Founders League closes financing round

Investors include prominent business angels such as professional soccer players 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). In the financing round, the start-up sold six percent of its shares.

The money is to be used to expand the reach of the Founders League platform. The company's goal is to build the largest network for business angels and investors in the DACH region. So far, according to its own information, more than 50 capital providers are involved in the network of the "start-up for start-ups" founded in 2022.

Founders League offers a live show format, including streaming, in which six startups must sell their idea to three judges and a live chat in a three-minute elevator pitch. There is a prize of 10,000 euros to be won in addition to the publicity. 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 other cities. Interested startups can apply for these shows.