Kfw report: More start-ups again in 2021

After there were significantly fewer startups in Germany in 2020 due to the Corona pandemic, the number rose again in 2021.

In 2021, the number of startups in Germany increased slightly. This is according to the Start-Up Report 2022 published by the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). Last year, there were about 61,000 startups compared to only about 47,000 in 2020. The decline in the previous year can be explained mainly by a lack of startups due to the Corona pandemic, the report said.

KfW also identifies shortcomings in the startup scene. For example, according to the report, female founders account for only 19 percent of startups on average over many years, compared to 39 percent for startups overall. "The still low percentage of women in the startup scene is a downer in the fundamentally positive development. Gender stereotypes continue to be effective, both on the part of many female founders and among potential financing partners," says KfW Chief Economist Fritzi Köhler-Geib.

The report also shows that the number of venture capital-financed start-ups was less volatile than others. 12 percent, or about 7,600 startups, planned to finance their potential future growth this way in 2021. In this area of high capital and growth demand, the proportion is even lower: here, only 12 percent are female founders.