15 million euros mobilized for start-ups in South Westphalia

NRW.BANK is investing specifically in the start-up scene in South Westphalia together with the Berlin-based venture capitalist Earlybird and several regional family offices. As part of the current closing of the Earlybird VIII early-stage fund, a total of EUR 15 million was made available for young companies from the region.

Strengthening innovation outside the metropolitan areas

The aim of the initiative is to sustainably strengthen the innovative strength and competitiveness of South Westphalia. Johanna Antonie Tjaden-Schulte emphasizes that innovations are not only created in large cities, but in all regions of North Rhine-Westphalia. Targeted support is intended to promote start-ups and facilitate economic progress.

Broad investor base from the public and private sectors

NRW.BANK is participating in the closing with five million euros, while additional funds come from private investors. These include family offices of large German companies such as Krombacher. Together, this creates a financing volume that particularly addresses technology-oriented start-ups.

The aim is to support young companies from future-oriented sectors such as artificial intelligence, robotics, new materials, industrial digitalization and sustainable technologies. The aim is to develop promising business ideas into scalable business models at an early stage.

Earlybird's first regional investment in NRW

The investment marks a strategic step for Earlybird: for the first time, the VC is making a targeted commitment in a region of North Rhine-Westphalia. The cooperation with NRW.BANK builds on successful partnerships in previous funds.

The entire Earlybird VIII fund has a volume of EUR 360 million and invests in start-ups throughout Europe. In South Westphalia, the Earlybird team "InnoVentures" bundles capital and expertise from the regional economy in order to support local technology-driven start-ups.

Stimulus for regional start-up ecosystems

With the investment, the partners are sending a signal about the importance of regional innovation centers. The combination of capital, network and expertise should further strengthen South Westphalia as an attractive location for start-ups. In principle, the idea is very welcome, as there are also exciting ideas beyond Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and Stuttgart. The networking in the scene may not be as strong, but perhaps start-ups can generate real assertiveness on the market from precisely this circumstance.