Start-ups in Hamburg: more women are starting up

The number of female founders in Hamburg has increased. Nevertheless, the Hanseatic city is still far below the average proportion of women of 42 percent determined by the Kfw.

The start-up rate of women in Hamburg has risen again: From around 27.5 percent in 2020 to 28.2 percent last year. In 2019, the proportion of female founders in the Hanseatic city was 25.3%. The number of Polish and Romanian start-ups has also risen slightly compared to 2020. The figures are taken from the latest Hamburg Start-up Barometer published by the local Chamber of Commerce.

The focus of start-up activity in 2021 was in Hamburg-Mitte. 4636 business registrations came from the district, which corresponds to 15.4 start-ups per 1,000 inhabitants. With 3013 business registrations and 15.4 start-ups per 1,000 inhabitants, the district of Hamburg-Nord is in second place. The districts of Wandsbek and Harburg, on the other hand, have the lowest start-up rate.

21.3 percent of start-ups come from the retail sector. The retail sector thus accounts for the largest share of all start-ups in Hamburg. 13.3 percent of new companies are active in the construction industry, while a further 12.4 percent offer freelance, scientific and technical services.

However, these three sectors are also at the forefront of business deregistrations. A total of 10,626 Hamburg businesses gave up in 2021. The number is nevertheless lower than in 2019. The reason: the suspension of the obligation to file for insolvency until the end of April 2021, the coronavirus emergency aid and the bridging aid have saved many companies for the time being.