Startup news for the weekend week 42/2025

Investments

$36 million Series A for Arbio

The Berlin-based startup Arbio, which specializes in AI-supported management of vacation accommodation, has raised 36 million US dollars in a Series A financing round, led by Eurazeo. Other investors include OpenOcean, Atlantic Labs and prominent angels such as Philipp Freise, Johannes Reck and Din Bisevac. Arbio is developing an AI-native platform that automates all aspects of rental, from distribution, accounting and guest communication to dynamic pricing. With over 1,000 units under management in DACH, 10x revenue growth in two years and more than 30 strategic acquisitions, Arbio aims to drive its expansion into other European markets. The goal is to unburden vacation rental owners, enable personalized guest experiences and transform the vacation rental industry with AI as a core technology.

amberra invests in LillianCare

amberra invests in Mannheim-based health tech startup LillianCare, which combines modern GP practices with digital tools to secure medical care in rural regions. Founded in 2023, the company is responding to the growing shortage of doctors. According to a study by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, there will be a shortage of around 11,000 GPs by 2035. LillianCare combines innovative practice concepts with AI-supported applications and enables high-quality care close to home. The financing round is led by amberra and supported by BONVENTURE and Creas, with existing investors such as Nina Capital, Calm/Storm and Atlantis Ventures also participating. Together with founders Linus Drop and Daniel Hefel, amberra aims to develop new offerings that combine medical care and cooperative values more closely.

Awards & Events

Cologne launches first Scaleup Week

From November 3 to 7, 2025, the first Scaleup Week will take place in Cologne, a week of events especially for growth companies in NRW. Over 20 events will bring together scaleups, investors and innovation players at various locations, including the RheinEnergieSTADION. The focus is on topics such as financing, talent acquisition, artificial intelligence and internationalization. Cologne currently has around 60 scaleups. Between 2024 and 2025, €502 million in venture capital flowed into growth companies in Cologne, particularly in the fields of energy, business software, healthcare, marketing, recruitment and transportation. The most recent financing rounds include 1NCE (USD 60 million), aedifion (EUR 17 million) and Xaver (EUR 5 million).

Inspiration Days 2025 brings Germany's largest education festival to Berlin

From November 11 to 13, 2025, Inspiration Days, Germany's largest education festival, will once again take place - free of charge, digitally and, for the first time, live in Berlin. Organized by teech and supported by Amazon Future Engineer and other partners, the event connects thousands of students, teachers and companies throughout the DACH region. The program includes topics such as career guidance, artificial intelligence, sustainability and mental health. The live event in Berlin's KiezLab will be broadcast via hybrid TV to involve schools outside of Berlin. There will also be a networking event with representatives from education, business and science to further promote future topics and digital education.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Main Capital Partners acquires TrustArc

Main Capital Partners has announced the acquisition of TrustArc, a US-based specialist in data protection and AI risk management software. TrustArc helps organizations around the world meet data privacy requirements, simplify compliance processes and adapt to dynamic regulatory requirements. Founded in 1997, the company serves over 1,200 customers in more than 25 countries, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Salesforce and Samsung, and is particularly active in highly regulated industries. Together with Main Capital Partners, TrustArc will expand its product portfolio, strengthen its market position in North America and expand its international presence in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The aim is to create a global platform for data protection, governance and AI-native solutions.

Cropster takes over Firescope

The Austrian coffee tech company Cropster has acquired the South Korean software provider Firescope, completing the first acquisition of a coffee tech company in Asia outside the franchise sector. Firescope develops data-based roasting software for independent coffee roasters and will initially remain a standalone product before being integrated into the Cropster portfolio over the next twelve months. The acquisition strengthens Cropster's presence in Asia and drives the global expansion of data-driven solutions for the coffee industry.

Smart Reporting from Munich acquires Fluency for Imaging (USA)

Smart Reporting, a leading provider of AI-supported diagnostic software, is acquiring the US company Fluency for Imaging (FFI), a market leader in speech recognition and radiology workflow management. Both companies will combine their expertise under the new name Jacobian™ to accelerate the AI-powered transformation of diagnostic imaging worldwide. Jacobian™ combines clinical expertise, modern AI technologies and established work processes to create an integrated solution for radiologists. The new platform is intended to standardize diagnostic processes, increase quality and efficiency and anchor the use of AI in radiology more broadly. The company, headquartered in Munich and Pittsburgh, serves customers in over 25 countries and processes more than 80 million reports annually. The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of 2025; the joint appearance of Jacobian™ is planned for RSNA 2025 in Chicago.

Collaborations & partnerships

Irish trade delegation led by Minister Niamh Smyth visits southern Germany

An Enterprise Ireland trade delegation led by Niamh Smyth, Ireland's Minister for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation, will visit Southern Germany from October 20-22. The aim is to deepen economic relations between Ireland and Germany and to open up new opportunities for Irish companies in key sectors such as automotive, aerospace, construction and agricultural technology. Stops include visits to Joris Ide (Kingspan Group) in Ansbach, TireCheck in Herbrechtingen, the Ariane Group in Taufkirchen, as well as political and economic meetings in Munich, including a trade dinner with around 100 representatives from business and politics. The delegation includes leading Irish companies such as Aerogen, Combilift, EASYFIX, H&MV Engineering, Portwest, Rubicon Archeology Group and usheru. Bilateral trade between Ireland and Germany now exceeds €60 billion, with Irish companies supporting more than 40,000 jobs in this country.

iwoca and Tide bring successful fintech partnership to Germany

Fintech iwoca, the leading bank-independent SME financier, and the business management platform Tide are expanding their successful partnership from the UK to the German market. In future, small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany will be able to apply for flexible corporate loans from iwoca via the Tide platform, fully digitally and in real time, with credit lines of up to 500,000 euros. The embedded lending model, which has already provided thousands of SMEs in the UK with quick access to financing, is now also set to support growth and liquidity for companies in Germany more efficiently.

Personnel

L1VE expands management team with David Morgenbesser and Dr. Simon Walter

The immersive live experience platform L1VE is strengthening its management team with two experienced industry experts: David Morgenbesser is taking over the position of Chief Commercial Officer and Dr. Simon Walter will become Chief Strategy Officer. The company, which uses patented technology to broadcast live experiences such as sporting events and concerts in real time and fully immersive via VR headsets, is thus continuing its international growth trajectory. Morgenbesser brings many years of experience from senior positions at Red Bull Media House, ServusTV and Sky Deutschland, while Walter contributes his strategic expertise from positions at Project A, Tomorrow and TBWA. Together they will further develop L1VE's global expansion and brand strategy.

FTAPI appoints Max Beyer as new CFO

FTAPI, provider of secure data exchange and automation, is strengthening its management team with Max Beyer as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Beyer has more than eleven years of experience in strategy, transformation and building high-growth companies, including as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group and as co-founder and CFO of the mobility start-up FINN. At FTAPI, he will lead the finance department, build scalable structures and actively shape the next growth phase in close cooperation with management and investors. The aim is to further expand FTAPI as the leading European platform for secure data exchange with a focus on compliance and digital sovereignty.

Uwe Horstmann becomes CEO of STARK

The German defense company STARK has appointed Uwe Horstmann as its new Chief Executive Officer. Horstmann, co-founder of venture capital investor Project A and experienced technology entrepreneur, takes over the management of the company in a phase of growth and internationalization. STARK develops AI-powered unmanned systems for land, air and sea operations, working with international partners and investors such as Sequoia Capital, Project A, In-Q-Tel and the NATO Innovation Fund. The company is currently expanding its production capacities, building new sites and plans to launch a fully certified European loitering munition by 2027.

More exciting news from the ecosystem

MediaTech Hub Accelerator launches new round with focus on bootstrapping and investment readiness

The MediaTech Hub Accelerator is launching a new program round and expanding its offering to include the Bootstrap Seedstrap program, which supports founders who want to grow independently of venture capital. In addition to the established Investment Readiness Program, which helps startups prepare for financing rounds, the new format is aimed specifically at founders who want to grow independently, sustainably and profitably. Both nine-month programs are free of charge and offer individual coaching, network access and practical growth strategies. Start-ups from Brandenburg can participate free of charge; the application deadline is October 31 and the program starts on December 1. https://mth-potsdam.de/accelerator/#bootstrap-seedstrap

fonio.ai reaches 200,000 euros monthly turnover after one year

Just twelve months after it was founded, the Viennese AI start-up fonio.ai has achieved a monthly turnover of 200,000 euros and remains profitable. The company has 2,500 customers, mostly in Germany, and expects to double its turnover to EUR 400,000 by the end of the year. fonio.ai already automates over 800,000 calls per month, particularly in industries with high communication volumes such as real estate, automotive, medicine and e-commerce. With its specially developed, GDPR-compliant orchestration layer, the company controls AI systems in real time and enables smooth, natural-sounding conversations. Following the acquisition of Linz-based competitor fluently, fonio.ai is now preparing to expand into other European markets, including France, Italy and Spain, and plans to further develop its platform into an omnichannel solution for automated customer communication.