Startup news for the weekend week 46/25

Jürgen Klopp joins the advisory board of L1VE

L1VE, a platform for immersive live experiences, has gained Jürgen Klopp as a new member of its advisory board. The former top coach will provide the company with strategic support in the areas of sport, brand development and international expansion. L1VE develops virtual and mixed reality solutions that bring live sport, music and entertainment to life in 360° and will be available worldwide from 2026. Klopp emphasizes the potential of the technology to take live events to a new level.

Investments

Delvitech secures 40 million US dollars to expand its AI-based inspection platform.

The Swiss tech startup Delvitech has closed a Series B financing round of 40 million US dollars. The round was led by EGS Beteiligungen AG together with Creadd Ventures and other European investors. The capital is intended to accelerate the expansion of the company's scalable, AI-native platform, which is used in various industries for optical inspections. According to CEO Roberto Gatti, Delvitech's proprietary technology enables the transformation from defect detection to defect prevention. With a planned growth of 400% by the end of 2025 and the construction of a new production facility in India in 2026, Delvitech aims to further expand its international market leadership.

YQuantum receives CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick

Swiss startup YQuantum has received CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick to develop miniaturized hardware components for the next generation of quantum computers. The company bridges the gap between lab prototypes and market-ready systems, contributing to the commercialization of practical quantum computers. YQuantum develops high-performance, cryogenic hardware that enables reliable and scalable qubit operations - a key step towards making quantum processors more stable and efficient. The team led by Dr. Christian Jünger, Dr. Johannes Herrmann and Prof. Christian Schönenberger will use the capital to expand research, business development and customer projects in order to position itself in the rapidly growing market for quantum hardware.

PFR Deep Tech program receives second round of investment

The Polish PFR Deep Tech program, which was launched in May 2025, has completed its second investment round and received around PLN 200 million (EUR 45 million) in capital commitments, two thirds of which came from public funds. The aim is to promote breakthrough and dual-use technologies. Overall, the program is aiming for a fund volume of at least PLN 600 million (EUR 150 million) and is meeting with a high level of market response with investor inquiries of around PLN 1 billion. The latest investments include a PLN 100 million stake in the Balnord fund, which focuses on security-related technologies in the Baltic Sea region. In September, PFR Ventures invested PLN 130 million in the Expeditions II fund, which operates on a fund-of-funds model and strengthens Poland's position as an active driver of technological innovation in Europe.

Forgis secures USD 4.5 million in pre-seed round

Forgis has closed a pre-seed financing of USD 4.5 million, led by redalpine and other investors such as Massimo Banzi, Venture Kick and several foundations and early-stage programs. The Zurich-based industrial startup, formerly known as Xelerit, is developing a technology platform that equips production facilities with industrial intelligence to strengthen the competitiveness of Western manufacturing.

Awards & Events

Startupland 2025: Cologne as a hotspot for Europe's startup ecosystem

The Startupland Conference 2025 and the city-wide program Rise in Startupland transformed Cologne into a week-long meeting place for founders, investors and shapers of the European startup ecosystem. Over 1000 participants and more than 30 partners, including SAP, KPMG and RSM Ebner Stolz, discussed key topics such as AI, sustainability, resilience and growth. The conference in the sold-out RheinEnergieSTADION offered over 100 speakers insights into early-stage challenges, global scaling and impact innovations. The city-wide initiative Rise in Startupland complemented the event with numerous partner programs and showed that innovation has long since extended beyond the stage into the entire urban space. The next Startupland Conference will take place on March 18, 2026 in the RheinEnergieSTADION.

Cooperations & partnerships

Wolt and Burgermeister launch strategic partnership with the "Woltmeister"

The Berlin burger chain Burgermeister and the delivery platform Wolt are intensifying their collaboration with the launch of the exclusive "Woltmeister by Burgermeister", a new limited-edition burger that marks the next step in their strategic partnership. The product launch will be accompanied by a nationwide 2-for-1 campaign via Wolt from November 10 to 14. The partnership is a key growth driver for Burgermeister, which now operates 24 locations in Germany and Poland and is continuing to expand. Both partners rely on data-driven collaboration to optimize the product range, campaigns and customer experience.

SITA, Amadeus and AACO cooperate for more transparency in flight emissions

Under the auspices of the Arab Air Carriers' Organization (AACO), SITA and Amadeus are launching a joint initiative to improve the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions in aviation and thus create more transparency and comparability. SITA Eco Mission, which draws on real flight data, will be combined with the Amadeus Travel Impact Suite, which bundles emissions data from recognized sources. The aim is to provide airlines, travel providers and passengers with reliable information on the environmental impact of individual flights and to promote sustainable decisions.

myoncare and Prof. ValMed® cooperate

The digital health company myoncare and the AI platform Prof. ValMed® are pooling their expertise to support medical decision-making processes in digital patient management. By integrating the CE-certified AI from Prof. ValMed® into the MDR IIa-certified myoncare platform, doctors will in future receive evidence-based, cross-indication recommendations for action directly in the system. The partnership combines digital monitoring, automated data analysis and AI-supported decision-making. The aim is to make clinical processes more efficient and improve patient care based on data.

More exciting news

Pilot project: Wemolo opens retail parking spaces for Berlin drivers

A joint pilot project between Getränke Hoffmann and the digital parking space provider Wemolo is being launched in Berlin, making retail parking spaces accessible to the public at night for the first time. In Lichtenberg, Prenzlauer Berg and Panketal, drivers can book parking spaces via www.go.wemolo.de/parken-berlin from 2 euros per night. The aim of the project is to make more efficient use of unused parking spaces and relieve the search for a parking space in the capital. While 30 percent of Berlin's traffic is caused by the search for a parking space, studies show that three quarters of private spaces often remain unused. Wemolo relies on AI-supported license plate recognition without barriers or tickets. The Urban Places Lab is providing scientific support for the project in order to research usage patterns and the potential of smart land use.