Startup news for the weekend week 6/26

Funding

enclaive secures 4.1 million euros

enclaive, a Berlin-based deep-tech company for cybersecurity, has closed a seed financing round of 4.1 million euros. The round was led by Join Capital and the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund, with participation from Auriga Cyber Ventures. enclaive is developing a multi-cloud platform for so-called confidential computing, which enables companies to operate applications and sensitive data in isolated, hardware-based protected environments across different cloud providers. The solution particularly addresses security and compliance challenges in the processing of sensitive data in industries such as the public sector, finance, healthcare and AI. enclaive intends to use the fresh capital to expand sales and marketing, further develop the platform's functionality, grow the team and drive international expansion.

Awards & Events

26th Founder Competition North Hesse starts - applications until February 28, 2026

North Hesse is looking for people interested in founding a company, start-ups and succession projects with a regional focus. The competition offers practical workshops, individual coaching and expert feedback as well as access to strong networks. Participants can win prize money totaling 40,000 euros and a competition grant worth up to 20,000 euros. The eight competition categories range from technological innovations and social and sustainable business models to digital solutions and successful successions. The aim is to promote entrepreneurial courage, support sustainable growth and strengthen North Hesse as a location for sustainable entrepreneurship. The closing date for applications is February 28, 2026. Further information can be found at https://www.gruenderwettbewerb-nordhessen.de/

Career Day Family Business 2026 at the Schwarz Group in Neckarsulm

On July 10, 2026, the 36th Family Business Career Day will take place at the Schwarz Group's new training center at Stiftsberg in Neckarsulm under the motto "Acting ahead". With more than 70 participating family businesses, it is the largest edition of the event series to date. In addition to the companies of the Schwarz Group, including Lidl, Kaufland, Schwarz Produktion, PreZero and Schwarz Digits, other well-known family businesses such as dm, Kärcher, Rossmann and SCHUNK are also taking part. The event is aimed at qualified specialists and managers who would like to find out more about career opportunities in family businesses in a direct exchange with owners and HR decision-makers. Applications are now open; the deadline for applications is June 15, 2026. The patron of the event series is Federal Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche. More information about the event.

Rising Digital Award 2026: Conciso is looking for digital start-ups with growth potential

The Dortmund-based IT company Conciso is launching the fourth round of the Rising Digital Award startup competition on February 1, 2026. The competition is looking for young companies, teams or individuals from Germany and Europe that have been active for a maximum of 24 months and are developing innovative, scalable digital products or services. The winner will receive prize money of 30,000 euros as well as individual coaching from Conciso experts with the aim of accelerating market maturity and scaling. Applications can be submitted via rising-digital.io until March 31, 2026. An independent jury will select the nominees, who will present their concepts at two Pitch Days on May 28 and 29 in Dortmund. The award ceremony will take place on June 24, 2026.

Collaborations & partnerships

NEURA Robotics and Drees & Sommer develop robotics-ready buildings

NEURA Robotics and Drees & Sommer have launched a strategic partnership to design buildings as learning, interactive systems that work together with humans and robots in real time. The aim is to automate processes and make buildings adaptive, with an initial focus on sanitary facilities to improve hygiene, availability and efficiency. The core of the collaboration is the concept of a "sensorized environment", in which light, movement, temperature and noise are recorded in real time and used for interaction between humans, space and robotics. Drees & Sommer contributes planning expertise, sensor technology and IT/OT knowledge, while NEURA Robotics provides cognitive robots, AI software and interfaces. The aim is to create buildings that not only function, but also learn, interact and adapt independently.

fonio.ai and easybell bring voice AI directly to German cloud telephony

The Viennese AI specialists from fonio.ai and the German cloud telephony provider easybell are launching a partnership to provide seamlessly integrated voice AI for business customers for the first time. The AI solution is fully integrated into the cloud telephone system, works on German infrastructure and reduces latency times by 300-500 milliseconds compared to US-based systems, which significantly improves call quality. The system reliably recognizes requests, switches flexibly between language models and automatically processes even complex information such as email addresses. For companies, this means greater availability, fewer missed calls and less work for sales or customer service teams, with potential savings of 70-90 percent.

ATechX and Stoneweg enter into strategic partnership to scale PropTech innovatione

ATechX, Aroundtown's innovation and venture platform, has entered into a strategic partnership with global investment group Stoneweg. The cooperation enables ATechX start-ups to implement and scale their technologies in Stoneweg's international real estate portfolio worth EUR 11 billion. This includes Europe, the USA and Singapore as well as asset classes such as residential, office, logistics, hospitality, debt and data centers. The aim is to test innovations in practice, promote operational excellence and further develop the way people work and live. The partnership expands ATechX's international network and provides founders with realistic environments to validate their solutions. Stoneweg benefits from cutting-edge technology to support its global operational teams.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Fleet closes €100 million LBO with ISAI after seven years of bootstrapping

Fleet has completed a leveraged buyout (LBO) transaction with investment fund ISAI, valuing the company at €100 million, after seven years of bootstrapping. ISAI is investing in Fleet for the first time and is supporting the company in its next growth phase. According to ISAI, Fleet is characterized by strong value creation, international expansion and sustainable profitability. The transaction also enables employees to participate in the company's success. Fleet plans to continue its growth and is still hiring in all areas.

Personnel

OhneMakler appoints Tim Hermeling as CEO for Austria

One year after entering the Austrian market, the real estate platform OhneMakler is strengthening its regional presence with a new headquarters in Vienna and a change in management: Tim Hermeling will take over as CEO in Austria on February 1, 2026. The former immowelt manager will drive growth, expand regional networking and strengthen sales from Vienna. OhneMakler's goal is to establish itself as the leading platform for commission-free real estate transactions in Austria by 2028 and to support private owners with a transparent, digital and cost-efficient alternative to traditional brokerage.

Dr. Andreas Günther becomes new COO at Everphone

The Berlin-based device-as-a-service company Everphone is strengthening its management team and has appointed Dr. Andreas Günther as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Co-Managing Director with immediate effect. The strategy expert with a doctorate, who previously held management positions at 123fahrschule, JUMiNGO and CHECK24, will be responsible for further scaling the operational structures of the scale-up once it reaches the 100 million euro revenue mark in 2025. As part of this personnel reorganization, the previous COO Mehmet Isik is moving to the position of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) in order to focus on sales and international expansion together with founder Jan Dzulko.