Startupnews KW 6-25

Green Mobility Holding acquires LeaseMyBike - ]init[ AG acquires HBSN Group - Podero secures EUR 5.5 million in seed funding - Vereinsticket makes it easier for clubs to get started with online ticketing - HANDELSKRAFT Conference 2025 - SevenAccelerator makes seven-figure investment in Wholey - assemblean secures EUR 1.8 million in seed funding - Pilzling secures Seed II funding - Economy remains in a downturn - cleversoft acquires Fineksus - TrueFoundry secures USD 19 million

SevenAccelerator makes seven-figure investment in Wholey

Wholey, the Berlin-based breakfast brand, receives support from SevenAccelerator, which invests a low single-digit million amount in Green Grizzly GmbH. Wholey offers plant-based, organic and sugar-reduced breakfast products and is now available at major retailers. In addition to SevenAccelerator, Jürgen Klopp and Helene Fischer, who also appears as an advertising ambassador, also invested. A TV commercial, which will be broadcast on ProSiebenSat.1 from today, is intended to establish the brand in the mass market and inspire people to eat a healthier breakfast.

Venture capital

Podero secures 5.5 million euros in seed funding

The Viennese cleantech start-up Podero has raised 5.5 million euros in an oversubscribed seed financing round. The round was led by Planet A Ventures, with participation from Systemiq Capital, Pale Blue Dot and Push Ventures. Podero offers a software solution for energy suppliers that can reduce electricity costs by up to 25% by intelligently managing flexible electricity consumers such as heat pumps, electric vehicles and batteries and trading their aggregated energy on electricity markets. The investment is intended to support the further development of the platform and expansion into new markets.

assemblean secures 1.8 million euros in seed financing

assemblean has successfully closed a seed round of 1.8 million euros! Led by b2venture, Archimedes New Ventures and Teuto Seed Club, the company receives strong support to further expand its innovative approach of "Production as a Service". The team thanks all supporters via Linkedin and sees it as just the beginning of their journey.

Pilzling secures Seed II funding for sustainable umami products

Pilzling has successfully closed its Seed II funding round! With the support of existing investors capacura and NRW.BANK as well as new partners such as Athletic Ventures, Tabea Kemme and Josephine Henning, the company continues to grow. The fresh capital will flow into the further development of the CEA software, Mycelium technology and new sustainable Umami products.

TrueFoundry secures USD 19 million

The AI infrastructure startup TrueFoundry has received USD 19 million in a Series A financing round, led by Intel Capital and with the participation of existing investors such as Peak XV and Eniac Ventures. New investors, including Jump Capital and leading industry experts, are also backing the company. TrueFoundry is experiencing strong growth and aims to automate AI deployment with autonomous agents. The platform enables organizations to seamlessly integrate and manage AI applications across cloud and on-premises environments. Customers include NVIDIA and Siemens Healthineers, who can optimize their AI infrastructure and use it more efficiently with TrueFoundry.

M & A

cleversoft acquires Fineksus

cleversoft group has successfully completed the acquisition of Fineksus, a leading provider of financial messaging and anti-money laundering solutions in Turkey and the Middle East. Through the integration, cleversoft expands its RegTech portfolio with real-time transaction monitoring and fraud prevention. Fineksus will continue to operate under its own brand, while the management team will remain on board. The companies plan to seamlessly integrate their AML services to better support financial institutions in Western Europe. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Green Mobility Holding acquires LeaseMyBike

Green Mobility Holding (GMH) acquires Pinoma Holding, the parent company of Austrian market leader LeaseMyBike, consolidating its position in (e-)bike leasing. LeaseMyBike was founded in 2021 and has quickly established itself as a pioneer in Austria. With this acquisition, GMH is pursuing its strategy of internationalization and aims to grow further in the DACH region. The partnership is supported by Rivean Capital and is intended to create synergies in order to secure market leadership. Gerhard Mayrhofer will remain as a minority shareholder and will continue to drive the expansion in Austria.

]init[ AG acquires HBSN group

init[ AG has fully acquired the HBSN group, a leading provider of digital solutions in the healthcare sector. With this acquisition, ]init[ AG expands its portfolio for end-to-end digitization and strengthens its market position in both the public sector and the healthcare sector. The combination of the two companies creates a new market leader with over 1,500 employees and expands the customer base in the healthcare sector by around 380 institutions. The acquisition is backed by Rivean Capital and EMERAM Capital Partners and is expected to further drive the digital transformation in Germany.

What else has happened

German foreign trade and industrial production: economy remains in a downturn

According to the latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office, the German economy is still experiencing a significant downturn. Although exports rose by 2.9% in December 2024 compared to the previous month, they fell by 1.0% for the year as a whole. Imports even fell by 2.8% compared to 2023. Exports to the USA (-3.5%) and the UK (-6.6%) were particularly affected. Despite a trade surplus of 241.2 billion euros, the trend shows that the German export economy is losing momentum.

Industrial production was hit even harder, slumping by 2.4% in December compared to the previous month and thus reaching its lowest level since May 2020. The decline for 2024 as a whole was 4.5%. The slump was particularly drastic in the automotive industry (-7.2%) and mechanical engineering (-8.1%). The construction industry (-3.2%) and energy production (-3.2%) also recorded significant declines. These figures make it clear that the German economy is still in a deep phase of weakness.

European startup associations issue joint declaration

The "Political Declaration for the AI Action Summit", supported by players such as France Digitale and the German Startups Association, calls for Europe to play a stronger role in global AI development in order to compete with the USA and China. It focuses on four core areas: scaling innovative companies through investment and harmonized regulations, promoting the use of AI in business and administration, expanding independent AI infrastructures and fair competitive conditions for European startups. The aim is to create an innovation-friendly environment that attracts talent, enables growth and establishes Europe as a leading AI location.

Vereinsticket makes it easier for clubs to get started with online ticketing

Since January 2025, the Vereinsticket platform has been offering hundreds of thousands of clubs in Germany free access to digital ticket sales. This enables clubs to organize events professionally and tap into new sources of income, regardless of their financial means. The platform is already being used for ticket sales, course bookings and fundraising campaigns. With no fixed costs or contractual obligations, the service lowers financial barriers and saves time for volunteers. CEO Gregor Demmer emphasizes the importance of digitalization for associations, which organize over 90% of all municipal events.

events

HANDELSKRAFT Conference 2025 celebrates its tenth anniversary

The tenth HANDELSKRAFT Conference will take place in Leipzig on March 12 and 13, 2025. Under the motto "High Five", e-commerce experts will discuss digital strategies and current trends. Keynote speakers include musician Smudo and digital expert Sascha Lobo. In addition to specialist presentations, the event offers practical workshops and the presentation of the HANDELSKRAFT Digital Business Award. The conference focuses on direct exchange without sales pitches and is supported by technology partners such as Magnolia, Commercetools and Intershop.