Startupnews KW 4 - 2024

Alliance for transformation. Mars and Einride launch joint electric truck project. RHI Magnesita and Metalshub enter into strategic partnership. Dr. Manfred Janssen remains Managing Director of KölnBusiness until 2029. LG Therma V R290 with higher subsidy. Main Capital Partners acquires majority stake in buchner. The HHL Report 2024 offers exciting insights.

Alliance for transformation

At the fourth meeting of the Alliance for Transformation at the Federal Chancellery, Chancellor Scholz spoke with representatives from politics, business, science and civil society about ways to achieve socio-ecological change in Germany. The dialogue format aims to create a foundation for climate neutrality, digitalization and innovation. This time, the focus was on the circular economy, with the Federal Chancellor discussing innovations and approaches to waste prevention and energy recovery. Leopold Spenner, CEO of alcemy, presented technologies for the decarbonization of concrete production and emphasized the need for resource-saving and CO2-reduced cements. Spenner underlined the importance of predictive quality control for their mission and emphasized the discussion with the Federal Chancellor and top representatives from politics and business.

Mars and Einride launch joint electric truck project

At the International Green Week in Berlin, Mars announced that it is working with Swedish freight technology company Einride to deploy 300 electric trucks across Europe by 2030 in order to reduce CO2 emissions in its logistics operations by around 10% per year. The project began in Germany in January 2024 and will be expanded to other routes in Germany, the UK and the Netherlands this year. In addition to electrification, the company is also focusing on autonomous vehicles, which will be in use from 2025. This step is part of Mars' commitment to achieving net-zero emissions across the entire value chain by 2050. By investing USD 1 billion over the next three years, Mars aims to reduce emissions by half by 2030. The cooperation with Einride in Germany began in January 2024 and aims to electrify further routes to promote more sustainable road freight transport.

HHL report: Global successes and diversity of start-up activities

In its "Entrepreneurship Report 2024", HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management examined the global start-up activities of its members. The startups that emerged from HHL span 4 continents, 11 countries and 40 cities. Leipzig remains a preferred location for over 20% of the founders surveyed. The survey shows that 22% of the founders surveyed choose Leipzig as their startup location, followed by Berlin, Munich and Hamburg. The report highlights that more than a fifth of founders with a connection to HHL are serial founders. The study is based on a survey of 221 people, including students, alumni and employees of HHL. The"Entrepreneurship Report 2024" is available for free download and provides insights into entrepreneurial experiences as well as statistics on financing rounds, revenues and company sizes of HHL-influenced startups. In addition, HHL has been offering the Master in Entrepreneurship since September 2022 to strengthen education in the field of entrepreneurship and management and to promote entrepreneurial growth in the region.

Subsidy campaign: thermondo customers receive a higher subsidy with LG Therma V R290 and save on operating costs

LG Electronics has launched a new propane heat pump, the LG Therma V R290, in collaboration with the German heat pump installer thermondo. This heat pump is designed to drive the heat transition in detached and semi-detached houses. With this device, thermondo customers receive a five percent increase in subsidies and heat their old buildings four times more efficiently than with gas heating. The heat pump uses the natural refrigerant propane, making it more environmentally friendly, and achieves greater efficiency, allowing homeowners to save on both purchase and running costs. The launch of this propane heat pump comes against a backdrop of regulatory changes at EU level restricting the use of synthetic refrigerants.

RHI Magnesita and Metalshub enter into strategic partnership

RHI Magnesita enters into a long-term partnership with Metalshub to increase the efficiency of raw material sourcing through digital transformation. With 47 production sites worldwide, RHI Magnesita has set digitalization as a strategic goal and selects Metalshub's cloud-based solution as the sole sourcing solution for all raw material purchases. The collaboration aims to improve internal and external procurement processes and focus on sustainability and resilience. Metalshub proudly supports RHI Magnesita on its digitalization journey by providing a platform designed to tackle complex challenges, reduce operational inefficiencies and promote sustainable business practices.

Dr. Manfred Janssen remains Managing Director of KölnBusiness until 2029

The shareholders' meeting of KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderung has decided to extend the contract of founding Managing Director Dr. Manfred Janssen for a further five years. In close cooperation with the new part-time Managing Director Andree Haack, Alderman for Urban Development, Economy, Digital and Regional Affairs, the management team is to strengthen Cologne's business friendliness and innovative strength. This decision marks a step in the organizational development of KölnBusiness, which began in 2023 with the appointment of authorized signatories for a broader operational capacity to act.

Main Capital Partners acquires majority stake in software provider buchner for therapists

Main Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in buchner, a software provider for general practitioners in Germany. The management team of buchner, led by founder Ralf Buchner, retains a significant minority stake and will work closely with Main to further expand the software business. The company, founded in 1991, offers software solutions for the digitalization of practice management processes for various medical professionals. The partnership aims to increase efficiency, improve customer focus and expand the product and service portfolio through a buy-and-build strategy. Main Capital Partners sees buchner as a well-positioned partner to benefit from the ongoing trend of digitalization in the healthcare sector.

WERK1 opens new startup hub in the Stadtsparkasse building in Munich

WERK1 is continuing its expansion and opening the new WERK1 Startup Hub in the Stadtsparkasse München building on Friedenstrasse. With over 3,300 square meters on five floors, it offers space for Munich's digital and tech startups. The new space complements WERK1.4, which opened in summer 2023 and already houses coworking spaces, offices, event and meeting rooms as well as the WERK1 Café and a coliving concept. The Stadtsparkasse buildings will thus become the new home for start-ups, which can rent low-cost offices here. In addition to the premises, WERK1 also offers support in the form of coaching, mentoring and regular events, funded by the Bavarian State Ministry.