Weed, crypto, capital markets: what will be important for startups in 2022

Some hypes from 2021 will probably continue in the new year. But completely new topics could also dominate. An outlook on 2022.

The year 2022 will not be so easy, at least in the startup sector. Because while many people found the previous year rather mixed, the sector had a lot of positive things to report last year - we've summarized the most important in our review of the year.

As always, forecasts at the beginning of the year are mainly coffee guesswork. But one or two expectations can certainly be expressed. What could keep founders, entrepreneurs and investors busy in 2022? A brief outlook on the new year.

IPOs yes, Spacs no

In the coming months, a number of young companies are also likely to aim for the capital markets. Law firms specializing in IPOs report well-filled pipelines for 2022 and even 2023. Among them could be heavyweights like Solarisbank or N26, which probably want to take the plunge. Auto parts retailer Auto-Doc is also a candidate. The still good mood on the markets could lead to potential stock market candidates stepping on the gas before the situation clouds over again in the medium term.

Stock market shells, so-called Spacs, are likely to play a less important role. In Germany, there are currently no hot rumors about Spac IPOs. In general, the big hype from the previous year seems to have died down a bit.

Will the crypto hype continue?

Bitcoin & Co. were one of the big topics last year. Be it as a currency speculation object, as a tradable NFT or as a basis for decentralized financial services. There is little to suggest that the topic will lose momentum in 2022. Even "boring" players like the savings banks are working on crypto wallets.

For the startup world, the next wave of founders working in decentralized finance should be exciting. Unstoppable Finance, Finoa, and Timeless are just a few of the companies that announced funding rounds late last year and are now looking to expand their offerings in 2022.

Delivery services, but different

The wheel with ten-minute grocery delivery services like Gorillas and Flink is unlikely to turn much further. But other companies want to transfer the quick delivery concept to other areas.

Several founders at once are positioning themselves in the drug delivery space. These include First A, Mayd and Phaster. Behind Mayd, for example, are McMakler founders Hanno Heintzenberg and Lukas Pieczonka, and behind Phaster are former Sennder managers. The first multimillion-dollar financing rounds have already taken place. Especially since the e-prescription is finally to be introduced nationwide this year, the market could be in for a decent boost.

Now comes the cannabis

There is still a relatively large amount of uncertainty surrounding the new German government's plan to legalize the sale of cannabis. Who can buy it where, how and when, and in what quantities: all this will hopefully become clearer in the course of the year.

But of course, resourceful founders are already getting into position. In Dresden, Demacan had recently already produced the first cannabis crop in this country. Other companies like Adrexpharma, Bloomwell and Cansativa are also waiting in the wings. What impact a possible legalization will have on the market with CBD products also remains interesting.

In the end, however, everything turns out differently than you think. In this respect, we will be surprised which of these topics will actually become important in the course of the year. On hold for December!