n8n

Overview

n8n is a Berlin-based workflow automation platform that lets users connect apps, services and AI models in a visual, node-based editor, with custom JavaScript or Python available in code nodes. It can be self-hosted or used as a managed cloud service, and since about 2022 it has pushed increasingly into AI agents and AI workflow building. According to Wikipedia and Crowd Fund Insider it was founded in 2019 by Jan Oberhauser, who is Founder and CEO. n8n GmbH raised a USD 180 million Series C led by Accel in October 2025 at a USD 2.5 billion valuation, which heise and Startuprad.io both report, and in May 2026 SAP announced a strategic investment and a multi-year commercial partnership at a reported valuation of USD 5.2 billion. n8n matters to the DACH ecosystem because it is one of the most prominent European AI-infrastructure companies built outside the usual US hubs.

Why this entity matters

Few DACH startups rose as quickly in 2025 as n8n. Wikipedia lists a Series B of EUR 55 million led by Highland Europe in March 2025 at a reported valuation of about EUR 250 million, and heise notes that the October 2025 round came seven months after the previous raise. Startuprad.io's autumn 2025 roundups described the company as having crowned Berlin as Europe's AI-automation capital and counted it among three AI unicorns that Germany added in 2025. The company reported roughly sixfold user growth and tenfold revenue growth in 2025, and Startuprad.io's August 2025 roundup cited annual recurring revenue above USD 40 million, a community of around 200,000 members and more than 127,000 GitHub stars; those figures are company-reported and not independently verified.

The second reason is the licensing model. n8n publishes its code under a fair-code model that is source-available rather than open source, so it is frequently compared with Zapier and Make while being described by some outlets as open source. Wikipedia notes that this label has drawn developer criticism and that Sifted questioned in August 2025 whether the valuation was justified. Founders weighing how to commercialise a developer community can use n8n as a reference case.

Company or institutional background

Product and licence. n8n's platform connects several hundred to more than a thousand integrations, depending on the source, and offers human-in-the-loop checkpoints, triggers and monitoring for AI agents, according to the Series C announcement as reported by Crowd Fund Insider. At launch the code used the Apache 2.0 licence with the Commons Clause; Wikipedia says the company replaced this with its own Sustainable Use License in March 2022, a detail that rests mainly on that source.

Funding. Wikipedia lists a seed round of USD 1.5 million in March 2020 co-led by Sequoia Capital and firstminute capital, a Series A of about USD 12 million in April 2021 led by Felicis Ventures, and the Series B in March 2025. The USD 180 million Series C of October 2025 was led by Accel, with Meritech, Redpoint, Evantic, Visionaries Club, NVIDIA's NVentures and Deutsche Telekom's T.Capital participating and Felicis, Sequoia, Highland Europe and HV Capital following, according to Crowd Fund Insider and heise. Total funding was reported at about USD 240 million. A press release of 12 May 2026 states that SAP made a strategic investment at a valuation of USD 5.2 billion and agreed to embed n8n natively in Joule Studio; it gives more than 1,400 enterprise customers, 1.7 million monthly active developers and builders and over 1,000 integrations, and does not disclose SAP's stake. heise names Vodafone as a customer, and Wikipedia reports that Deutsche Telekom became a certified partner in 2026.

Reporting discrepancy. An automated transcript of one Startuprad.io roundup renders the Series C as USD 80 million; the written text of that post and all other sources give USD 180 million.

Role in the ecosystem

n8n sits in the automation and AI-orchestration layer of enterprise software. It competes with Zapier, Make and enterprise integration suites, while SAP's decision to embed it in Joule Studio and Deutsche Telekom's partner programme show it also being adopted as a component by large vendors. As a Berlin company funded by Accel, Sequoia, NVentures and others, it is one of the clearest signals that DACH can host late-stage AI-infrastructure companies.

Selected relationships and affiliations

Publicly reported relationships include founder and CEO Jan Oberhauser; lead investors Accel (Series C), Highland Europe (Series B) and Felicis Ventures (Series A); earlier and follow-on investors Sequoia Capital, firstminute capital and HV Capital; strategic investors NVIDIA's NVentures, Deutsche Telekom's T.Capital and SAP; and the customer Vodafone named by heise. These relationships are listed as reported by third parties and are not a verified current capitalization table.

Startuprad.io relevance

Startuprad.io's roundups followed n8n through the 2025 rise. The July and August 2025 edition reported the USD 2.3 billion pre-money valuation talks with Accel, the USD 40 million ARR and the community figures; the September 2025 edition repeated the segment in its spoken transcript; the October 2025 deep dive recapped the EUR 180 million round; the Europe's AI Supercluster analysis counted n8n among Germany's new AI unicorns; and the December 2025 edition devoted a section to the Series C and the CEO's stated preference for a European listing. An April 2025 roundup also covered the Series B but falls outside the five most recent articles listed here. All linked coverage consists of roundups or analysis in which n8n is one subject among several; there is no dedicated n8n interview.

Public source context

This record draws on n8n's own website https://n8n.io , Wikipedia, heise, Crowd Fund Insider, a PR Newswire release republished by ANP, and Startuprad.io's roundups. Bloomberg headlined the SAP investment at USD 5.2 billion on 12 May 2026. Valuations, usage and revenue figures are as reported by those outlets and the company and have not been independently re-verified for this record.

Startuprad.io coverage

DACH Startup News December 2025: Top Founders, Funding and Policy Updates
Published: 18 December 2025
Last updated: 20 September 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/this-month-in-german-swiss-and-austrian-startups-december-2025-top-news

This Month in DACH Startups - October 2025 | Deep Dive
Published: 03 November 2025
Last updated: 20 September 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/this-month-in-dach-startups-october-2025-deep-dive

Europe’s AI Supercluster: How DACH Startups Are Outpacing Silicon Valley
Published: 30 October 2025
Last updated: 20 September 2026
Coverage type: Analysis
https://www.startuprad.io/post/europe-ai-supercluster

DACH Startup News September 2025: Top Founders, Funding and Policy Updates
Published: 02 October 2025
Last updated: 20 September 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/this-month-in-german-swiss-and-austrian-startups-september-2025-top-news

DACH Startup News July and August 2025: Unicorn Surge, €825M Hydrogen Win & Fintech Shakeups
Published: 29 August 2025
Last updated: 20 September 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/dach-startup-news-july-and-august-2025-unicorn-surge-825m-hydrogen-win-fintech-shakeups

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About Startuprad.io

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Canonical record: https://www.startuprad.io/entities/n8n .