Startupnews KW 17 - 2025

charles launches GDPR-compliant AI agents for WhatsApp. capacura takes over Krankenhaus.de. Hannah Metzger becomes Force for Good & Corporate Communication Senior Project Manager. Datadog takes over Metaplane. Verena Pausder joins Meta and Apple. Noxtua receives 80.7 million euros for the expansion of European Legal AI. node.energy secures 15 million euros. Raisin lowers asset management fees. Greenlyte launches methanol pre-project with MPI and Evonik. OKAPI:Orbits receives 13 million euros in seed funding.

DMA penalties for Meta and Apple: Verena Pausder welcomes clear signal for fair competition

The European Commission has imposed fines on Apple and Meta for violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Verena Pausder, CEO of the Startup Association, welcomes the decision as a landmark for a fair digital Europe. She emphasizes that the measures give startups more independence in their dealings with users and strengthen innovation. According to Pausder, the DMA is finally showing its teeth and must now be applied consistently in order to offer young companies fair growth opportunities in the digital single market.

Venture capital

OKAPI:Orbits receives 13 million euros in seed funding

The Braunschweig-based SpaceTech start-up OKAPI:Orbits has closed a seed financing round totaling 13 million euros. The round was led by VC Ventech, supported by Matterwave Ventures, the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund and prominent individual investors. OKAPI:Orbits will use the capital to further develop its AI-supported space traffic management platforms, expand the team and drive international expansion. The company's solutions help to make space missions safer and more sustainable - an increasingly relevant topic in view of the growing concentration of satellites in orbit. OKAPI:Orbits is one of the leading providers of end-to-end solutions in this field and serves customers worldwide.

Noxtua receives 80.7 million euros for the expansion of European Legal AI

The Berlin-based legal tech startup Xayn, which will operate under the name Noxtua SE in the future, has raised around 80.7 million euros in a Series B financing round. The round was led by legal publisher C.H.Beck, with other investors including Northern Data, CMS and Dentons. The aim is to expand the sovereign European legal AI Noxtua and launch the integrated legal AI workspace "Beck-Noxtua", which is based on exclusive legal content from C.H.Beck. The investment strengthens Europe's digital sovereignty in the legal sector and promotes the development of data protection-compliant, AI-supported solutions for specialist legal applications.

node.energy secures 15 million euros for the next phase of the energy transition

The Frankfurt-based climate tech start-up node.energy has closed a Series B financing round of 15 million euros. New investors include DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF) and eCAPITAL, while existing investors such as High-Tech Gründerfonds, Helen Ventures, BitStone Capital and BONVENTURE have renewed their commitment. With its "opti.node" software solution, node.energy already manages the commercial operations of over 14,000 wind and PV systems, around a third of Germany's green electricity. The platform enables medium-sized companies to purchase electricity directly from producers, which brings benefits for operators and consumers alike. The focus here is on transparency as the key to efficient energy use and a resilient business location.

Acquisitions and cooperations

capacura takes over Krankenhaus.de

The Cologne-based impact investor capacura has fully acquired the Berlin-based platform Krankenhaus.de, paying out existing co-investors. The acquisition serves the strategic development of capacura's portfolio in the digital healthcare sector. Krankenhaus.de, with around 1.5 million users per year, enables the targeted search and booking of planned hospital stays. The integration into the capacura startup ecosystem is intended to leverage synergies and accelerate digital innovations in the healthcare sector. The platform's employees will remain on board to ensure further development. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

Datadog takes over Metaplane

Datadog has acquired the data observability startup Metaplane, thereby expanding its platform to include functions for real-time monitoring of data quality. Metaplane uses machine learning and granular data tracking to detect and prevent errors across the entire data stack - from source to application. The adoption comes at a time when reliable data is critical for AI-powered processes and automation. With the integration of Metaplane by Datadog, the company is increasingly targeting data and AI teams and further expanding its role as a central platform for holistic observability. Metaplane remains operationally active and continues to serve existing and new customers.

Personnel

Hannah Metzger becomes Force for Good & Corporate Communication Senior Project Manager

The innocent drinks brand is further expanding its commitment to sustainability and social responsibility: Hannah Metzger is taking on the newly created position of Force for Good & Corporate Communication Senior Project Manager for the D-A-CH and Nordics regions with immediate effect. With many years of experience in CSR, communication and sustainability management, she will strategically link key topics such as healthy nutrition, regenerative agriculture and social impact with brand communication. The appointment underlines innocent drinks' claim to live responsibility credibly and effectively as a B-Corp-certified company.

More exciting news from the world of start-ups

Greenlyte launches methanol pre-project with MPI and Evonik

Essen-based ClimateTech Greenlyte Carbon Technologies, together with the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion and Evonik, is launching a preliminary study funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia on the integration of its direct air capture (DAC) and hydrogen technology into methanol synthesis. The aim is to prepare the first commercial DAC-to-E-methanol plant at the Marl site. In the project, a laboratory reactor will be combined with Greenlyte's technology, the Max Planck Institute will contribute catalysis expertise and Evonik will test the industrial applicability of the methanol produced. The funding is part of the "CCU Model Region", an initiative of the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs to strengthen CO₂ utilization technologies.

Berlin startup charles launches GDPR-compliant AI agents for WhatsApp

Shortly before the EU AI Act comes into force, the Berlin-based company charles is launching brand-safe, GDPR-compliant AI agents for WhatsApp - ahead of tech giants such as Meta. The solution combines generative AI with brand-specific knowledge and is aimed at European companies that want to automate their customer communication while maintaining regulatory security. Initial pilot customers are reporting significant efficiency gains. Supported by leading investors and the acquisition of AI specialist Spectrm, charles is positioning itself as a European pioneer for AI-based conversational commerce.

Raisin lowers asset management fees

Berlin-based fintech Raisin is introducing a new, tiered cost structure for digital asset management for its savings and investment platform WeltSparen. The higher the invested assets, the lower the fees - and this applies to the entire investment volume, not just the portion above it. The fees fall in stages from 0.46 % for investments of 100,000 euros to 0.25 % for investments over 500,000 euros. For amounts under 100,000 euros, everything remains the same. With the new pricing model, Raisin is the first fintech to pass on economies of scale directly to its customers, thereby strengthening transparency and fairness in the investment sector. The platform's savings products will remain free of charge.