Startupnews week 11 - 2025

Scopely acquires Niantic's games division for 3.5 billion dollars. Deel takes over Safeguard Global's payroll division. Falcon expands fleet with Embraer and Bombardier private jets. TechQuartier acquires IMPACT FESTIVAL from neosfer. AI-supported energy purchasing optimization from Olmatic. New head of marketing at Mintos. Enshift drives expansion forward. Science4Life awards prizes to start-ups in the fields of medicine and energy transition. Elea secures 4 million euros. MSInsight receives 1.6 million euros. ATLANT 3D secures 15 million dollars. LipoCheck with 2.5 million euros seed round. Blackwall secures 45 million euros in Series B. Merx with 1 million pounds in pre-seed.

Venture Capital

LipoCheck receives 2.5 million euros for expansion and internationalization

The Leipzig-based HealthTech startup LipoCheck has raised 2.5 million euros in a seed financing round to further develop and internationally expand its digital health platform for women with lipoedema. Investors include TGFS - Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen, GIMIC Ventures, Gateway Ventures, the Prange Group and several family offices and business angels. With its LipoCheck and LipoAlly apps, LipoCheck offers digital solutions for symptom documentation, medical advice and telemedicine to improve the care of lipoedema sufferers. Three health insurance contracts have already been concluded and user numbers are growing by 10 percent every month. With the new funding, the company plans to expand its telemedicine services, develop AI-supported diagnostics and expand into other European markets and the USA.

Elea secures 4 million euros

The Hamburg-based AI start-up Elea has received 4 million euros from Fly Ventures and Giant Ventures to accelerate medical diagnoses and increase efficiency in the healthcare sector. Through AI-supported automation, Elea reduces the administrative workload for doctors with the help of speech recognition and conversational AI, leaving more time for patient care. The system already processes over 70,000 cases per year and reduces diagnosis times from weeks to hours. In addition, Elea has partnered with one of Germany's largest hospital networks and plans to use the funding to expand its platform beyond pathology into other hospital departments.

Blackwall secures 45 million euros in Series B financing and completes rebranding

The Estonian cybersecurity company BotGuard has raised 45 million euros in a Series B financing round led by Dawn Capital with the participation of existing investors and is now operating under the new name Blackwall. The company provides AI-powered security solutions for hosting and managed service providers (HSPs & MSPs) that protect millions of websites from malicious bot attacks. With its GateKeeper product, an advanced reverse proxy, Blackwall defends against automated attacks such as DDoS attacks, brute force attempts and malicious bot activity while optimizing infrastructure costs. The company currently protects over 2.3 million websites and applications.

MSInsight receives 1.6 million euros for AI-supported cancer diagnostics

The Paris-based start-up MSInsight, which specializes in precision medicine in oncology, has received 1.6 million euros in a seed financing round. Investors include Calyseed, Plateau de Saclay Business Angels, Yes Invest, Capital Cell and bpifrance. The funds will be used to finalize the technological development, demonstrate performance in different cancer types and start the clinical CE-IVD approval for use as an in vitro diagnostic. Led by Dr. Arnaud Cutivet, MSInsight offers MSIcare, an AI-powered diagnostic solution to improve the detection of microsatellite instability (MSI), a DNA alteration that can predict eligibility for immunotherapies.

ATLANT 3D secures 15 million dollars for atomic manufacturing technology

The Danish technology company ATLANT 3D has received 15 million dollars in a Series A+ financing round led by West Hill Capital. The investment accelerates the market expansion of the innovative Direct Atomic Layer Processing (DALP®) technology, which revolutionizes material and device manufacturing at the atomic level for microelectronics, semiconductors, quantum computing and aerospace applications. With 90% less material waste and the ability to manufacture complex structures in a single step, the technology offers a powerful alternative to traditional multi-step manufacturing processes. Since the last funding round, ATLANT 3D has successfully launched new products, including the NANOFABRICATOR™ LITE, and entered into collaborations with STMicroelectronics, Sony and over 50 industry and research partners. In addition to its headquarters in Copenhagen, ATLANT 3D also has a site in Erlangen, Germany.

Merx with 1 million pounds in pre-seed

British startup Merx has raised £1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by VentureFriends with participation from Ascension. Merx is developing an AI-powered conversational commerce platform that helps brands interact more directly and personally with their customers via WhatsApp and other chat channels. The company sees a fundamental shift in digital commerce, where traditional one-way marketing channels are increasingly losing relevance. The funding will be used to drive forward the development of AI systems to optimize customer communication and support the international expansion of the

M & A

Scopely acquires Niantic's games division for 3.5 billion dollars

The mobile gaming giant Scopely, known for Monopoly Go, has agreed to acquire the games division of Niantic, including Pokémon Go, for 3.5 billion US dollars. In addition to the successful games Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now, the acquisition also includes the social companion apps Campfire and Wayfarer. With over 30 million monthly active players and a turnover of more than 1 billion dollars in 2024, Niantic is one of the leading developers in the field of location-based games. The acquisition strengthens Scopely's portfolio and underlines its commitment to socially interactive gaming experiences. The Niantic Games leadership team, including Kei Kawai and Ed Wu, will fully transition to Scopely.

Deel takes over Safeguard Global's payroll division

Global HR and payroll platform Deel has acquired the payroll division of Safeguard Global, strengthening its market position. The acquisition brings together Safeguard's expertise in international payroll with Deel's applications to increase the efficiency of global payroll operations. Safeguard's team will move entirely to Deel, allowing clients to benefit from streamlined payroll processes, improved integrations and additional HR services. The acquisition also deepens Deel's partnership with Workday. The company sees the move as a strategic extension to provide state-of-the-art payroll and HR technologies to companies worldwide.

TechQuartier acquires IMPACT FESTIVAL from neosfer

The organization of the IMPACT FESTIVAL, Europe's leading B2B event for sustainable innovation, is being transferred from neosfer to TechQuartier. The Frankfurt startup and innovation hub plans to further develop and strategically expand the festival. The 2025 event will take place on November 26 and 27 at Messe Frankfurt. Neosfer, as the original initiator of the festival, will remain involved in an advisory capacity. The takeover is intended to promote the long-term scaling and networking of the sustainability scene.

Personnel

New Head of Marketing at Mintos

The investment platform Mintos has appointed Kertu-Liina Le hismäe as its new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). The former Marketing Director of N26 brings extensive experience in global marketing strategies and customer acquisition. In her new role, she will be responsible for brand strategy, PR and customer retention, as well as driving Mintos' growth in Europe. Her goal is to strengthen the platform as a leading multi-asset investment platform and facilitate access to diversified investments for a broader target group.

More exciting news

AI-supported energy purchase optimization from Olmatic

Olmatic GmbH from Freudenstadt is introducing visions pulse, a new software module that helps industrial companies to reduce their electricity costs through a data-based purchasing strategy. While many companies continue to rely on long-term fixed-price contracts and often pay prices that are too high, the AI-supported platform analyzes market prices, consumption patterns and load shifting potential in real time. By intelligently combining the futures and spot markets, visions pulse enables flexible and cost-efficient energy procurement. Companies benefit from automated recommendations for action, seamless integration into existing systems and increased transparency regarding their purchasing strategy - without having to switch energy suppliers.

Falcon expands its fleet with Embraer and Bombardier private jets

The private aviation service provider Falcon has expanded its fleet with the Embraer Legacy 650 and the Bombardier Challenger 850. The new jets offer state-of-the-art cabin interiors and are designed to further improve the customer experience. With a range of up to 7,200 km for the Legacy 650 and 5,200 km for the Challenger 850, Falcon is focusing on greater comfort and flexibility. The company plans to operate over 50 private jets by 2026 and further expand its position as a leading provider in the Middle East.

Enshift drives expansion with new locations in Paris, Vienna and Düsseldorf

The Swiss startup Enshift is expanding its international presence with new locations in France, Austria and Germany. The first projects in the field of solar and geothermal solutions have already been launched in Paris, while Vienna serves as a central hub for the Eastern European market. In Düsseldorf, Enshift is responding to the growing demand for sustainable energy solutions with two new companies and plans to invest EUR 15 million in solar and heating projects. With this expansion, Enshift is strengthening its position as a provider of integrated energy solutions in Europe.

Science4Life awards prizes to start-ups in the fields of medicine and energy transition

The start-up initiative Science4Life has honored the best business concepts from the fields of life sciences, chemistry and energy. Start-ups with innovations in personalized medicine, diagnostics and sustainable energy technologies were particularly convincing. Winning teams such as Blueprint Biomed (resorbable implants for bone regeneration) and EpiCure (novel blood cancer therapy) demonstrate the potential of biotechnology. In the energy sector, companies such as Qkera (solid-state batteries) and Radiant Solar (solar power distributors) are setting new standards. The winning teams will receive expert coaching and financial support. Startups can register for the next competition phase until April 14, 2025.

Startup scene calls for bold reforms for Germany's future (Startup-Verband)

Over 100 representatives of the German startup scene and economy are calling on the next German government to make decisive reforms in order to secure Germany's economic and technological sovereignty. They emphasize the need for targeted investment in future technologies such as AI, quantum computing and space tech as well as greater support for deep tech startups. They also call for the removal of bureaucratic hurdles, a modernization of administration, a strengthening of digital sovereignty and more attractive framework conditions for venture capital and the immigration of skilled workers. Germany has great potential for innovation, but this can only be fully exploited with a clear strategy and bold political decisions.