Startupnews week 14 - 2024

Petra Olschowski visits Flip. Landinfra Energy and Eiffel Investment Group cooperate. Bluecode and Viva partnership. Five million square meters of warehouse space in 27 countries. Series production of Mynaric's CONDOR Mk3 launched. Apply now: KfW Award Foundations. Partnership between Silo AI and appliedAI Initiative.

Minister of Science Petra Olschowski visits Flip to promote growth companies

Petra Olschowski, Minister of Science, Research and the Arts in Baden-Württemberg, visited the Stuttgart-based growth company Flip as part of a startup tour. Flip is an example of the region's innovative strength and emphasizes the importance of close cooperation between politics, business and science. The company offers intelligent software solutions for companies. Flip has raised more than 34 million US dollars to date and is one of the fastest growing start-ups in Germany.

Bluecode and Viva.com: Partnership for QR payments in Europe

Bluecode and Viva.com have entered into a partnership to facilitate payments with QR codes in Europe. Viva.com, a payments technology bank, will become part of the Bluecode ecosystem and enable Bluecode QR payments in 15 Euro countries with immediate effect. This collaboration aims to promote the use of QR code payments in both retail and online commerce by offering a convenient payment method for users. By integrating Bluecode into Viva.com's platform, marketplace operators can also accept Bluecode payments, improving the shopping experience for customers and merchants.

Five million square meters of warehouse space in 27 countries

Warespace, a spin-off of the company builder Cargo Digital World (CDW), offers Europe-wide access to warehouse space via a specially developed software that connects 120 locations with a total of five million square meters of warehouse space in 27 countries. The platform enables decentralized order placement and improves transparency in warehousing. Through partnerships with medium-sized companies such as CargoLine, Warespace can offer a wide range of storage capacities and provide customized services for individual customer requirements. The central application is the web app Link, which acts as a standardized interface between customers and warehouses, while Tenderspace enables the collection and distribution of warehouse logistics tenders. The company aims to increase the resilience of supply chains through a decentralized warehouse network to mitigate risks such as environmental events or disruptions in the global movement of goods.

Series production of Mynaric's CONDOR Mk3 launched

Mynaric has announced that series production of its flagship space laser terminal, CONDOR Mk3, has successfully started in Munich. The product, which is used for optical communication in space and between space and earth, received approval last week and was shipped to the customer. The first deliveries of the CONDOR Mk3 will be part of various space programs, including Tranche 1 of the US Space Development Agency's (SDA) Transport and Tracking Layer programs. In addition to the current series production, Mynaric is pursuing other projects in the field of optical communications in space, including partnerships with DARPA and the European Space Agency (ESA), as well as collaborations with the German government to develop quantum communication capabilities.

Apply now: KfW Award Foundations

Companies founded since 2019 can now apply for the KfW Entrepreneurship Award, which honors innovative ideas and new approaches to business management. Participants from all sectors based in Germany are eligible, including companies that have been taken over through succession. The competition, which is endowed with a total of 50,000 euros, awards prizes at state and national level as well as special prizes for outstanding achievements. The jury evaluates the submitted business concepts in terms of degree of innovation, social responsibility and ecological sustainability. In addition, KfW Capital presents awards in the categories "Best Female Investor" and "Best Impact Investor", as well as a special prize for "Best Emerging Manager" to draw attention to important topics in the venture capital ecosystem. The winners will be honored at an event in Berlin and will receive TV exposure as well as support from a PR agency to market their successes. Further information and the application form are available on the website www.kfw-awards.de.

Partnership between Silo AI and appliedAI Initiative

Silo AI and the appliedAI initiative have announced a partnership to build a European ecosystem for the implementation of Artificial Intelligence. Their goal is to support companies regardless of their AI implementation phase. The partnership provides access to current AI implementation methods along the AI journey, strengthens local competencies and offers long-term support for companies. Initially, they will focus on Germany and the Netherlands to strengthen the competitiveness of European industry and expand AI capabilities on the continent.

Landinfra Energy and Eiffel Investment Group cooperate for renewable energy in Sweden

Landinfra Energy AB and Eiffel Investment Group have entered into a partnership to jointly develop renewable energy projects in Sweden with a total capacity of up to 1800 MW. Under the terms of the agreement, Eiffel acquires 50% of Landinfra's portfolio, while the latter retains the remaining 50%. The investment, which amounts to around EUR 30 million for Eiffel, will focus on solar, wind and energy storage projects, mainly in the SE3 and SE4 regions in Sweden. Once completed, the portfolio is expected to exceed an investment volume of EUR 1.5 billion and generate around 2 TWh of green energy annually. Subject to approval by the Swedish Strategic Products Inspectorate, the transaction will enable the acceleration of renewable energy capacity in Sweden, leveraging Eiffel's financial expertise and Landinfra's experience in renewable energy development.