Startup News for the Weekend of Week 39, 2026

Funding

Morgan Stanley Invests in Concular

The Berlin-based company Concular is receiving an investment from Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures and will be accepted into its accelerator program. Concular is developing a platform for circular construction that enables building materials and products to be tracked, assessed, and returned to the material cycle for reuse. The company plans to use the capital to expand its digital offerings, establish additional regional logistics structures, and forge new partnerships with public sector clients and major real estate owners. According to the company, Concular was the only German environmental company selected for the current cohort. The specific amount of the investment was not disclosed.

ViferaXS Raises 12 Million Euros

The Tübingen-based biotech company ViferaXS has closed a Series A financing round of up to 12 million euros, including government grants. The round is led by the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovations (SPRIND) and Huma, with additional private investors participating. The capital is primarily intended to fund a Phase II trial of the drug candidate CLLTAXS01 for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In addition, ViferaXS is advancing clinical programs for acute myeloid leukemia and fibrolamellar carcinoma. The company develops peptide-based cancer immunotherapies and also plans to use the funding to expand its team and advance additional preclinical programs.

Metycle Secures $150 Million Credit Line

The Cologne-based recycling company Metycle has secured a $150 million credit line from Rivonia Road Capital. The financing is intended to cover transactions from procurement through payment by the customer and enable Metycle to trade larger volumes of recycled copper and aluminum. The company combines raw materials trading and physical processing with digital traceability systems. At its first SmartSorting Hub in Maasmechelen, Belgium, Metycle also uses AI-powered sorting and spectroscopy to process scrap metal for further processing. With the new financing, the company aims to significantly expand its supply volumes to industrial customers and smelters.

Awards, Calls & Events

Zukunft.Gründen Launches Accelerator for Climate Deep Tech

The Nürtingen-based venture studio Zukunft.Gründen is launching “Orbit,” a six-month accelerator for climate deep tech startups in the seed phase. The first cohort will include 15 companies from Germany and focus on solutions for the energy transition and the building sector. The program focuses on commercialization as well as establishing contacts with companies, investors, and industry partners to drive forward pilot projects and initial customer relationships, among other things. The program, which is free for founders and initially equity-free, begins on November 16, 2026, and concludes in March 2027 with a Deal Day in Berlin. Orbit is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and the European Social Fund Plus. For more information, visit Zukunft Gründen in our database.

Eight European grid operators are seeking startups to address grid bottlenecks

The Grid Innovation Alliance has launched its 2026 Open Call and is seeking solutions to better utilize the capacity of existing power grids. The initiative is backed by the eight European transmission system operators 50Hertz, Amprion, Elia, RTE, Redeia, Swissgrid, TenneT, and Terna. Startups, technology providers, and universities can submit proposals for reducing grid bottlenecks. Selected participants will have the opportunity to test their solutions in a proof of concept with one or more grid operators. Applications are accepted through October 9.

Mannheim Startup Award Honors Five Companies

At the 2026 Mannheim Startup Award (MEXI), five companies were honored as winners in their respective categories. First place went to itsreal.media in the Technology category, integria.AI in Services, MELT-Ing in Impact, RaphRoxs in Textiles, and Docuply as the best scale-up. In total, more than 100 companies applied, 15 of which reached the finals at City Airport Mannheim. The winners in the Technology, Services, Impact, and Scale-up categories each received 10,000 euros. The Textiles winner was also awarded a media prize worth 10,000 euros, along with an additional 2,500 euros in prize money and other benefits.

Ethics Association Launches Award for Theses

For the first time, the Ethics Association of German Business is awarding the “Ethics Prize for Business & Technology” for bachelor’s theses addressing issues in business and technology ethics. Graduates from German-speaking universities are eligible to apply with theses that are no more than two years old and received a grade of at least 1.5. A five-member jury comprising experts from academia and industry will evaluate, among other things, the academic quality, practical relevance, and ethical reflection of the theses. Applications will be accepted from November 1 through December 15, 2026. The best theses will be awarded cash prizes of up to 2,000 euros. In the future, the first-place winner of each year will join the jury the following year.

naion.tech Wins the HERHOOD Crown 2026

The startup naion.tech, founded by Berinike Bräsel, has won the HERHOOD Crown 2026 pitch competition organized by the BRYCK Startup Alliance. The company prevailed over four other finalists at HERHOOD Town in Essen and will receive prize money of 5,000 euros donated by the Initiativkreis Ruhr. naion.tech is developing a coating technology for industrial membranes designed to recover critical raw materials from wastewater streams. A proprietary AI system is designed to accelerate the development of suitable membranes. More than 250 female founders, investors, and representatives from business and politics attended the event.

PARTS SUMMIT Brings the After-Sales Industry to Frankfurt

MARKT-PILOT will host the PARTS SUMMIT for the first time in Frankfurt am Main on October 15, 2026. The one-day conference is aimed at specialists and executives from the spare parts business, pricing, service, and after-sales sectors in the European mechanical engineering industry. Key topics include rising price pressure, changing cost structures, digitalization, and data-driven pricing. Speakers include representatives from CLAAS, VDMA, Siemens Energy, Mitsubishi Electric Europe, and Terex. In addition to presentations and panel discussions, the program includes hands-on sessions and networking opportunities. The event will take place at the PALAIS in Frankfurt, and the conference language is English.

Collaborations & Partnerships

UnternehmerTUM and NUSX Connect Munich and Singapore

UnternehmerTUM and NUSX, the entrepreneurship platform of the National University of Singapore, are launching a partnership for deep-tech startups. To this end, NUSX is opening a branch office at Munich Urban Colab, through which startups from Singapore will gain access to industry partners, technical expertise, and the Munich innovation ecosystem. In return, UnternehmerTUM, together with TUM Venture Labs, plans to establish a presence in Singapore to facilitate access to the Asian market for Munich-based startups. The partnership is complemented by closer collaboration on venture capital activities as well as joint programs for students and founders.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Boysen Group Acquires Majority Stake in Olmatic

The Boysen Group is acquiring a majority stake in the AI-powered energy optimizer Olmatic. Founded in 2016, the company has developed “visions,” an AI platform that automatically controls energy flows in industrial facilities and optimizes, among other things, electricity procurement, load management, battery storage, and on-site generation. With Boysen as its new majority owner, Olmatic aims to expand its business and further establish its technology within the industry. As part of the partnership, the company—which currently has 20 employees—will relocate its headquarters from Stuttgart to the Boysen Innovation Center in Nagold in October. Olmatic is to continue to operate as an independent company within the Boysen Group.

Telix Plans to Acquire Munich-Based Radiopharmaceutical Company ITM

The Australian pharmaceutical company Telix Pharmaceuticals plans to acquire Munich-based ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE in its entirety. A purchase price of $1.65 billion on a debt- and cash-free basis has been agreed upon; depending on regulatory approvals and revenue targets for the therapeutic candidate ITM-11, additional payments of up to $700 million may be made. ITM produces medical radioisotopes and generated revenue of $273 million in 2025. The company also has its own pipeline of radiopharmaceutical cancer therapies. With this merger, Telix aims in particular to strengthen its isotope production and therapeutic development. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2026 and is still subject to approval by Telix shareholders and regulatory approvals.

CVC Takes a Stake in CDN77

Through its investment platform Strategic Opportunities, private equity firm CVC is acquiring a minority stake in the Czech internet infrastructure company CDN77. Founder Zdenek Cendra remains the majority shareholder and CEO of the company, which was founded in 2011. CDN77 operates a global network with more than 230 locations and a capacity of 330 terabits per second, serving video, gaming, software, and media platforms, among others. With CVC on board, the company plans to expand—in addition to its core content delivery business—its infrastructure offerings, particularly in the areas of storage, edge computing, and CPU and GPU capacities for AI applications. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed; the deal is still subject to regulatory approvals.

Main Capital Partners Acquires Majority Stake in qbees

Software investor Main Capital Partners is acquiring a majority stake in the German IT service provider qbees. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Ohlstadt, the company offers managed IT services and software solutions for banks, stock exchanges, fintechs, and other regulated financial institutions. Its offerings include, among other things, the operation of business-critical applications and IT infrastructures, software development, and technology consulting. Together with Main, qbees plans to invest in new products and markets and drive international growth through a buy-and-build strategy. The existing management team led by CEO Michael Spindler will continue to lead the company. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

CirQono Acquires G&F Gertner & Fettback

CirQono, a DPE portfolio company, is acquiring the Potsdam-based demolition and recycling specialist G&F Gertner & Fettback. With this acquisition, the group is expanding its operations in Berlin-Brandenburg as well as its capabilities in demolition, hazardous material remediation, recycling, and waste disposal. G&F is also contributing a recycling center in Glindow, whose waste disposal and logistics capabilities are set to be further developed in the future. Through its core brand, DARE, CirQono aims to increasingly offer a one-stop range of services, from site preparation and construction site logistics to waste disposal. The acquisition is part of a “buy-and-build” strategy designed to enable CirQono to expand into other regions of Germany in the future.

More exciting news from the startup scene

Invertix joins Y Combinator’s Fall Batch

The AI startup Invertix has been accepted into Y Combinator’s Fall Batch 2026 and is currently participating in the program in San Francisco. The company develops AI agents for operators of technical infrastructure that aggregate information from operating systems, technical documents, and maintenance data to support workflows such as fault analysis or the preparation of field service calls. According to the company, Invertix is already collaborating with companies that operate a combined total of more than 50 gigawatts of energy infrastructure. In addition to its current focus on energy, the company plans to expand into data centers and industrial applications in the future. Invertix has also expanded its operations to the United Kingdom, the United States, and Spain. In May, the startup announced a pre-seed funding round of 1.7 million euros.

Wemolo manages 4,000 parking areas across Europe

The Munich-based ParkTech company Wemolo now manages 4,000 parking facilities with approximately 370,000 parking spaces in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, and Italy. According to the company, the firm—founded in 2019—has processed nearly two billion parking transactions digitally to date, with approximately 2.5 million added daily. Wemolo relies on camera-based license plate recognition and AI-powered analysis to manage parking authorizations, payment transactions, and occupancy data without barriers or tickets. Its customers include retailers, real estate companies, municipalities, and hospitals. The company employs more than 250 people and plans to further expand its European location portfolio.

ExoMatter Tests Inverse Design for Material Development

The Munich-based deep-tech startup ExoMatter has completed an initial proof of concept for inverse design in collaboration with an industry client. The approach aims to reverse the traditional materials search process: Instead of testing existing materials for specific properties, requirements—such as performance, cost, or sustainability—are translated into technical specifications, and suitable material candidates are identified based on these. These candidates must then be validated in the laboratory. ExoMatter aims to reduce development times and the experimental effort involved in materials research. Founded in 2022 as a spin-off of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the company is developing a platform for materials decision-making and collaborates with BSH, Infineon, and Airbus, among others.