Startupnews week 22 - 2025

New partnership between CargoNexx and Cargoboard. Mehmet Isik becomes Managing Director of Everphone. NutriSen develops sensor system for precise fertilization. RetailSonar takes over ladeplan. Entrepreneurship Week at HHL Leipzig. eleQtron and FMD launch strategic partnership. Surgify receives 7 million euros. SurFunction takes over Surcoatec. Volteras receives 11.1 million US dollars. SpAItial launches with 13 million US dollars seed.

Investments

SpAItial exits stealth mode with 13 million US dollars seed

Munich-based AI startup SpAItial has received USD 13 million in seed funding, led by Earlybird Venture Capital with participation from Speedinvest and several angel investors. The startup develops Spatial Foundation Models (SFMs), a new form of generative AI based on 3D structures and physical principles to create and understand realistic virtual worlds. The technology is intended to enable applications in areas such as entertainment, robotics, digital twins and industrial automation. SpAItial plans to use the fresh capital to expand its team, scale its first prototypes and prepare commercial pilot projects. The start-up has offices in Munich and London.

Volteras receives 11.1 million US dollars to expand its energy and mobility data platform

The US company Volteras has closed an oversubscribed Series A financing round of 11.1 million US dollars. It was led by Union Square Ventures, with participation from Wex, Edenred and existing investors Exor and Long Journey Ventures. Volteras is developing a data-driven platform that connects vehicle, charging and energy data from electric vehicles in real time. The financing is intended to contribute to international expansion, team expansion and the launch of new partnerships, such as with Hitachi ZeroCarbon. Volteras relies on OEM-authorized, secure data streams with high transmission frequency and enterprise-level data protection standards.

Surgify receives 7 million euros

The Finnish medical technology company Surgify Medical has raised EUR 7 million in a Series A financing round to further roll out its internationally approved Surgify Halo™ technology. The bone cutting technology reliably protects surrounding soft tissue during surgical procedures on the head, neck and spine and is therefore intended to significantly increase patient safety. The round was led by ZEISS Ventures, with participation from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund and existing investors. Surgify intends to use the fresh capital to expand its market presence in Europe and the USA, where the first clinics are already using the technology.

M & A

RetailSonar takes over ladeplan

The Belgian RetailSonar has acquired the Hamburg-based start-up ladeplan, which specializes in location analyses for charging infrastructure. This move strengthens RetailSonar's position as the European market leader for data-based location planning in the e-mobility sector. The integration of ladeplan into the in-house platform ChargePlanner not only expands the customer portfolio by over 50 German companies, including Audi Germany, but also brings additional expertise for the further development of the offering.

SurFunction takes over Surcoatec

SurFunction GmbH, a specialist in laser-based surface modification, has acquired Surcoatec GmbH, thereby establishing a new European provider of functional surface solutions. The combination of SurFunction's DLIP technology for micro- and nanostructuring with Surcoatec's expertise in high-performance coatings creates an integrated service portfolio. The new orientation focuses on applications in medicine, optics, mechanical engineering and mobility. With locations in Saarbrücken, Dresden and Düren and a clear internationalization strategy, the company aims to scale globally.

Partnerships

New partnership between CargoNexx and Cargoboard

CargoNexx and Cargoboard have entered into a technological partnership to jointly offer digital transport solutions, especially for small and medium-sized companies. From the end of May 2025, Cargoboard will be integrated into CargoNexx's platform as a new transport option, giving customers more flexible access to a large logistics network and daily spot market prices, among other things. The collaboration is intended to both expand the choice of carriers and increase efficiency in transport management. A product demo of the new integration will take place on June 3, 2025 at the transport logistic trade fair in Munich.

eleQtron and FMD launch strategic partnership

On its fifth anniversary, the German quantum hardware developer eleQtron has launched a strategic partnership with the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD) to promote the production of scalable quantum chips in Europe. The focus is on the transfer of micro- and nanotechnological manufacturing processes to eleQtron's MAGIC® ion trap technology. Participants include the Fraunhofer Institutes ENAS and ISIT, which are contributing their expertise in MEMS, CMOS processes and packaging.

Personnel

Mehmet Isik becomes Managing Director at Everphone

The Berlin-based device-as-a-service provider Everphone has appointed Mehmet Isik, previously Chief Operations Officer, as Managing Director. Isik joins CEO Jan Dzulko and CFO Veronika von Heise-Rotenburg on the company management team. Since joining the company in October 2017, Isik has played a key role in focusing on business customers and expanding the operational structures in Europe. In his new role, he will remain responsible for operations and will also take on strategic tasks at management level. Isik previously worked at Ernst & Young in the Financial Services Advisory division.

Events

First Entrepreneurship Week at HHL Leipzig brings Europe's startup scene together

From May 20 to 23, 2025, the first Entrepreneurship Week took place at HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management. The event brought together people interested in founding a company, researchers, students and investors from all over Europe and offered a diverse program of workshops, keynotes, panels and a pitch competition. The aim was to promote the exchange between science, start-ups and established companies and to strengthen Leipzig as a start-up location. Formats such as the Accelerate Conference, TEDxHHL and the new Stage Two Academy enabled practical knowledge transfer. In addition, HHL announced the Traction Lab, a new program to support early-stage start-ups.

Further exciting news

NutriSen develops sensor system for precise fertilization

The start-up NutriSen, a spin-off of the Technical University of Munich, has developed a sensor system that enables farmers to make data-supported, field-specific fertilizer recommendations. With the help of biosensor strips, a portable measuring device and a software application, phosphate and nitrate values are recorded directly from plant material and combined with satellite data. The aim is more precise fertilization to reduce nitrogen input and protect the environment. The technology, which emerged from the LiveSen-MAP research project, is currently being tested by around 100 farms in the second test phase and should be ready for the market from 2026. NutriSen was founded in 2023 and supported by programs such as XPLORE and the TUM Venture Lab Sustainability.