Founders League closes financing round

Investors include prominent business angels such as professional footballers Benjamin Henrichs and Luca Waldschmidt. The company wants to become the "start-up for start-ups".

The Fulda-based start-up Founders League successfully completes its first round of financing. According to its own information, the company now has a valuation of five million euros. The money comes from prominent business angels such as professional footballers Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig) and Luca Waldschmidt (VFL Wolfsburg), as well as entrepreneurs such as Jost Wiebelhaus (Frankfurter Laufshop) and Stefan Hamann (Shopware AG). The start-up sold six percent of its shares in the financing round.

The money will be used to expand the reach of the Founders League platform. The company's aim is to build the largest network for business angels and investors in the DACH region. According to the company, more than 50 investors are currently involved in the network of the "start-up for start-ups" founded in 2022.

The Founders League offers a live show format including streaming, in which six start-ups have to sell their idea in a three-minute elevator pitch to three judges and a live chat. In addition to the publicity, there is also a prize of 10,000 euros to be won. Two shows were streamed in Leipzig and Bremen in 2022 - with a total of over three million impressions on Linkedin, according to the company. For the current year, the start-up is planning six live shows in Mannheim, Munich, Cologne and Düsseldorf, among others. Interested start-ups can apply for these shows.