Startup news week 3 - 2024

German company develops CO2-negative biofuel. Registration launched for the 17th Logistics Day on April 18, 2024 ADAC and e-mobilio launch partnership for electromobility. Pilot project by TenneT and sunvigo. Stylink acquires Berlin startup cliqe. JobRouter acquires IMS software provider sycat. German Design Award for hellotaste. Julius Lühr joins Acton Capital as a partner. Xayn receives federal research grant.

Study shows: Generative AI start-ups in Europe struggle with funding challenges

The non-profit organization appliedAI Institute for Europe, together with European AI initiatives, has published a study that sheds light on the status quo of generative AI start-ups in Europe. The results show that of a total of around 6,300 AI start-ups in the EU, only around 669 can be assigned to the field of generative AI. Germany leads the way with 19.9% of these start-ups. The study emphasizes the lack of funding as a key challenge for these startups, most of which are active in the areas of basic models, development tools and infrastructure. It recommends measures such as strengthening trust, attracting venture capitalists, promoting European value creation, facilitating access to high-quality data and avoiding fragmentation to promote the development of generative AI in Europe.

Link to the entire study

Public Impact Hub and Digital Product School shape the future of the public sector

The Public Impact Hub in Munich is driving forward the digitalization of the public sector by developing digital solutions for specific challenges. UnternehmerTUM's Digital Product School manages the hub in collaboration with Amazon Web Services AWS. A pilot project with Caritas has already successfully developed a time-efficient solution for patient admissions that significantly reduces working hours. The Hub is aimed at public institutions that can submit their problems. The project duration varies depending on requirements and is divided into four phases: "Make or Buy", "Product Vision", "Solution Blueprint" and "Pilot". In view of the shortage of skilled workers and limited resources in the public sector, the Public Impact Hub aims to help drive forward the digitization of administration and provide the necessary solutions.

Registration opened for the 17th Logistics Day on April 18, 2024

The registration phase for the 17th Logistics Day on April 18, 2024 is underway and companies can register their events free of charge. The day of action provides insights into logistics and its diverse job profiles. As a Europe-wide event, companies open their doors to present tasks, training opportunities and job profiles to the public. The day is organized decentrally and took place in 2023 with 3,500 participants at 167 events in several countries. The aim is to strengthen the image of logistics as an important economic sector. Companies can register as organizers, become premium partners or cooperate as conceptual partners. Further details can be found at www.tag-der-logistik.de.

German company develops CO2-negative biofuel

The company Carbon Farming Germany has presented BeyondZero, the world's first CO2-negative biofuel. By combining biogas production and the storage of carbon in biochar, the BeyondZero production process creates a CO2-negative balance by binding more carbon than is released during combustion. This method has been patented in both the EU and the US. A single plant of the company could remove over 75,000 tons of CO2 annually and power 300 large trucks at the same time. Carbon Farming Germany is responding to the increasing pressure for fuel suppliers to switch to renewable solutions in order to meet EU CO2 reduction targets. CEO Marc Feldmann emphasizes the relevance of this progress for the decarbonization of the transport sector and sees BeyondZero as an opportunity to effectively combine industrial fuel supply and climate protection. The company plans to supply Germany's transportation sector with BeyondZero for the first time in 2026.

ADAC and e-mobilio launch partnership for electromobility

ADAC and e-mobilio have launched a partnership in the field of electromobility. From January 2024, ADAC members will be able to use e-mobilio's e-purchase advisor on the ADAC website. Under the name ADAC e-Charge Home, members will receive special offers for optimal charging stations and an all-round service for wallbox installation at preferential prices. The e-mobilio e-purchase advisor provides individual advice on the purchase of a wallbox based on the members' needs. ADAC SE also offers its members attractive conditions and an installation pre-check for simple and safe installation. This cooperation is intended to facilitate the transition to electromobility and contribute to CO2 savings in the mobility sector. ADAC members benefit from a special rate on selected products and services. Both partners see the cooperation as a contribution to the promotion of electromobility and as support for customers in selecting future-proof charging solutions.

Pilot project by TenneT and sunvigo

The transmission system operator TenneT and the solar energy company sunvigo have launched a pilot project to explore the potential of small-scale flexibilities in congestion management. The project aims to intelligently network existing solar systems, electric cars, battery storage systems and heat pumps in order to make grid congestion management more efficient. By coordinating millions of networked PV systems and storage units, these could be used as flexibilities in the electricity grid in the future. Households in northern and southern Germany are taking part in the test, which offers the prospect of financial incentives for flexible electricity feed-in. The aim is to reduce bottlenecks in the electricity grid by using existing decentralized flexibility instead of resorting to conventional measures such as curtailing wind turbines. The project aims to show how the previously untapped potential of various sources of flexibility can be used through intelligent networking in order to meaningfully supplement grid expansion and relieve the transmission grid.

Stylink acquires Berlin start-up cliqe

The Münster-based influencer marketing company stylink has acquired the Berlin-based startup cliqe. This acquisition marks a significant step for stylink to diversify and expand its product offering. Cliqe, founded in 2022, has established itself as an innovative creator economy platform that offers content creators a link-in organic site with direct access to monetization opportunities. The founders of cliqe, Tiên Grünewald and Felippe Wick, will assume leading positions in sales and product at stylink as part of the acquisition. The merger of the two companies not only aims to strengthen the market position, but also to create a more diverse experience for content creators. Michael Elschenbroich, CEO of stylink, emphasizes that the acquisition brings technological synergies and strengthens the stylink team through the integration of the cliqe founders. The founders of cliqe, Tiên and Felippe, are pleased about the cooperation and see the opportunity to create more fairness in the creator economy.

JobRouter acquires IMS software provider sycat

Software provider JobRouter has announced that it has acquired sycat Group, a German IMS software provider. JobRouter focuses on digital business solutions and low-code digitization, while sycat specializes in the development of software for integrated management systems (IMS). The merger enables both companies to jointly offer integrated management systems and process automation, especially for medium-sized companies in the DACH region. This acquisition, the second since the partnership with Main Capital Partners in 2017, expands the product range and creates synergies in the area of process and documentation management. The combined group, consisting of around 140 employees, is expected to generate sales of around EUR 20 million in 2024. The acquisition will also help to expand the partner network and promote JobRouter's growth.

German Design Award for hellotaste

The food brand hellotaste recently received the "German Design Award" in the Brand Identity and Packaging categories. The founders, Joella Feldhues and Jesko Dannemann, offer low-calorie and low-sugar sauces and dressings that set new standards for a light, healthy diet. The design, developed by Morphoria, design studio B.O.B. and Meta Maniacs, is characterized by outstanding nutritional values and taste, as well as eye-catching color-blocking packaging that spices up the previously monotonous sauce shelf. The jury of the German Design Awards praised the eye-catching design, which fits in well with the modern brand and its young, nutrition-conscious target group. The humorous variety names such as "What's up, Ketchup?" contribute to the positive experience at the dining table. The investor of hellotaste, Dr. Jesko Thron from Katjes Greenfood, emphasizes that winning the award recognizes the collaborative rebranding project and shows that a calorie-reduced diet can be associated with joy, even at the supermarket shelf.

Julius Lühr joins Acton Capital as a partner

Julius Lühr has become the newest partner at Acton Capital, an international venture capital firm based in Munich. At only 31 years of age, he will assume responsibility in this position. Previously, Acton Capital announced the final closing of its current fund ACTON VI (€225M) for technology-based business models. Lühr has been part of the team since early 2018 and has been instrumental in significant investments in the European B2B/SaaS industry, including Cologne-based SoSafe, Munich-based everstox and Düsseldorf-based Metalshub. He has also been involved in Stockholm to raise Acton Capital's profile in the Nordics region and was involved in Acton Capital's first investment in Estonia. The appointment to Partner recognizes Lühr's contribution to the firm's deal flow and his ability to identify long-term development potential of startups.

Xayn receives federal research grant for data protection-compliant AI solutions

Berlin-based AI startup Xayn has received a federal research grant to support its work on energy-efficient and privacy-compliant AI for organizations. The research allowance is based on the law on tax incentives for research and development and aims to strengthen innovation in Germany. Xayn, founded in 2017 as a research project by Dr. Leif-Nissen Lundbæk and Professor Michael Huth, emphasizes the importance of research and development in its approach. With a team consisting of around 35% PhD scientists, Xayn develops its AI systems with European values such as transparency, sustainability and data protection in mind. The company enables organizations, including those with highly sensitive data, to use (generative) AI efficiently, securely and sustainably at scale. Xayn's approach is seen as a contribution to a pan-European development towards more technological sovereignty and underlines the future viability of Germany as a technology location.