Startupnews KW 15 - 2025

NexGen Cloud receives USD 45 million in Series A funding. Measuring the success of start-up centers at universities. Cellbricks achieves breakthrough. ARX Robotics expands to the UK. FINEXITY takes over Crowdli AG. Application for Family Business Career Day still open. Startup association welcomes impetus for startups in coalition agreement. HTGF Family Day 2025. Mandy Lüdke becomes CRO. BayBG invests 45 million euros. Learnfield takes over Trala. Jack Wolfskin sells to ANTA Sports. amsight with pre-seed financing round.

Financing rounds

Enpal secures 110 million euros

According to its own publication on Linkedin, Enpal successfully completed a financing round of 110 million euros in March. In addition to existing investors, a new investor also participated. The company plans to use the funds to expand its business, for further growth and for internationalization. In February and March 2025, Enpal achieved record sales with a profitable result. The company is also further expanding its leading position in heat pump installations in Germany.

amsight closes successful pre-seed financing round

The Hamburg-based startup amsight has successfully completed its pre-seed financing round. Five investors - including MBG Schleswig-Holstein and experts from the additive manufacturing and financial sectors - are supporting the company both financially and strategically. With the fresh capital, amsight plans to expand its team, particularly in the areas of sales and product development, and to further develop its platform for data-based process intelligence in industrial 3D printing. The aim is to make processes more transparent, measurably increase quality and reduce waste. A second closing is planned to attract additional investors with experience in additive manufacturing and industrial digitalization.

NexGen Cloud receives USD 45 million in Series A funding to expand its AI infrastructure

NexGen Cloud, a UK-based AI infrastructure startup, has closed USD 45 million in Series A funding and is now valued at USD 354 million. The company plans to use the funds to expand its sovereign AI infrastructure in Europe and further develop its Full Stack Cloud. Demand for the GPU-based Hyperstack platform has recently risen sharply, supported by partnerships in various industries. NexGen Cloud plans to offer new AI products and services such as serverless inference and "fine-tuning-as-a-service" to improve data protection and facilitate the customization of AI models.

BayBG invests €45 million - stability despite the crisis climate

BayBG invested around €45 million in SMEs and start-ups in Bavaria in financial year 2023/24 - less than in the previous year (€75 million), but solid in view of the difficult economic situation. The focus was on succession solutions (EUR 10.2 million), venture capital (EUR 7.6 million), young companies (EUR 2.7 million) and turnaround financing (EUR 2.5 million). According to BayBG, the decline in the SME segment (from €43.7m to €22m) is due to investment restraint and uncertain framework conditions. Despite falling short of new investment plans, BayBG was able to significantly increase its net profit for the year to EUR 9.4 million. With an investment volume of over €382 million, it currently holds stakes in 457 Bavarian companies.

Partnerships & cooperations

Mondu expands European presence through partnerships with Payin3 and Lemonway

Mondu, provider of B2B payments and Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solutions, is expanding its activities in Europe through partnerships with Payin3 in the Netherlands and Lemonway in France. The integration with Payin3 gives merchants access to flexible payment options for business customers. The cooperation with Lemonway aims to optimize payment processing on B2B marketplaces. The expansion is supported by Mondu's license as an e-money institution, which the company has held since July 2024. Mondu aims to further strengthen its position in the European B2B payment market.

M & A

FINEXITY acquires Crowdli AG

FINEXITY, a digital assets company, is acquiring the Swiss company Crowdli AG and its subsidiaries through a non-cash contribution in return for the issue of new shares. With the acquisition, FINEXITY strengthens its market position in the field of tokenized real estate assets, expands its shareholder base and improves its cash position for future M&A activities. The acquisition also provides access to the Swiss market and opens up new opportunities for investors to diversify their portfolios through real estate investments. In total, almost 5,000 Crowdli users will gain access to a broader range of tokenized assets on the FINEXITY platform.

Topgolf Callaway Brands sells Jack Wolfskin to ANTA Sports for 290 million dollars

opgolf Callaway Brands has reached an agreement to sell its outdoor brand Jack Wolfskin to ANTA Sports. The purchase price is 290 million US dollars in cash, subject to customary adjustments. The transaction is expected to close in the late second or early third quarter of 2025. With the sale, Topgolf Callaway Brands intends to focus its resources more on its core business and increase its financial flexibility, particularly with regard to the planned spin-off of Topgolf. ANTA Sports will thus become the owner of an established outdoor brand with expected annual sales of around 325 million euros.

Learnfield takes over Trala

The capacura portfolio startup Learnfield GmbH, operator of the piano learning platform Skoove, has acquired the violin learning app Trala. With the acquisition, Learnfield expands its reach to over 4 million music learners in 193 countries and strengthens its position as a leading provider of online music education. Through proven user acquisition strategies, new violin partnerships and technological advancements, Learnfield aims to accelerate Trala's growth and double its user base within two years. capacura continues to support impact start-ups in education, health and the environment.

events

Applications for Family Business Career Day still open until May 12

Career seekers have until May 12, 2025 to apply for the 34th Family Business Career Day. The event will take place on June 6 on the Criesbach campus at Bürkert Fluid Control Systems in Ingelfingen. Around 600 selected candidates will have the opportunity to talk to owners and HR managers from around 60 leading family businesses about specific career opportunities. Well-known names such as dm, Hilti, Kärcher and the Freudenberg Group will be represented. The Career Day is regarded as a central platform for the exchange between specialists and family businesses and emphasizes their economic importance. Further information can be found at www.karrieretag-familienunternehmen.de

HTGF Family Day 2025

On May 19 and 20, 2025, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) invites you to Family Day 2025 at STATION Berlin. The event combines networking, a conference and the celebration of HTGF's 20th anniversary. The HTGF Networking Night on 19 May will be followed on 20 May by a full-day program with around 1,500 participants who will have the opportunity to exchange ideas with investors, entrepreneurs and innovators. A broad portfolio of start-ups from the fields of deep tech, climate tech, life sciences and digital tech will be presented. Speakers announced include Philipp Depiereux (ChangeRider), Carsten Maschmeyer (investor and mentor), Michael Fichtner (FC Bayern Munich) and Axel Deniz (Bosch Business Innovations).

More exciting news

Cellbricks achieves breakthrough with 3D bioprinted tissue implants

The Berlin-based start-up Cellbricks has achieved a decisive milestone in regenerative medicine: In preclinical animal studies, the 3D-bioprinted adipose tissue implants integrated completely into the host tissue - without fibrosis and with rapid vascularization. Cellbricks is now preparing the first clinical studies and FDA approval. The company is developing implantable human tissue for the treatment of deep wounds and metabolically active liver tissue as an alternative to transplantation. With a strong IP portfolio, GMP-compliant production and a planned financing round in 2025, Cellbricks is positioning itself as a promising unicorn candidate in the global biotech market.

UnternehmerTUM and BCG develop KPI toolbox to measure the success of start-up centers at universities

UnternehmerTUM and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), together with the Stifterverband and the Joachim Herz Foundation, have presented a KPI toolbox for start-up support at universities. The aim is to make the impact of start-up centers systematically and holistically measurable. The toolbox uses eleven indicators to record four strategic areas, from the economic basis of a center to the exit of a start-up. It serves as a practical aid for the newly emerging start-up factories as part of the EXIST lighthouse competition and is intended to enable the targeted optimization and further development of start-up support in Germany.

Tandem Health brings AI-supported documentation aid to Germany

The Swedish start-up Tandem Health has now launched its AI-based medical documentation solution in Germany. The software is designed to support doctors and therapists by recording important information during patient consultations and automatically creating medical notes. The aim is to reduce the high administrative workload in the healthcare sector and thus save time and reduce the burden on medical staff. Initial experiences from other European countries have shown positive feedback from users. The launch in Germany will coincide with the DMEA 2025 digital health trade fair. Tandem Health is offering interested parties a free 30-day trial.

ARX Robotics expands to the UK

ARX Robotics, a German deftech company and operator of Europe's largest manufacturing facility for unmanned ground vehicles, is expanding into the UK. With a new headquarters in London and a £45 million investment in a manufacturing and development center in South West England, ARX is strengthening European defense capability through technological independence. The new manufacturing facility will create 90 highly skilled jobs and produce up to 1,800 vehicles per year. ARX's modular systems, already in service with the Bundeswehr, along NATO's eastern flank and in Ukraine, are currently being tested with the British armed forces. ARX is building a strong industrial network through cooperation with British defense companies. With its Mithra OS software, ARX enables networked, software-defined land operations. The expansion underlines the commitment to close British-European defense cooperation and supports key objectives of the British defense strategy such as promoting innovation, strengthening industry and involving technologically leading SMEs.

Startup Association welcomes impetus for startups in the coalition agreement

Verena Pausder, Chairwoman of the Startup Association, sees important impulses for the startup scene in the coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and SPD. The agreement focuses on startups as drivers of innovation and pursues a holistic approach from financing to reducing bureaucracy and promoting talent. The association is particularly positive about the planned mobilization of private capital, the opening of institutional investors to venture capital, the doubling of the WIN initiative and the extension of the Future Fund. Projects to reduce bureaucracy, digitalization and improve talent acquisition are also highlighted as forward-looking. It is now crucial that these measures are implemented quickly and decisively.

Personnel

Mandy Lüdke becomes Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)

The Leipzig-based chocolate start-up nucao has appointed Mandy Lüdke (37) to the management team as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). The experienced FMCG expert, who has held positions at Mars Confectionery and New Flag, will drive forward the strategic expansion and retail presence of the sustainable chocolate brand in the DACH region. Lüdke brings with her a strong network, many years of sales experience and a great deal of passion for brands with purpose. Her goal: more shelf space and visibility for consistently sustainable chocolate. For nucao, which is already represented in over 11,000 sales outlets, this appointment is an important step in the next phase of growth.