Ventech partner Stephan Wirries explains how AI agents reprice SaaS, shift software value to outcomes, and open a narrow European industrial AI window.

The EU's €40 billion Innovation Fund has deployed less than 1% of its budget after five years. A Startuprad.io analysis of what the European Court of Auditors' 2026 audit reveals for DACH deep tech founders, VCs, and cleantech investors — and what comes next with the €451B European Competitiveness Fund.

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? Evaluating a startup is part science, part storytelling. This episode presents a structured seven-step framework that combines quantitative metrics with narrative analysis — helping investors and founders assess a startup's potential through the lens of the story it tells about its mar

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? Brant Cooper, New York Times bestselling author of "The Lean Entrepreneur," shares how lean startup methodology applies beyond Silicon Valley. His framework helps founders in any market — including DACH — validate ideas faster, reduce waste, and build products customers actually want.

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 this Starting Y podcast episode, Michelle and Jörn kick off 2023 by reflecting on the WHY of entrepreneurship. They discuss what motivates founders to keep going through downturns, how to set meaningful goals for the new year, and why purpose-driven startups tend to outlast those ch

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 the 2022 Starting Y Christmas episode, Michelle and Jörn reflect on the entrepreneurial year that was — and look ahead. They discuss resilience, the importance of fresh starts, and why the holiday season is the perfect time for founders to recalibrate their purpose and energy for 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? Women Who Rock GSA launches as a dedicated sub-podcast for female entrepreneurship in the German-speaking startup world. Co-hosted by Johanna, the show spotlights women founders, investors, and leaders who are shaping the DACH ecosystem — filling a gap in startup media coverage. This a

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

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? 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

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? 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

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 January 27th, 2022 What Is This About? Agile Robots is the first profile in Startuprad.io's German Unicorns series. The Munich-based robotics company joined the unicorn ranks in September 2021 after a €186 million Series C round, building intelligent robots that combine AI with advanced sensor technology for industrial applications. This article is part of our coverage of Scaleup Founder Interviews from German

This story was migrated from our old blog, originally published on February 7th, 2022 What Is This About? SOLYTIC helps small solar investors monitor and optimize their photovoltaic installations — leveling the playing field with large-scale operators. Co-founder Johannes explains how the platform uses data analytics to maximize solar energy yields and reduce maintenance costs for distributed solar assets. This article is part of our coverage of Scaleup Founder Interviews fro

This story was migrated from our old blog, originally published on February 8th, 2022 What Is This About? Berlin Brands Group (BBG) is the second profile in the German Unicorns series. The company runs multiple direct-to-consumer eCommerce brands with a vertically integrated distribution approach — building, acquiring, and scaling consumer product brands entirely through online channels. This article is part of our coverage of Scaleup Founder Interviews from Germany, Austria,