Start-ups Investment Report

WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is an incubator for start-ups with a strong vision. That includes companies active in real estate, a somewhat traditional field where the school’s graduates are nevertheless shaking things up with their keen focus on digitalization, sustainability, and efficient estate management. Investments made in WHU’s start-up ecosystem this past quarter, and during the month of October specifically, highlight the alumni’s influence on the housing market in Germany and across Europe. Innovative companies—from Gropyus and McMakler to Enpal and Vamo—are changing how we use living spaces and provide homes with sustainably sourced energy. They are proof that the industry can be made more flexible and efficient.

The year ended with a bang for WHU’s start-up ecosystem, with businesses co-founded by the school’s alumni expanding and/or securing substantial investments—three of which exceeding €100M. The following list is a more detailed overview of the major transactions and updates from the fourth quarter of 2024.

October

- Gropyus, co-founded by alum Philipp Erler (Diplom 2006), raised €100M in a late-stage funding round. The company works to advance sustainable housing solutions and smart engineering for multifamily residences.

- Enpal, a solar panel provider for private residences, secured €1.4B in funds. The company was co-founded by Jochen Ziervogel (MSc 2015), Mario Kohle (BSc 2008), and Viktor Wingert (MSc 2010).

- Alumni Laurenz Ohlig and Falk Hantl (both MSc 2023) are also active in real estate. They co-founded Vamo, which provides private homes with energy-efficient heat pumps. The company recently secured €7M in a seed funding round.

- McMakler, an innovative and industry-leading real estate agency, recently concluded an additional funding round. The business was co-founded by Felix Jahn (Diplom 2006).

- Co-founded by WHU alumnus Markus Franke (Diplom 2006), Mento Labs offers a platform that matches end users with suitable fintech offers. The company successfully secured €10M in an early-stage funding round.

- iGenetic Diagnostics, co-founded by Madhusudan Sharma, was acquired by Manipal HealthMap.

- Stevan Bajic (external doctoral student) co-founded Manigo, a Banking-as-a-Service platform. The company was recently acquired by Invex Ventures.

November

- Tourlane is revolutionizing the travel industry. Through its virtual, global agency, the company offers highly customizable travel experiences. The company, which recently raised roughly €26.5M in a series D funding round, was co-founded by Julian Stiefel (BSc 2011).

- Co-founded by Christian Gaiser (BSc 2008), the Numa Group is one of today’s leading online hospitality providers. Their Numa platform, which first went live in 2020, specializes in the leasing of short-term rentals and other accommodations. The company is also developing soft- and hardware hospitality solutions and recently successfully concluded a late-stage venture capital funding round. 

- Aiator, co-founded by Richard He, secured €2.8M in a series A funding round. The start-up offers AI-outfitted product and technology solutions with a strong focus on biotechnology and industrial sectors.

- Niklas Hanitsch (PT-MBA 2019) and Simon Pentzien (MBA 2017) are the co-founders of Secjur, a company specializing in the automatization of compliance processes for small and medium-sized enterprises. Secjur recently secured an undisclosed sum of funding in a successful early-stage investment round.

- Daniel Winkler (MSc 2014) successfully concluded a seed funding round for his start-up Atem Structural Discovery, which offers large-scale, cutting-edge solutions for cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to clients in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

- Vytal, co-founded by Dr. Tim Breker (BSc 2009), has declared war on single-use food packaging. The company, which recently concluded a successful seed funding round, offers a unique system that provides multiuse food containers and manages them throughout their use cycle.

- Eduneon offers software that helps school boards and townships plan and manage the digitalization of their public education system. Co-founded by Clemens Grolman (BSc 2018), the company recently concluded a seed funding round.

- Pablo Metz (Diploma 2006) co-founded Meine Erde, a pioneer in environmentally friendly funeral services. Through a process called “re-earthing,” the company turns the remains of those who pass away into fertile, usable soil. The company received €2.6M in an early venture capital round.

- Alaiko, co-founded by Gabriel Thomalla (BSc 2014) and Moritz Weisbrodt (MSc 2016), and Zenfulfillment have begun their merger. In joining forces, the two companies will become one of Europe’s largest fulfillment services for e-commerce platforms.

December

- Sonnedix, co-founded by Franck Constant, secured a staggering €2.4B in outside funding, which will go toward expanding its solar energy facilities. The company currently maintains over 400 solar panels and solar parks across ten different countries. 

- Tobias Auferoth (Diplom 2007) and his business partners raised €105M in a series C funding round for their start-up Upvest. The company is revolutionizing fintech by offering its clients custom investment solutions in varying asset classes.

- Raisin, also active in fintech, specializes in the optimization of savings and investment products. Co-founded by Michael Stephan (BSc 2009), the company recently secured over €100M in a funding round.

- Loyalift, founded by Niklas Klausner (BSc 2022), raised €750K in a seed funding round. The AI-supported market research platform helps companies gain deeper insights into their consumer base’s behavior.

- Xerberus, co-founded by Simon Peters (BSc 2019), has raised some €3.5M per initial coin offering (ICO), a method of corporate financing in which investors can acquire tokens for projects in a blockchain ecosystem via crowdfunding. The start-up promotes transparency and improved risk assessment through cryptocurrency.

- Kursinsel, a start-up founded by Raphael Derstappen and Lukas Schürmann (both BSc 2021), has recently been acquired and now offers its interactive online courses and help children discover their talents on a larger scale.

- Swedish housing management company Odevo has taken majority of the start-up Erste Hausverwaltung, co-founded by Justus Mentzel (BSc 2017). Nevertheless, the company will continue to pursue its mission of modernizing housing management through digital solutions. 

- Cookie Couture is expanding its offering of exclusive baked goods with new locations in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Frankfurt. Co-founded by Kilian Wisskirchen (MSc 2020), the company also recently organized equity capital.

- Planted offers an all-encompassing solution that links carbon emissions management and reporting with efforts to protect Germany’s forests and the environment on a global scale. The company was co-founded by Wilhelm Hammes (MSc 2014) and recently concluded a successful seed funding round.

- Mirantus Health, co-founded by Dominik Pederzani (BSc 2013), successfully concluded a seed funding round. The start-up has the goal of facilitating access to health care to underserved communities through the use of hybrid diagnostics and telehealth solutions.

- Akribion Therapeutics is advancing precision oncology through innovative CRISPR-based therapy. Co-founded by Lukas Linnig (EMBA 2022), the start-up recently concluded a successful seed funding round.

- Lilio Health has also concluded a successful seed funding round. The company, founded by Dr. Nadine Wunderlich (EMBA 2020) and Robert Ermich (MSc 2011), provides smart arm cuffs for infants designed to monitor their heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and (skin) temperature.

- Grocery delivery service Flink secured additional funding in a late-stage venture capital round for its continued growth. The company was co-founded by Christoph Cordes (Diplom 2003) and Julian Dames (MSc 2013).

- Clark, co-founded by Dr. Christopher Oster (Promotion 2014), also completed a late-stage funding round. The company’s app allows users to keep an eye on their insurance policies.