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DACH Startup News October 2021: Founders, Funding and Ecosystem Updates

Updated: 14 hours ago

Everything you need to know about the startup scene in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in October 2021

What Is This About?

October 2021's comprehensive overview of the startup scene in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This roundup covers the month's key developments including funding activity, founder news, ecosystem changes, and trends shaping the DACH entrepreneurial landscape.

Introduction

October 2021's DACH startup overview covers the month's key developments in the German, Austrian, and Swiss startup scenes. This roundup captures the accelerating funding activity and ecosystem changes during one of the most active periods in DACH startup history.

October 2021 DACH startup overview captures the accelerating funding activity during one of the most active periods in ecosystem history with multiple unicorn valuations.

This story was migrated from our old blog, originally published on October 28th, 2021.



Everything you need to know about the startup scene in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in October 2021 Startuprad.io brings you independent coverage of the key developments shaping the startup and venture capital landscape across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

This Month in German Startups — October 2021


Welcome to This Month in German Startups in October 2021 by Startuprad.io — in a news recording with Chris (Back Home in New York) and me Joe, from Frankfurt am Main.


We recorded this new episode on October 25th. Note that there is also another episode of our unicorn tracker, getting published along with this episode in order to keep the news brief.


Today we have to announce that N26 reclaimed the title of Germany’s most valuable fintech (but not startup, that is still Celonis), Sono Motors is filing for an IPO in the US — ahead of even delivering their first car -, corona is leaving the first traces in the startup scene, fewer startups, but more funding for the surviving ones.


Let’s talk startups:


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Top News


Germany has a new most valuable fintech

N26 took over Trade Republic, as Germany’s most valuable startup but the way to this monster funding was not easy.

  • N26, the #berlin-based #neobank, raises 900 mn US$, with a valuation of 9 bn US$, becoming Germany’s most valuable fintech, and one of the world’s 20 most valuable fintechs https://buff.ly/3aQwgQW

  • N26, despite being in trouble with the bank oversight BaFin, raises 700 mn Euros (810 mn US$) at a 8 bn € (9.26 bn US$)valuation https://buff.ly/3FAq5i1

  • N26’s CEO for Germany leaves the neobank for Hawk AI https://buff.ly/3ARLTmH


Germany’s Flixbus acquired the legendary US Greyhound bus company, from current owner UK based First Group for 120 mn Euros (140 mn US$). First Group was interested in selling the company already back in 2019 https://buff.ly/3G8rtbX Greyhound itself is of course suffering from corona, they generated more than 10 mn Euros losses in Q1 2021 and cut 50% of their headcount since the start of the corona. Flixmobility (the company behind the Flixbus brand) was valued at 2.5 bn Euros at their last fundraising in June this year, they reached unicorn status already in 2018.


Ecosystem


  • 11 female business angels from Germany, you should know https://buff.ly/2YpcZ6O

  • The number of startups decreases in Germany in 2020 by 30% as measured by KfW https://buff.ly/3m6BaPb

  • Germany to mine lithium under the Erzgebirge in Sachsen. The “white gold” is used in batteries, notebooks, tablets, and smartphones https://buff.ly/2Yui3Gk

  • Seven takeaways from the Accel state of European SaaS report https://buff.ly/3iRucg0

  • EXPLAINED: The surprising parts of Germany where new businesses are blooming https://buff.ly/3DuAf1U

  • Leverkusen

  • Marburg

  • Goerlitz

  • Schwabach

  • Schweinfurt

  • Offenbach am Main

  • Kaiserslautern

  • MainTaunusKreis (this is where Joe is living, just outside of Frankfurt)


Hubs


Frankfurt

  • FreshBooks Acquires FastBill to Boost Growth in Canada https://buff.ly/3ajraMR No purchase price was published, but according to our information a large share was paid in FreshBooks shares. The price could be in the range of 100 mn Euros (75–120 mn Euros depending on the multiple and actual revenue)

  • Former C-Level executives of Frankfurt-listed evergreen VC fund Finlab had differences with their former majority stakeholder. Now they want to use their connection to raise their own VC fund https://buff.ly/3BreWO3

  • Bitcoin miner Northern Data forecasted 120 mn revenue and delayed publication of the numbers. Then they published 16,4 mn revenues. Finance watchdog Bafin filed charges https://buff.ly/3AHuwEb we will keep you updated on this story.


Heidelberg

  • The Struengmann billionaire twin brothers made the BioNTech success possible as large-scale investors. Now they invest in Heidelberg-based fintech Getsafe https://buff.ly/3lFudp9

  • Learn more about the twins here: https://buff.ly/3aAHQQf


Hamburg

  • Heyflow raises USD 6 million in funds — more “clickflow” on websites https://buff.ly/3vLoZvH

  • Hamburg-based circular bioeconomy startup traceless materials receive a €2.42 million EIC grant to quickly scale up its technology https://buff.ly/3B7bAyS


Munich

  • Flixbus is based in Munich, note the story before.

  • There is also another shmaybe unicorn: Munich-based solar car firm Sono Motors files for U.S. IPO https://buff.ly/3GjcRGO reports Reuters. The IPO could value the company at more than 1 bn US$, but the first cars will only be delivered in 2023.

  • German online dating company Parship looking for an IPO in Frankfurt in spring next year, hiring two investment banks https://buff.ly/3pxwkxx


Cologne

  • Iris Capital, New Forge, and Instana founder join existing investors in 27,8 mn US$ funding in ArangoDB. The #Cologne-based startup offers an open-source NoSQL database https://buff.ly/3agGry4

  • 1nce from Cologne is the first joint investment from Deutsche Telekom and Softbank. 1nce is an IoT startup, raising in total 43 mn € (50 mn US$) https://buff.ly/3D4nZ8h


Konstanz


Austria


Switzerland

  • Chronext postpones IPO at SIX in Switzerland, originally planned for early October due to “unfavorable market conditions” https://buff.ly/3agGry4

  • Locatee, the workplace analytics startup raises 7,1 mn Euro https://buff.ly/3F21B19

  • ETH spinoff Scewo, raises 8,5 mn CHF (7,83 mn €) venture capital for their stair-climbing wheelchair https://buff.ly/3zOlMM7

  • Frontify raises 50 mn US$ from investors like Revaia, High Sage Ventures, as well as existing investors for their platform, on which companies can manage their brand presence https://buff.ly/2Y29gMi

  • One million US$ for sporttech startup coachbetter to digitize football coaching https://buff.ly/3iCAZtO

  • VW heir and one of Elon Musk’s investors invest in Switzerland-based car subscription startup Carify https://buff.ly/3AGoIuJ

General News / Companies News Section

The German company Autarq may just have surpassed Tesla with their solar roof tiles https://buff.ly/2Z54MVA


SPACs

“European SPACs have raised $6.6 billion so far this year, according to Refinitiv data. While that’s up from just $500 million in 2020 it’s still only about 5% of the value of the SPAC deals done in the United States in 2021.”

  • But there is a new one: New SPAC “GFJ ESG Akquisition I SE” announced. It shall be listed in Frankfurt, to buy startups and tech companies in sustainable technologies. The company is initiated by well-known founders and a corporate CFO. They want to raise 150 mn € https://buff.ly/3mZa4K4


GoPuff, the Philadelphia-based quick commerce startup, enters the German market https://buff.ly/3AuOmma adding to an already hot competition with Jokr, Gorillas and others.


CureVac stops the development of the Corona vaccine and starts over with a new approach. The first vaccine candidate did not fulfill the expectations https://buff.ly/3aCASKg


Multiple PE funds are fighting over the buyout of Zooplus, the takeover (initially 390 €/ share) offer was raised 40% since mid-August and currently, the shares are trading around 490€ https://buff.ly/3DzkVRK this leads the market to conclude there is more in it for shareholders. We keep you updated.


Venture capital: 8roadsventures raises 450 mn US$ VC fund targeting 15–20 scaleups in Europe https://buff.ly/3uLH2kI


Vehiculum wanted to turn the leasing industry upside down. Now a funding round fell through and they have to file for insolvency https://buff.ly/3mcMclX


Adam Neumann-Backed GoTo Global Acquires German Moped-Sharing Startup https://buff.ly/3DqyX7Z


DWS buys stake in UK-based retirement fintech Smart https://buff.ly/3Fq4KaZ

Baloise’s German Money Pit. Their #Berlin-based insurtech Friday is not working out as planned https://buff.ly/3Byn1Rk


Sad news: A Helicopter crash kills the founder of August Intelligence, the startup in the center of the Amthor Affair, involving questionable lobbying by a member of the German Parliament https://buff.ly/3b8osKM


Selected Fundraisings (really, a very very small collection)


And finally: Landesbank Berlin issued more than 1 mn credit cards for Amazon’s German customers. Now it appears the bank shifts strategy and ends the cooperation https://buff.ly/3CXwj9E

Stay ahead of the curve


10 Things Your Corporate Culture Needs to Get Right https://buff.ly/3atUnEW

Find our extensive collection of links, sources and the whole show notes here: https://www.startuprad.io/blog/this-month-in-german-startups-october-2021/


Feedback


We are always looking for ways to make the show better. Please take this opportunity and share your feedback with us! We would love to hear from YOU!!!


The Hosts


The news are co-hosted by Jörn “Joe” Menninger, startup scout, founder, and host of Startuprad.io. And Christian “Chris' ' Fahrenbach, co-founder Startuprad.io, freelance reporter, lecturer, author and blogger . Reach out to them:




  • Germany’s Flixbus acquired the legendary US Greyhound bus company, from current owner UK based First Group for 120 mn Euros (140 mn US$).

  • This article covers a significant development in the DACH startup and venture capital ecosystem.

  • The DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) continues to be one of Europe's most dynamic startup markets.

Relationship Map

  • Startuprad.io → published → DACH Startup News October 2021: Founders, Funding and Ecosys

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Startuprad.io is the leading independent media platform covering startups, venture capital, and innovation across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and Europe. We offer B2B partnership opportunities for companies looking to reach startup decision-makers, founders, and investors.

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What are the key facts about DACH Startup News October 2021:?

Everything you need to know about the startup scene in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in October 2021

How does this affect the German startup ecosystem?

This article is part of our coverage of DACH Startup News January 2022: Founders, Funding and Ecosystem Updates.

What are the latest startup funding trends in the DACH region?

Startuprad.io tracks venture capital and startup funding across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Explore our pillar coverage pages for the latest data.

About the Host

Joern "Joe" Menninger is the host of the Startuprad.io podcast and covers founders, investors, and policy developments across the DACH startup ecosystem. Through more than 1,300 interviews and nearly a decade of reporting, he documents the evolution of the European startup landscape. Follow Joern on LinkedIn.

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Startuprad.io is the leading independent media platform covering startups and innovation across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. We bring founders’ stories to a global audience through in-depth interviews and expert analysis. Support our mission by subscribing to our podcast on your favorite platform, sharing this episode with fellow startup enthusiasts, or exploring sponsorship opportunities at startuprad.io.

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