Startup News for the Weekend of Weeks 25/26

Exit & Funding

Oyster Bay Celebrates Exit from FoodTech Startup Nukoko

Hamburg-based investor Oyster Bay Venture Capital has sold its stake in the British food tech company Nukoko as part of its acquisition by the Döhler Group. Nukoko developed a cocoa-free chocolate alternative made from field beans, addressing challenges such as rising cocoa prices, climate risks, and fragile supply chains. The acquisition is seen as an important step toward the industrial scaling of sustainable food innovations. For Oyster Bay, the exit also marks the first successful divestment from its second fund, which focuses on food and agritech companies. The investor sees this as confirmation of its strategy to invest in technologies that make the global food system more resilient and sustainable.

Cortea Secures 12 Million Euros for AI in Auditing

The Berlin-based AuditTech startup Cortea has raised 12 million euros in a funding round. The round was led by Dawn Capital, with additional participation from Cherry Ventures, Mosaic Ventures, and several industry experts. The company plans to use the fresh capital to further develop its AI-powered audit assistants and drive expansion in the UK, Germany, and the U.S. The so-called “Audit Quality Agents” assist auditors in analyzing audit reports, financial statements, and working papers to identify inconsistencies, missing information, and potential compliance risks at an early stage. According to the company, the technology has already been used on more than 4,000 audit reports and is expected to help improve both audit quality and efficiency.

Multi-million investment for energiedigital

The Austrian EnergyTech company energiedigital has received a multi-million investment from the Abu Dhabi JS Group. With this fresh capital, the company plans to further expand its platform for energy communities and drive its international expansion. In addition to Austria, the company will focus in particular on markets such as the United Kingdom, France, and Spain. At the same time, energiedigital is investing in the further development of its technology for the automated control of electricity consumers to make energy flows more efficient and support the integration of renewable energy. According to the company, it already serves more than 5,000 energy communities.

Astracite Secures 1.13 Million Euros for Next-Generation Battery Materials

The Belgian ClimateTech startup Astracite has completed an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round, raising a total of 750,000 euros from investors as well as an additional 380,000 euros in grants from the Flemish innovation agency VLAIO. The company is developing novel graphite-silicon anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, which are expected to enable significantly higher storage capacity than conventional graphite anodes. At the same time, Astracite is committed to CO₂-negative production and aims to reduce Europe’s dependence on Asian supply chains in the battery sector.

Awards & Events

Paris Takes Center Stage for Startups: Eurosatory and VivaTech

This week, many German startups are turning their attention to Paris. Eurosatory (June 15–19) is a particular highlight. The world’s leading trade fair for defense, security, and crisis management brings together armed forces, industrial companies, investors, and technology startups from around the globe. Against the backdrop of rising defense budgets and growing demand for European security and defense tech solutions, the event offers numerous German startups the opportunity to secure international partners and showcase their technologies to a global audience of industry professionals.

Running concurrently is VivaTech (June 17–20), Europe’s largest startup and technology trade show. Germany is participating this year as the official partner country and will be showcasing itself alongside approximately 200 startups, research institutions, and companies under the “Startup Germany” brand. The focus will be on topics such as artificial intelligence, digital sovereignty, and Franco-German cooperation in the field of innovation. This makes Paris the most important meeting place for the German startup ecosystem in two ways this week.

CALL MEXI 2026 Opens Up to Startups Outside Mannheim for the First Time

The Mannheim Startup Award (MEXI) is kicking off its next round and introducing several new features in 2026. With total prize money exceeding 50,000 euros, the competition ranks among the most highly endowed startup awards in the German-speaking world. For the first time, the “Textile” category is open not only to companies from Mannheim but also to startups from all over Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Another new addition is the “Scale Up” category, which honors high-growth companies that have already successfully completed their founding phase. The application deadline is July 31, 2026, and the awards ceremony will take place on September 17 in Mannheim. Awards will be presented in the categories of Technology, Services, Impact, Scale-Up, and Textile. To apply or for more information, visit: next-mannheim.de/mexi-bewerbung

“NaturMomente” Call for Proposals—One Million Euros for Sustainable Tourism Projects in Rural Areas

Airbnb and the German Tourism Association (DTV) have launched the “NaturMomente” project competition to support innovative tourism projects in rural regions of Germany with a total of one million euros. The competition seeks projects that combine sustainability, nature experiences, and regional value creation while strengthening local tourism development. Eligible applicants include municipalities, tourism organizations, companies, associations, and private individuals; applications are due by September 9, 2026. Depending on the scope of the project, grants ranging from 25,000 to 100,000 euros will be awarded. The initiative is under the patronage of Federal Minister of Agriculture Alois Rainer and aims to specifically strengthen the potential of rural tourism. For further details, visit: airbnb.de/naturmomente

Application Period for MUT – THE NRW STARTUP AWARD 2026 Has Begun

NRW.BANK has opened the application period for the startup competition MUT – THE NRW STARTUP AWARD 2026. Entrepreneurs from North Rhine-Westphalia who founded a company, took over a business, or began freelance work between 2021 and 2024 can apply until August 2, 2026. For the first time, the prize—worth a total of 60,000 euros—will be awarded in three categories: “Sustainability & Regional,” “Social Impact & Services,” and “Innovation & Future.” The award ceremony will take place on November 23, 2026, in Düsseldorf.

ODDO BHF Honors Four Startups at the 2026 Young Entrepreneurs Awards

At the ODDO BHF Young Entrepreneurs Awards 2026 in Frankfurt, four innovative startups were honored with prize money totaling 50,000 euros. The Jury’s Award, worth 20,000 euros, went to the Munich-based deep-tech startup Linque, which develops photonic chips for more powerful and energy-efficient AI and cloud infrastructures. The Purpose and Impact Award went to the Cologne-based medtech company Vivalyx for its bloodless technology for preserving donor organs. The Innovation and Disruption Award was presented to the Hamburg-based biotech startup VitaSeq, which focuses on preventive diagnostics through the analysis of early biological disease markers. The People’s Choice Award, voted on by the audience, was won by the Göttingen-based startup Histomography, which, for the first time, makes biological tissue samples visible in 3D in an automated and non-destructive manner. A total of around 100 startups from all over Germany had applied for the competition.

Sykell Receives the 2026 Reusable Innovation Award

The Berlin-based circular economy company Sykell was awarded the 2026 Reusable Innovation Award by the Stiftung Initiative Mehrweg and Deutsche Umwelthilfe. The award recognized the Circular ERP pool management platform, which digitally manages reusable systems and connects companies across the entire value chain. The cloud-based solution supports inventory, deposit, and process management as well as data-driven analytics and is already in use in several European markets. With this award, the organizers recognize Sykell’s contribution to scaling efficient and transparent reusable systems and promoting the circular economy.

Company News

Debtist Brings on Former 1KOMMA5° Manager for Its Next Growth Phase

The Frankfurt-based fintech company Debtist is strengthening its leadership team with Jan Dahnke as its new Vice President of Sales. The former Managing Director of 1KOMMA5° is tasked with driving the scaling of the sales team and the international expansion of the digital receivables management provider. This appointment comes shortly after Scandinavian investor Norvestor acquired a majority stake in the company to support its growth in Europe. With his experience in building and developing high-growth sales organizations, Dahnke is expected to help establish the AI-based debt collection platform in additional markets and sustainably accelerate Debtist’s growth.

AirHub Strengthens Sales Team with Aviation Expert Jon Craven

The Dutch drone technology company AirHub has appointed Jon Craven as its new Head of Sales. The former military air traffic controller and experienced software sales expert is tasked with driving the company’s growth in Europe and the Middle East. AirHub develops software for the use of drones by government agencies, security organizations, and operators of critical infrastructure. Drawing on his experience in military aviation and international SaaS sales, Craven will focus in particular on expanding customer relationships in the areas of public safety, national security, and critical infrastructure. This appointment follows the company’s recently completed Series A funding round of 4.4 million euros and is part of its ongoing international expansion.

More Exciting News

Amsterdam Gets a New AI Hub for Europe’s Tech Scene

Amsterdam is set to host The Stack, a new center for artificial intelligence designed to bring together startups, investors, and industry partners under one roof. Initially, 4,500 square meters of office space have been leased in The Stack building for the project, with the opening scheduled for September 2026. The platform, initiated by Dutch technology entrepreneurs in collaboration with the organization Techleap, is financed with more than 10 million euros in private capital and supported by leading companies as well as the City of Amsterdam. In the long term, the AI hub is expected to grow to 12,000 square meters and accommodate more than 200 founders. The goal is to strengthen the European AI innovation landscape, connect talent, and establish Amsterdam as a key hub for the development of AI technologies.

Qonto Integrates Business Accounts Directly into AI Assistants

The fintech company Qonto has introduced “Qonto MCP,” a new interface that connects business accounts directly to AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, and other MCP-compatible applications. Users can use it to perform financial tasks—such as checking account balances, managing invoices, creating payment links, or controlling team access—directly via natural language. Authentication is handled through the user’s personal Qonto account, and existing role and permission structures remain intact. With this move, Qonto aims to further integrate financial management into companies’ AI-powered work environments and simplify administrative processes even more.