Startupnews week 51 - 2024

Robin Capital closes fund with € 15 million. Databricks secures USD 10 billion in Series J. Drones check gas pipelines for methane leaks. Arcware achieves €700,000 turnover. Quantexa receives award. Christoph Gröne new member of the nucao advisory board. Maria 01 Startups reaches €1 billion in funding. lemon.markets strengthens management team. sofatutor takes over Kursinsel. Wingcopter tests on Okinawa. Regular insolvencies in Germany rise significantly. 1KOMMA5° secures 150 million euros in pre-IPO round.
Robin Capital closes oversubscribed first fund with €15 million
Robin Capital has successfully closed its first fund, Robin Fund One, with a volume of €15 million. The solo GP-led fund under Robin Haak focuses on pre-seed and seed investments in European B2B SaaS startups, particularly in the DACH region, and supports them with capital, networks and expertise. With 55% of its capital already invested in 28 portfolio companies, including Kombo, Phacets and Xaver, the fund is supported by a network of 70 experienced limited partners and over 100 tech experts. Notable partners include Renaud Visage (Eventbrite) and Jerome Ternynck (SmartRecruiters), who support portfolio companies in areas such as technology, go-to-market and talent acquisition.
Financing rounds
1KOMMA5° secures 150 million euros in pre-IPO round

Freshly announced on LinkedIn: Clean-tech company 1KOMMA5° has raised 150 million euros in a pre-IPO financing round. Less than four years after its foundation, the company has thus set another milestone on its way to the capital markets. CEO and co-founder Philipp Schröder emphasizes that the funds will be used to help millions of households switch to cheaper and cleaner energy.
The focus is on HEARTBEAT AI, an AI-supported virtual power plant solution that is to be expanded across Europe and in Australia. 1KOMMA5° is growing strongly and profitably in a consolidating market while gaining market share. Further insights into the strategy can be found in interviews with Philipp Schröder in Handelsblatt and Bloomberg.
Databricks secures 10 billion US dollars in Series-J
Databricks, a leading company in the field of data and AI, has raised 10 billion US dollars in a Series J financing round and is now valued at 62 billion US dollars. The round was led by Thrive Capital, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, DST Global and other investors. The funds will be used for the development of new AI products, acquisitions, international expansion and employee liquidity. Databricks expects to achieve sales of over 3 billion US dollars this quarter and generate positive free cash flow for the first time.
Mindgard secures $8 million in funding to strengthen AI security

London-based AI security company Mindgard has closed $8 million in funding led by .406 Ventures and other investors including Atlantic Bridge, Willowtree Investments, IQ Capital and Lakestar. The capital will be used to accelerate research and development and expand into North America with a new location in Boston. With its innovative Dynamic Application Security Testing for AI (DAST-AI) solution, Mindgard offers a unique tool for detecting and eliminating AI-specific security risks during runtime.
Cooperation, M & A
Pilot project: Drones check gas pipelines for methane leaks

Schleswig-Holstein Netz and Beagle Systems successfully completed a methane leak detection pilot project in November 2024. A specially equipped long-range drone flew over a 27-kilometer-long high-pressure gas pipeline near Eckernförde and reliably detected methane leaks with a highly sensitive laser sensor (Beagle T1) in accordance with the requirements of the EU Methane Regulation. Compared to conventional methods such as gas detectors or helicopter operations, drone technology offers advantages in terms of efficiency, environmental friendliness and scalability. SH Netz plans to use this technology to monitor its gas network across the board from mid-2025.
sofatutor takes over Kursinsel

The Berlin-based online learning platform sofatutor GmbH acquires the e-learning course platform Kursinsel in order to further expand its position in the digital education market for children. Kursinsel, known for creative and interactive content such as painting, dancing and yoga, ideally complements sofatutor's extensive offering. Stephan Bayer, founder and CEO of sofatutor, emphasizes that this acquisition supports the company's mission to make education flexible and accessible.
More news from the world of start-ups
Successful launch: Arcware achieves €700,000 turnover with pixel streaming platform

The Munich-based startup Arcware has already generated €700,000 in revenue since the market launch of its pixel streaming platform "Arcware Cloud" in March 2024. The platform enables companies such as Swarovski and 3D agencies to stream sophisticated Unreal Engine applications for 3D visualizations, product configurators or training courses in high quality to any end device. With over 750,000 users and a growing international customer base, Arcware plans to raise Series A funding to drive expansion in Europe and North America.
Maria 01 startups reach €1 billion in funding

The startups of the Nordic startup hub Maria 01 have raised over €1 billion in funding since 2016 and secure around 40% of all early-stage investments in Finland each year. Despite economic challenges, the hub has seen a record number of new member applications, especially from the health tech, gaming and AI sectors. CEO Sarita Runeberg emphasizes the strength of the ecosystem and the potential for further international growth. Significant funding rounds in 2024, such as €13 million for DataCrunch (AI computing), demonstrate the innovative power of the community. Finland's unique "give-back" mentality fosters collaboration between experienced founders and new talent and drives the startup scene forward even in difficult times.
Quantexa recognized as industry leader in transaction monitoring against money laundering
AI and analytics software company Quantexa has been recognized as an industry leader for its anti-money laundering (AML) solutions in Chartis' RiskTech Quadrant 2024. Highlighted were Quantexa's best-in-class capabilities in data integration, modeling and workflow that help financial institutions comply with regulatory requirements and combat financial crime. Through the use of AI and generative technologies such as the Q Assist Suite, Quantexa provides innovative entity resolution and proactive risk detection tools, underscoring its leadership in decision intelligence.
Wingcopter, ITOCHU and ANA test drone transportation of research blood in Okinawa

Wingcopter, ITOCHU and ANA Holdings have tested drone transportation of research blood in Okinawa Prefecture to evaluate the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of this technology. A Wingcopter drone transported research blood over a distance of 53 km in just 32 minutes, complying with strict temperature control and quality assurance regulations. The project aims to enable a faster and more flexible supply of blood products, particularly in remote regions, thus supplementing traditional transportation methods. ITOCHU plans to integrate drones into existing supply systems and Wingcopter is working towards type certification for commercial flights in Japan.
Personnel
Christoph Gröne contributes his expertise to the nucao advisory board

The Leipzig-based chocolate start-up nucao welcomes Christoph Gröne as a new member of its advisory board. The former Managing Director at fritz-kola and expert in brand development and growth brings 18 years of experience in the FMCG industry to the table. Gröne will advise nucao in particular in the areas of sales, marketing and corporate development in order to further increase awareness of the sustainable chocolate brand. With his track record, such as the doubling of sales at fritz-kola, he will help to establish nucao as the leading purpose brand in the confectionery industry.
lemon.markets strengthens management team

Berlin-based FinTech lemon.markets is expanding its management team to prepare for its planned growth in 2025. As VP Governance Operations, Alexander Franz will take over the expansion of scalable processes, while Laura Cüppers will also be responsible for product management as VP Brokerage. New on board are Philipp Schäfer (Head of Commercial) and Niko Schröer (Head of Partnerships), who will drive forward strategic partnerships and growth. CEO Max Linden emphasizes that the team is ideally positioned to meet the growing demand for digital investment solutions.
Knowledge
Regular insolvencies in Germany rise significantly

According to Destatis, the number of regular insolvencies applied for in Germany rose by 12.6% in November 2024 compared to the same month in the previous year, with growth rates since June 2023 mostly in double digits. From January to September 2024, the local courts recorded 22.2% more corporate insolvencies than in the same period in 2023, with a total of 16,222 cases. Creditors' claims amounted to 45.6 billion euros, more than twice as much as in the previous year. The sectors most affected were transport and storage, construction and temporary employment agencies. Consumer insolvencies also rose in the same period by 6.8% to 53,409 cases.

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