You have it all wrong. Europe is not full of competing startup hubs. They are increasingly forming a network for startups. The startups start at one knot in the network (frequently a university), move on to an accelerator, and end up in one of Europe's top 12 fundraising hubs to raise funds, sometimes becoming a unicorn. On their way, the startups leave traces, like R&D capabilities, sales teams, groups, investors, and so on. So they are not really the product of a city, but

Image by Republica from Pixabay What Is This About? Startuprad.io announces a new fall 2022 schedule for its internet radio station, adding shows like the Cleantech podcast with David Hunt and The Failure Guy to the lineup. This episode previews the expanded programming and explains the vision behind building the world's first tech entrepreneurship radio station. This article is part of our coverage of Scaleup Founder Interviews from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This bl

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024. What Is This About? Startuprad.io reached #18 on Apple iTunes' global entrepreneurship podcast charts — a milestone for the DACH startup ecosystem's leading English-language podcast. This episode celebrates the achievement and reflects on what it means for the show's growing international audience. This a

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024. What Is This About? Startups in the greater Frankfurt/Rhine-Main area raised more venture capital in the first half of 2022 than in all of 2021. Large deals drove the numbers despite a worsening funding environment in Q2, signaling that the region's startup ecosystem continues to mature beyond Berlin's sh

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024. What Is This About? Byways is a logistics SaaS platform founded by Sennder's former Head of Product, connecting warehouses, clients, and logistics companies to schedule transportation on demand. With the US market in their sights, the startup brings tech-driven efficiency to freight coordination. This art

Image by WorldSpectrum from Pixabay What Is This About? Berlin-based crypto bank Nuri, formerly known as Bitwala, served 500,000 clients before filing for insolvency. After cutting 20% of its workforce and failing to secure a €30-40M funding round, the collapse became a cautionary tale about the crypto winter's impact on European fintech. This article is part of our coverage of Scaleup Founder Interviews from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This blog post first appeared fi

Hintertux Glacier in Tyrol by Markus Fischer via Pixabay What Is This About? Austrian fintech Monkee raised €1.5 million for its "Save Now, Buy Later" model — the opposite of buy-now-pay-later. The app helps users set savings goals and build financial discipline, returning to Startuprad.io after their first appearance in September 2021 to share their funding news. This article is part of our coverage of Scaleup Founder Interviews from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This b

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024. What Is This About? Identity verification giant IDnow shelved what would have been Germany's largest fintech exit at $1 billion, instead raising €60 million in debt from BlackRock. The decision signals how the 2022 market correction forced even the strongest German fintechs to pivot from exit plans to sur

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024. What Is This About? In a single week, two major neobank deals reshaped the German fintech landscape: French unicorn Qonto confirmed its acquisition of Berlin-based Penta, while freelancer neobank Kontist sold at a steep discount for an estimated €10 million — highlighting the consolidation wave hitting Eu

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024. What Is This About? French neobank unicorn Qonto entered advanced talks to acquire Berlin-based business banking startup Penta — a deal confirmed on July 22nd, 2022. The acquisition marks Qonto's aggressive push into the German market, the largest SME banking opportunity in Europe. This article is part of

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay What Is This About? Samsung acquired the intellectual property of German deep tech startup Cynora for $300 million — but fired all employees in the process. The deal, reported by Bloomberg, highlights the harsh reality of IP-focused exits where the technology survives but the team and company do not. This article is part of our coverage of Startuprad.io Knowledge Graph: The DACH Startup Ecosystem. This blog post first appeared first on old

Brandenburger Tor in Berlin via Pixabay What Is This About? Solarisbank, the Berlin-based banking-as-a-service platform, is exploring all options from raising new capital to a potential sale to a private equity fund. Driven by deteriorating market conditions for privately held tech companies, the move highlights the funding pressure facing even major German fintechs. This article is part of our coverage of Scaleup Founder Interviews from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Thi

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024. What Is This About? AlphaQ is a Berlin-headquartered fund of VC funds on its way to becoming a one-billion-euro vehicle. By investing in top-performing venture capital funds rather than directly in startups, AlphaQ offers institutional investors diversified exposure to the European startup ecosystem at sc

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024. What Is This About? Endosane is pioneering a new approach to drug development for mental health conditions, targeting the endocannabinoid system to treat depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The startup brings fresh hope to an area where traditional pharmaceuticals have stagnated for decades. This article is pa

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024. What Is This About? This episode marks the start of new programming on Startuprad.io, exploring the world of startup employment and career opportunities. The show examines what it takes to work at a startup, how the job market is evolving, and what founders and employees alike should expect. This article

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024. What Is This About? Zurich-based FQX is bringing corporate debt funding to the blockchain — enabling companies to issue, trade, and settle debt instruments using distributed ledger technology. The fintech aims to make capital markets more accessible and efficient for mid-market companies across Europe. Th

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024. What Is This About? ROWS is reinventing spreadsheets for the API age. Founded by Torben after stints in consulting across Germany and Brazil, the startup connects spreadsheets directly to live data sources and APIs — turning a familiar tool into a powerful no-code platform for data-driven workflows. This

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024. What Is This About? EXALOAN started as a rating agency for digital assets and pivoted to bridging the massive funding gap facing small and medium enterprises globally. The Frankfurt-based fintech connects institutional investors with SME lending opportunities — tackling a market where traditional banks co

RhineMain.vc or German RheinMain.vc is an inbound venture capital index. We strive to provide numbers on money raised by ventures in the greater Rhine-Main Area. What Is This About? RhineMain.vc is an initiative dedicated to covering the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main startup and venture capital scene — a region with significant startup activity and capital raised that receives far less media attention than Berlin. The project aims to close this coverage gap. This article is part of ou

This story was migrated from our old blog, originally published on March 11th, 2021. What Is This About? Flash Hub helps companies organize and scale global virtual teams by providing the infrastructure for distributed workforce management. The platform addresses a growing need as remote work becomes permanent — enabling businesses to coordinate freelancers and employees across time zones efficiently. This article is part of our coverage of Scaleup Founder Interviews from Ger