working on a sustainable circular economy solution. 00:25:27.015 --> 00:25:29.055 Look it up at starting up. 00:25:30.435 --> 00:25:41.875 AI News, Black Forest Labs AI launched a new image generation AI to compete with OpenAI's DALI. 00:25:42.735 --> 00:25:47.835 Synflow Voice AI they're building the next generation German voice assistant 00:25:47.835 --> 00:25:53.855 signaling a new competition in conversational AI and OpenAI in Germany opened 00:25:53.855 --> 00:25:57.015 their first office in Germany in Munich. 00:25:58.275 --> 00:26:04.295 Take a deep breath going to the biotech news biotech billion deal bio and tech 00:26:04.295 --> 00:26:10.215 inc's multi billion deal licensing and acquisition deal with the US former giant 00:26:10.215 --> 00:26:12.695 expanding its oncology pipeline. 00:26:13.255 --> 00:26:18.135 Related, their cancer drug antibody-based cancer treatment shows promises of 00:26:18.135 --> 00:26:19.575 targeting multiple tumors. 00:26:19.855 --> 00:26:24.335 You can read more on public broadcaster SWR. 00:26:24.775 --> 00:26:27.255 Kumia Award Swiss MedTech. Kumia 00:26:27.255 --> 00:26:32.475 wins 2025 Swiss MedTech Award for Breakthrough and Mainz Biomed Grant. 00:26:32.695 --> 00:26:36.435 They secure public funding to develop a next-generation pancreatic 00:26:36.435 --> 00:26:39.255 cancer detection of course you can learn more about 00:26:39.255 --> 00:26:42.575 them in our interview and somehow the news 00:26:42.575 --> 00:26:45.555 that BioNTech bought QOVAC is not 00:26:45.555 --> 00:26:48.635 in here with link I'll repair that and Chris 00:26:48.635 --> 00:26:52.095 takes over the fintech news yes so 00:26:52.095 --> 00:26:55.195 uh yeah before we start keep in mind the massive scalable funding 00:26:55.195 --> 00:26:58.175 that we already talked about but more fintech news 00:26:58.175 --> 00:27:01.075 get safe has is showing a strategy 00:27:01.075 --> 00:27:04.515 shift it's a German insure tech company and 00:27:04.515 --> 00:27:07.495 they exit the insurance license model 00:27:07.495 --> 00:27:10.495 and are pivoting to white label and 00:27:10.495 --> 00:27:14.815 partner based strategies sailors a berlin-based 00:27:14.815 --> 00:27:20.895 fintech for seafarers scores an exit after surprise traction founders close 00:27:20.895 --> 00:27:27.135 funding and acquisition in the second quarter writes business insider moving 00:27:27.135 --> 00:27:34.735 on from fintech to deep tech bosch big company that we've been talking about quite often is... 00:27:34.735 --> 00:27:37.475 Didn't you work for them at one point? No. 00:27:38.015 --> 00:27:41.435 I applied when I was 19, but they didn't want me. 00:27:42.495 --> 00:27:49.555 Okay. Which is totally fine. I'm totally not holding a grudge anymore. 26 years later. 00:27:52.055 --> 00:27:57.995 So the company announced a billion euro initiative to deepen AI-driven development 00:27:57.995 --> 00:28:05.255 for automotive and manufacturing verticals. The AI Gigafactory sees a gridlock. 00:28:05.375 --> 00:28:10.075 Major European tech firms fail to agree on centralized AI chip manufacturing, 00:28:10.315 --> 00:28:14.815 undermining the AI Gigafactory ambition of the European Union. 00:28:15.823 --> 00:28:22.543 Moving on towards general news. The general news. The German Startup Awards have been handed out. 00:28:22.743 --> 00:28:27.003 They celebrate the winners of the 2025 German Startup Awards with a focus on 00:28:27.003 --> 00:28:29.843 resilience and originality. 00:28:30.823 --> 00:28:35.363 Note, we will have an interview series with the winners of the German Startup 00:28:35.363 --> 00:28:39.263 Awards to be published in fall and winter this year. 00:28:39.363 --> 00:28:43.763 That is something that will keep us busy during the summer, like we did last 00:28:43.763 --> 00:28:48.903 year, giving you an unparalleled chance to pick their head and dive deep into 00:28:48.903 --> 00:28:54.183 the minds of these amazing founders and investors. 00:28:54.903 --> 00:29:00.623 Forbes 30 under 30, German founders featured in Europe, Forbes 30 under 30, 00:29:01.163 --> 00:29:05.123 German unicorn watch startups like Level, Affinity, 00:29:05.763 --> 00:29:10.343 Synflow show breakout potential on Germany's next unicorn tracker radar on Deutsche 00:29:10.343 --> 00:29:15.143 Startups, AutoOne founder Hakan Koch, teases bold new venture. 00:29:15.403 --> 00:29:20.223 He is reportedly in a highly sensitive new venture in the digital mobility space, 00:29:20.403 --> 00:29:25.103 planning automotive insurance and B2B fintech in stealth, according to F-A-Z. 00:29:25.663 --> 00:29:27.783 The FlixTrain concerns. 00:29:28.523 --> 00:29:34.283 Internal business report raises doubt about FlixTrain's long-term growth projections 00:29:34.283 --> 00:29:38.383 amid EU expansion ambitions. 00:29:38.383 --> 00:29:45.423 And of course, you can always listen to what the former CEO thinks about it 00:29:45.423 --> 00:29:49.163 in our interview with them dating a few years back. 00:29:49.603 --> 00:29:53.763 Also, flashing posts stagnates. Chris, you remember we had large coverage because 00:29:53.763 --> 00:29:57.303 they were rumored to have an exit that was approaching one billion. 00:29:57.883 --> 00:30:00.803 Yeah. It turned out it wasn't that much. 00:30:01.023 --> 00:30:05.783 And now the German beverage delivery scale up reports flat 2024 revenue despite 00:30:05.783 --> 00:30:08.543 market expansion efforts. 00:30:09.003 --> 00:30:13.243 There's a revolt at HelloFresh. You notice anything from that in New York? 00:30:14.329 --> 00:30:18.889 Uh, no, but I don't see them anymore anyway. I don't know. 00:30:19.769 --> 00:30:22.809 Yeah, I get the feeling they scaled back the marketing, right? 00:30:23.169 --> 00:30:29.169 Yeah, they came and went a bit, just like the super fast supermarkets. 00:30:29.969 --> 00:30:33.009 We've seen so many come and go already, you and I, haven't we? 00:30:34.009 --> 00:30:38.909 Yes, exactly. It sounds like a very old couple, right? 00:30:39.449 --> 00:30:48.109 Yeah, and it's a bad sign for all the AI companies, because we've seen enough hypes by now. 00:30:48.929 --> 00:30:53.689 Going back to the HelloFresh revolt, executives at HelloFresh face shareholder 00:30:53.689 --> 00:30:56.249 dissent ahead of the annual general meeting. 00:30:56.469 --> 00:31:00.049 Pay packages and culture are at the center, according to Bloomberg. 00:31:00.729 --> 00:31:07.509 Bubble changes its CEO, but the speech learning app, the BABBEL, 00:31:08.049 --> 00:31:13.069 used as the executive named as new CEO of Bubble, Germany's leading language 00:31:13.069 --> 00:31:16.569 learning app, signaling a global push. 00:31:17.169 --> 00:31:20.689 And WingCopter Capital Round, drone logistics startup WingCopter, 00:31:20.729 --> 00:31:23.809 secures new funding to scale international delivery roads. 00:31:24.789 --> 00:31:28.549 As always, they don't publish the valuation. They don't publish the amount. 00:31:28.709 --> 00:31:31.949 But you can learn, of course, more in our interview with them. 00:31:32.209 --> 00:31:33.689 Isn't that a surprise, Chris? 00:31:34.029 --> 00:31:40.069 In Berlin and Paris, Techstars pause or suspense their accelerator programs, 00:31:40.069 --> 00:31:44.669 citing changing founder support needs and operational models. 00:31:44.909 --> 00:31:50.229 According to TechEU, there is quite some protest going on in respective cities about that. 00:31:51.309 --> 00:31:53.689 Reiseland IPO cancelled. Reiseland, 00:31:54.164 --> 00:32:01.784 AG, withdraws IPO due to market turbulences and list side lack of international demand. 00:32:02.344 --> 00:32:07.824 Also, second attempt of Autodoc to IPO failed one day before the IPO. 00:32:08.044 --> 00:32:12.244 Background is that there was not enough demand for the shares in the price range 00:32:12.244 --> 00:32:18.364 they offered, but the minority shareholder private equity fund would not go lower. 00:32:19.104 --> 00:32:23.804 Also, Kleinanzeigen, what is it, Chris? Classified ads? 00:32:24.164 --> 00:32:27.844 Yeah, classified ads, Kleinanzeigen, clones, search. 00:32:28.084 --> 00:32:32.924 They used to be a part of eBay and there's a new wave of second-hand marketplaces. 00:32:33.204 --> 00:32:40.324 Clones emerge across the Dach region as eBay Kleinanzeigen tightens the policies. 00:32:40.844 --> 00:32:43.904 Now to a little bit of creative destruction. 00:32:44.684 --> 00:32:49.024 Goya is shut down. Hamburg startup MyRobin collapses in Austria. 00:32:49.604 --> 00:32:57.124 Startup Insolvency. Watch at trendingtopics.eu. Medigine is insolvent KFAI shuts 00:32:57.124 --> 00:33:01.924 down Handing over to Chris to end on a high note Yes, 00:33:02.004 --> 00:33:06.844 more optimistic stuff Zama raises 57 million dollars. 00:33:08.864 --> 00:33:16.484 Symbiotic raises 29 million euros, a health tech startup Trava announces a series 00:33:16.484 --> 00:33:20.064 A it's working in sustainable energy forecasting, 00:33:21.304 --> 00:33:30.084 Affinity The group raises 23 million euros to bring seamless payments to Europe's automotive sector. 00:33:30.964 --> 00:33:34.884 Dataplore lends 20.5 million dollars. 00:33:35.204 --> 00:33:40.144 They are based in the US and want to expand their AI-powered mapping tools. 00:33:41.304 --> 00:33:44.444 SynthFlow AI gets 20 million euros. 00:33:44.864 --> 00:33:51.024 It's a voice AI startup enabling smart assistance for customer support in regulated industries. 00:33:53.524 --> 00:33:57.044 Ostrom has a Series B of 20 million euros. 00:33:57.364 --> 00:34:04.104 It's an energy tech startup and that money allows them to expand their smart 00:34:04.104 --> 00:34:06.164 meter platform and enter the French market. 00:34:07.044 --> 00:34:13.704 Rewe Group invests $17 million in fulfillment tools, betting on distributed 00:34:13.704 --> 00:34:16.844 order management to win global e-commerce. Okay. 00:34:17.867 --> 00:34:21.107 Or to gain global e-commerce market share. 00:34:21.947 --> 00:34:25.607 Remberg, it's a Munich-based industrial software as a service startup, 00:34:25.787 --> 00:34:30.607 raises 15 million euros in a Series A to streamline after-served service workflows. 00:34:31.027 --> 00:34:35.887 The space tech startup Okapi Orbit raises 13 million euros to build sustainable 00:34:35.887 --> 00:34:37.247 satellite traffic management. 00:34:37.927 --> 00:34:43.347 Baobab gets an insurance deal of 12 million euros to scale an embedded insurance 00:34:43.347 --> 00:34:45.107 platform across Europe. 00:34:45.787 --> 00:34:51.447 Smart Fleet, 12 million euros for a Series A. It's AI-powered fleet management 00:34:51.447 --> 00:34:54.647 for electric last-mile logistics. 00:34:55.447 --> 00:35:00.327 Klimatic, with a Q in the end, a Berlin-based company, raised 10 million euros 00:35:00.327 --> 00:35:03.607 to embed climate impacts going into business intelligence systems. 00:35:04.467 --> 00:35:10.467 Colibri has a founder return after 120 million euro Colibri Games exit. 00:35:10.547 --> 00:35:14.467 The co-founder now raises 5 million for a new multiplayer game studio. 00:35:15.107 --> 00:35:20.967 And no funding, but a comeback we will also include here in the good news column, 00:35:21.567 --> 00:35:27.307 Robo, an Austrian ed-tech robot company, Robo Wunderkind. 00:35:27.607 --> 00:35:32.067 They relaunched after bankruptcy by pivoting its business model. 00:35:32.327 --> 00:35:34.427 So congratulations there. 00:35:35.067 --> 00:35:38.987 And I also want to hint for our audience, for our listeners, 00:35:39.507 --> 00:35:44.127 SynthFlow AI, the 20 million euro race. Remember, they have been mentioned in 00:35:44.127 --> 00:35:45.767 the Sunicon bracket as well. 00:35:46.347 --> 00:35:50.747 Guys, there is just a little bit of M&A news. Hornet Security exit. 00:35:51.807 --> 00:35:57.287 U.S. cybersecurity firm Proofpoint acquires Germany's Hornet Security. 00:35:57.907 --> 00:36:03.607 And OneDock Acquisition Swiss appointment booking platform OneDock acquires 00:36:03.607 --> 00:36:05.747 a local competitor to consolidate. 00:36:06.107 --> 00:36:10.087 Chris, you want to take the last news, useless knowledge. 00:36:10.971 --> 00:36:16.131 I think it's very useful knowledge because in June 2025, 00:36:16.591 --> 00:36:23.831 Germany achieved a record surplus in cheese exports, surpassing 1.2 billion 00:36:23.831 --> 00:36:25.331 euros for the first time, 00:36:25.551 --> 00:36:30.211 a milestone that was attributed to increased demand for specialty cheeses in 00:36:30.211 --> 00:36:33.411 international markets, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. 00:36:33.411 --> 00:36:38.051 This might seem a niche statistic, but it definitely highlights Germany's unexpected 00:36:38.051 --> 00:36:43.731 prowess in the dairy export sector, even amidst broader economic challenges. 00:36:44.011 --> 00:36:51.411 And that also allows me to end with a cheese pun, because which cheese do you need to hide a horse? 00:36:52.251 --> 00:36:54.591 No idea. The mask a pony. 00:36:58.371 --> 00:37:02.871 Awesome. Guys, we do have a lot at the state ahead of the curve, 00:37:03.031 --> 00:37:06.331 TED Talks for founders, a lot of fresh startup lists. 00:37:06.671 --> 00:37:11.071 And, Chris, I would say that's a month wrap. We will be back with the startup 00:37:11.071 --> 00:37:14.131 news on September 1st for our summer wrap up. 00:37:14.291 --> 00:37:19.731 And until then, you can expect a weekly dose of StartupBite.io, 00:37:19.891 --> 00:37:22.751 mostly from me. Chris, when is your next episode going live? 00:37:24.071 --> 00:37:27.611 Oh, inshallah, always be on your toes. 00:37:29.091 --> 00:37:32.171 Yes, I'm very confident it will come soon. 00:37:33.711 --> 00:37:35.211 Bye. Bye. 00:37:40.391 --> 00:37:43.931 That's all, folks. Find more news, streams. 00:37:44.400 --> 00:38:05.802 Music.